head shot. is it ethical
 

i think that a head shot can and should be made if its the only shot presented and the marksman is good and confident enough to make the shot work .:happy0001:

Each to his own on that one.

Oh lordy, here we go again.

Exactly right!

+1!!!!!!!!!!

Have never taken that shot, never will. All it took was finding one deer that someone had taken that shot on, it had gangrene and had obviously suffered for a long time before it expired. It only had part of it's lower jaw left after it was shot. Just wish I had taken pics so I could post them.

I dont unless i got a shotgun.I do a lot of neck shots though.

:sign0004:

Search button will answer your stupid question.............

Only if you use a .22... :)

I have also seen gut shot 3 legged deer that were wandering around field edge's but to sick to eat. What is the differance between that and a poor head shot. It's a common sense issue.

dang dude...you make it sound like military op's ...
head shots are fine,
if you dont feel comfortable with em, then you shouldn't be doin it...
there was a time when i wouldn't take head shots,
as i got more comfortable with shooting, it naturally progressed to hittin em in the dead....i do teach my kids to aim big, so head shot is not in their vocabulary yet. and maybe will never be. they know im expectin double lungers.

I have shot one deer in the head in 33 years of hunting. It was less than 10 yards from my tree, and looking up, right at me. I had the gun shouldered and was looking around, hoping other deer were following it. It was alone, and when I looked back to the deer, the sights were perfectly aligned between its eyes. Lights out.

I don't recommend a head shot unless the circumstances are perfect and the shooter is proficient.

if youre good, why not? Some of the bigger game have to be shot precisely unless youre using a .50 cal sniper rifle or something... What happens if you dont kill it and it runs off?? It would be sad to hear 50 people calling you an unethical mofo for not making a kill shot. Is a lethal injection ethical? is the electric chair? Trust me, in most cases, a good head shot will put them down a hell of a lot faster than a lot of other things. So its up to you. Is it ethical? Sure. Why not?

I witnessed my cousin do one. It was the worst kill ever.Lucky for him the deer was in shock and he managed to dump it on the third shot. The head was plastered both eyes dangling from it's sockets. It was a seen from the Saw movies.Jaw was the first to go.Still can vision the bone fragments flying and brain mass flying. I shot one moose with three bullet holes through on paddle and a hole through the ear. Shot a deer that had a bullet Hole through it's ear.But I have seen some sad sad gut shots as well.Well it was a guy who shot a deer 13 times.I heard 1 shot ring out and he had a semi auto emptied his clip on it. Than He emptied his clip on it again. It was a shooting gallery for about 5 min.I met him on the way out that evening. He was pleased pleased
with his kill. I was happy he took the time to find it but disappointed that he was hunting and didn't have a clue how his gun was shooting.
The bottem line is if you take a shot your responsible for everything that bullet does until it stops.That is an ethical mind set to have. If
you sighted in your gun and you know how it shoots than chances are
better than not that the bullet hit the target somewhere, and the next thing to do is assume you hit it, and not just assume you missed.

If it makes you feel good, do it. For me no, I can wait for a good shot or what I call a good shot.

:eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::e ek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek 2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2: :eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::e ek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek 2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2: :eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::e ek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek 2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2: :eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::e ek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek 2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2: :eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::e ek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek 2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2: :eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::e ek2::eek2::eek2::eek2::eek2:.....................

I think someone should make a thread "Is it ethical to take a head shot on a deer you baited in?" then we can get the two yearly arguments over in one thread. Use the search button and you can get 15 pages of useless arguements that change no ones mind really quick.

What are the predictions on how many pages this thread will get to this time? Im saying 12.

Who cares how many people change their minds. Obviously it's got your curiosity.And I'm willing to bet your gonna be reading Every single one of these replies for the next 12 pages and probably reply to at least this one.A person can Google anything , the whole point of posting a topic is to get a bunch of HNI members perspectives.At least this topic will get some replies on an otherwise dead Hunting Forum.
I've got a suggestion why don't you post that thread.

What the hell is wrong with some people? Washington Hunters

If your so tired of these threads then why do you keep reading them and posting on them? If people want to post about this subject who cares man.

i wouldnt promote a head shot,most ppl arent as good of a shot as they would like to believe,shooting off the bench is diffrent then shooting in a hunting situation.and yes its messy.not saying it cant be done,just saying id wait for a better shot.if its a doe then im sure youll get a better chance or atleast get a chance at a diffrent doe,if its a trophy buck why would you want to risk blowing off an antler or cracking the skull anyways? head shot deer make for poor pictures.

Indeed! Your first two posts on the forum contribute so much! "What the hell is wrong will some people?", and, "I have never used bait. Never will."

Who friggin' cares what you think when the only threads that hold enough weight for you to even post are ones where you get to thumb your nose at other people. And, no, I'm not making an argument either way for either practice.

It is when you drop it in it's tracks.


It's not when you mame the animal.


Seems too risky to me !


One man's opinion...............................

The bolded part should have stopped you from replying to me. It's a discussion forum. I responded with my comment. If you don't care about what I wrote, don't respond. Simple.

Or do you think that because you have 300 posts you can attack me because I'm a newb and only have 2? I will have 300 posts by the end of next week. Big deal.

It's not ethical to me but if you think it is that's your business. We will disagree but it's your decision. The thing is, it's legal. I just won't do it.

Forums are for opinions and arguments. This is a great one that comes back every year, so keep'em coming back. This keeps us all busy!

Not at all. Just keep that percentage high for me and you'll see what I mean!

As if all hunters
 

have to be judged as equal. Or if they were all equal. A hunter who has gone through, say, army sniper training is far better at shooting than some newbie civilian, who can only think of questions.

Once did a necropsy on a severed deer spinal cord, the intended target of the bullet.
Wonder if they've included necropsies and deer anatomy studies in hunter safety classes?

Isnt making any shot at all all about ethics? No shot should be taken without complete certainty of a clean kill. I have shot dozens of deer...primarily does...with head shots because I am killing them to eat them, and not an ounce of meat will go to waste. I have used 12 gauge slug guns, .308, muzzle loaders, and have never maimed a deer. If a clean shot doesnt present....I dont shoot. Ethicly it makes no difference from any other shot.

Ok boys and girls...Two cavemen were sitting around the cave when a third caveman came draggin in a deer, one of the other cavemen said "Hey howd you kill that?" the other one answered "hit it in the head with a rock." The other caveman said "you can't do that it's unethical." The caveman with the deer said "that's ok your the one going hungry tonight!" Pretty silly argument. LET'S EAT!!!!
Live it up! Doug

I did it once when I was in my teens with a shotgun, hit the buck in his jaw. It took a second shot to kill the deer. Before that, Dad told me never to shoot the head, I was determined to prove him wrong. Never tried since then, never will as long as I continue to hunt.

I would never take that shot but it is up to the shotter.

No wonder I haven't been on here in a while!!!!!!!!

If there's no question in your mind you can hit the animal in the cranium, take the shot. Personally, I only take those shots at about 100 yds or less and with a good rest.

You also have to remember the head of ANY animal is the most animated so getting a still shot is difficult. IMO, it's up to you, but I don't like them and usually end up finishing a deer every couple years that has been shot in the snout or jaw.

I had shot a doe last year in a swamp and I ended up getting a shot to high and hit her in the spine. She raised her head up a couple of times and I felt really bad. The only shot I could take was a head shot and it put her down.

I didn't like doing this, but under the circumstances I had no choice in the matter. This was the only time I had to take this kind of shot.

to me its not a matter of ethics. i dont like when people try to inject ethics into hunting. everybody does things differently and thats fine with me, even thou some things might make me say WTF.....

whatever oh well.

If i new i could have a 100 percent one shot kill rate on deer with headshots id do it all the time. But if you have any brains atall you know its a piss poor shot, to go for the head, as far as success rate.
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what situation is there were the only shot open on a deer is a head shot????????
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Is he peeking over a brick wall at you or something?

Finally found someone here I agree with.
Live it up! Doug

absolutlely not. we are not sniper's and we are talking about the fastest moving part on the animal. I always shoot just at the front shoulder and in the past 10 yrs with about 6-10 harvested every year I have only had 1 that did not drop in its track's and that was with a muzzleloader at 150yds in high winds. anyone that takes a head shot on a deer makes me sick to my stomach, thats very un ethical and dis-respectful to the animal we hunt.

Interesting...You'd take a 150 yard shot with a muzzleloader with high winds, yet say a head shot is not ethical...That slow moving muzzleloading bullet is awful when the wind gets up...

I so no. It's not ethical IMO. There's a lot more room for error in taking a vital shot. With a head shot, the deer going for a tic can be the difference between a dead deer and a blown off jaw/nose. NO ONE knows when the deer will decide to move it's head.