Members of deer camps love to debate whether the moon affects whitetail movement, the timing of the rut, if the October lull is real, and the list goes on and on.

One topic that shouldn’t be controversial, however, is proper shot placement on whitetail deer. In the video below, QDMA Director Of Conservation Kip Adams uses a 3-D anatomically correct form of a whitetail deer's vitals to walk you through broadside, quartering and elevated shots for proper placements on deer.

Note: Adams focuses on bowhunting, but everything he says is true for gun hunting, too. Of course, with a tough bullet, you can expand your shot selection on quartering-toward whitetails to include taking out a deer’s front leg bone or shoulder. The goal is still the same: Have the projectile penetrate both lungs.

Don’t assume you’ve been aiming correctly just because you’ve been deer hunting for decades. Watch the video. If it confirms what you already knew — great. If it challenges your long-held beliefs, then I hope you have an open mind to consider a better plan for this fall.