I should make something clear, yes I will take a neck shot with a Rifle, but only if it's the only shot that's likely to be offerd. If I am able to go for the chest area that's where I will shoot.

I need to make something clear. I will take a neck shot with an an accurate scoped rifle, but only if it is likely to be the only shot presented. If I have a chance at a heart/lung shot I will take it. Like I said before with a bow it's out of the question.

as the rest of the guys said if ya can place your shots why not neck shoot them, ya save alot of meat .

I've had a change of heart. I've said before that I'd take a neck shot if that was all I had. the 8pt i killed this year I shot in the neck. not on purpose, I was aiming for a doubble lunger. the reason I pulled off was i had to scoot down in my seat to make the shot. there was a beech limb between me and the buck. not so two days before when I passed on a 6pt standin in the exact same place as the 8pt. it had rained and the limb was saggin causin it to be in the way.
I was confident i could make the 35 yd shot, I had practiced that distance on a 3D target the day before. but having to scoot down in my seat, with me in that awkward position, I just pulled to the right and hit the deer in the center of the neck. but didn't know where I had hit him till I found him alive 2 hours later.
not because he ran a long way, he wadn't over 60 yds from my stand. but 30 minutes after I heard him fall, I started trackin him. I still cannot understand how he ran that far bleedin like he was. there was blood that had squirted out both sides, on the ground and bushes and everwhere else. but I heard him try to get up when I got close to him, so I just backed out to my stand, called my wife and told her to get help for draggin the deer, and to bring some lights. by the time they got over there it was dark, and had been almost 2 hours since i shot the deer. we tracked him through a little thicket and to my surprise, after all the blood that deer had lost, he jumped up, and went about 10yds and fell again. I found out later I had grazed his spine, that's why he couldn't stay on his feet right after I shot him. I had to put another arrow in him, and hit him too far back. ever tried to shoot a bow in the woods at night? ain't easy. shot two more arrows, and finally the deer died. that was a sad sight to see that deer tryin to hold his head up, still suffering after 2 hours. I've learned my lesson on neck shots. although I didn't purposely shoot for his neck, I saw first hand what can happen when you hit the neck, and I'll never take a neck shot on purpose, never. and I don't agree that it's ok to shoot the neck with a rifle, but not a bow. couldn't the same thing happen with a rifle?[:'(]
yea, yea, I remember our little neck shot disscusion not long ago, so go ahead and say it. I TOLD YOU SO! [X(]

What a rough way to learn your lesson.

Thanks for sharing your story, it took a big man to do so. I have a great deal of respect for that.

bogobble,

I feel for you man and that really stinks. But, you have to see the point about a rifle. A bow slices meat open and causes blood loss, that is how it kills an animal!!!! A rifle will explode on impact and it uses shock to kill. Like I said above, that shock is enough to snap bones, shatter bones and punch huge holes through things! I would never aim for the bottom portion of the neck, but, if I am rifle hunting, a deer is standing at a close distance, and I have a good rest, I will put a bullet in the top portion of his neck. My .280 can put a serious hurtin on a deer and will put a big hole through a deers neck!!!!!

My best friend had the same situation as you this year except he was using a rifle. We were hunting together and a doe came out. There were a couple branches between the deer and us and he put his .308 right behind the shoulder and shot. The deer dropped instantly! We instantly got up and went over and the deer was entirely dead, we poked its eye with the gun barrel and it didn't blink. Well, we then looked and couldn't find a hole in the chest area. Well, we looked for awhile and found the hole a few inches down from the jaw bone. When we skinned it out, it put a dime sized hole on the way in and a half dollar sized hole on the way out! Not to mention the pieces of bone that it exploded that went through the neck, which cut open vanes! I have only seen one deer in my life that was lost to a "neck" shot and I wouldn't even call it that. The deer had a bullet hole at the top of the brisket region, and I am not sure that somebody didn't just shoot the buck and leave it as the buck was tiny! I have seen some great shots and some terrible shots come from guys who I have met in the woods and these rifles they were using killed these deer. I guess it is about knowing your personal limits. I won't criticize anyone about shot placement "unless it is blatantly retarded (such as the guy on another board who shot a deer in the head with his bow to "see if he could do it"), but, I also want people to respect my personal limit! [8D]

With a bow NO !
With a gun HELL YES !
It is without a doubt the most humane way to shoot a deer. Instantaneous death, and no tracking. Even a poorly shot animal will drop, just from the impact. It would have to be a graze for it not to kill and then the deer would only live anyways. The meat will always taste better if the animal is not put under any stress before it's final demise. With a scoped high powered rifle it's a very good shot. If you are not that good or confident in your gun I would say no then.
I can take deer in the head out to 200 yds if I choose. I took a 200 lb hog last year at a distance of 240 yds with a shot to his head. Heres two bucks I took this year with drop'em in there tracks shots. These deer were dead before they even hit the ground.

2 bucks link

my father in law always aims for the neck because "I don't want to ruin the meat". His wife has to borrow venison from us each year for 5 of the last 6 because despite seeing lots of deer he never gets one shooting them in the neck. "Guns out of sight he says, but he had no problem killing a 35 lb bobcat this year with the same gun