No more neck shots

[tvc15]

When hunting late in the evenings I always tell myself to try a neck shots so there will be no need to track, it will drop, or you just missed.

I usually talk myself out of this idea, but I just had to try it.

Had a doe at 25 yards. With 2 in the freezer, I figure why not. MISSED she must have lowered her head, or I got cocky. She just flew off.

I must admit you do know right away if you miss, but however you loose confidence.

Back to heart lung shots.    TVC15

[Graybeard]

No actually you DO NOT. That is a common misconception and leads to who knows how many deer each year running off to die a miserable death because they were not followed up due to that misconception. There are PLENTY of places you can hit and the deer run off seemingly unhit only to die a lingering death.

[tvc15]

Sorry, I should have mentioned I was able to see the deer after her run. She returned to feeding, but never offered a shot.   TVC15

[buckshooter]

I am from Ohio, where it is shotgun only hunting, it is a lot easier to aim at the heart or lungs than it is to aim at the neck or spine.  I have killed most of the deer hitting the lungs and the heart, on my first deer which was a 12 point buck I hit it in the spine at 80 yards.  Most of the time I aim for the vitals. 

Hope this helps

buckshooter   

[Ranger J]

I have never intentionally aimed to hit a deer in the neck but have hit three there, all with a muzzle loader.  Two of these were attempts at head shots and one was a shot at a running deer.  I have given up at head shots completely.  The first was at a doe about 20 yards.  I was using a 50 cal round ball and I guess she turned her head and the ball struck her in the throat area.   She ran off and there was no blood trail and after a good search I assumed that I had missed.  We found her the next day dead about three hundred yards away.  Still was no blood trail leading to her I guess blood drained through inside.  The second was again an attempted head shot at the largest buck I have ever taken at about ten yards and he also turned his head as I shot.  Fortunately the ball found his spine and he fell on the spot.  The last was a  shot at a small buck that someone else had busted out of a thicket and went by my stand flat out at about thirty yards.  I was using a maxi hunter in the gun and I hit the deer at about the same place I hit the first one but the difference was the bullet.  The maxi passed through and there was a good blood trail and I was able to watch the deer fall about one hundred yards away.  I have since taken shots only at the heart lung area as it doesn't seem to make quick movements that result in misplaced shots.   I know others swear by head and neck shots but I now know my limitations and I will not take them even if the deer is with in spitting distance.  Just my experience.

RJ

[TribReady]

I've never tried either and probably won't.  Too many movement variables (as mentioned), plus limited blood trail (as mentioned), and head shots to me seem too risky for the average shooter/hunter.
If I feel the need to "anchor" them right there, I'll shoot thru the shoulders.  That also rarely happens. Double lung with a deer rifle puts 99% of deer down within 100 yards.

[Tn Jim]

I shot a doe last year at about 40 yards in the neck. Not my choice, it was the only shot offered. At the shot she dropped right where she was standing and was dead in 5 seconds. Broke the spine right at the base of the neck. It worked great the only time I have tried it.

[Siskiyou]

I was tempted a couple weeks ago.  I was seated against the butt of a large log looking North when I rotated my head West.  I was surprised that a buck had moved into an area I had been watching a few minutes before

I later measure the range and it was 32.5 yards.  I wanted a neck shot but as I turned I was in an awkward position and the buck had spotted me.  I knew he was going to be gone in a second.  I dropped the crosshairs tightly behind his shoulder and fired a shot.

When I opened him up I found that on entering the bullet hit a rib blowing a large entrance hole, doing in the lungs, and exiting the off shoulder.  The deer was heavily blood shot down the side of entry, from the shoulder to the back of the rib cage.

I do not regret the shot because I was not sure of the neck shot, but the damage may have been far less.  I must admit that I have re-thought that shot a number of times.  To the point that I am considering using a little less rife the rest of the season.  The downside is that I cannot predict the distance my next shot might come at.

[rickt300]

I have often killed deer and elk by hitting them in the neck just in front of the shoulder. I will aim a bit lower than the level of the shoulder blade.  You may need a finishing shot but so far every animal has dropped at the shot. I started using this shot after using this placement of feral hogs with great results.  However I am the most astonishing shot on game ever known to man, a real legend actually (grin).

[Land_Owner]

Sorry boys...gotta disagree.  I try to aim for the neck if it is a doe.  I practice, practice, practice and KNOW where the bullet is going to go with 200 yards from a steady rest when I touch off the trigger.  I don't chase any of them - DRT.  Now I have shot a few in the spine, shoulder, and double lung, but those deer just would not give me the shot that I wanted or were capes that I had mounted.  I don't do head shots though.  Too ugly and the stuff of night time mares... 

[blackbear]

Of the 2 deer I took neck shots, both dropped immediately. One was walking away and it was the only shot offered. The other was broadside. My wife always takes neck shots and has done very well.

[Tunaman]

I have probably killed better than 50 percent of the does that I have shot with neck shots. You save more meat and tracking is a breexe. They die right where you shoot them.

[Graybeard]

You save more meat

Never have understood that comment from proponents of the neck shot. There is a large amount of meat in the necks of deer really are you just tossing the necks away? There is NOTHING I'd consider eating in the heat/lung area and there is so little meat on the ribs I know of darn few who mess with it. So what meat is lost to a proper heart/lung area shot?

The neck shot can be a very quickly fatal shot IF (GREAT BIG HUGE IF) you know where to properly place it and can deliver it there reliably. I doubt most do know however and further question what percentage of deer hunters can deliver it there with the level of accuracy needed.

The spine runs the length of neck from head to shoulders and generically speaking anywhere along the length of neck from base of skull to where it joins the body is neck and thus could be called a neck shot.

Near the skull is the smallest area and thus most difficult target and that target moves often and rapidly making it an even more difficult shot to make especially if not up really close. But the one good thing is that there is less doubt where the spine is there. As you move back toward the body the spine is hidden by more and more non lethal area and knowing the precise placement of it in all that meat especially so on a buck with rut swollen neck isn't as simple. If you know good for you but if you don't you have no business taking a neck shot.

Then lastly there is the spot kinda sorta under the scapula where the spine dips before rising again to move along the back line to the tail area. This shot is often called the high shoulder shot by some I believe even tho technically deer have no shoulders in the sense we humans do. Their leg bones are not connected in any way to the rest of their skeleton just attached by tendons and ligaments.

Properly executed that shot is deadly and offers a most stationary and larger shot area as well. BUT it too is an easy one to mess up. Go too high above the spine and no real damage is done, the deer falls as if spined then quickly recovers and runs away. How many times have you heard folks talk of deer doing that? Too low and again you miss most everything vital to the deer and it likely will die but a lingering death far from you.

Nope I'm not an advocate of neck shots for most hunters. They can and do work dramatically when done right but there is a lot of area that is not right and too many assume that with a neck shot you either drop them DRT or miss. That is just not so.

[s_hawk]

Too me, it depends on the rifle I have. If using my 30-06 or 7mm-08 I go for lungs & heart. If using a 223 & I have a good rest and the shot is 100 yds or less., I make a neck shot. I've killed many like this and have never had one do anything but go straight down.
Hawk

[Mohawk]

  My neighbor about 7 years ago hit a buck, nice buck, in the neck twice with a .357 Mag. Even bled a good bit. Never found the deer. Its probably still running..........

[BBF]

no neck or god forbid head shots ever !

[ccoker]

I take neck shots on deer if everything lines up, deer froze, right rifle, good rest, within 150 yards
never had anyone do anything other than drop

when I saw "deer froze" I mean when one isn't moving at all, like staring right at me or the blind, knowing something is there but they can't be sure and are really staring hard, or one feeding and I have the perfect shot, if not the absolute perfect shot I pass and take a heart/lung shot

[ms]

I don't do neck shots I don't feel good about those shots.

[charles p]

I frequently take neck shots when yardage is under 100 yds.  Last year I shot two doe deer through their heads with the same shot.  They were facing each other and perfectly in line while feeding.  In NC we can take all the doe we wish and two per day.  There is no secret to neck shots.  You simply have to have a rock solid rest and a light trigger.  I shoot from tower stands.

[DDelle338]

  Why in the world would I mess up the best meat on the deer? Neck roasts are the best! As for head shots, In the last few years I have seen several deer around my place that have had their nose blown off, or their jaw blown off and still walking around dying a horrrible death. No reason to do this other than bragging about taking a deer with a head shot. The vital zone, lung/heart area is a much larger target. If your shot is off a little bit you are still more likely to kill the deer than you would by being "off" a tiny bit aiming at the head or neck. And as Graybeard said there's no real loss off edible meat by hitting the rib area.
  I'd much rather take my deer and brag about having neck roast for dinner on Saturday than to brag about the quick droping neck shot I made while trying to chew the nasty tasting meat off those ribs.

[efremtags]

Good call Graybeard on your summary of neck shots. I know a lot of hunters who swear by this shot, so I began to ask around on their techniques. I got a different description of where to shoot on the body, and a fatality % that was way low. Too many shots are either missed completely, or the deer moves and you hit in non-vital meat area, where the deer takes off. The consensus was basically it's a great shot when you pull it off, and if you miss, there's plenty more deer out there to shoot. That attitude kinda pisses me off.

The heart-lung is a large target. If you use any reasonable gun combo, 50-60yds is the most you can expect the animal to run. I know of few animals hit well that were difficult to track and find.

[.308sniper]

Ive never tried on on purpose but I shot one there when in moved its head. Given it was a small deer it dropped right there but did require a finisher to stop its suffering. Just my one experience.

[Drilling Man]

  One of the stupidist things i hear hunters say about neck shots is, you either "drop them in there tracks or you miss and they run off unhurt!"   

  I guess those hunters either make "perfect" shots or they miss by at least 6" every time!!

  DM

[7magfan]

My dad loves the neck shot..Me not so much. Killed a moose with one, but I lost a nice buck with an attempted neck shot. Deer was head on in the woods in the only opening I had. I should have let it walk but I aimed for the neck and ended up driving some sort of bone out of it about 2 inches by .75 inch..looked an awful lot like a leg bone. Chased after the deer for 3 days and felt sick..Only one I have lost. Did a lot of things wrong, wrong shot placement, shot off hand..bad bad bad. Another bad one was a huge 6 pointer that was blasted at 40 yds with a 3030 in the neck. deer Went down then back up and ran like the wind. finally tracked it down hundreds of yds away and put it out of it's misery. That's when the 7mag was born in my family.
I did kill a nice 8 point in his bed this year. Again he was facing me, but it was a 20 yd shot with no obstruction. This time i aimed at the base of his neck and that's where it hit. He flipped over and it was over.
The neck is a lot smaller vital area then we sometimes think. If you have a high powered weapon maybe you break it's neck. Just my 2 cents

[super mario]

Neck shots are pretty much all I take. Id say about 90% of the time for 25 years now. The past 4 or 5 years I have hunted exclusively with a .22 Hornet and every deer I shot with it was a neck shot. about 12 deer so far. Every single one dropped where they stood. longest shot about a 110 yds, closest was 11 yds. Nock on wood but i havent wounded one. Killed about 6 hogs with it as well, mostly head shots but some in the neck as well.  My son took a 100 lb pig with a neck shot that missed the spine, still dropped right there, knocked out the juglars and throat and bled out quick.
 I use to use a .243 for over 20 years, mostly neck shots as well, but it almost knocked their heads off. I saw a friend hit a doe in the neck with a 300 mag, it did knock the head off.
 I always shoot off a rest or out of a box blind, in a box blind I rest the forearm on the window and I have the rear stock resting on a bipod, and I shoot over feeders 90% of the time. When I am about ready I grunt at the deer to get them to look up at me, then I smack em in the neck. I like them looking straight at me when I neck shoot them. I feel more confident with that shot than neck straight out.
I also have rattled in and killed several bucks, but they come in and are already looking at me, again I am shooting off a bipod in either prone or sitting position. 100 yds and under, its a neck shot 99% of the time.

[LEO]

I know there are people on this board capable of making a perfect neck shot every time but most probably aren't.  I have shot deer in the neck and head but it is not a shot I routinely take and it is not my prefered shot.  I am a believer in the heart/lung shot.  I had a deer run the farthest this year that I have ever had one run with a solid heart double lung shot and it was only about 50 yards and it was an archery shot.  Now I admit I haven't killed many deer with archery equipment but I have killed a bunch with rifles, handguns, and muzzleloaders and they just don't go far after a good heart lung shot, the vast majority of the deer I have killed this way have only took a bound or two if they didn't drop where I shot them. Also you only loose a little bit of meat with a heart/lung shot and what you loose is hamburger not good roasts.  Also as far as the 30-30 being inadequate, I have killed a bunch of deer with a 30-30 and never had one run out of sight before it dropped. 

[kix]

  I have a standing mandate on my lease in S. Texas for all visitor/friend hunters that if you are a proponent of the neck/head shot there is a stipulation: If, after you shoot, we go go down and find hair, bone, teeth, jaw and no deer you are no longer welcome. So far the threat has worked with no lost deer even though I hear of their expertise on the range. I try to explain that paper targets never move while deer do and will. Shoot for the shoulder with an adequate rifle and be happy.  Kix

[lewdogg21]

I have never intentionally aimed to hit a deer in the neck but have hit three there, all with a muzzle loader.  Two of these were attempts at head shots and one was a shot at a running deer. 

RJ

I know this is the deer forum but here in California deer are scarce.  I dropped a spike bull elk with a neck shot from a .338 win mag. Granted I was trying to aim for heart/lung shot but the adrenaline rush of being amongst a heard of 40 elk with them all around me and having to run a good way hunched over to keep up with the herd had me panting hard.  The bull dropped like he was hit by a locomotive.  While it was  very effective I frankly got lucky in that I hit him.   Aim for the bigger area as it's more forgiving than the small neck.