An hour before sunset, Idaho outfitter Darwin Vander Esch noticed a slight change in pitch, a signal that the bugling bull was up and moving. He sent a chuckling challenge down the steep mountainside and the bull responded immediately, closing a hundred yards in the next half minute. "He's coming," whispered Vander Esch to his two archery clients, posting one in front and one behind his position.
Soon pine needles crunched, a limb cracked and the beast nearly burst upon the hunters. The lead archer came to full draw the moment he saw antlers and released when the beast paused 25 yards ahead. The bull burst past them and piled up 50 yards away.

Like Sex, People don't talk about the Frontal Shot

Every big game guide knows about the frontal shot, but most recommend "abstinence" over education. I have elk hunted with dozens of Western guides and Vander Esch was the first to emphatically insist, "Do not pass a frontal shot." That hunt was three years ago and a majority of his elk harvests come from that shot angle each year. "The frontal kill zone is the same size as that of a whitetail deer standing broadside," he says and has found that blood trails are much shorter and arrows are incredibly lethal when properly placed in the front.
Ten years ago, Craig Dougherty hunted moose in central Canada. His guide called in an enraged bull that raced up to them stopping less than 10 yards away. Dougherty unleashed an arrow and the bull crashed 100 yards away. Ironically five years later, his son Neil had the exact same experience. The frontal shot works even on moose.

Why You Should

Whether cow calling or bugling elk, your most likely shot is at an approaching animal. On T.V. and in videos, you will see archers locked at full draw with a big bull standing head-on 15 steps away. Ironically, an arrow placed between the front legs where the neck enters the body provides direct and unobstructed access to the heart and lungs with no thick shoulder muscle, ribs, or other energy robbing tissue to penetrate.
If you are hunting on the ground (Not from a tree stand) and an animal approaches, drop to your knees, draw the bow and wait for the perfect shot. If the animal steps into point blank range and you can see that neck-meets-the-body spot, take the shot. In Africa last fall, I intentionally shot a wildebeest, arguably the toughest animal on the continent, directly in the front. It whirled and crashed 75 yards away, incredibly close for this creature that often refuses to succumb to large hunting bullets. The shot was close, under 20 yards, I could see the exact target spot, and I it worked. Bow was a 60# Jennings, carbon arrow and 3-blade broadhead. Despite a modest 60-pound draw weight, the Jennings CK 3.4 bow developed sufficient kinetic energy to down Africa's largest antelope. Jennings uses patented compression moldings with multiple layers of continuous carbon fibers to create the most powerful energy-packed limbs available today. Plus, the short, pre-bent compression limb design allows the limbs to be drawn beyond parallel, a force that creates less vibration and sound.

Problems up Front

I spoke with a leading hunting video producer about this issue at the 2006 Archery Trade Association show and his answer mimics that of many outdoor professionals. "The frontal shot is for people who really know what they are doing," he said. "If we take that shot, than lots of novices will try it and unless it's done right, the animal will only be wounded."
With elk and other big game, the excitement factor must be considered as well. When a beast five times your size in raking a tree with pointed daggers and blowing snot in your face, to calmly look it in the eye, put a sight pin at the base of the neck, and flawlessly release is a tall order. I once had a bull elk stand three steps behind me for five minutes. I became so unraveled I later missed it standing broadside at 20 yards.

Yes You Can! But be Careful

I can tell you that babies come from the cabbage patch, but I'd rather be truthful about the risks involved and you make the decision. You can make a lethal frontal shot but you must practice shooting from your knees at a life-size target. Quartering on, aim just inside the front shoulder. Head on, aim straight on. If your arrow hits the neck or brisket, you've made a bad shot. Once mastered, this shot can pay off in short trails and quick recoveries.

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Editors note: I have taken whitetails with this shot and a friend Jeff Pestrue of Eastman Outdoors, has taken a bull moose with a frontal shot. While it may not be text book if you're totally confident in the shot, your bow packs plenty of kinetic energy like my Bear "Code" and it is well within your effective range…squeeze the trigger on the release. Wade Nolan