You got a deer broadside at 50 yards, why would you want to shoot him or her in the neck? That makes no sense. I have taken a few head/neck shots, all were the only shot I had, close range and I had a solid rest(they all resulted in animals dropped on the spot). I might add they were when I was younger, I don't do this now. One reason, I have seen to many botched neck and head shots. Nobody likes tracking a wounded animal, especially a poor blood trail and I really have low tolerance now for suffering.(Main reason these botched shots) I want to put the game down quickly but humanely and clean is also the number one concern.

Many guys pick the spot of where the neck meets the shoulders, this way if they pull it back they got shoulders. But if you put it in the meat around the neck, chances are very good that animal will be a hard one to get..oh yeah and he will die slowly. (bucks have a lot of meat, so many think they are easier to neck shot...wrong...easier to hit but the size of target isn't much bigger than a doe)

Hey if you can do it, fine. I just wouldn't pick it over a vitals hit given the chance.

I personally see no reason for a neck shot unless it is your only shot AND you have the skill to make it. Most of us are probably not as good marksmen as we like to think.

If you are taking shots at under 50 yards I would suggest shooting them in the head as Nate said. At 50 yards, why have a chance at wasting meat? You should be able to hit a deer's head a 50 yards, if not, I would suggest you go to the shooting range and practice. Shooting a deer in the head will drop them on the spot and have no meat damage at all.

As for head shots, I have seen what happens when you are off by just INCHES and blow break their jaws. The starve. Plain and simple. NEck is as someone said 50/50 chance of hitting anything vital. If you wanna drop the with a gun, hit them in the shoulders, if you can't stand wasting any meat, go for the lungs. But don't shoot at the head, I don't care how good you are, they can always move as you squeeze the trigger.

I still say go for the vitals, they are called that for a reason.

"We do not inherit our wildlife from our fathers, we only borrow it from our children."

i wouldn't suggest a neck shot w/a bow but i assume you're talking about gun shots given the distances you're mentioning....a neck shot w/a gun is a great shot....shoot at the base of the neck around the last cervical vertebra and you're good to go. bullets kill due to shock and expansion, arrows kill due to hemorrhage. neck shots are good gun shots but bow shots stick to the boiler room.

mauser you sound to me like you asked about the neck shot simply so you can 'drop a deer in its tracks' and becuz lung shots are 'simple'

if its a challenge you need then start shooting at aspirins on the target range or sumthin lol

I have taken head shots before to save a bit of meat...but the deer was very close and not moving. A 12ga slug under 20 yards to the head drops em quick thats for sure. But I think head and neck shots are not shots that you should be TRYING to take. If theres an open shot to the front shoulder its a much higher percentage shot and ya really do owe it to yourself and the animal to take the best possible shot.

** I almost got him but I refuse to take a marginal shot **

I would never consider head shooting a deer, one small movement when the shot goes off and you either miss entirely or wound the deer.

A neck shot is one that you should never take unless the deer is perfectly still and you know exactly where to shoot, I have done it once and it knocked the deer flat, it never moved, but when it blew up the vertabrae it also took out almost every bit of edible meat on the far side of the neck! To me you waste a lot of meat with a good neck shot because if you are hitting vertabrae it damages a lot of meat in the process.

Stick with the boiler room, much larger target and far less meat screwed up.

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Founder and President of
Virginia Disabled Outdoorsmen Club

If given a neck shot under 50 yds. I'll take it in a minute if shooting a shotgun slug or muzzleloader with 370 grain maxiball. The shock will down the deer for good if 2 inches or more from the top or bottom of the neck. I use this shot cause I hunt a small parcel bordered by non-hunting neighbors one of whom has been a problem in the past. I don't want them travelling 100 yds. from impact. Anywhere else I hunt, shoulder it is. You can also anchor a deer by pinning both shoulders, shooting slightly forward and a bit higher than the heart, but a perfect broadside presentation can be tough to wait on.

This is a post I know a lot about. I do not take shots at the neck of a deer. I shoot a 22-250, 55 grain ballistic tip, running at about 3600 feet per second. I always shoot does in the head. The bullet explodes making it instant death. I have taken probably 20 does by shooting them in the head and in my opinion, it is the only way to go. Probably the best advice I can give you is that you need to take shots that you feel comfortable with. I have several simple rules for myself.
1. Never shoot at a running deer.
2. Never shoot for the head over 100 yards
3. Never shoot at deer in the brush ( and no matter what anyone tells you, all bullets will deflect.
4. Always shoot bucks in the lungs (must be a broadside shot)
5. Never shoot at any deer where I feel the shot is questionable
(We all owe the deer a ethical, and quick death)

I follow these rules before I take any shot. By doing this every kill I make is satisfying and I am not out at night chasing a wounded deer.
MissouriTrapper

I have a 308 and shoot a 180grn STBT. That is enough shocking power to drop any deer hit in the neck. Don`t need to hit the spine, the shock kills.

--------------------
Be a steward of the resouce, not just a deer killer.