Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

Have always placed shots behind the shoulder. Have been told that neck shots drop deer cold in their tracks. What is your experience with neck shots and where on the neck do you place the shot?

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

Your going to catch some heat on this topic,but I take neck shots when I can.DROPS THEM DEAD.

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

Well they can, but a miss can result in a lot of tracking or lost animal that will die. Everyone has their opinion, etc on the best shot, but the true tested and only shot we are all told will kill an animal is where you aim now....so if it is available don't chance it. I have seen guys try to get cute and blow jaws off and it is not pretty and down right inhumane.

If you are confident in your abilities of placing the bullet, of course the perfect neck shot will drop them! But with the chest cavity you have more area than the neck to kill that animal quickly, anybody who disagrees with that is ...well i won't even say it!



Edited by - Skeeter 7mm on 09/07/2002 00:18:52

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

Skeeters right. The other point about neck shots is, that you DO have to hit the right area of the neck, making the target zone even smaller. Just any old neck shot wont do. Blow out the esophagus or part of the wind pipe and the deer dies a slow miserable death, from starvation and/or infection.

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

ps...if you want to stop a deer in its tracks(big antlers or right at dark and you don't want a long trailing job, etc.), conventional wisdom is to shoot thru both shoulders. Yes it may get some meat, but it anchors the animal.

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

A well placed shot centered in the neck drops'em on the spot. A low neck shot and pack your lunch,you will nave a long day,and may not find the animal.Shoulder shots anchor the animal but will destroy a lot of roast.Use some marksmanship,put the shot in the crease,blow out the lungs,with a caliber that will leave a good exit wound,the animal goes into instant shock, and will not be far away,with a blood trail that my 5 year old grandson could follow.

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

Almost any hit in the neck near the spine will drop deer cold.The problem is some of these deer are only stunned and get up and run away.I have had to track two of these that were hit just below the head.We did recover both but it required a lot of time and effort to recover them.I will not use this shot and the individual that caused these wounded deer has learned his lesson as well.

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

If you miss the spine or juglar and you will have a long tracking job, and chances of finding him will be slim.

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

I have to agree with Grouperhead,
the best shot is a good lung shot or if you want to anchor them quick a double shoulder shot!
Neck or head shots are only good when they are PERFECT!
To me they are not worth the risk of wounding an animal.
As far as wasting meat, there is good meat on the neck too,
and a lung shot, even with my 7MM mag wastes very little or no meat. So it is the safest shot that you can take!

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

Let's see, a target the size of a 50 cent piece or a target the size of a pie plate? Is the wind blowing? Is the deer going to flinch? Do you enjoy tracking wounded animals across 3 counties? Put the bullet in the boiler room and make a clean, humane kill. We owe it to the animals to harvest them as painlessly as possible. Too many variables with a neck or head shot.

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

My answer to the original question: No.
CAN they drop dead? Yep...often do. But not every time. Be patient, and put the shot where it belongs (as far as I'm concerned) 2 lungs.

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

A good neck shot will drop them but the lungs/heart etc make better targets depending on the gun. I like to use buck shot/ssg DO NOT shoot a deer with buckshot in the neck if you are more then 30 yards away! I have seen two people shooted them in the neck with buck shot and they never hit a single vital spot! if you got slugs use them for neck shots, a rifle no problem under 75 yard to be sure you hit a vital spot. with a gun to drop them DEAD in there track shoot them right in the HEAD!(if you don't care about horns or it is a doe)

[Deleted]
 

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RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

Head and neck shots are even worse with a bow.Unless you hit the center of the spine, the broadhead will glance off the vertebre and the wound will not result in a quick clean kill.

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

A neck shot with a bow has got to be just about the worse possible, irresponsible shot that anyone could attempt!
I think that even if you were starving to death, you could wait for a better shot than that!
As hunters, we owe more respect than that to the game animals that we hunt!

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

i dont like neck shots.shot through both shoulders is much better.

slayer

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

Ive always aimed for the crease right behind the shoulder. Never had to look for a deer more than 50 yards. More often than not it rolls them! and if you keep it in the ribs behind the shoulder there is very minimal meat damage even from a 12 gauge slug!

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

I have made some neck shots on occasion with great results, but my bread and butter shot is right behind the shoulder.<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

Also I too think a head or neck shot with a bow is CRAZY.

http://www.cartogra.com/rs/35D6BABE-...77A760E/screen

Edited by - PORK CHOP on 09/07/2002 21:54:23

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

Too much room for error...I learned the hard way a few years back! Shoot were they live...<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Hunt Safe!

Jack

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

Neck shot ain't good fer nuthin' but a close range, straight on killin' shot to drop a wounded animal. Why shrink the target area? Why risk losin' an' animal thet may move his head right when you pull the trigger? I can tell you first hand thet a neck shot don't allays drop an animal straight away. Fragile bullets at close range will blow up, or get diverted on the heavy muscles of a big animal. They run a long ways an' head fer thick cover or steep ground. All these velocity crazy, &quot;place yer shot&quot; shooters need to learn some solid hunting lessons...probably the hard way. Heavy fer caliber bullets centered on the center of the shoulder is the way to make meat 'thout riskin' wounded animals an' long tracks. Fact is, I think most hunters thet wound game don't even bother with a proper track. They write it off as a missed shot or not worth the trouble. Seen two fellers open up on a herd of elk onct. Kilt several animals shootin' thru their multiple targets an' swithchin' targets when the first critter didn't drop right away. Seein' all the blood sign droppin' over the rim of a canyon made me want to slice someone up. The two fellers didn't seem concerned at all. They were too busy arguin' over the one bull thet dropped. After seein' the look on my face after checkin' the sign, the outfitter wisely took these two back to camp immediately, an' kept 'em far from my sight 'til they packed out. I got lil' patience fer shooters thet pretend to be hunters. Huntin' ain't a shootin' sport. Its about the Outdoors. 'Thout no respect fer nature an' the game, you'd be better off keepin' yer huntin' on these boards than risk runnin' into a real outdoorsman.

BJ

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

nope..i would never aim at the neck...even if thats the only shot i would wait...its such a small target and as was said a poor neck shot will lead to a slim recovery rate...aim for the heart and lungs...a deer hit there won't go far anyway and i feel part of the whole experiance is tracking and following a healthy blood trail...but no i wouldn't recomment a neck shot..EVER!!!

Buck or doe big or small they all taste the same and are a trophy in my book.

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

I passed on a neck shot at a pope and young eight two years ago and to make it better it woudla been my first buck with a bow, he ws ten feet away, i was on the and he just stood there looking, i drawed, let it down, then drawed again held right on his neck and thought no i cant risk doing that to him, so he turned and ran off never offering a broadside, so no i dont take neck shots

&quot;She said if I hit that fishin hole today, she's be packin all her things and she'd, be gone by noon....I'm gonna miss her, when I get home.&quot;

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

BJ
i dont always agree with you but i have seen the same incident you talk about. i have also ran across blood trails of elk and deer that nobody has followed out. only to find a bloated/rotten WASTED animal.
take the boiler house shot. it works very well

&quot;EAT MEAT&quot;
&quot;VOTE NO TO GUN CONTROL&quot;

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

Like others have said neck shots can be good if placed properly, (spine) but if not then you condem the deer to die a miserable death if you blow out the throat and don't hit the spine. If it's a close range shot and your sure of your ability to hit what you aim at then go for it, if not then go for the heart/lung shot. The deer will run off but not far and will usually leave a blood trail that a blind man could follow.

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RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

You mean there ain't one head shooter or butt shooter in this whole pack? I bet the head an' butt shooters are jus' keepin' quiet. I know yer out there. Seen yer handiwork. Deer 'thout a jaw or their guts shot out from the so called &quot;texas heart shot&quot;. Not much 'bout texans I can stand, but thets 'bout the height of stupidity an' arrogance fer anyone from any state.

BJ

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

A neck shot is just too risky and I would never attempt one and to be honest, don't think anyone should. I don't really want to get into this...besides...there have been enough good post already about the negatives of this particular shot. Don't worry about the neck, be a true humane sportsman and take out the lungs or heart for a sure quick kill.

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

I didn't read all the posts, but I speak from experience when I say that not all neck shots will instantly kill deer. One of the biggest deer I've ever seen (and shot) was hit in the neck by my arrow about 10 years ago. I saw him get up and lay down 6 times with-in 60 or 70 yards of my stand. My brother-in-law and I searched for him for many hours and never found him dead. My brother-in-law (who had the same experience a week earlier) thinks he saw my deer cross a road hours later into a park that NO ONE is allowed to hunt. Neck shots MAY KILL--but it's not a sure thing.

Today's small bucks are tomorrow's trophies.

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

Just go ahead and &quot;Rib them&quot; You wont lose them that way .I neck shot one with a .243 a few years back .I heard him fall in to the creek .When me and my hunting buddy went to get him he was not there .We saw him walking up a hill and my buddy shot him with an 30.06.We got the deer home ,skinned him out and a perfectly mushroomed nosler 100gr.partition bullet fell on the floor from his neck.I made a mistake by taking a bad shot .luckily we were able to find the deer.Everybody PLEASE don't be a dummy like I was.Be sure of your shot.Make it the one that counts.

Danville Va.LAST CAPITAL OF THE CONFEDERACY

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

I neck shot a deer years ago and will never do it again. I was about a mile back in and I had decided if the deer was close enough and it was a clean shot I would take a neck shot. Well the doe was close enough and I took a broadside neck shot, it killed her instantly. I will qualify this though, I had killed a lot of deer before this and knew exactly where to shoot and I knew I would hit my mark. The shot blew the spine to pieces and ruined a whole lot of good meat in the neck.

There my confession is out of the way, the boiler room is the only way I had ever gone before and will continue to be in the future. As others have said there is to small of a target in the neck for the average shooter, the boiler room is one that anyone can hit, if not you have no business hunting. A bow shot in the neck is STUPID!!!! I would challenge almost any new hunter to show me where to shoot a deer in the neck, most will shoot to high, some to low. If you do not know where the spine is you definantly have no business trying this shot.

The next time I am way back in there I will do a double shoulder shot.

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Founder and President of
Virginia Disabled Outdoorsmen Club

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

I'm sure I will catch a lot of heat, but I have shot many(20 or so) meat deer in the neck. Before everyone gets in an uproar all these were shot under 100 yards with basically a sandbagged rest. I aim where the neck joins the skull. Every deer dropped like a stone. I wouldn't take this shot unless it was under perfect shooting conditions. Only take this shot with my target rifle(real half inch groups @ 100). In fact I shot a doe last year with my normal rifle behind the front shoulders at about 125 yards; I just didn't feel comfortable with any other shot. I am not advising anyone to take this shot. Everyone should know their limitations as far as accuracy and shooting. I feel I do. Flame away if you want but just my opinion.

Later
Gone_Huntin

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

Gone huntin,

Why would you be flamed, you explained you only take this shot when all conditions are perfect and know your abilities. Everybody takes questionable shots and more often than not the outcome is good. I took a head shot on a nice doe and the bullet went right where I aimed....but had the perfect lane, no wind and a rock solid rest. Would I do it again, probably not! The reason was the last 2 years I have found apparent missed head/neck shot deer and it sickened me. Before then I would still hope for the lungs, but now I wait for the lungs...if the shot isn't their, always next time.

I think most guys responded to the fact don't take a neck over the lungs...imo if you do this your foolish. Meat waste is minimal on a true lung shot. I would also say to those who say take out his wheels (both shoulders), this is just as risky, if your not toting a big caliber. I pulled one on a buck with my 270 that caught him square in the shoulder, I managed to bust up one side and get some vitals damage but I tracked him for quite some time and eventually had to leave him until the next day. Result was a long sleepless night for both myself and the deer. Not a quick, humane kill and again I was sickened by the suffering I caused.

I now preach to think about the quarry we are chasing and the need to put a quick, clean & humane kill shot. Finding poor shot deer, is not good for all of us and gives anti groups more ammo on our beloved sport.

Shoot straight and aim for the boiler room. Best of luck to all and a safe season.

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

Thanks guys. You are all true sportsmen, even those of you who confessed to taking neck shots. While I have the confidence, skill and good sense to know when to take a neck shot, I was not sure about where to place the shot and I figured just any old neck shot would not do. I am convinced, now, that there is no reason for me to attempt a neck shot. If the kill zone is as small as you have described, it is more risky than it is worth. I enjoy the neck meat as well. I have never felt good about shooting a deer although I enjoy eating them and being out on the hunt. If I did damage an animal as some of you have described, it would tear me up. I'll stick with my shots behind the shoulder. Nothing I have ever shot in that area has gone more than fifty rards. Why ruin a perfect record? Thanks again. One last question. If a deer is facing you straight on, can you place a shot where the neck meets the withers... in the chest cavity... or is this not advisable?

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

Not advised and I'll leave it at that!

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

If you can hit a little red dot at 100yards you should be able to make a neck shot.But dont take one if you dont think you can make it.I have shot about 10 in the neck and drop all of them.I have also shot them in the lungs and had them run off.It all depends on the situation and how good of a shot you are.

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

The topic is pretty well covered, so on that note the only shot that I will take is the boiler room (bow or gun), I want the meat I shoot at!!

The best of luck in all your hunting endeavors!!!

God Bless,
Dave

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

I have seen deer shot just about everwhere you could shoot one in all my years of hunting . Believe me all the deer hit in the head weren't bad neck shots just very poor shooting .One time I tracked a deer for a couple hunter that had wounded a buck but couldn't find it . I got them on the deer two different times and they both missed it at about 50 yards the third time I jumped the deer I shot it in the back of the neck running straight away .They both got mad at me for shooting thier deer .This poor thing was shot in the horns ,through one ear ,burned the top of the ham about 4&quot; long and a high shot through the ribs . Now assuming that this deer had two shots in the head area were they neck shooting . LOL I have shot a lot of deer in the neck and have yet to lose one in over fifty years of hunting . I think a lot of people need to shoot more . If your get a chance watch the deer going through a game check station sometimes and see what the real world is like . There are a lot of people that hit deer all over the place and aren't just shooting for the neck .

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

halcon, how true. You know I hear guys all who say they don't sight in their guns before hunting....ridiculous. My buddy never had to make an adjustment on his 7 mag, but still sights in faithfully, last year he was 2&quot; high and 4 to the right at 100. So you never know. Then their are those who get panicked and just can't shoot.

My only thought is when you aim for a smaller target, your margin of error increases. So really why chance it! Even guys who can shoot the lights out at a range make a mistake in the field, right!

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

halcon, how true. You know I hear guys all who say they don't sight in their guns before hunting....ridiculous. My buddy never had to make an adjustment on his 7 mag, but still sights in faithfully, last year he was 2&quot; high and 4 to the right at 100. So you never know. Then their are those who get panicked and just can't shoot.

My only thought is when you aim for a smaller target, your margin of error increases. So really why chance it! Even guys who can shoot the lights out at a range can make a mistake in the field, no!

RE: Neck Shots on Deer Always Drop Them Cold?
 

Halcon - good point about the peoples shooting. Personally I enjoy shooting so I spend a good bit of time at the range. A guy on our lease has me or my father sight in his rifle every year(basically because he doesn't shoot well enough to do it). The fact that he respects our shooting enough to ask us to do it is great, but there is a chance that rifle is not going to shoot to the same point of impact for him as it does for me. Besides if you don't trust your shooting enough to sight your own rifle in not sure how you would pull the trigger on a deer. Over the years I've had to trail a few deer for him, usually gut shot. Our theory is he jerks the trigger or flinches and pulls everything to the right. Deer facing left = gut shot; facing right - through front shoulders or miss. Long story short - everyone should know there gun and be able to shoot it.

Later
Gone_Huntin