Shot placement

[HonestJohn]

Or

I would place it second, personally. Having said that, I find practices such as 'pinning' through both shoulders extremely distasteful. I'd rather let the animal go than take that shot.

However, I can see how it may be considered necessary in culling scenarios.

Or sika stags in woodland settings

 

[hendrix's rifle]

I love these discussions. Ironically most would happily shoot a rabbit in the head with ammo that doesn't fragment or send chunks of bone everywhere.

Yeet a chunk of bone in the brain and its dead. As soon as that bullet starts expanding if you hit it somewhere in the head, its dead.

Respect for the deer? I'd hope we all have Respect for the deer but in that, it also means (for me) I can recover a clean animal and use as much of the meat as possible alongside ensuring a quick humane kill. If it's head shot, it also hasn't run off in to sitka like a heart+lung shot can do.

Should everyone head shoot? No. Is there a time and place for a headshot? Yes.

 

[hendrix's rifle]

I was about to share some home truths about wild deer

But not suitable without a ban

Spill the tea

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

Spill the tea

I know too much

 

[Sol]

Weirdly the person I go out stalking with whenever he decides to take a deer Its either neck or pinning through the shoulders.

Weirdly my carcases (behind leg) end up less cleaner than his that pins through the high shoulder, I'd guess Its with blood pooling and gravity high shoulder a lot of blood remains in the chest the loss of meat isn't really any different from mine to his, he rolls the shoulder and brisket so he unironically gets more out of his shots instead of mine since I'm usually damaging ribs and there's a lot of bloodshot.

 

[User00056]

Or sika stags in woodland settings

Headshoot

 

[HonestJohn]

Headshoot

View attachment 437895

Sure is!

 

[kenbro]

A head or neck target area can be bigger than what the op says it is, if you use the right bullet for the job.
Kb.

 

[Happy stalker]

Should everyone head shoot? No. Is there a time and place for a headshot? Yes

Exactly

 

[HarryG]

I chest shoot everything if I can. If chest shot isn’t possible and nice and close, neck, and if that’s not possible, head. This means I’ve only done 2 neck and 2 head ever. I think the more you do it, eventually it will go wrong, but you’ve just got to work out where you stand on this and I’m sure others can shoot better than me!

 

[Nickb]

I know too much

Yep some of us live and shoot in the real world, others live in a romantic disney world

 

[JH83]

Or

Or sika stags in woodland settings

Yes!

Had some god awful follow ups on rutting sika stags. So to be honest it’s neck or pin shots now.

Everything else standard H/L unless front on or looking away in which case high neck-this is when these shots are the most humane as there is less potential to wound. Side on neck shots, especially on stags are pretty high risk.

 

[Ratel]

Equal first place for me.

Sorry Tim No Way equal. Could never agree.

 

[wildfowler.250]

All shots risk serious wounding, suffering and lost animals.

Absolutely. If stalkers could really shoot as well as they say they can (consistently sub 1" at 100yds) then head shots would be the norm.
Probably it's the ones who believe their own propaganda that ultimately mess up.

Clean carcasses are important.
All stalkers should strive for clean carcasses. Even if there's no financial incentive, producing a clean carcass with minimal waste shows respect for the animal.
Otherwise you're just killing for the sake of killing.

There's about £70 worth of venison on the shoulders, breast and neck of a fallow, so about 20% of the carcass retail value.

My idea of a clean carcass is no hair, no dirt and no gut contamination,(plus well chilled). Shoulders don’t really come into cleanliness.

Even if you can shoot <1” at 100 yards, as folk say, aim small , miss small. I’d far rather my odds at a dinner plate sized target,(not even counting the liver) than a golf ball.

Most estates or guides will invoice you if you take out the loin but never shoulder shots.

This is very much each to their own. Neither are wrong. And there’s so many more factors as far as distance, wind, good rest, buck fever client ect.

 

[Shootgun]

Hardly a thumb nail size target...

 

[gelert]

A shoulder or lung shot may damage some meat, but proper butchering can still recover a lot and it's far more realistic.
I cant help think there should be a day on the dsc 1 on butchery basics.

 

[308rws]

“It is almost impossible to hit the heart without hitting at least one shoulder.”

 

[Nickb]

“It is almost impossible to hit the heart without hitting at least one shoulder.”

Really ? Not on deer I've shot.

 

[ejg]

Had to throw away two deer that were neck shot. Bullet didn't touch a major blood vessel and it took too long to get to the deer. Stopped neck or head shooting after that, if possible. Don't mind loosing a front leg but therefore having a well bled carcass. Some game dealers in Germany will not accept head shot deer.
edi

 

[308rws]

Really ? Not on deer I've shot.

Next time I’m in Northumberland maybe you could show me? I’ll drop you a PM when I’m coming.