How much meat are you wasting by a lung shot?
Amen. Shooting for the neck to save meat is one of those oft repeated comments that has always mystified me. Who eats deer ribs? There's barely enough meat on them to interest a hungry yard dog much less for a human to fool with. On the other handthere's a pretty decent neck roast at the base of a deers neck.
I have never liked head and neck shots either. I know that some people online will claim to have done it umpteen gillion times without a hitch but trust me it's a risky shot under field conditions with little margin for error. Ever ran across a deer in the woods with it's upper or lower jaw shot off? I have and it's not a pretty sight I can tell you. Deer are constantly moving their head and neck even when they are standing still. It doesn't take much of a move at just the right moment to turn a lethal head/neck shot into a maimed and lost animal.
The heart lung shot is by far the safest bet. It's a more stationary target and the largest lethal area on the animal. Stick a bullet behind his shoulder and he's not going more than 50 yards. And trust me your dog won't care about the holes in the rib cages you feed him.