Base of neck shot

just in front of the top of the sholders thick part of neck bigger vertibra hit hear will drop on the spot to meney shoot further up resulting in pass throe mised vertibra hole thro neck deer runing till it drops from blood loss
 
I would interpret "base of neck" as this.

drawskel.jpg


Wouldnt necessarily choose this spot myself. whilst the vertebra may be bigger so is the rest of the neck. miss here and the body of muscle that a big Red stag has to absorb the shock is much larger. A "through and through" higher up the neck is unlikely to produce the runner you describe with a decent bullet. I have first hand done this on 2 specific red stags and they neither stood up or ran. both were lying chewing cud, both dead, despite the bullet having not passed through the spine.
In my case the reason for the neck shot was the animal's position.
A "base of neck" shot would not have been clean or particularly easy
 
I would agree with bewsher500's picture.

I was taught that if it was a red stag I was taking in the neck, the aim point was about a third of the distance from the back of the neck to the front as the necks are so much thicker.
 
It's not a shot I would choose to take as I've had bad experience with it! On a larger animal there is far too much room for error either side of the vertebrae and it isn't central! Just an inch or two either side and you've either got a 'creased' neck if you've gone high with no blood trail and a VERY mobile animal which you will be unlikely to catch up with, or a sucking windpipe wound which will lead to a very slow and painful death! If I do neck shoot a large deer, i will always go for a high atlas joint shot. Low neck shots with soft point ammo are a bad idea IMHO! BT's are slightly more forgiving, but I'd still opt for a high neck shot even with BT's.
MS
 
The only time I've taken this shot it worked very well, but I was being very precisely directed by the stalker.

I have heared it described as trying to hit a thing the size of a hosepipe, inside a trouser-leg, wrapped in a hearth-rug.
 
I generally only feel comfortable taking neck shots when the animal is facing directly towards or away from me, and rarely sideways on. Just personal preference but it works for me.

willie_gunn
 
I would interpret "base of neck" as this.

drawskel.jpg


Wouldnt necessarily choose this spot myself. whilst the vertebra may be bigger so is the rest of the neck.

Also worth taking into account that during the Rut the neck of a red stag, (and some other males), will both enlarge and be covered by a thick 'mane' that will, in conjunction with the winter pelage, give an increased neck size that can make neck shot placement sometimes more difficult to determine.
 
Also worth taking into account that during the Rut the neck of a red stag, (and some other males), will both enlarge and be covered by a thick 'mane' that will, in conjunction with the winter pelage, give an increased neck size that can make neck shot placement sometimes more difficult to determine.


Very good point. Another reason why, when I have taken neck shots on red stags, it has always been when they are face on or away. Bear in mind that I only go out on reds once a year, so I am not hugely experienced (though it has been for 17 years ;))

willie_gunn
 
Also worth taking into account that during the Rut the neck of a red stag, (and some other males), will both enlarge and be covered by a thick 'mane' that will, in conjunction with the winter pelage, give an increased neck size that can make neck shot placement sometimes more difficult to determine.


whilst the vertebra may be bigger so is the rest of the neck. miss here and the body of muscle that a big Red stag has to absorb the shock is much larger.

I did. its why I wouldnt personally choose this point
 
I did. its why I wouldnt personally choose this point

For sure, and I wasn't detracting from the good advice given, but I was referring to the fact that particularly during the rutting period good shot placement becomes even more problematic on those animals. Very easy to take a neck shot that is too low because of the engorgement of the neck and then suffer the consequences.
 
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For sure, and I wasn't detracting from the good advice given, but I was referring to the fact that particularly during the rutting period good shot placement becomes even more problematic on those animals. Very easy to take a neck shot that is too low because of the engorgement of the neck and then suffer the consequences.
That was what caught me out - twice!
First was a large Sika stag during the rut. Enlarged neck, large mane and fully fuelled up with hormones! Hit it in what I thought to be the centre of the low neck and down it went like a sack of poo! Then..... it just got up and ran off like nothing had happened! We found no pins or paint at the shot site and a thorough follow-up with some very well trained deer dogs found nothing. I then studied the anatomy of the neck and in particular the path of the spinal column on a larger animal. It almost prescribes an 'S' shape and is a lot lower or further forward than you would expect lower down in the neck. I had clearly hit it behind the vertebrae and the bullet hadn't expanded as it would hitting bone. The shock must have knocked it over/out for a brief moment. So, effectively a relatively small and clean puncture wound without significant blood loss. Probably no worse than a minor rutting injury to such an animal? I like to think it would have made a full recovery but can never be certain, (although I know of several that have been shot with similar healed wounds!).
The next was a red stag which was running away after I'd shot the hind it was with. It made the mistake of stopping briefly and looking back over its shoulder. A quick low neck shot and down it went. Happy with my work so far, I then heart and lunged a hind follower. The stag then got up and ran off!
Same detail as before. Plenty of sign where it had got back up, but no pins or paint and it ran as if I hadn't even hit it!
Getting caught out once was bad enough, but the guilt of having done it twice still pains me!
I don't mind admitting this guilt though if my bad experience helps to educate others that this isn't a recommended shot!
It is not a mistake I wish to repeat for a third time.
These are the only two animals I have ever lost completely out of hundreds! You just can't ignore statistics like that.
MS
 
It's not a shot I would choose to take as I've had bad experience with it! On a larger animal there is far too much room for error either side of the vertebrae and it isn't central! Just an inch or two either side and you've either got a 'creased' neck if you've gone high with no blood trail and a VERY mobile animal which you will be unlikely to catch up with, or a sucking windpipe wound which will lead to a very slow and painful death! If I do neck shoot a large deer, i will always go for a high atlas joint shot. Low neck shots with soft point ammo are a bad idea IMHO! BT's are slightly more forgiving, but I'd still opt for a high neck shot even with BT's.
MS
As always MS, sound advice, what a great site we have!!, and all for free
 
I have shot more deer in the neck (and head) in the last 10 years than in the chest. My reasons are simply to prevent them making it to sitka spruce blocks. It has almost always been on sika as well.

IMO the most important factor for that type of shooting is the choice of bullet (and shooting within your own ability as well obviously!). It would not be a partition or other similarly bonded jacket design. It has to be a bullet that offers rapid or even explosive expansion. If then the shot is slightly off there is a better chance the tissue damage and shock could disable the beast permanantly or at least long enough for a follow up. That has happened to me on only a handful of occasions.

Even although there is a thickening of stags necks in the rut and a mane possibly grows, the majority of that extra girth is not on the back of the neck. The long hair hangs down the way and the point of aim should not really have to be moved much from its normal point in relation to the back of the neck. I actually don't think the diagram above is that accurate and would suggest that the vertebrae actually sit a wee bit closer towards the back of the neck and not as it looks in the picture to the middle. I would also be confident in a fatal shot when the atlas joint area is aimed for and have done so many times.

Most of the neck shots I take will be as described earlier, with the beast looking straight on towards me or directly away. If the beast is feeding with the head down I would not consider a neck shot as it is permanantly mobile. However a shout or whistle will normally have the desired effect in it lifting and looking at you. Only once have I had a roe buck go down with a neck shot and then stand up walking off as though drunk, before getting a second one.

As always though, it is about shooting within your ability, comfort zone and the taking the shot that should not cause you to think twice over it, because if you do the second thought should be about putting the safety back on...
 
what is concerning is that if you put a diagram up on a board, and asked a hundred stalkers to put a pin where they thought the vertibrae was,,you'd probably get a 100 different answers:scared:

I do agree that head on or directly facing away is best in that if you hit, you'll hit the vertebrae or VERY close to, otherwise it will be a miss. broadside neck shots gives a lot of room for interpretation of vertebrae location/positioning.
 
No Side on neck shots for me, Atlas joint facing away or towards. Would much prefer to put one through the shoulder baldes regardless of meat damage especially with a soft point.

I find Nosler BT's and accubonds driven fast enough just the job for neck shots but, generally only from a steady rest in a seat or off the bipod.

Totally agree with Jamross and Monkey Spanker.

ATB
Moses
 
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