Head shots ?

Never tried a head shot, and don't plan to. Always shoot for the heart/lungs, and as a hunter safety instructor, taught kids to do the same.
 
I always shoot for the heart/lung area. That's what I am most comfortable with. I have no problem with others doing head shots. Just not for me.
Dallas Jack
 
Have you ever been slapped in the head? What was your reaction, tense up,try to get away from what whacked you, and adrenalin. A head shot does the same thing to an animal. You end up with tough meat. The animal died tense, and with a lot of adrenalin in his system. A heart lung shot allows the animal to die relaxed. That's what I was taught a long time ago, when I had the responsibility of putting meat on the table. I still believe it today, many many years and animals later.
 
infntry, I must disagree with that mind set... First off, a bullet to the noodle bowl is far more than a slap. If it hits the brain well at all, the body may tense but adrenaline will not be released to the tissues...

A deer hit in the boiler room will have all brain function until death and will dump adrenaline as well as any other survival chemicals into the tissue.
And when slapped in the face by momma I stood and took my swats... anyone else got punched in the mouth...
Brent
 
Infntryblu...
I agree that you dont want tough, adrenaline filled meat. For that reason I shoot the heart/lungs only when I have to. The rest of the time I shoot them in the neck for instadrop. Then they cant get excited, twitch or do anything but bleed out calmly for a couple seconds.
Makes for very good eating.
 
INF

INF when I shoot them in the brain they are dead and still on the ground before the sound of the blast is gone! They go from standing eating and then bang, dead done.
 
my grandpa always tries to get us to shoot for the head. his last year of hunting, we spent most the day tracking a (u guessed it! ) jaw shot buck. Im not really a fan of the neck either, cause there is little room for error there too. More pronounced on an elk or moose. I either do the high shoulder shot, or the boiler room. Both have lots of room for error, and the furthest i have had a deer run was 10 yards. most just drop dead and kick a few times.

About the whole adrenaline thing, if there is no blood or heart left to pump, how is the adrenaline able to get to the meat? Dont think it can...

Another thing, head shot deer creep me out. I HATE how the one eye always bugs out.... :barf:
 
infntryblu said:
A head shot does the same thing to an animal. You end up with tough meat. The animal died tense, and with a lot of adrenalin in his system. A heart lung shot allows the animal to die relaxed. That's what I was taught a long time ago, when I had the responsibility of putting meat on the table.
Click to expand...

I certainly can't follow that logic.

First off, a head shot deer, properly head shot, is DEAD instantaneously. There is no stress. It is alive one millisecond and dead the the next. The heart stops instantly for all intents and purposes. No pulse, no dispersal of adrenaline, even if it gets released by the adrenal gland.

Second, the brain is what signals the release of adrenalin. A head shot deer doesn't HAVE a brain. No brain, no adrenaline.

Third, I have killed my fair share of deer over the years. I've seen them bolt like lightning for 150 yards and I've had them DRT. I've had them lay there kicking for a minute or two and I've had them barely twitch... and yes, I've even had head shot deer. I didn't shoot them but I've cooked and eaten the meat. I have NEVER seen any discernible difference in the taste. Does all venison taste the same? No, it doesn't, but there are SO many factors influencing the taste that I am confident that even if adrenaline was among those factors it would be heavily masked by all the others.
 
Only if its a close shot and the deer is face first to me. I am in a CWD zone so head shots are discouraged anyway.
 
I've never shot a deer in the head.

The few times that was the only shot I had, I shot it through the neck.

I normally shoot for the chest; a point just above the heart where I won't ruin any shoulder meat.

the head makes a lot of sudden movements on the deer, while the chest is pretty stable for an accurate shot.

Daryl
 
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