Until about five years ago I used to shot everything I could in the neck. I have shot elk, whitetail, mule deer, antelope & black bear all in the the with great results.
I have a friend that ALMOST lost a bull elk due to a poor shot in the neck. We tracked down the bull & he finished the job. He was shooting a 300-win mag loaded with 200-grain Nosler Partitions. We both shoot the same rifle & load. After that day we both said we would never shoot a elk in the neck again.
Shooting an elk in the neck is not the best place just due to human error. The only way to kill a bull 100% of the time with a neck shot is to hit the spine, this drops them in there tracks. A bullet in the shoulder or just behind it leaves room for error. The heart & lungs are a larger & more ethical target. IMHO