In Mel Gibson’s classic movie The Patriot the main character taught his sons to shoot a muzzle-loader, and gave them the instructions to, “aim small, miss small.” This shooting advice came into play in the ambush scene where he reminded his sons to, “aim small, miss small.” This meant that if they aimed at a man and missed they missed the man completely, but if they aimed at a small button on the man’s coat and missed they might still hit the man. This is great advice for any hunter of any weapon. Instead of aiming at the body of a deer when you shoot your bow or gun, a more practical and ethical shot would be to aim at a small area in a vitals area. This type of shooting should increase your “quick kills” as well as possibly help you recover more animals. Practice makes perfect to accomplish this feat. In Buckmaster Magazine they offer some insight on just this very thing.
(Buckmaster Magazine)
A vast majority of missed whitetails happen because the archer shoots over the deer. When a whitetail hears a bow shot, its body reacts faster than the arrow arrives. Its natural response to any unknown noise is to treat it as a threat. How do whitetails respond to threats? They run.
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In order to flee quickly, a deer must first contract its leg muscles. This essentially causes the deer to duck or jump the string as most bowhunters put it. A quality bow that is quiet helps, but the best way to avoid a high miss is to aim at the lower third of the deers vitals. While a 3-D target will reward you for a high lung shot, that same shot in the woods could very well be a high miss. Concentrate on hitting the lower third of a whitetail, just a little back from the leg. While its tempting to place a sticker to aim at on a 3-D target, keep in mind you wont have that sticker on a live deer. Practice makes perfect and will certainly help you in putting that trophy on the ground this season.
The phrase “aim small miss small” was coined by Mark A. Baker, author of the books "Sons of a Trackless Forest" and "A Pilgrims Journey". He also served as a historical adviser to Daniel Day-Lewis during the filming of "Last of the Mohicans" in 1992. It was during his service as historical adviser to Mel Gibson during the filming of "The Patriot “that he coined the phrase "Aim small, miss small" while teaching Mr. Gibson how to shoot flintlocks. Mr. Gibson liked the saying and said he was going to incorporate it into the movie.
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