Don't shoot him with his head down (??)

J

JohnKSa

Administrator
I was watching Jim Shockey's hunting show the other day and heard this command being given by different guides on two occasions. On both occasions a hunter was getting ready to shoot a large whitetail buck and the guide told the hunter not to shoot while the deer's head was down.

I've never heard anything like this before (I don't watch that show very often--maybe it's something they say all the time). Can anyone shed any light on this mystery?

The deer were both shot high in the back above the shoulder. That may have been coincidence, or it may have been to get the buck to drop quickly for the camera. Could the warning relate specifically to shooting a deer in the spine? That's the only thing that makes sense at all but I'm still not sure exactly why the position of the deer's head makes any significant difference.
 
Avoiding the spine might be an option, if they want to avoid CWD.

The only other thing I can think of would be the position of the shoulders.

As a deer leans down, the butter zone is blocked a bit more by the shoulders. There is also more weight shifted forward on the front legs, causing more muscles to be tense.

I dunno... :confused: just throwing that out there.
 
There is no good reason!

Head down or head up, what difference could it possibly make if there is a clear shot to the appropriate vitals? If you pass a good shot on a 'big' whitetail while his head is down....you may be making a BIG mistake....when that head comes up, it could be because he has sensed danger in some way (possibly you) and is about to bolt, etc. My practice is to take the FIRST good shot offered....NEVER wait on a perfect shot with a big Whitetail....take the shot if it is a good one and take it NOW!
 
Don't shoot one with his head down is new one on me. I can't even begin to imagine why they would say that. To me, head up or down, if its a good open broadside shot, you take it.
 
I'm just a back-asswards old country boy John, but I don't 'get it' either. I have been intentionally shooting deer through the spine at the shoulders (often with heavy handguns) for a good 25 years now and judging from what I see on hunting shows- they are having a whole lot more deer run off than I have.
 
Maybe he was anticipating some fidgetiness on the part of the hunter that would be less likely to be noticed.

Also, having hunted with dozens of different guides, they could be extremely knowledgeable or lucky to find their way back to camp.
 
That's a new one on me! If I were going for a chest shot, I don't see how it would matter. If the buck were in neck-shot range, I guess I'd probably wait until his "pose" suited me. :)

However, when a deer has his head down, he's probably taken a half step. Could be that a heart/lung shot would go into the off leg (if the near leg is forward), possibly high enough to get into shoulder meat.

But if he's just lowered his head for a quick sniff of the ground and the front legs aren't in the bullet's path, Kablooie.
 
Most hunting shows have rules for game taken in front of the camera. Most shows will not allow the hunter to shoot a bedded animal. I imagine they wanted the head up for the camera. I imagine that it is done just to get better camera shots for the viewer.
 
I gotta agree with the "pose" idea. If the critter has his head up and looks alert and inherits a bullet- then at least he 'appeared' to be alert enough to take whatever action he/she felt appropriate such as running or growing an opposing thumb and returning fire. Now, if it's head was down and looking all unawares- then the bunny lovers and tree huggers might stir up flak by saying the critter was ambushed. No, I don't pretend to know what goes on in them folks' heads- just felt the urge to ramble a bit. Sorry.
 
I guess I didn't even read the question correctly. From an ability to take flight stance it would make more sense to me, if there is any sense to it at all, to shoot the animal when he is less alert. Anatomically, I see no practical difference. Politically, who knows.
 
Didn't see the program, but have helped set up some food plots and funnel points for some game ranchs, here in Oklahoma. I noticed that the so called guides, that were going to be guides for the hunting trips, were usually the cowboys that have worked on the ranch for a number of years.

These guys are probably trying to be good guides for the client, but most of the time, don't have a lot of real hunting experience. It is not unusual to go to one of these ranchs, and find out that you know a lot more about the game than they do.

This may be one of those times when the guide was just trying to look knowledgable for his client, and I'm sure he had a good reason, in his head ,for telling him not to shoot with the head down, but from a real hunting stand point, it really makes no difference at all.

Two years ago, while helping put up some feeders on a ranch, I heard one of the guides tell a potential client, that you always want to keep your back to the North when hunting Whitetail deer because they always seem to be moving east to west through the day. I never did figure that one out.:confused:
 
yup, pure TV crap!

I have shot many deer (both rifle, bp and bow) and they have had their heads down and were either grazing, inspecting a rub or once when the sucker was sniffing the rear of a bedded down doe :D

they all did the same thing; they died! :p all were nice right in the vitals shots and only once did I mess up a shoulder when one kinda cringed from the muzzleloader being shot and the short delay of the sabot hitting him.

I am calling pure BS TV crap on this one.
 
Say cheese!

E-Mail the show and ask what the deal is with the head up or down thing. I cant think of any reason why either.:confused:
 
Two reasons I can think of.
One of those everyone here hit on. Its for TV.

The other I can think of ...
When a deer puts his head down, they go into "flight" mode.
They have let their guard down and are tense, alerted to jump, toward any perceived threat.
If they hear a "click", or "pop", before the actual pill hits, they may jump the shot.
Six inches of movement is easily possible when the bullet has to travel 100 yards.

Actually, come to think of it, I shoot them with the head up as well.
But that's because I shoot them in the head, typically.
They do this often, so it is easy to pick as an opportunity.
A deer will stand perfectly still while they determine a possible threat.
I wait till they focus all their senses at a specific location.
I observe the animal any length of time before the shot, to learn how long they hold that focus.
If that focus is on me, or they have too short a 'focus time', I deny myself the shot.

I have had one failed deer hunt so far. A neck-meets-shoulder shot, and that deer had its head down in a pile of corn.
Needless to say, I will never take that shot again.
A very poor choice by me.
 
Maybe the fear of the buck falling forward onto his rack and breaking tines?
just a shot in the dark, no deer experience here (YET!)
 
I think I saw the same show that your talking about. The show that I saw, the deer was slightly quartering towards him and had his head down. With his head down and turned a little, the horns looked like they were in the way and might be struck by the bullet. That was the only reason I could think that he told him to wait till the deer raised his head. He wanted to make sure he didn't hit the antlers with the bullet. If that wasn't the reason, I have know idea.
 
I wish I'd kept the show so I could watch it again, but it's already been wiped off the DVR.

Thanks for the responses, it's been buggin' me for awhile now... :D
 
If they hear a "click", or "pop", before the actual pill hits, they may jump the shot.
Click to expand...
That sounds pretty logical. I've shot two deer at moderate ranges and had the bullet hit further aft than I'd aimed. Both of these deers were 'runners' and I had to trail them for short distances into the woods.
 
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