is a head shot ethical?
11-26-2004, 03:53 PM
#11
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Big Oak by the Pond
Posts: 146
RE: is a head shot ethical?
I don't take head shots but I do take neck shots. I don't shoot at deer running or even walking. Have not had any run off. Maybe some folks disagree but if you miss your mark I 'm not sure it matters whether your shooting for the chest or the neck. In my eyes this is ethical and causes less meat damage.
11-26-2004, 05:09 PM
#14
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Da-U.P-keweenaw peninsula
Posts: 1,201
RE: is a head shot ethical?
I dont do it either...target is way to small and the deer is constantly moving his head.... so its a no no in my book. i have taken a couple of neck shots before though.
11-26-2004, 06:26 PM
#15
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Beautiful Western Montana
Posts: 2,308
RE: is a head shot ethical?
The two most effective kill shots on a big game animal is to hit them in the brain or spine, both shots anchor the animal and drop them on the spot. Having said that, they are terrible shots to attempt. They should be shot in the boiler room and no where else.
11-26-2004, 06:41 PM
#16
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,846
RE: is a head shot ethical?
too much of a risk of getting it in the jaw or something. i've taken one head shot. my first year of hunting, i had a doe that i mortally wounded and i finished her off with a head shot. instant death. leaves a nasty looking wound. if im finishing anything off anymore its a neck shot. a nice buck i'll finish off in the boiler room so i dont ruin the cape. head shots are big no no's.
.22 LR or 17 HMR? NEVER shoot a deer with either of these. the only time i would call it ethical would be if you were in a surivival situation. anybody shooting deer with a .22 LR shouldnt be hunting.
And as far as meat damage goes, who cares if you shoot them in the front shoulder? Theres at tops on a huge deer 2 lbs of meat on the front shoulder. unless you're obsessed and feel the need to get every last little scrap of meat off that deer, shooting them in the front shoulder isn't going to hurt a thing.
i took a neck shot on a doe fawn last sunday and killed her instantly. i shot her there because i knew it would anchor her right there. pretty ethical shot IMO.
Overall though, i try to gun for the heart/lung area everytime. they wont run over 50 yards without a heart and or lungs. i had a doe run 30 yards with both lungs gone and the top of the heart gone. absolutely perfect shot. i was surprised how far she ran but with the kind of blood trail she left, it wasn't hard even in the downed tree tops.
slayer
.22 LR or 17 HMR? NEVER shoot a deer with either of these. the only time i would call it ethical would be if you were in a surivival situation. anybody shooting deer with a .22 LR shouldnt be hunting.
And as far as meat damage goes, who cares if you shoot them in the front shoulder? Theres at tops on a huge deer 2 lbs of meat on the front shoulder. unless you're obsessed and feel the need to get every last little scrap of meat off that deer, shooting them in the front shoulder isn't going to hurt a thing.
i took a neck shot on a doe fawn last sunday and killed her instantly. i shot her there because i knew it would anchor her right there. pretty ethical shot IMO.
Overall though, i try to gun for the heart/lung area everytime. they wont run over 50 yards without a heart and or lungs. i had a doe run 30 yards with both lungs gone and the top of the heart gone. absolutely perfect shot. i was surprised how far she ran but with the kind of blood trail she left, it wasn't hard even in the downed tree tops.
slayer
11-26-2004, 06:49 PM
#17
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: A flat lander lost in the mountains of Northern,AZ
Posts: 3,171
RE: is a head shot ethical?
they are ethical "ONLY" if you are an excellent marksman and are 110% confident you can put that bullet directly through its brain. I will only head shoot a doe that is 50 yards or closer. I dont head shoot bucks because I dont want to take the chance of destroying the skull which would make it difficult to mount. I will neck shoot a buck though but again it has to 50 yards or closer. If you want to anchor a deer in its tracks use a controlled expansion bullet like a trophy bonded bear claw or nosler partition with a .308 win or better and break its shoulder, this works great if you dont care for the shoulder meat otherwise a double lung shot is probably the most ethical shot since deer with no lungs is a dead deer running and usually expire within a minute or two and generally dont run any further then maybe 50 or so yards as long as you stay put for atleast 15 minutes and the let the deer die. heart shots are ideal but the desired angle for a clean heart shot is not as easy to get as a double lung shot is. I will not recommend a head or neck shot to anyone, its something you have to decide on your own. According to the antis a head or neck shot isn't ethical and they use this subject as ammo against us hunters, honestly those treehuggers dont know Sh!t but claim to know everything but thats typical for any liberal so go figure.
11-26-2004, 06:58 PM
#18
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: A flat lander lost in the mountains of Northern,AZ
Posts: 3,171
RE: is a head shot ethical?
too much of a risk of getting it in the jaw or something. i've taken one head shot. my first year of hunting, i had a doe that i mortally wounded and i finished her off with a head shot. instant death. leaves a nasty looking wound. if im finishing anything off anymore its a neck shot. a nice buck i'll finish off in the boiler room so i dont ruin the cape. head shots are big no no's.
