neck shot

[Stumpkiller]

I know, personally and drug his deer out while he hobbled out of the woods, a fellow who tried to slit a wounded doe's throat to kill it and took a hoof to the shin. He initially thought his leg was broke and the day after it looked like it had been tie-dyed purple by Gerry Garcia.

A deer, and a cow, can both kick faster than a horse. So fast you can't react. In the case of my nearly-headless doe it was doing enough flopping and spraying that I just stood off an waited. And decided to stick to lung shots. ;-)

PS - it's good we're opinionated and occasionally speak strongly. It shows we are enthusiastic and care a great deal about hunting. Thank you for working it out.

 

[roundball]

Guess he shouldn't have approached from the hoof[url] side...in[/url] my cases I studied the buck, and the doe, for a couple minutes until I was certain they were paralyzed, and that they didn't seem to be expiring very quickly.

In the case of the buck, his left main was down in the leaves, I stepped up from behind with my knife ready, stood my 220 pounds on that left main beam, and in one motion bent down, plunged the knife blade in and sliced it out through the jugular & windpipe...3 seconds, maybe 4. Same the other time for the doe except that I stood on her neck right behind the head. I was in no danger under those studied/controlled circumstances...certainly far less danger than climbing/sitting 20 feet up a tree in a rickety tree stand.

 

[Greenmtnboy]

There'll be a lot of you go hungry if you come to Kodiak Island and won't take neck shots on our Sitka blacktail deer. The grass and berry bushes are shoulder high and higher on the deer, and all you see is head and neck most of the time.

I totally agree, but that boils down to practice and having the huevos to pass up shots you can't make reliably. I pass up my share every year rather than take a bum shot, but I don't hesitate when the shot can be made cleanly. It's as easy a target as a snowshoe hare's head, and in fact usually easier. If you can make one, you can make the other.

As already said, you can make a bum shot anywhere you aim. It's our job not to take shots we can't make. Sure I prefer a lung shot. But I'm not going to pass up good neck shots so I can conform to dogma.

I agree, I was taught to hunt sm game with a 22 by my two great uncles and my grandfather, all three survivors of the great depression. They all stressed head shots so as to not waste meat. As I got old enough to hunt deer and moose all that head shot pratice really helped in the thick north woods timber.
As I said all that pratice!!
If you don't shoot your rifle a bunch you have no buisness taking a neck or head shot.
you don't need centerfire mag ballistics to drop elk, deer or moose with a head or neck shot. Just a cool head and lots of shooting skill.

 

[kevthebassman]

I've been told not to take head or neck shots in areas where CWD has been found. When you put a bullet through brain tissue or spinal fluid you turn it into a fine mist, and CWD is not something I want.

 

[bouldersmith]

I have very limited experience with neck shots. I will say the one deer I shot in the neck suprised the living manure out of me. I shot a nice 6x6 this year out of a tree stand that I often hunt out of using one of my smoke poles. This year I was using my mauser I built while in gunsmithing school in .25-06. The shot was well within muzzleloader range, inside of 20 yards. The dee was well lower than me as he was down in a dried up river bed. I hated the angle as it was almost straight on. I set up the shot and carefully squeezed the trigger, aiming for the neck just above the body. At the shot the buck did a back flip and took off running. The shot felt good, but I was worried and it took me almost 30 minutes to find my prize. It was an excellent shot entering higher than I had wanted, about 3 inches below the white patch on his throat. The bullet penatrated all the way through the neck, under the shoulder and ended up in the lungs. The deer made it nearly 150 yards. I was shocked to say the least. After that experience I would take a neck shot again, but only at very close range and only if I felt very comfortable with my gun. There is alot less energy in a smoke pole, I would really want to be sure of my shot.
Steve

 

[roundball]

"...ended up in the lungs..."

I would assume that's probably what actually killed him...I've only taken two neck shots with Flintlocks where they were broadside hit or miss chances, because they were only 20yds away and relaxed standing...other vitals were covered by a tree...light was good, I had time for really precise aiming and was fortunete to hit the vertebrae both times...but not my first choice by any means