Shoulder or Double lung
 

You got open broadside shot on deer standing at 75 yards. Do you shoot for shoulder and try to break him down there. Or lung shot and tracking.

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

This is a no brainer as tracking can really suck in some terrains! First off, zero your rifle scope correctly then aim just above and behind the shoulder for a heart shot that takes him down on the spot! Why would anyone want to purposely have track an animal? Just wondering!!

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

Well, although a double lung shot saves meat, I go for the shoulder.

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

Double lung all the way, last one I harvested with a solid double lung hit went maybe 30 yds., with a trail that a one eyed person could follow. As for the heart, I' II let you figure it out.

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

I would assume your groups to be under 2" at 100yd, not hard to do.What type of slug and what cal?Personally, any thing under 150yd,and standing reasonably still,I go for the base of the neck.Very little meat lose and no tracking.If both you and your rifle are up to the task, it' s all over in the blink of an eye, the most humane kill shot there is. Past 150yd,with good slugs,double lung,if you' ve got the " hitting power" , the animal won' t get up

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

I go for the top of the heart shot, a few inches off in any direction and you still have a Kill that ain' t going very far. I like the idea of a neck shot and a drop in the tracks hit but I don' t think I am a good enough shot. Then again I am in Connecticut heavy woods where a 100 yards clear shot is rare.

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

Study your deer anatomy to find the shoulder " blade" and aim for the lower part of it. That shot reduces the shoulder meat damage and if you miss by a little you still get a lung hit.

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

cant any of youll shoot them in the neck, deer hit in the neck goes no where and saves meat and you dont have to worry about hitting guts

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

Shooting a deer in the neck is a low percentage shot at best. it is a smaller target than the shoulder area. Maybe you should check out this link and see the anotmy of a deer. If someone is such a bad shot they worry about hitting guts on a heart lung shot how in the world are they going to hit a deers neck? JMO. Besides you being a " trophy hunter" you would be ruining your cape.

[link]http://home.mn.rr.com/deerfever/Anatomy.html[/link]

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

Buckeye great anatomy of a deer link the best yet thanks. I go for the center shot just above the heart that gives me 6" in any direction with a vital area kill. I agree the little 2or 3" citcle for the kneck shot if a low precentage shot. Whats bad if you miss the neck to the 3 oclock direction you can sever only the wind pipe and the deer dies days later, and you will not probably be able to track him.

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

Trophyhunter- a friend of mine just shot a buck this weekend. Hit him in the high lungs to start with. The buck stoped and he shot him in the neck. Down he went. Then when the hunter was getting out of the stand the buck got up and ran away only to drop on the neighbors land! They taged him and drug him away. He was using berneke slugs too.

That brings me to my point. In the past I hunted 350 private acres. All of our hunting party honored the " killing shot" gets the buck. So I use to shoot a 243win. Never lost a deer that I hit with it, but they would usually run 40 - 100 yards. Not a problem when you' re on private land with your hunting buds or family.

Now I hunt about 80 yards from the border of two properties. I' m not pressing the line but a deer could, if hit in the lungs, run 100 yards and then expire on the neighbors land. I' m not willing to take the chance any more so I moved up to my 50cal TC Encore muzzleloder. This year some dink sat on the property line only 100 yards from me. So I knew that I couldn' t let a buck go 10 feet much less 100 yards. When the buck (see the picture) came in I knew that I had to anchor him right there. He gave me a quartering tward me shot and I aimed for the inside of his shoulder. He folded on the spot, didn' t even twich. I think I will continue to hunt with my Encore and put the cross hairs on the shoulder.

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

If you shoot a deer in the shoulder your going to get a double lung also.

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

Shoulder shot!:)-- wrks great

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

If I really need a buck to fall where he is at I will take out both front shoulders. No wheels = no movement. You will still likely get some heart or lungs too.

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

Double lung would be my choice. I use a .30-06, so either way the deer would get hit pretty hard.

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

Heart shot. Unless it is a doe eating at my bait pile, then I go for a head shot. When I hit her, she drops, no suffering no meat wasted, and no tracking!

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

Guys I understand you might think a neck shot is a low percent shot are you kidding. Look at the original post broadside at 75 yards, if you cant hit a 1 inch target with a high power rifle and scope at 75 yards you cant shoot thats my two cents. Two many people out there shoot overkill rifles because all they have to do is hit the deer and it will die. Understand i know different size deer from different regions. Up to 200 yards i can take my remington 700 sendero 270 and hit a quarter, im no great shot but i practice and shoot alot, to hit a deer at 75 yards broadside in the middle of the neck with a 270 is not hard at all and the deer will not take a step guaranteed. Were not talking like a long shot ,look at the original question.

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

Depends on the deer. If he' s a big buck and I can' t afford to have him go anywhere I' m taking out the shoulder, reloading, and staying put ready to throw another one in him if he gets up. If it is a doe for meat, a double lung works great.

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

Trophyhuntr I would love to see you take an off hand shot at 75 yards at a living breathing deer let alone mature buck and hit a 1 inch spot. Also 200 yards and hit a quater, maybe off a bench you are only kidding your self with a statement like that. I don' t care how good a person shoots off a bench and sand bag let me see you shoot 200 yards and hit a quater, it isn' t happening.

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

I have killed one deer with a neck shot and will never do it again! Yep knocked her flat, she never even kicked, finger sized entrance and fist sized exit, ruined the right side neck roast. Oh did I mention it didn' t kill her? Well it didn' t, don' t ask me how, but it didn' t, shattered the vertabrae and she was still alive, I put another one in her ear to finish her off.

I have killed, dressed and butchered a ton of deer and as a result I know thier anatomy inside and out, shoot one in the " center" of the neck" is a low percentage shot, remember we are not shooting at a stationary target from a bench, we are shooting at a living moving animal that at the instant the shot goes off could take a step forward or turn their head, in this case the best outcome is a clean miss, the worst case is a wounded deer!

Okay off the soap box now, if I am way back in there by myself and do not want to drag the deer out any further than neccessary I will take out both shoulders, if I have some one to help with the dragging or it is not that far to the truck it is double lung all the way, the results with a 30 caliber or 12 gauge slug is devestating and half the time will drop them in there tracks.

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

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;)!

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

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

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

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:))

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

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

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

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.

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

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

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

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

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

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]

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

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.

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

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

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

Lots of people in the south don' t have all of their teeth either. It doesn' t mean we should all copy them.
Neck shots do work,sometimes, but they are not the best way to KILL a deer or any other animal. I' ve seen too many deer with broken jaws or gaping holes in their throats due to the attempted neck shot to save a little meat. This is including one that I' m butchering tonight, thank god my buddy shot her when he saw her lower jaw hanging down by her knees.
Not many with two busted shoulders get away. You have better eating meat in the neck than in the shoulders anyway.

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

I agree - I' ve had hearts completely blown out and they run 30 or more yards and sometimes the blood trail is surprisingly scant, sometimes huge enough that even a fat-assed republican could follow (after he calls his, boozed up, bible thumping buddies of course). :) (by the way, that' s just my way of saying: why don' t you keep politics out of topics that have nothing to do with politics?)-zeke

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

I always will go for the double lung. A double lung insures the animal will not go any further than 50 to 100 yards. Both lungs collapse, the deer runs, passes out, then expires. I have never had any run more that 75 yards with a double lung. My brother took a shoulder shot once that caused us to track for over 2 hours. He hit it in front of the shoulder, missing most of the lung. If you put your pin/cross hairs just behind the shoulder blad, it is a done deal. I respect the animal too much to allow one to run off wonded.

I guess this would also depend on what you are shooting. With a pistol or bow, I always go for the double lung. With a rifle, I feel I have more room to play with.

As for head and neck shots. Too little a target. I always teach new hunters to go for the highest percent shot. Better to let an animal walk than to wound it. Head shots I refuse to take. I dont like the idea of blowing off the lower jaw of an animal, causing them to starve to death.

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

so if you see a deer running around with its lower jaw busted you should assume it was a guy trying to neck shoot it, give me a break anyone who shoots a deer in the jaw just sucks or was probably shooting at a deer running, know your limits there are alot of deer running around with holes all in them from people seeing brown and pulling the trigger, but handles i am sure all of the people from where you are from have all there teeth you idiot dont stereo type the south

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

I truly hope you mean this in Jest. Seeing brown and pulling a trigger? I must live in a little different place. I dont know of anyone who doent find the target, set the pin/sights, and then take the shot. I guess there are those out there who do as you mentioned. Personally I would like to see people like that have their guns taken.

As I set and type this, it reminds me of a new hunter who went out with a blazen attitude. He did as you mentioned Killing a ranchers cow. Needless to say, the guy who let the new hunter hunt with him lost his privilages to the land. The new hunter got to by the rancher a new cow.

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

Same place i put an arrow. Low and directly behind the shoulder.

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

TH, I simply stated if you want an animal to drop like now with a better % shot with a firearm the pins are better than a neck shot. I generally aim for the vitals(rib in and rib out) I have on occasion aimed for the pins or other shots for different reasons but always think secondary like if my bullet frags or malfunctions will I at least get lungs??? I always think lungs when I pull the trigger on a bow or firearm. Simply put it is a gaurantee you take out the lungs that deer is dead on its feet, will leave a nice swash on the ground to track and bleed out the animal somewhat to provide better eating(if you believe in this;)). Vitals are essential if I can' t take out the H/L region I simply don' t shoot, their are many ways to the bread basket besides ribs[8D]. This is why I said think like a bowhunter...VITALS:eek:

Also poor results with shoulder shots are often due to an improper bullet or sometimes caliber for the job. A 243 shot into a shoulder with a 100 gr NBT is going to yield nothing but bad results on a large whitetail buck, so pick your shot based on your poison and your ability(confidence)[:-]

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

As a hunter who shoots bow and firearm I am 100% commited to a vital shot. Double lung!!! I' ve seen too many wounded deer in the woods not to shoot for vitals.

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

I should go on to say, in spite of my above comment, I always try for the side-on heart/double lung shot - if my shot goes exactly where I want it, it' s a heart/double lung. If it' s a little off, it' s an easy double lung-er. The kill zone really is as large, or larger, than a 1 gallon milk jug, which I sometimes use for practice. I really feel I could do a neck shot with a decent position or rest, but I' ve always had such good luck with the chest, I do it automatically. If I was in terrain where the animal shouldn' t run at all, I' d do the shoulder shot or a *real* careful neck shot if I had a decent rest.

I still haven' t figured out why some fatally chest shot deer run and/or walk away to die within 30 seconds and some drop on the spot. My most recent experience, posted here, involved two deer from a group: heart/double lung/ total chest destruction of a small yearling and a front on, angling lung shot of a full grown doe. The little one ran about 30 yards, the big one dropped like it was a head shot. Go figger. -zeke

RE: Shoulder or Double lung
 

TH, Sorry about picking on you fellers. I was just playing off of your statement about " lots of people in the south..." Mainly I was saying just because people do it, doesn' t make it right. Going off of the original post about a deer standing at 75 yards, no, you should not ever hit it in the jaw, but I have seen it happen, and holes shot in the throat with the deer breathing through that hole. It' s pretty sad and the deer can live for a long time that way, at least until they die of dehydration because they can' t drink.
We also both know that many people don' t practice shooting enough, or sling slugs out of a smoothbore shotgun, or shake uncontrollably at the sight of a deer. I will not advise anyone to take a neck shot at 75 yards, anymore than I would recommend having sex with your cousin is a good idea just because it happens in certain parts of the country. Oops.