Neck shots vs. head shots

Art, in the middle up-down wise, or left-right wise, or both? And given that you don't always have a choice of a head on front shot, where exactly are you aiming for? The back/upper part where the spine is, or what? Would it be wise to shoot for the very base of the skull, where it meets the very upper end of the neck? Or lower down on the neck?
 
Great Point!

Rojoe67 & NSO w/ SIG:
Great point about avoiding a risky shot with a bow; looking back I probably should have whistled or something to get her to move. I will say, however, that it was a ridiculously close shot: I was 8’ – 10’ up in a tree & she was 10’ – 12’ from the base of the tree standing just inside some thick brush, so it was a top-pin shot at a very close target. I was shooting at almost a 45-degree angle down, but the way it worked out, only her head and neck were clear targets. I have a pretty cool picture of the wound; if I can figure out a way to scan it, I’ll post it.

Another cool thing about that shot was that she was in a group of 4 or 5 doe, and she went down so quickly and quietly that the other deer didn’t move. She was standing next to a fairly steep embankment, so she didn’t have far to fall. The other deer realized something had happened, but none of them ran. The whole thing was pretty amazing – not to mention that the remaining deer walked right over to the guy I was hunting with. We went 2 for 2 that evening.

I probably got lucky – and she did too. It could have gone very wrong, and then I would be in the same boat as 1BadF350… I’m 15 years older & 15 years wiser now; I would probably think more about it these days…

Cheers!
 
Suppose shot is 100 yards. Suppose bullet moves 3000 feet per second it will take 1/10 second to go 100 yards. Deer has reaction time in the range of 50 milliseconds. Deer's first startle response when it sees a flash is to jerk its head upward.

This gives some more information about what every hunter who's talked to other hunters for a few years hears about, unless they're the one telling the sad story of the deer who jerked his head, got his lower jaw shot off and ran away. :(

Neck shots are good. Aim for as close to the body as possible. Neck bones get a little bigger as you go back. For bucks in rut you have to aim at 1/3 of the distance from top to bottom instead of 1/2 like in does, because the neck is fatter below. If you've got to miss, miss a little low instead of a little high, but anything that hits the blood vessels or bones will generally bring down the deer.

I have some minor worry about contamination of the meat by cerebrospinal fluid, which adds to my tendancy to shoot for the arteries just below the spine instead of the spine itself. This is probably just superstition on my part.

My opinion only. Take it for what you paid for it. :D
 
Never had a deer jump or move out of the way of a bullet. 3000 fps is almost 3 times faster than the speed of sound. I never had one resond to the flash ether. But I did have one jump out of the way of an arrow. I had a doe looking at me while I had the bow drawed back. Could not hold it any longer so I let it go. It was about 30 yard shot. She was quick enough to move out of the way of the arrow :eek: . The hardest thing to shoot with a bow is a squirrel! The best way to get a squirrel is when it is not looking at you and you may have a chance. I shot at a squirrel one time while he was pointed away from me at 10 yards. When he heard the sound of the bow he spun around and cought the arrow in the chest. They are that fast!
 
C'mon neck shot guys - tell me WHERE EXACTLY on the neck you aim. There's LOTS of options there. Art said front center, but that's not explanation because the animal is not always turned so that you have such a view - it could be from the side or quartering away. What is the goal destination of your bullet? High/Low as to toward neck or toward vitals? High/Low as to toward spine or toward trachea? Or Center/Center, High/Center, High/High, High/Low, Low/Center, Low/High, or Low/Low????????

Edit: Ok, I see Meek did address this. But does anyone else have a concurrence or dissent from what he said?
 
In the shots I've taken it hasn't mattered. Anywhere center mass in the neck with the 7mm Mag or 7STW and thy fold up instantaneously.
 
firstfreedom anywhere in the neck with a good solid hit will bringem down. firstfreedom! Just kinda want to know why are you ragging Art? I'm a new guy and I see Art has over 11.000 post so he is no new guy! Whats up!
 
While putting a coup de grace on a deer that didn't realize it was dead, my bullet hit about 1" low and went under the skull breaking the jaw. The deer just lay there with a morbid, cartoonish expression of shock as it's jaw hung almost staight down, held by soft tissue only.

The shot wasn't far, about 40 yards. I don't know if the deer moved or if I just made a bad shot, but it's enough to keep me from making a head shot on an unwounded deer. I might make an exception for survival.


David
 
I'm not raggin Art - goodness know that Art is THE MAN. And I know he would be able to clarify what he meant when he comes back. But I didn't know how long it would be before he came back to this thread. And he didn't explain what he meant exactly, because obviously, if the animal is standing broadside or quartering away, you cannot aim at something on the animal's FRONT. I'm 100% sure that Mr. Eatman knows *exactly* what he's talking about; it's just that I wanted to elicit more responses, and it seems Art only chimes in the forum now on a less regular basis than he used to, and I didn't know if it would be weeks before he got back and saw my response to his response. In any event, thanks all.
 
Its been "my" experience that a neck shot is a anchor shot. This goes for moose and deer. Moose=.300win mag. Deer = 30.06 both using 180 gr. PSP My theory on this is simple, that a center mass hit with these calibres,that close to the spinial cord is going to dispatch the animal or totally parylize it long enough for me to get my a** to the animal for the final kill shot from a couple of feet away. I personally will not take any other shot,if the neck is available. I've unfortuately been on to many tracking expeditions in the dark,and ususally ending up in a swamp, after "good solid hits" in the body have been made. Mind u though I would never attempt a neck shot on a moving animal. Nor would I even dream of taking the neck or head with a bow.I just don't feel that confident in the end results. just my 2 cents
Bic
 
I've never been a big fan of neck shots. I shoot a .270 win, and I like to put it just right behind the shoulder blade. I've never lost a deer that way, in 25+ deer. I've had a couple run about 50 yds or so, but that was the exception. Then again, I've only tried 1 neck shot, and that was with a 30-30 at 50 yds, and the spike just dropped like a ton of bricks hit him. I just prefer to put it in the boiler room, because the vital area is so much larger than the neck, and I don't always trust my shootin' skills, especially if I've got a case of buck fever going! (yes, I still get it from time to time, don't you?)
 
If a deer is facing me, or has his neck turned toward me, I'll go for the center of the white spot. I've never seen a ruined volume inside the neck much less than about half my fist, so that's aorta, throat, spine...I use the Sierra 85-grain HPBT, and that's why I'm picky. But, it's like delivering a mini-grenade.

Pretty much side-on view of the neck, I want the center or a smidgin higher. Again, I don't have to exactly hit the spine for the animal to be at least down and paralyzed.

Quartering, I'll most likely try for heart/lungs.

The only buck I ever headshot, when we were hanging him by his horns back in camp, his horns folded up. Ruined the photo. :D

The majority of my '06 shots have been to the heart. Mostly because of generally longer distances. No point in maybe missing. But, that's mostly walking hunting, with the '06, and offhand shots. Sometimes at running deer, and trying for the neck is rank optimism.

Art
 
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