Head shooting
- Thread starter Happy stalker
- Start date
hendrix's rifle
Well-Known Member
Clicked the video, realised who it was, turned it off straight away.
ditto again....
Yip he certainly takes every opportunity to potentially make a penny or two
I’ve just watched it and to be fair it’s a good subject to discuss. What is skirted around is the risk of wounding deer with neck shots where the oesophagus and trachea are punctured and also the unnecessary suffering caused by low neck shots where the deer is paralysed but remains conscious
Norfolk Deer Search
Well-Known Member
Let me tell you what I know about head shooting, I’ve been doing this job far too bloody long!
I’ve tracked with a dog more head shot deer than I care to remember all because of what an extra 50p per kilo, when it goes wrong like I witnessed last winter and you see a red hind basically skin and bone trying to keep up with the herd with jaw swinging it turns your guts, I never did catch up with it because it was across the road and over the boundary with a bit of luck and I hope it didn’t survive much longer but did that animal deserve that? No it didn’t.
Here on my Cull days anyone had shoots or anybody neck shoots they are banned period male or female they are banned body shots only!!
Headshots are absolutely fine provided they go right and they may go right 99% of the time for that 1% that it might go wrong you’ve lead an animal to suffer and is that worth the money in my opinion?
NO
head shooting should be banned.
I’ve tracked with a dog more head shot deer than I care to remember all because of what an extra 50p per kilo, when it goes wrong like I witnessed last winter and you see a red hind basically skin and bone trying to keep up with the herd with jaw swinging it turns your guts, I never did catch up with it because it was across the road and over the boundary with a bit of luck and I hope it didn’t survive much longer but did that animal deserve that? No it didn’t.
Here on my Cull days anyone had shoots or anybody neck shoots they are banned period male or female they are banned body shots only!!
Headshots are absolutely fine provided they go right and they may go right 99% of the time for that 1% that it might go wrong you’ve lead an animal to suffer and is that worth the money in my opinion?
NO
head shooting should be banned.
Norfolk Deer Search
Well-Known Member
And to add, if you’ve not ****ed up head shot, you’ve not killed enough deer that is fact!
triggertrix
Well-Known Member
Agree with the above from Norfolk. I’ve seen a fair few almost complete beginners ‘start’ with headshots and send the digital videos around. Not even good placement, front on, sideways, still moving etc. what is scary is the videos from the NV scopes show how much movement there is in the crosshairs, many I’d say, were pure bloody luck they hit where they did the damage.
NO ONE talks about the one that got away, ever! A neighbour just had a learner out, let him take a headshot at 280m. Ended up with 3 in the gut.
An advertiser on here for stalking had an acquaintance out for their first stalk. I prepped the head and was like ‘did you head shoot this buck?’, yes, 120m or so off sticks, first shot at a deer. Also, with an illegal calibre for the country in question I might add! The client didn’t like it, but felt he had to abide as it was also the last chance of the stalk, and the guide possibly wanted the money.
Many, many stories. Yet, it seems like head shooting is becoming the new ‘go to’ shot day or night whether beginner or not. Better GD prices and ‘great’ for YouTube content
I don’t know why, but when i meet people who have headshot a deer, they always point it out, like they are proud of their ‘skill’. Let me tell you, a few people I know whose go to shot is the head, are bloody awful shots - when they miss, it’s bad ammo, such as - there clearly wasn’t enough powder in those cases, or, these are bad bullets.
Complete disregard for animal welfare is becoming the sickening norm in many places, completely the contrary to what deer management should be about IMHO.
Everyone I’ve taught, get within 100, rifle is dead steady, wait unit deer is perfectly broadside, put bullet behind/on front leg 3rd to halfway up. Don’t change that until you’ve shot at least 100 deer and know what you’re doing.
NO ONE talks about the one that got away, ever! A neighbour just had a learner out, let him take a headshot at 280m. Ended up with 3 in the gut.
An advertiser on here for stalking had an acquaintance out for their first stalk. I prepped the head and was like ‘did you head shoot this buck?’, yes, 120m or so off sticks, first shot at a deer. Also, with an illegal calibre for the country in question I might add! The client didn’t like it, but felt he had to abide as it was also the last chance of the stalk, and the guide possibly wanted the money.
Many, many stories. Yet, it seems like head shooting is becoming the new ‘go to’ shot day or night whether beginner or not. Better GD prices and ‘great’ for YouTube content
I don’t know why, but when i meet people who have headshot a deer, they always point it out, like they are proud of their ‘skill’. Let me tell you, a few people I know whose go to shot is the head, are bloody awful shots - when they miss, it’s bad ammo, such as - there clearly wasn’t enough powder in those cases, or, these are bad bullets.
Complete disregard for animal welfare is becoming the sickening norm in many places, completely the contrary to what deer management should be about IMHO.
Everyone I’ve taught, get within 100, rifle is dead steady, wait unit deer is perfectly broadside, put bullet behind/on front leg 3rd to halfway up. Don’t change that until you’ve shot at least 100 deer and know what you’re doing.
That is my horror of neck shots.
Personally, I'll always take a head shot in preference to a neck shot. In fact, I don’t take neck shots at all. I think there's just far too much that can go wrong with a neck shot, and the shooter is lulled into complacency by the "apparent" larger target area.
triggertrix
Well-Known Member
Agreed - side on neck shots in particular are a recipe for disaster. Natural tendency is "centre of mass" which isn't where the spine runs.
Yet I repeatedly hear folk very vocal and critical of head shots who happily promote high neck (including some well known guides I've been out with). And at some silly ranges... I have enough trouble placing a chest shot where I want it inside 200m prone off a bipod never mind some of those examples above - 280m head shot?!
Norfolk Deer Search
Well-Known Member
SikaSeeker
Well-Known Member
LANTRA APPROVED head shooting level 1 course soon to be launched.
Norfolk Deer Search
Well-Known Member
@VSS i’m not gonna get into a rock with you about this subject purely because I’m taking a leak in the wrong direction with a force nine gale.
But I will ask you this question as you’re a livestock Farmer as am I, what are you doing in your park with your fellow livestock? They’re behind the fence, what do you do with them? Is your business as I your sheep, but I will ask you this question would you head shoot a wild deer as you were in your park and let it suffer if you messed up?
Because I will tell you now that if you left that animal having messed up a headshot deliberately you deserve to be prosecuted on animal welfare grounds.
One of the five freedoms issued by red tractor and the RSPCA freedom from hunger and thirst!
It’s basic animal welfare and before anyone spout that that’s the farmed animals only, it should be for all animals.
You mess up a headshot you are condemning the animal from one of the main freedoms of life!
anybody who ****s up a headshot should be prosecuted on animal welfare grounds.
But I will ask you this question as you’re a livestock Farmer as am I, what are you doing in your park with your fellow livestock? They’re behind the fence, what do you do with them? Is your business as I your sheep, but I will ask you this question would you head shoot a wild deer as you were in your park and let it suffer if you messed up?
Because I will tell you now that if you left that animal having messed up a headshot deliberately you deserve to be prosecuted on animal welfare grounds.
One of the five freedoms issued by red tractor and the RSPCA freedom from hunger and thirst!
It’s basic animal welfare and before anyone spout that that’s the farmed animals only, it should be for all animals.
You mess up a headshot you are condemning the animal from one of the main freedoms of life!
anybody who ****s up a headshot should be prosecuted on animal welfare grounds.
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