head shots? is there anything wrong with them?

Heads shots stupid !!

Know need?You will here me laughing when you pull a shot one inch over it's head with your dream buck standing there?Waiting 8 hours a day,All week.It would be a little differant with a 10-15 yrd shot with a shotgun or scoped rifle.Where I hunt in hardwoods and thick cedar groves with lots of branches,it's just not worth it.The lungs work just fine!
 
Aw, now, jaymag, one inch over its head means you're off target by some four inches, roughly. Being off that far can cause trouble no matter what part of a deer you're intending to hit. :)
 
I would not like to track a lung shot deer in thick cover. Killing it and losing it is way way way worse than missing it. If you miss you can just tell your buddies something like you dropped your gun. I dont have to track the deer I shoot.
 
head shots? is there anything wrong with them?
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yep...even when a deer's feet ain't moving their heads bop up-n-down and side-to-side; very damned hard to make a deer stand absolutely still (especially their head) to get a clean and lethal shot; too small a target with too much movement

addendum...

for example... http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=329444

the pictures of the deer in this thread are a good example of WHY a head shot is not the best idea; seems that a different hunter FUBAR'ed a head shot and the deer got away before the hunter with enough sense to take a clean and lethal shot put it down;
 
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if you don't care about the head (if its a buck) or carnage, they're pretty handy. Most people prefer heart, lung, shoulder shots, especially if it's long range b/c it's a much bigger and a lot more stationary target
 
Aside from ruining trophy bucks there's one problem I have with head shots (aside from the issue of constantly bobbing heads and long distance rifle shots). If you tan your own hides, brains are important. Liquefying said brains means a trip to the butcher shop to buy a bucket of them. What gets me is all these people suggesting neck shots for the sake of not wasting meat. Neck meat is just as edible as shoulder meat. The nine pointer I brought home this year had about five pounds of meat on the neck. That's about three pounds of jerky num nums. You all have some small deer up in MA. The aforementioned buck weighed in at about 220lbs gutted. I ended up bringing home about 90lbs of meat (including heart and liver... big ol' heart on that monster too), and I lost some due to not being able to get it all stored and cut in time.
 
yep...even when a deer's feet ain't moving their heads bop up-n-down and side-to-side; very damned hard to make a deer stand absolutely still (especially their head) to get a clean and lethal shot; too small a target with too much movement
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I agree. Never liked head shots. Heart lung area is a lot bigger target, 100% lethal and being a part of the deers torso tends to stay still for much longer periods than a deers head. The "wastes no meat argument" is a wash for taking head shots as well. A bullet through the lungs damages nothing but ribs, lungs and maybe heart. I don't know of anyone who eats those parts of a whitetail. If they do then they are some seriously hungry SOB's.
 
Yea I like the heart meat too. You can't limit yourself to any one shot, I see nothing wrong with a head shot as long as it's within your comfort rang. I personally like the high neck or high shoulder to drop them in their tracks and if you hunt on a small plot you need to get them down as soon as possible. A man has got to know his limitations ( Clint Eastwood) anything over 150 yds. and I go for the high shoulder or heart long area. Any time you totally disrupt the central nerves of an animal it is dead on it's feet. It's better to loase a little meat than the whole deer so pick your shot according to the moment.
 
Head shots verboten

Never, ever take a head shot in spite of what all the other posters have said on this site. The head is too small a target and if you hit the animal in the jaw he will run away and die a very slow and painful death. You owe it to your quarry to use more ethical shot, a shot that is much easier to undertake and that is a heart lung shot. If you can not get in a clear shot through the lights well, he got away pure and simple. Those that advocate a head shot should be allowed to only have plastic guns and rubber bullets:eek:

Cheers & Tighter Groups: Eaglesnester
 
I stuck a .243 into a little 6-pointer's ear, one time. Went to hang him up for skinning, and his horns folded. Duh! So, back to neck shots. The kill zones, head or neck, are about the same. No big deal, either way.
 
you shoot them in the lung/ gut area and the run off and die a slow death anyhow. Granted a jaw shot is pretty nasty and gross. That is why I shoot them from the back of the head. How the hell can you shoot the jaw off a deer when you shoot them from the back of the head? ( unless of course the jaw is blown off after the bullet goes through the back of his head) I hate seeing deer stumble around with a gaping hole blown in their lungs. I have found enough of them dying under trees gasping for air and bleeding out. THat is why I went to headshots. They never know what hit them. Bang flop. Practice shooting, then go hunting. Hunting is not practice shooting. Be prepared to take a head shot before you go hunting. I hate hearing bout the folks who only get their gun out once a year or so to go hunting.
No matter how you cook them.. Antlers are tough.
 
i have never and will never take a head shot on a deer. aiming for the double lung is the only way to go for me. ill take a target the size of a dinner plater over that of a tea cup anyday. the margin of error is just too small for a head shot.

true, even a double-lung on a good sized deer can lead to a decent sized track/drag, but id much rather drag a deer out of the woods then watch it run over the hill wondering what i did wrong.

As for the tracking deer onto other ppl's property issue. have all neighbor's phone numbers and have your cell phone in your shirt pocket. if the deer crosses the fence, politely call them and let them know what going on. if they have a problem with it, call your local game warden and they will come to your place and escort you onto the property.
 
Hunting Ethics

I don't know about the US, but we in Austria have Hunting Ethics called "Waidgerechtigkeit". We try to treat the game with as much respect and possible, killing quickly and kind of in a fair way.

Let me get to the point: If you shoot at the head and don't hit well, you could e.g. just shoot the jaw away. The wounded animal would live on for days, and you won't be able to track it, since it isn't hurt in it's vitals or legs.

I wouldn't shoot the head if I were not 100% sure that I will hit the brain. In other words: Don't shoot an aninmal in a way you wouldn't wanna be shot yourself (if being shot were your destiny at all....)
 
When I hunted with my grandfather he always hit them in the neck and they dropped like they were poleaxed every time. One shot one kill with Remington 30-06 150gr Bronze Points.
 
For rabbits, head shot, else no meat, squirrels, head shot, else no meat, turkeys, head shot else pellets in your meat, coyotes, head shot else no usable hide. Deer, head shots -just habit I suppose.
 
I go for the head shots with does. Most the time I connect, and they drop right there. No meat waste. Does look nasty with a 06. If I do miss but not very often no big deal with a doe I no I will get another chance. I am taking the doe just for the meat anyways. If it is a buck , and I let the small ones go then most of the time depending on the angle etc. behind the front shoulder.
 
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