Deer neck shots

[Centerfire]

Does anyone here choose the neck as a shot placement on deer? I've alway thought the typical boiler room placement was best but was curious about what others think the pros and cons are with a neck shot.

Thanks.


-Centerfire

[butthead]

i take the shot thats offered

[bandit]

Neck shots cause minimal meat damage and are preferred by market hunters in Europe etc. They also generally drop a deer on the spot which can be useful in certain terrain. They are also preferable to a head shot as a poor neck shot has far milder consequences than a poor head shot. The downside is the target is much smaller than the boiler room and needs experience to determine where the vertebrae actually lie, especially tough in a rutting buck / bull / ram / stag.

For what it's worth I have never attempted a neck shot and would only take one at less than 75 yards with a very solid rest.

[Gateholio]

Low percentage shot but effective when done correctly. Catastrophic if screwed up.

Only neck shot I really feel good about is when he is head on, as even if the bullet misses the doubt it should penetrate into the chest. As long as you have enough horsepower that is.

[bc_buckshot]

Don't recommend neck should unless needed. I shot a buck last year in the neck after shooting it little far back the first shot and it was running and at 258 yards when it stopped and looked back i need it to stop and did. Kinda messed the neck meat up but he did drop fast
http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z404/bc_buckshot/image_zps6abb6078.jpg (http://s1188.photobucket.com/user/bc_buckshot/media/image_zps6abb6078.jpg.html)

[Murder]

I've done it once to good effect with a 7mm rem mag. Only 20 yards or so, and he only went 20 feet.

[Wick]

My buck last year was a neck shot at about 90 yards and insta-dropped. It was a beautiful thing.

I recommend against trying difficult shots like neck shots at ranges you are not pin-point comfortable with. For that matter, I recommend against shooting at running animals, unless they are already wounded. There will always be another deer to shoot at so why take a chance at shots you cannot be sure of.

[Steelpulse]

I'm an only lungs heart boiler room kinda guy, but have friends who take the neck over the chest.

[Big Lew]

I've killed many deer with neck shots, but only at close range (within 100 yds).
My father, grandfather (excellent free-standing shooters), and brothers all have
killed deer instantly with neck shots. No family member has used neck shots
at long range or have wounded deer, bear, or moose to my knowledge by neck
shots. I know of several people that have taken head shots and regretted it,
wounding their prey, and although most were killed with follow-up shots, a few
got away. Same goes for boiler room shots. I've helped look for deer that were
shot in the body and didn't drop soon after, some never were recovered.

[Dannybuoy]

I personally will take the neck shot on a deer but not on a moose , I figure that on the 50 or so bucks I have taken , approx. 40+ have been neck shots . Never had a deer take a step after the shot , bang flop , all shots with .243 or 25-06 scoped rifle and under 100 yds or so . In the Okanagan not a lot of long shots . The only deer I have had to put more than one bullet in were lung/heart shots which I personally don't like having to take as the deer will almost certainly bolt and need to be tracked. While I have never lost one ....I have had one or 2 go 40 -50 yds .
If you get "buck fever" or cant hit a 3 or 4 " circle at 100 yd off hand don't do the neck shots I'd say !

[Glenny]

Neck shot will drop it on the spot. Boiler room is pretty much guaranteed to get it down with in a short distance. Boiler room shot no meat is lost. There is however a lot of good meat on the neck. So depends what shot is offered.

[hunterdon]

Lung shot is best I feel. Let's not forget about meat quality. Neck shots kill quickly because of shock to spinal cord which triggers the brain to shut down immediately. The problem is the heart also stops immediately. This does not allow good blood drainage out of the meat tissues. As one other already pointed out, there is a lot of good meat in the neck and you will definitely loose some meat there with a neck shot.

But if it's a drop them on the spot shot you want, then neck shot will usually do that, whereas a lung shot won't. I have been doing all of my meat processing myself for decades, and I see first hand hand the results of a well blood drained animal. Nice pinkish meat and great tasting. Even big bucks such as big rutting mulies will even taste pretty good. No need to camouflage strong tasting meat in sausage making. That's my thoughts anyways.

[Centerfire]

Lots of good info from you guys. Thank you all. I will be sticking with boiler room shots unless I'm presented with absolutely nothing but a neck shot and I'm very close to the deer.

[untilthelastbeat]

I usually shoot for lungs as its usually easier and most of my deer are shot from over 100 yrds. But when I lived on the island I shot many blacktails in the neck and they do not move after. I agree that it's a 100 yrd or less deal but let's be real we should all be achieving around 1" groups at 100 so to the ones who says it's risky I tend to disagree or think your not that good of a shot.. All in all if you get a neck shot and nothing else, take it.

[bandit]

There was a great episode of Fieldsports Britain a while back where they tested varmint ammo while neck shooting small deer. It was absolutely lethal even on a not so great shot. It was a 243 55 grain from memory on a deer the size of a QCI black tail. Not this is not at all recommended for full size mules or whitetails.

[russm86]

I have only taken 3 neck shots, one was actually a bit of a fluke, but all 3 animals died instantly. Again, I don't recommend for longer shots though. 2 of them, one moose and 1 deer, it was the only shot offered as I was directly behind them so it was either neck or the texas heart, the deer was about 10 yards, took out the spine at the base of the skull. The second was a moose roughly 200 yards, but moose are larger and I was shooting from the ground off a bipod and it was laying down so no chance of it moving very much very quickly, it was laying with its ass towards me so as soon as it turned its head to the side and exposed the side of its neck I took the shot, perfect center of the spine just back from the base of the skull. The third one, was an injured bull my buddy's dad had shot in the leg and was on the run, I sat down and took a shot from the bipod, it was over 500 yards at this point so I was trying to lead it for the gallop it was at while also giving it some elevation compensation for bullet drop thinking I'd hit center of the front half of the body but ended up getting it right square in the spine in the neck rather than the body so actually worked out better than expected but wasn't exactly what I was trying for and wouldn't ever be something I'd try under normal circumstances, stopped it about 10 yards from the thick tree line though.

[Spy]

I personally will take the neck shot on a deer but not on a moose , I figure that on the 50 or so bucks I have taken , approx. 40+ have been neck shots . Never had a deer take a step after the shot , bang flop , all shots with .243 or 25-06 scoped rifle and under 100 yds or so . In the Okanagan not a lot of long shots . The only deer I have had to put more than one bullet in were lung/heart shots which I personally don't like having to take as the deer will almost certainly bolt and need to be tracked. While I have never lost one ....I have had one or 2 go 40 -50 yds .
If you get "buck fever" or cant hit a 3 or 4 " circle at 100 yd off hand don't do the neck shots I'd say !

X2 they drop on the spot ! I've shot a couple not only deer, inside of 50 yds through the neck! know your rifle and be able to confidently hit your target off hand at 50 yds!

[250 sav]

I've shot a couple dozen deer with neck shots, instant bang flop. I shot high neck.

[takla1]

My last 4 by 4 blacktail was shot in the neck as he was leaping out of his bed looking back at me.Dropped instantly as the bullet went thru his neck vertibre.He didn't even flinch after being shot{375 HH 220 gr}.Ive only lost one animal in my yrs hunting and using neck shots and that was a big 6x6 Elk up on the Prophet river 20 yrs ago.After I shot him we tracked him and he was going down on his front legs and pushing his neck into the dirt,then up and gone again,doing this at least 4 times.We tracked him for over an hr to find he x'ed the river and was gone.That was shot with a 300 weatherby mag.
Got a whole lot of respect for how tough bull elk were after that .I wouldn't shoot an elk in the neck again afterwards

[srupp]

Hmm not a fan of neck shots..never used one in 40 years..
How3ver did find a dead deer...with throat ripped by a shot..guess the hunter didnt collect the meat on that one...
Cheers
Steven

[Rhyno]

I have shot 3 deer and a moose with a neck shot, all bang flops. That said they were all within 30 yards. It isn't my go to, but will take the shot if it's close.

[HarryToolips]

i take the shot thats offered
exactly...I have done a neck shot as that was all I had to aim for, it worked...

[troutseeker]

I karate chop mine in the neck