I prefer a neck shot over everything else. I put the crosshairs at the base of the neck, a few inches from the front of the shoulders. Almost every deer that I've shot was dead before it hit the ground.

Same here!

I am like Stubblejumper following a few botched neck or head shots by hunting partners of mine was enough for me to stick to the lungs as my aiming point.

I'll shoot for the neck if I have a steady prop and under 150 yards. I've never had one to run from a neck shot and there is less mess when cleaning one that has been shot in the neck. The shoulders are good for roating in the oven then[8D]

i always aim for the heart. i did have a situation two years ago where the only shot that i had was the kneck and head because the deer was standing behind a tree. I hit it in the esophogus and it ran about 150 yards spraying a 6' wide blood "path" down the side of the mountain. needless to say, i didn't have any trouble finding a blood trail with that one lol. It looked like she rolled out the red carpet for me!!!

Neck shot is the best meat shot and a DOA shot 99% of time.
Seen guys who made "Head On" neck shot only to have bullet fragment into gut area. I only do broad side shots to neck.If bullet fragments, worst it can do is damage some shoulder.

I wouldnt regularly do it at 100yds with a 30/30 but with most "deer rifles" (243s and up) the result is you better get your skinnin knife out! I love a neck shot because they typically produces a "down right now" effect and dont damage meat like a true shoulder shot. A straight on lungs (no shoulders) will equally kill but rarely is the fall immediate. I shoot tough bullets (Xbullets, Fail Safes etc) for many reasons and one is that when shot in the neck the exit hole isnt large enough to cause alot of work for the taxidermist and "surgery charges". I also encourage their use because sometimes that "all you get". How many times have you heard, "He stopped behind the brush and all I could see was his head". Well to me that sounds like someone isnt as proficient with their gun as they should be. If you saw his head you had all the vitals you needed. Drill em right behind the ear (where the skull ajoins the spine) and its simply OVER. When presented with a full neckshot I prefer to shoot them at the base of the neck just ahead of the brisket.

Deer hunting is already a low odds game, why make those odds worse by waiting for a shot that might never be presented?
RA

i love the neck shots. you don't ruin any meat and i have never had to track one shot in the neck. idealy the best neck shot is right infront of the shoulders where the neck ajoins the body but anytime you send the bullet into the center of the neck that deer isn;t going but 3 feet strait down

I lost a nice buck years ago trying a neck shot,too much room for error...[]

I shot a doe last weekend in the neck because it was the only shot she would give me but i aimed in the middle of the neck with a 30-06 but it also left a hole in the other side about the size a 3inch circle. But boyyy does she taste good