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?

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

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.