Texan_Til_I_Die Posted November 17, 2006 Report Share Posted November 17, 2006 Re: Neck shots As Dirty Harry would say, "A man's got to know his limitations." If you can pull off a neck (spine) or head shot 100% of the time, then it's a highly effective method. If not, you're going to end up losing a deer. I'd say a good test would be whether or not you can hit a 50 cent piece 100 out of 100 shots at 100 yards. If you can, then you're probably ready for the head/neck shots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hunter36 Posted November 17, 2006 Report Share Posted November 17, 2006 Re: Neck shots Hey guys why dont we do this? Lets seperate the people who neck shoot deer to kill them from the hopefully few people who do it to brag. Honestly I have neck shot deer when there is no other shot given, and never once have i thought to do it so it would be a great story. I hunt right in the middle of a big swamp and if i get a shoulder shot thats where i hit them. but guys there are people who neck shoot who dont care about the story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fourtrax_300 Posted November 17, 2006 Report Share Posted November 17, 2006 Re: Neck shots i have shot 2 deer in the neck, i do no like to do so now. mind you i only hunt with slug guns here in Illinois. m first deer was taken with a neck shot, not on purpose but i was very nervous and it dropped him right away. the other time all i could see of a doe was the neck and head so i took aim for the neck and luckly i connected and droped it too. however i prefer to aim behind the shoulder or for the rib cage. always brings them down, yes they run but with a good hit tracking is easy if not then it gets harder and that is just part of hunting. in my opnion if your going to hunt deer you should be able to track them as well. and swamp or no swamp if your going to hunt in a swamp all i can say if make sure and have some waders cause i deer is lieky to run into one if it exist. that is also simply part of hunting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QDMAworks4me Posted November 17, 2006 Report Share Posted November 17, 2006 Re: Neck shots [ QUOTE ] in my opnion if your going to hunt deer you should be able to track them as well. and swamp or no swamp if your going to hunt in a swamp all i can say if make sure and have some waders cause i deer is lieky to run into one if it exist. that is also simply part of hunting. [/ QUOTE ] I have NO problem tracking deer, I do it all the time for friends, I prefer to take a neck shot if it is presented and that will not change, if you do not feel comfortable doing that than don't. It is really hard to track deer through standing water, if you have not tried it you should not as easy as tracking through an open field or woods, blood disapates in water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoyt03 Posted November 17, 2006 Report Share Posted November 17, 2006 Re: Neck shots I prefer to aim right behind the shoulder and let it fly. I have alot more room for error and with a hole through two lungs and maybe the heart the game usually wont go far. Plus an enjoyable part of hunting for me is to make a nice ethical shot and follow the blood trail to the deer. Even if there isnt much blood I still get alot more satisfaction by having to work a little bit to track my game. Ive had more satisfaction from animals I had to trail and find then ones that just dropped on the spot. It's all a part of the hunt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LETMGROW Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Re: Neck shots Give me a break!!! Anyone would rather shoot a deer, wound it and have to follow a bloodtrail just for their own satisfaction? If you truly enjoy this you should never be allowed to hunt again. Some peoples respect for the animal is .......Well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunting_boy Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Re: Neck shots man everything you have been saying is harsh but true Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Born2Hunt Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Re: Neck shots [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] Doc, I see you are open minded as usual. I always thought you supportsd what was legal and always had the view that every hunting situation was different and had to be treated different. If you don't have any more faith in yourself with a gun than that maybe you should give up hunting and become an anti. The next neck shot I take will be in your honor I promise to make a clean kill that I don't have to track into a chest deep swamp and if I don't please give me your number and I will give you a ring then you can come help me track in the swamp with your superior skills. PS don't wait for a call I have never lost a deer due to tracking or a bad shot. My god I am ego-centric. [/ QUOTE ] Well actually, just to clarify my position, I will grant that it is legal to shoot deer in the legs but that doesn't mean that I would support someone who purposely did that. I will also say that I believe that hunters should take high percentage shots and not play handicapping games. It's kind of something that I was taught at a pretty early stage of my hunting. Actually, I believe it is still taught today. Also, if everyone who was unwilling to take neck or head shots gave up hunting, it would be a pretty quiet season wouldn't it? It's not a matter of having faith in your gun or your shooting. It is more a matter of extending your odds of making a proper shot and reducing risks of wounding. If I can hit that narrow piece of bone in the neck, then I know for sure I can hit the heart/lung area. I also know that if I slip up a little bit or the deer does some last second movement, I have a much better chance of still being in the kill zone and not wounding the animal. It kind of stands to reason doesn't it? A larger kill zone equals a smaller chance of screwing up. Look I have seen the results of some of these great marksmen who as it turned out had just a little too much faith in themselves with their gun. I've seen the swinging hamburger like lower jaws. I've heard the wheezing of a deer that had a new hole where its windpipe used to be. Personally, I don't want to be a part of that. If you feel comfortable with that risk, it's up to you. If you have not experienced such a mishap yet, it could be just a matter of time. My primary concern is that there are most likely a lot of newbies reading these messages, and here we have a bunch of people advocating neck shots over any other shots. In one case we even have a "head-shot" artist. I'd hate to think that some of these members might start giving up the higher percentage shots to the vitals in favor of neck shots because of something they read on these forums. I think that to be advocating neck shots without also stating the qualifiers of a high level of marksmanship and also pointing out the fact that such shots do in fact carry a certain added level of risk, is a very irresponsible thing to do in a public forum that is frequented by people of a large variation in ability and experience. By the way, I understand what you are trying to say about the swamp. Does that mean that when you are hunting elsewhere, you go back to aiming at the heart/lung area? .......probably not. Doc [/ QUOTE ] I aim for the vitals 100% of the time unless there is no other shot but the neck. When I plan on a neck shot the deer is standing still and I have a very steady rest off my stand ect. I do it the most ethical way I can or I will not take the shot. I will always pass on a deer if I don't have a good ethical shot. As for the swinging jaw bone I wish you could have asked the deer what happened. He might have said I was running and a hunter shot 5 times at me without really aiming as fast as he could pull the trigger. Then the hunter told all his buddies I shot at a deer and never cut a hair. When asked if he looked for blood he said no the deer was running to fast to hit and I was not real sure of my target and beyond so no I missed. This could have been the cause of what you saw Doc. This is an un ethical situation. The guy who makes a good clean kill is not the person to blame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LETMGROW Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Re: Neck shots Sounds like what doc saw was a result of " I emptied my gun on him, but never cut a hair " Have you ever heard this? Then there is the possibility the jawhanging deer was hit by a car, train, bus, truck, ATV, snowmobile, golfcart, or maybe an alien flying saucer. Nah, it was some incompetent neck shooter. They're everywhere! They are everywhere! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Born2Hunt Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Re: Neck shots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Illinois1958 Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Re: Neck shots Sad for me but i have hit 2 deer in the neck with an arrow. Both were bruisers and we never found either one of them. Spent 3 days looking for the first one and 2 days for the other. No neck shots for me again, ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lever_gun450 Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Re: Neck shots I feel confident enough in my shooting abilities to attempt a neck shot, unless a Vital shot is open of course. I won't, however, take a neck shot on an elk, way to much empty space there, a huge chance for just wounding the animal. I'm not a too big of a fan of head shot, not unless there within 50 yeards. last year I had to take down a doe with her lower jaw gone. Found the guy who did it, and made him tag it. Again, it just depends on the situation, If a clear shot at the vitals is open, thats my first priority. If all I have is a neck shot, and it's not too far, I'll that that. ~Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6sixpoint_nobrows Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Re: Neck shots i have never even thought avout shooting one in the neck personally...but i know people that have...besides if it is a bruiser why would you shoot him in the neck if you wanna mount him.., i would rather wait for a broadside or quartering shot...good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snapper Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Re: Neck shots I for once agree with Doc! I know of a group of hunters who put money in a pot before the first day of rifle season...the "hunter" who shoots their doe closest to the eye wins the money. I also seen a deer running with her lower jaw blown off in the same area of these "hunters" showing their marksmanship. Sorry, I feel I'm a pretty good shot...but I also feel I owe it to the deer to kill it as fast and ethically as I can. A neck shot will kill a deer fast...but there is just too much room for error. I like the high shoulder shot....your aim is off a few inches in any direction you still kill the deer. With a neck/head shot...your off a few inches...you could wound the deer and never be found. No one is perfect...in a hunting situation...sometime you will make a bad shot...I'd rather it be in the main part of the deer's body than the lower neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted November 19, 2006 Report Share Posted November 19, 2006 Re: Neck shots [ QUOTE ] Sounds like what doc saw was a result of " I emptied my gun on him, but never cut a hair " Have you ever heard this? Then there is the possibility the jawhanging deer was hit by a car, train, bus, truck, ATV, snowmobile, golfcart, or maybe an alien flying saucer. [/ QUOTE ] And it is also just possible that it was someone who chose to gamble on a riskier shot than he really had to and lost. Look, like I said before, you guys do what ever you think you have to do. But when you start singing the praises of picking a smaller kill zone than you have to, be sure that it doesn't start sounding like a recommendation for any newbies that are reading this forum. Neck shots and head shots are definitely not for those people who are not skilled enough or experienced enough to pull them off 100% of the time. I sure wouldn't want to be the one who sent some 1st year hunter off with the impression that they should now start shooting all their deer in the neck without at least mentioning that the neck shot is riskier than the heart-lung shot and that those without the skill level to pull off neckshots should definately stay with the heart/lung shot placement. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stinger-Hunter Posted November 19, 2006 Report Share Posted November 19, 2006 Re: Neck shots I agree with Doc. I've shot 3 in the neck. All three dropped like a ton of bricks. I consider it to be ethical if you can ethically make the shot. I shot one because a doe was pounding her foot at me and the buck behind her would only stick his neck out from behind a tree. Too bad for him. One was the second of two shots (the first one hit just fine but he didn't act like it and the fever got me. The third was a 10 yard shot, slug richochetted off a large branch and smoke him in the neck - bullet never exited. All three were dead on the spot. Taxidermist had no prob with any of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakeE141414 Posted November 19, 2006 Report Share Posted November 19, 2006 Re: Neck shots I always try and wait for a nice broadside shot. Although on opener in Minnesota this year i shot a doe in the neck. It was an accident, but it sure did drop her quick w/ no suffering Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasDeerHunter Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 Re: Neck shots Here is my two cents....A large percentage of deer that I harvest are by way of neck shots. I simply don't like to waste meat and the shoulder shot or heart/lung shot definately do so. I use a .223 most of the time and am able to place the bullet right where it needs to be, so I dont have any problem with the neck shot. However, there are times when I may be walking with no stable rest available or might have a bad case of buck fever and the neck shot is not the best choice. For most folks I strongly advise the shoulder shot, but for more skilled hunters a neck shot is just as ethical and eliminates tearing up meat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfletch7441 Posted November 22, 2006 Report Share Posted November 22, 2006 Re: Neck shots [ QUOTE ] Here is my two cents....A large percentage of deer that I harvest are by way of neck shots. I simply don't like to waste meat and the shoulder shot or heart/lung shot definately do so. I use a .223 most of the time and am able to place the bullet right where it needs to be, so I dont have any problem with the neck shot. However, there are times when I may be walking with no stable rest available or might have a bad case of buck fever and the neck shot is not the best choice. For most folks I strongly advise the shoulder shot, but for more skilled hunters a neck shot is just as ethical and eliminates tearing up meat. [/ QUOTE ] I couldn't agree more. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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