Broadside
Hold on the back line of the near front leg, a third of the way up the body. The heart sits just above the elbow; the lungs fill the area above and behind it.
Quartering and other angles
Quartering away, aim for the far front leg. Quartering to, enter at the point of the near shoulder. From a high seat or on steep hill ground, hold slightly higher on the near side so the exit comes low through the far-side chest.
Do not
Do not aim by the mane, and do not shoot a stag standing among hinds where the bullet can pass through into another deer.
Where they live and the typical miss
Found across Europe and the UK, from Scottish hill ground to Central European forest, with introduced herds in New Zealand and Argentina. The typical miss is forward, into the neck muscle of a rutting stag, or high on steep ground.
Stalking in the rut
Stags in the rut hold their heads high and often stand quartering. The heavy neck and mane make the chest look further forward than it is; aim by the leg.
Hill shots
On open hill ground shots are often downhill. Hold slightly higher on the near side so the exit takes the far lung.