shot placement

[hoochiepapa]

And shoulder shots ruin a lot of meat.

 

[Stumpkiller]

The big concern I have with head shots is that the head is on the end of a long neck and can whip around very rapidly, making a miss or wound very possible. Lungs are in the center of mass and it takes a lot more time to get them moving.

The last time I head-shot a deer (from 15 feet or so) it took the top of the head off . . . and the deer dropped, but the next 45 seconds took hours and was out of a H.P. Lovecraft or Dean Koontz horror story. Ugly business. We had a goat get caught up in a temporary net electric fence and the noise it made was similar. I figured they deserve a better end than that.

 

[shortbow]

Just personally, I've had great luck shooting center of mass in line with the front leg. I've shot lots of deer with that shot and they've all gone down within 50 yds at the very most, usually a lot less. Also, with the low velocity, large frontal area and rapid expansion of prb's I never get any blood shot meat.

 

[tg]

" I figured they deserve a better end than that."

Yeah the Texas heart shot many use is a much better choice, ot a 125yd shot in the rear gut bith are probably more common than a botched head shot as most to not get close enough or have the judgement to take a good head shot

 

[jethro224]

While I have killed several deer with head shots, and they all resulted in instant kills, I still would not recommend it as a primary target. It's a high-risk shot in my book.
All but 2 of the deer I have shot in the head had already been hit poorly by other hunters and I had trailed them to where they were bedded in thick cover where the only visible target was the head.
One was a little bitty button buck with 3 of his legs broken and gut shot by a group of shotgun hunters. I watched as they all blasted away at him and then walked up on him as he lay there unable to get back up. One of them then proceeded to gut shoot him once more from about 20 feet as I came up. Made me sick! I hollered at them to get the hell back and then shot the poor thing in the head to put him out of his misery. Still makes me sick thinking about it.
Once I did shoot a healthy spike buck in the head on purpose because he was headed straight away and the only other shot would have been the "Texas heart shot". That one worked out well but in hindsight I probably should have held my fire.

I have killed a few deer out past 100 yards when I was confident that I could make a good shot.

I guess it's all about what you are comfortable with. :idunno:

 

[rabjr]

Unfortunately I've witnessed the aftermath of a head shot that went wrong a couple of times. It ain't pretty and I cringe every time I see a guy recommending the shot. :shake:

 

[Bill Hall]

I've done it three times, two on deer and one on a bull elk, and wasn't happy with any of the results. The elk was hit right between the eyes, but that placement actually misses the brain. I watched him dance around backwards and sideways until I shot him through the lungs. One deer I shot was hit right where his horn touches the hair on his head, so in essence, I just clipped off the horn. I was on the other side of a canyon when I shot him, so I just watched him for a while. He was out for about five minutes, then slowly got up and walked off. I had to find him and re-shoot him. Another time, a deer trotted off and stopped with his head just over a bunch of bushes staring back at us, so I tried for head. The shot was low and hit him just under the chin. Good neck shot, but not what I was trying for.

Since those experiences, I vowed to take only the most perfect, close up headshots, and if I feel funny about it, I'm going to pass. Bill

 

[hoochiepapa]

I've only taken one shot with a ml for the head. I had gotten on a herd of elk, and they kept staying just far enough ahead of me that I couldn't get a shot. So I sat down and bugled. Two bulls moved my way, a spike and a forky. As they moved through the trees, I raised my rifle, and the forky spotted me, and went back into the trees. The spike kept coming. THey were about 50 yards from a ranch fence, and the spike was 20 yards or so from me. I shot hime perfectly through the brain, and he dropped in his tracks.
THen came the 3-mile packout.

See the hole right in front of the ear?

 

[Bill Hall]

Heck Mike, you shot his head clean off his body! :rotf:

 

[Skylinewatcher]

:rotf: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: Mike didn't feel like tracking that day. He got'er done quick.

 

[hoochiepapa]

Thanks, guys! I needed a laugh.

 

[tg]

I would not recommend a head shot for most hunters but neither would I condmn a head shot for some hinters in some situations the criteria being rather limiting as to range and other factors i am quite certain that far many Deer wander off with a ball ythru the gut of ham only to die slowly over time this usually from shooting to far for the gun or individuals capability, I no longer use a rifle so I will not take aniother head shot as even at 25 yds I am not conforable with a smoothy for such a shot I just see no valid reason to denounce this shot or praise it on an across the board fashion,as with many thing the debate on this will contiue with both sides mistakenly convinced of their rightousness and higher moral/ethical ground.