skeeter 7MM

If he is big and the terrain diticates it I will take out the pins everytime(because this also gives you a double lung). If I am concerned about meat loss I aim for H/L just behind the front shoulder and rib in and rib out..best shot in the biz! Neck shots are low % and a minor movement can cause injury and prolonged death, I would never advocate this shot unless you are confident and proficient to pull it off every single time. However to take a neck over either mentioned on straight broadside is foolish and little to cocky for my liking. Yes I have taken deer in the neck/head and had a great result, but I have also tracked botched neck shots and no one will convince me this shot is better than aim for mass and vitals given the opportunity. The neck shot is an absolute last resort in my books and unless the range or your ability allows you to be 100% sure, should not be an option for most. Of course trophy hunter is the exception, hitting a quarter at 200 but still professing he ain' t a good shot!

Russ otten

I feel that a person has to take the shot that presents the surest kill. Neck shot? only one in my 40+ years of hunting. and that at 10 yards. I' m not a bench rest freak but my rifle is sighted in good. But the best is the shoulder shot, to me. I absulutely hate to have to track a wounded animal. I hunt on only 60 acres of timber so you know I am close to any neighbor' s land. If it don' t go down pronto, it' s going to be a bad case in my opinion.

Russ

mainehunt

Someone said that the heart shot will drop them in their tracks? I' ve hit a few deer in the heart, they all ran at least 30 yards. As for a double lung hit, none ran further than 80 paces. Maybe I' m lucky. Also, a double lung with a high powered rifle usually leaves a blood trail that a democrat could follow. (after he calls the Humane Society of course)

trophyhuntr

Now we are talking about shooting skills give me a break, yes when i shoot at a small target practicing with my rifle who shoots off handed, once again the question is a deer broadside at 75 yards and do you want to track it. It doesnt say you are shooting off a bench or a rest or off handed, i just said at 75 yards shoot them in the center of the neck and they wont move, hitting the center of the neck on a deer at 75 yards is not hard and they will not move, most shots i take i have a good rest, like i said terrain is different here in the south, i hunt portables and they all have shooting rails so yes i have a rest, and hitting a quarter at 200 yards is not that tough. Also like i said earlier our deer are not as big as deer in canada or ohio so the bullet in the neck is going to be different on smaller deer. And to answer your question buckeyebuckhntr off handed 75 yards with a rifle and scope 1 inch target is tough but not that tough, cant help they make you shoot shotguns

txhunter58

Double lung if not standing next to the neighbors fence. Shoulder if for some reason, I need to anchor him in his tracks.

The only way I would shoot at the neck is from a bench at a target. I have personally had 2 neck shot deer go down like a ton of bricks only to get up and run off never to be found. Those " hits" would have been fatal within 50-100 yards of tracking with a double lung shot.

For you expert marksman who continue to shoot for the neck, I have some advice: Always keep your scope on the deer for 4-5 minutes after he goes down and be ready to shoot. Sooner or later, you will have to shoot a second time, and if you are climbing out of a deer stand, he may get up and run off when you don' t have a chance to shoot. And they may not bleed much from a neck shot.

James White

Take aim at the mid-shoulder then move it back to the right 6 inches,Knock em down every time !!

trophyhuntr

never said i was a professional marksman either, alot of folks in the south shoot deer in the neck, what is the big deal about me shooting a deer in the neck, dont understand

skeeter 7MM

If you have the luxury of a rest shooting while hunting than somewhat lower % shots are more probable. I on the other hand rarely have a rest and never hunt with a firearm in a tree so shooting off hand is imperative to being successful. Now I ask why in gods green earth would you aim for the neck on a broadside shot of what ever distance, this is just foolish and brash. Again last resort this should be considered and factored in with your skill/ability. The one deer I shot last week gave me a face on shot but slightly angled ( I took the shot through the neck angled to the opposite pin as opposed to neck on neck shot) The distance wasn' t a factor, my skill wasn' t a factor, I however took the highest % shot and felt confident if I pulled or missed my mark slightly I would have a vital hit. The result was a deer dropping and not moving again, this was free hand from the sitting position on the ground at approx 150 yards. Off course our deer out here have remarkable body and neck size which can lead to a larger target and room for error on attempting these neck shots. On more than one occasion I have seen deer rattled out and shot in the meat of the neck only to keep coming or stop and just stand there while the hunter drills them proper the second time. I know all about needing to put that animal down and with minimal tracking, I will tell you broken pins is the best and surest shot to take, why would you ever aim for the neck when you have a clean path to the vitals...think like a bowhunter just implement the weapon you are toting![8D]

James B

You are right Mainehunt. A heart shot deer almost always runs flat out for up to 100 yards before expiring. I wont even try a heart shot. I really like to hit the front shoulder very high between the upper shoulder blade and the spine. Thet hit the ground like a sack of rosks and very little meat damage. If I am close enogh I will take a head shot. I must qualify this position I hunt 99 percent Mule deer. I hunt 90 percent from ambush points and have plenty of time to pick a target and get into a solid shooting position. I almost never shoot at a running deer. Where I hunt if one oportunity is missed there will be plenty more. I don' t trophy hunt and you couldn' t even give me one of those stinking rutting bucks. I can,t chew the horns and they don' t make good soup. I have plenty of horns that I have found to use for knife handles and stuff. I may shoot a young looking buck if the rut is not in full swing but 99.9 percent of the time I will shoot a doe. They are thick as flys in our area and the land owners will almost beg you to come and hunt. That amount of deer can cause landowners a lot of hay loss and damage to the Stacks and stuff. They will get up on the top of the stacks and tromp around and pea in the hay to the point that thier cattle dont even want to eat it. I have a couple standing invitatios to reduce doe and for the Muzzle loader season next month.

trophyhuntr

skeeter i am with you and love to bow hunt, cant say i have ever neck shot a deer with a bow but i can also so i dont shoot them in the shoulders with a bow also. If all my shots were freehand and 150 yards yes that is a totally different story