That fallow looked to be in absolutely superb condition!
Where to aim for neck shots
- Thread starter Mungo
- Start date
Can't recall where I read it, but a comment on this which stuck in my head:
'On walking up to a shot deer, I prefer to see it staring glassy-eyed into the next world, rather than looking anxiously back into this one.'
@theroedeerguy
Well-Known Member
In some circumstances yes, case in point yesterday had a doe couched up, very settled and a rock solid aiming point sub 100 yards. No other shot options were available due to physical obstructions.
Difficult to quantify what’s acceptable to go with other than if you’re confident in your equipment and the conditions are favourable do what you feel will deliver a swift and humane outcome.
Utectok
Well-Known Member
Bad luck. I’ve shot a lot of deer in the chest from the front you’d think that would be a bad idea but I’ve never had a problem and clean carcass.
Generally I only head shoot if the deer is looking at me or away that way your not going to blow a jaw off. Neck shooting is fine from the side but low neck shot is easier usually. I’ll alway pick chest shots first if available and then low neck then high neck and lastly head in order of preference if you get a choice.
Yes - this is one of the situations where I think I’ve missed opportunities.
The greens are more at risk with a poor chest shot or when taking them out as it takes very little to nick the gut.
Jon P
Well-Known Member
As with any shot, they can go wrong, I normally head shot, however for some unknown reason I shot a young fellow high neck looking straight at me, -no reaction to the shot, on checking the shot sight a very small amount of blood, took over an hour to track and find this deer with my dog . Shot was slightly to the right so missed the spine. Deer was still standing when shot the second time, which finished the job. On map - 1 is firsts shot, 2 is where deer was found. Most of the blood was still sticking to the deers neck, I won’t post pics of that.
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wildfowler.250
Well-Known Member
I also wonder if folk who are regularly head and neck shooting are in the ballistic tipped camp. Certainly seems much more of an advantage over a soft point if you’re trying to wipe out the spine.
Again, I’m very much geared to bonded bullets for chest shots so possibly even less room for error?
Again, I’m very much geared to bonded bullets for chest shots so possibly even less room for error?
Utectok
Well-Known Member
I think you need to be pretty close to deer to neck or head shoot them and in that case I’ve not found bullet choice to be as significant.
Heym SR20
Well-Known Member
In my 20’s I did quite a bit of culling on an estate where head shots were required. We used ballistic tipped bullets in a 25-06. Point of aim was between the eyes, back of the head, or just below the ear.
A ballistic tip makes a big mess of the head - lots of eyeballs and brains hanging out.
It was open mountainside so follow up if required was relatively strait forward.
Now that I am older and wiser I much prefer not to take headshots, especially not when plenty of cover.
I neck shoot 95% of my deer and yes, I shoot a light, bt bullet, which does an excellent job at putting them on the ground. Occasionally I will head shoot but prefer neck. Personally never had a problem but I can see why it could go wrong.
StephenToast
Well-Known Member
The advantage of frangible bullets is in people's heads. You are aiming for the brain or the spinal cord. Hit anything else, with any bullet design and the deer won't die. Hit the right place even with FMJ the deer will die.
All frangible bullets do is make extra mess.
HonestJohn
Well-Known Member
Taken a few, deeply regretted a few too, so these days it’s only if ‘must’ and dead steady on sticks/other under 50 yds and deer is facing straight towards me or directly away, never from the side. When I say ‘must’ it’s to do with injury or visible illness/other, not ‘must not come back empty handed’ or ‘must get the numbers’.
Generally, my view is that a potential missed opportunity will mean the deer is in deep cover and you only see the head/top of neck - now to me, that’s not the time to pull off trick shots as you cannot see what happens ‘after’, etc. I have let many deer in deep cover go because of this, and had fun coming back another day to try and catch them out, that’s part of the cat and mouse game that makes it fair.
As a rule, I say, only do it if must, a last resort, that is…there is not going to be another day when you can come back and find them in a better shoot able position.
Generally, my view is that a potential missed opportunity will mean the deer is in deep cover and you only see the head/top of neck - now to me, that’s not the time to pull off trick shots as you cannot see what happens ‘after’, etc. I have let many deer in deep cover go because of this, and had fun coming back another day to try and catch them out, that’s part of the cat and mouse game that makes it fair.
As a rule, I say, only do it if must, a last resort, that is…there is not going to be another day when you can come back and find them in a better shoot able position.
As I said at the start - let’s assume we’ve had the ‘would you do it, and under what circumstances’ conversation.
Where do you aim?
Are you trolling?
I provide the Deer initiative recommended locations for shot placement (centreline of neck, coinciding with spinal column), Tim.243 provides photo evidence of this in reality to back it up and yet you keep pushing the issue.
HonestJohn
Well-Known Member
Sorry, just realised this is about neck, not head shots…however - For head shots - Facing me - draw a line between between the top of the eyes and bottom of ears. But I don’t like that either because bullets can skim and bounce off the skull. Looking directly away, base of the skull between the ears, due to steeper angle of skull here, less likelihood of bullets bouncing off and caping them.
For neck shots - as above best practice manual. Ideally also looking towards or away, under the chin, but not enough to accidentally ‘catch the chin’, or below the head/back of neck. Sideways on, not a good idea, but mid-way where spine runs (but spine position changes location based on neck height and if twisting the head..on sideways, high or low on the neck only, if low, go close enough to where the Hillar shot would fall
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Looking at that diagram, I would say that a neck shot poses a far greater risk than a full frontal head shot of having an animal run off wounded but fully mobile. The chances of missing the spine and taking out the oesophagus and trachea are pretty high.
Once you've listened to the rasping sound of an animal breathing through a ripped windpipe it's not something you'd want to repeat in a hurry.
The target area for the neck shot doesn't appear to be any larger than the target area for a head shot, although the surrounding bulk of the neck gives a false impression that there's plenty of mass to aim at.
I think I'll definitely stick to head shots in preference to neck shots, if faced with a choice between the two.
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