Head shots? ya good call...

[Kirby]

Well I hate head shots, think they are a terrible shot, and not to be taken. But lots of guys do it, and some are succesful, but here is why not to.
This is a little buck that a friend of mine found starving to death outside her horse pen at 6:00am one morning. Bet she has a REAL high opinion of hunters now.
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d72/Cr_mclean/Dumbasshunters.jpg

Thats its jaw hanging down.

Kirby

[Nosferatu]

Who says that was a head shot? Might have just been a bad shot period, there could be other explanations for that wound also.

[bigwhiteys]

there could be other explanations for that wound also.

It's looks like gunshot inflicted... irregardless head shot or not this is why we sight our guns and practice. Not only that but wait for the right shot.

If we "knew" the full story here I would bet it relates to one of the above either Not sighted in, Not enough practice, or taking a risky shot.

Happy Hunting!
Carl

[moosecaller]

It is hard to tell from this picture but look at the ears they look a bit chewed up. A pack of dogs? A fight with another deer? Hit by a car? Coyotes? Caught in a barbed wire fence? Snare? Who knows? Too bad though did someone dispatch it to end the suffering? I hope so.

[Kirby]

That was the side that wasn't mangled up. I can't think of anything that knocks the jaw out, shatters the bone, and rips it apart like that other than a bullet.

The CO came out and shot it.

Kirby

[moosecaller]

Did the CO determine that it was a gunshot wound? If so then I could understand her opinion of hunters this would leave.

[Kirby]

She was told by him, and the landowner(ex-hunter) that it was shot.

[000buck]

self inflicted i bet. them deer are always tryin to drop us hunters in the poop. Agreed though not a good shot to take unless you are 100% and who's ever 100%

[todbartell]

thats not a pretty sight :sad:

[chola]

Geeze:frown: ...very sad indeed,whatever the case may be.
I have passed up quite a few animals due to not having a "good shot"...doesn't bother me to let anything walk away,atleast I know they are still there and are healthy for a bit longer...
Hell, in this day and age,it's not like we are gonna starve if we don't get anything hunting:roll: ...there is absolutely need for a risky,questionable, or stupid shot at anything, be it living or not...just my 2 bits

[Marc]

Yup that defanitely looks nasty. I hate to see an animal suffer for no reason especially when it's man that caused it. I'll defanitely think long and hard before I ever concider taking another head shot.

[Nosferatu]

To me it looks more like it was hit by a car, but I guess we will never know the truth.

[Gus]

I'd guess there would be more damage to the rest of the head if it was anything but a bullet. Just a miss, plain and simple. Just to bad they couldn't have got a follow up shot. These things happen, but I totally agree with the rest of you guys about headshots. Shouldn't be taking them unless absolutly have too.

[chola]

I'd guess there would be more damage to the rest of the head if it was anything but a bullet. Just a miss, plain and simple. Just to bad they couldn't have got a follow up shot. These things happen, but I totally agree with the rest of you guys about headshots. Shouldn't be taking them unless absolutly have too.
Gus ,I ain't trying to flame ya or anything like that,but there are just NO "absolutey have to shots" in hunting...my apologies,am not trying to start a war or stir anything up...if I am out of line,I apologize

[Gus]

Gus ,I ain't trying to flame ya or anything like that,but there are just NO "absolutey have to shots" in hunting...my apologies,am not trying to start a war or stir anything up...if I am out of line,I apologize

Not out of line at all. I was thinking along the lines like.....say your partner makes a bad shot, puanches the animal or something like that, rather then risk losing the animal I would take a follow up shot. If all I had to shoot at was the head, I would take it (providing its in my comfortable range). I dont agree with headshots, I just didnt want to rule them out completely.

[BCLongshot]

Well all I know is we can pass up on these stupid things that some guys do. Some of the things that are done and spoken of are downright ridiculous. It's not like you HAVE to put meat on the table to survive. Take your time and place your shot properly. Practice lots.

[chevy]

I don't agree with headshots at all i think taking head shots is just another way of bragging saying you shot it in the head thinkin your a good shot when really who cares go for the vitals and if you don't have a shot at the vitals don't shoot plain and simple, there are plenty of deer out there

[mainland hunter]

thanks for posting Kirby, maybe youve silently changed a few minds on taking headshots

[blindbob]

What's the difference ,a botched head shot or a botched shot to the chest,the animal is going to suffer reguardless.I know of hunters that have mangled legs on chest shots and the deer got away.I doesn't matter where you shoot to kill your game as long as you kill it cleanly.

[oldtimer]

As said earlier, there is no evidence to confirm this was somebody taking a head shot. It could very well be some idiot taking a 400 yard short and missing or somebody that is just a bad shot. Assuming it is a bad " head shot " is the same as saying any bad shot to the body is a bad heart shot when for all we know the person was trying for a head shot. Call it like it is folks " a missed shot" Mike

[todbartell]

What's the difference ,a botched head shot or a botched shot to the chest,the animal is going to suffer reguardless.I know of hunters that have mangled legs on chest shots and the deer got away.I doesn't matter where you shoot to kill your game as long as you kill it cleanly.


the difference is it is ALOT easier for a shot to the head to get "botched" than it is to a lung/heart shot. plain and simple

[chevy]

well put firebird, i honestly will never take a head shot myself.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

the difference is it is ALOT easier for a shot to the head to get "botched" than it is to a lung/heart shot. plain and simple
Firebird-You're quoting a typo in your signature???


SSS

[mainland hunter]

true enough but headshots are really small targets to begin with and a bad head shot leads to pictures like the one posted which makes us all sick somewhat. people think too often that a head shot is an automatic kill but ive heard of too many instances of blown off jaws and ears. heart lung area is a bigger target and the animals end up dead whenever i hit them there

[todbartell]

srue am/wsa

:lol:

[mainland hunter]

i missed firebirds post before me, didnt mean to repeat

[todbartell]

how do you think I have almost 2000 posts if I dont repeat? :lol: treepeat... :mrgreen:

[Gateholio]

What's the difference ,a botched head shot or a botched shot to the chest,the animal is going to suffer reguardless.I know of hunters that have mangled legs on chest shots and the deer got away.I doesn't matter where you shoot to kill your game as long as you kill it cleanly.

The only difference being that the chest shot has MUCH greater room for error

[livingston]

I think a big thing is not shooting past your limits.There are alot of people shooting animals at some far distances.
This spring bear season was a good example of this, alot of stories of bears shot in the chest and not recovered.I've witnessed a bear that had a front leg pretty much hanging by skin whether shot off or some other accident it was gruesome and not nice to see an animal suffer.
I have also seen a head shot on a deer that wasn't good, my dad finished the deer on a follow-up shot but the deer would have lived if not for the follow-up and it would have been a slow death.
I have taken deer with neck shots and if distances are right, I have a rest and I feel comfortable I would take the shot.

[Murder]

Looks like the spiker I shot a few seasons ago. It was looking at me straight on at 10-15 yards. 7mm rem mag 154 grain hornady sp interlock. Picked him up and over. Dead as can be. Pic in Gallery. I would not usually consider a shot like this, but I knew I could make it. And with a little buck, I didn't want to ruin any meat.

[chevy]

Dude it looks like you had almost missed that shot and blew off it's jaw,if it was looking straight at you shoot it in the chest good chance you wouldn't ruin any meat or maybe a tiny little bit but atleast he didn't get away good on ya man

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/spike.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=3479&size=big&cat=recent&limit=recent)

[N-W-Redneck]

I have taken head shots, and think that if they are within reasonable range and the shooters abilities, then I have no problem. As far as what is 'reasonable range' I think of it in MOA terms. A head at 10 yards is the same as the chest at 200(not accurate numbers, just to illustrate the point) I don't see a huge outcry about 200yd chest shots. In alot of areas that I hunt, because of the smallish blacktails and thick brush, all you ever see is the head. I do not take a head shot to be 'macho' or proove my shooting skills to anyone and will take a chest shot over the head even at close range if it is presented. While not the preferred target, I won't look down at anyone who takes one if the conditions are right.

[JohnS]

Well I sat here and read 4 pages of Head Shots and wounded deer .... We should all really stop and think ???? What will we think when they Impose a 4pt or better for whitetail .... when the CO's and Anti's see pictures like that of wounded deer from Head shots or what have you it could happen guys ..... Would you shoot a nice 4pt in the Head? I know I wouldn't

.... I watched a friend of mine shoot at a beauty 4pt one yr and he thought he was cool and do a head shot LOL! about a 200yrd shot with a 7mm mag... well he hit the deer alright shot the antler right off and the deer hit the ground, hahahaha! we got to the deer and it jumped up and ran off,we couldn't believe it! he shot the antler clean off about 3.5" from the base No brow tine...we all laughed so hard... The deer lived another day...one of my buddies ended up seeing the deer near town after hunting season LOL! just my 2 cent... shoot how ever ya want Just make it a well placed shot....cheers!

[browningboy]

Something like livingston said, don't shoot past your boundries, all hunters are different and have a variety of skill of markmanship, usally its best to take the boiler room, its tried, tested and true, but the head shot, if you travel 20 hrs and hunt x amount of days, why risk it but I'm not hear to preach, just give an opinion as I've taken some game with the head shot but I prefer the "boiler" room.8)

[mrdoog]

Head shot?
Not as a first shot for me.
Taken a few after they have laid down.
I can't stand the wait for them to bleed out, so ya, I've poked a few in the head to speed up the process.
Speaking of which, I hope the boy in the picture was dispatched promptly after his discovery.

[7mmag]

I think the real isue here is a hunters shooting abilaty. If every hunter thought it was his ethical duty to get out and practise shooting 4-5 times a year we would see alot less of this kind of thing. I'm not one to take head shots I get out shooting enough to know how low percntige a head shot is.

[Doe See Doe]

Agreed though not a good shot to take unless you are 100% and who's ever 100%

I am.
By law, every single time my finger is on the trigger, I have to be 100% sure of what, and where, I am shooting.

[LeverActionJunkie]

thanks for posting Kirby, reafirms my position on head shots, no point for em. everything I've shot has been heart lung, at least when I did my part properly. Hit a buck at 35yrds with a 400gr Speer Fp from my Guide gun, right behind the shoulders zero meat damage. tried to run made it 15yrds ish and piled up.

[Murder]

Dude it looks like you had almost missed that shot and blew off it's jaw,if it was looking straight at you shoot it in the chest good chance you wouldn't ruin any meat or maybe a tiny little bit but atleast he didn't get away good on ya man

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/spike.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=3479&size=big&cat=recent&limit=recent)


I didn't lose any meat at all. The shot destoyed the lower jaw, and broke the neck right below the base of the skull. I was pretty happy with it actually.

[Mattimoose]

Head-shots are wrong. Anything can happen between you and the bullet, I don't care how much you practice. Minimize variables. The only thing you shoot like that is cattle in the stocks, and I have even seen that go bad.

[Timbow]

I take head shots on grouse with my .22.

On big game what about gut shots? What about legs shots? Doesn't necessarily mean that we intend to make bad shots but we do, it comes with the game. It's easy for everyone to say "I always know what I'm shooting at:, "I always wait for the right time", etc.. until a shot goes bad for some unknown reason. If you can honestly say it will never happen to me, you're a better man than.

PS....I don't make head shots on big game.

[ALPINE]

I have taken head shots, and think that if they are within reasonable range and the shooters abilities, then I have no problem. As far as what is 'reasonable range' I think of it in MOA terms. A head at 10 yards is the same as the chest at 200(not accurate numbers, just to illustrate the point) I don't see a huge outcry about 200yd chest shots. In alot of areas that I hunt, because of the smallish blacktails and thick brush, all you ever see is the head. I do not take a head shot to be 'macho' or proove my shooting skills to anyone and will take a chest shot over the head even at close range if it is presented. While not the preferred target, I won't look down at anyone who takes one if the conditions are right.

Well I have to agree with this:) I'm not going to run down head shots. In some situations they get the job done. Know your target, rifle and your abilites before you shoot.

[Onesock]

All Kirby is trying to say is head shots are risky and not the best shot. Why all the static???

[Timbow]

All Kirby is trying to say is head shots are risky and not the best shot. Why all the static???

Totally understand. Just seems there is too much preaching on some of the other replies of what we should do.

[30-378-magnum]

dont shoot if its too small either:roll:

[Caveman]

IMHO, a head shot should only be taken as a kill shot(after you have one in the boiler room and you are just finishing it off), not as a first. A bad shot to the head will only make the animal suffer, possibly for days or weeks as in Kirby's picture. At least a bad shot to the boiler room will more than likely kill the animal and will likely happen within 24 hrs, which is also a shame but if you have done your ethical duty as a good hunter you will have followed the wounded game to make sure of the kill. At this point that bad shot to the boiler room will only mean more of a mess to cleanup, as in gut shot or a blown out shoulder. If you have only a choice of a head shot or neck shot, even the neck shot is a better choice, because you will likely break the neck, take out the windpipe, or the juggler vein. All three will kill the animal or at least give you a second chance. Knock the jaw off and you more than likely won't get a second shot and the game is lost to suffer. If the shot in the picture wasn't a head shot but just a bad shot, I hope for Chr*st's sake the guy didn't take another without spending some serious time at the range.