Whitetail shot placement

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  • Drummy

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    Sep 30, 2015
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    I have been one that has always shot for vitals but have been considering trying neck shots lately after talking with a few fellow hunters who have had success with it. I started researching neck shot placement and have found numerous reports of deer dropping in their tracks, only to awaken a short time later and run off not to be seen again. I'm curious as to the number here that have sucess taking the neck shots vs vitals.
     

    CatCam

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    Feb 20, 2013
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    Where to Shoot

    High Shoulder
    Pros: The ultimate shock-and-awe shot. A big, fast-moving bullet will snap the spine, short-circuit the nervous system, break ribs, and anchor a deer with authority.
    Cons: The volatile, upsetting bullets best suited for this shot damage a lot of meat, from the shoulder through the neck and upper backstrap. Plus, it's easy to miss high when aiming here.

    Heart-Lung
    Pros: An ample target provides some forgiveness, meaning you don't have to be pinpoint accurate to kill a deer. This shot creates massive hemorrhaging, so the blood trail is typically easy to find and follow.
    Cons: If you clip only part of a single lung, the deer may recover. Plus, deer don't always go down immediately with this shot, meaning that you often have to follow a blood trail. Light bullets that careen off a rib or shoulder bone aren't always lethal.

    Brain
    Pros: A deer dies instantly when its brain takes a direct hit. Plus, there is very little meat lost to a head shot.
    Cons: The brain is a tiny target, and it's easy to miss the deer entirely or, worse, to wound it through the jaw.

    Neck
    Pros: A correctly placed bullet will kill with massive shock to the spinal cord and vertebrae while damaging very little meat.
    Cons: The vital area on a neck shot is quite small. Hit low, and you will wound a deer with very little chance of recovery. Plus, this shot often merely paralyzes a deer, requiring a second shot or throat slit to finish the job.
     

    Gus McCrae

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    Nice post Catcam.

    I generally go for the lungs. They might run 100 yards or they might lie down..... I actually enjoy the blood trailing.
     

    Slalom.45

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    Jan 10, 2013
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    Funny that we had the same discussion in camp 2 weeks ago. I'm a heart/lung guy and have not had a deer go more than 50 yards or so shooting here. Of course I am only in the high single digits on deer so it's a small sample. The guy I was talking to is a neck guy and says his have dropped in their tracks from neck shots, but his sample size is even smaller than mine. Think I'll err on the side of caution and continue to go for the easy target.

    (The neck is appealing to me though as I'm red-green color blind and am afraid of ever having to really track one if nobody else with full technicolor vision is present to help!)
     

    CatCam

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    Nice post Catcam.

    I generally go for the lungs. They might run 100 yards or they might lie down..... I actually enjoy the blood trailing.

    A lot of folks ask where to shoot a deer and I generally reply, "In the Woods!"

    For beginners this is a good 1st time shot:

    shotplacement.jpg


    When I started I had a pic of this with me that I laminated and kept as a reminder......
     

    topgunz1

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    Sep 13, 2006
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    Only neck shot I've seen in person was actually kinda crazy, the deer was quartering away pretty hard with its head down eating, he was on a hill so he was at the same elevation as my buddies stand. He snuck a 168gr TTSX from a 30-06 under the deer, between its front legs, and into the underside of it's neck. It dropped instantly and bled out EVERYTHING in short order, it was massive trauma with no meat lost.

    Not saying it's the most common shot, or the easiest, but it worked!
     

    JeeperCreeper

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    Dec 18, 2012
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    My buddy sent me a pic of a doe with half her neck torn out... She wasn't running anywhere. It was high, right below the head... massive shock to the spinal cord.
     
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    jmeng

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    Nov 25, 2008
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    Like Slalom, I'm color blind. Blood trailing a deer is next to impossible for me. In open woods I could usually make a few loops and find them but struggle in the thick stuff or after dark. Because of this I've adopted the mantra that I do my hunting before the shot, not after. On a broadside shot, I aim directly through the shoulder. Catches enough of the lungs that death is quick but more importantly, with both front legs out of commission, they rarely make it out of sight. Bang flops have been typical for me whether I'm shooting my 260, 270, or 444. I lose some meat but am happy to make that trade off to anchor the deer right there. If the deer is quartering to or away from me, I make sure to take out at least one shoulder while still hitting lungs.

    I've done the neck shot before but don't love it. Small target that is usually moving around. My dad once lost a small buck to a neck shot. Deer dropped at the shot. Dad unloaded the rifle and was packing up his stuff to climb down when the deer jumped up and ran off. Only a couple of drops of blood found. I've also killed one where I hit arteries but not the spine. Deer didn't go far but it could have been worse. The only time I choose a neck shot is when they are directly under me.
     

    Drummy

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    Sep 30, 2015
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    Most of my shots are less than 150 yds and I figure I'll stay with the heart/ lungs as its worked for me this long. My son sometimes hunts at my in laws and last year he blew the front half out of a young doe at 20 yards with his 308. I've loaded some 60gr partitions for his AR and suggested he take a neck shot to save meat as his longest shot would be about 25 yds there. I guess we will see how he fairs with it.

    What if you were shooting a pistol such as a 44 mag at 25 yds or less? I would think a 240gr hollow point may be a good round for a neck shot.
     

    tallwalker

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    Jul 24, 2012
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    Haha, I've never heard a Texas Hart Shot being through in testicles though. Poop chute yes.
     

    MTregre

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    Jan 11, 2013
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    Heart shots have always worked for me, as mentioned above, sample size is small for me too. But I've never had a deer run on me until last year when I left old faithful at the house and hunted with my M1a. It has serious grouping issues I've found.

    Regardless of where you choose to shoot, simple fact is, placement is key.
     

    bayoupirate

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    Jul 9, 2009
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    CatCam's reply is good.
    I've always let the situation dictate my shot.
    Factors include: Distance, angle of the animals presentation (shot angle), my experience and confidence in the gun, scope, load combination I'm using, my heart rate at the time, and might i intend to bring this to the taxidermist.
    26-30 cal Hornady SSTs right in the Heart / Lung area do a fantastic job and I haven't had to blood trail one in 5 years. All fell within sight of the shot.
    Make the shot that you know with certainty you and the gun are capable of making.
    Wounding animals or killing animals you might not recover isn't a good choice.
     
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