ORIGINAL: Killer_Primate
ahankster,
You're 100% correct about buckshot. Anyone who argues for buckshot, has not done any research. I would only use buckshot if slugs were not legal. Buckshot can do a lot of damage, and a lot of deer have been taken with it. But, it doesn't have the range, accuracy or power of the slug. Not to mention, that more often than not, many pellets from the buckshot do not hit the target, ultimately reducing the energy even further.
I prefer the vitals. If I want a deer to stop in its tracks there are ways to do that while still being confident that the vitals have been hit. Shoulder heart combo is a good example, or double lung/double shoulder hit is another.
But if elevated and at the right angle, going through the neck may be the best route in getting to the vitals.
But as for simply aiming for the neck, I can't say. My father showed me where to shoot and that is what I did. I don't aim for the neck, unless of course it is between me and the vitals!
Killer Primate
I would like to hear more about YOUR research on buckshot in a separate thread of course; there is no sense in hi jacking this one.
As far as neck vs shoulder, I have and can do both successfully, and I have never lost a deer with either. The neck is just an extremely low percentage shot that is really not a good idea due to the small target. I have reverted back to shoulder shots and have killed 5 so far this season. I do like neck shots for the lack of trailing, but of my 5 deer this year, none has run over 20 yards before collapsing.