Neck shot ethics

[goalie]

Hunting in the woods, we shoot deer at under 50 yards usually. My last two, my son's first this year, and my hunting buddy's deer this year were all neck shots. All bang-flop. Two with 45/70, one 30-30 and my son's was 6.5 Grendel.

My son had no other shot, and had a steady rest and time to get set. His was 48 yards, and his rifle was zero'd at 50, so why not? The rest were 20ish or less.

 

[5MilesBack]

I've shot a lot of cows in the neck on meat hunts, just to limit meat damage. I hate blood-shot all around the shoulders. All the ones I've taken worked well.

 

[RWS]

This is interesting to consider the neck shot. The high shoulder does some of the same damange but also vital zone.

 

[GetWestern]

Under 100 yards for me I’ll take the neck shot to avoid meat damage. Every animal I’ve seen take a neck shot dies instantly, this is a small sample size though and only used it and seen it on deer.

 

[Megalodon]

I know a lot of people who get MLD tags in Texas and need to shoot lots of WT doe, and they try to get it done as quick as possible. Most all of them are using small calibers and neck shots to get their 30+ doe shot and recovered in as little time as they can.

 

[EastHumboldt]

The idea is to hit the spinal column. It’s a pretty small target compared to the lungs. For me it’s an ethical shot around 100 yards with a rock solid rest because I’m dead certain I can hit that small target. Poor rest or over 150 yards it not ethical for me to take that shot. I am and always have been brutally honest with myself about my shooting ability.

If you can consistently make 3” groups at 300 yards from “field” shooting positions, then a neck shot inside 300 is ethical. If you think ringing a 8” gong 7 out of ten at 300 is good shooting, you maybe should stay away from the neck shot.

 

[WhatToHunt]

My first gun buck at age 12 had been shot in the neck by another hunter the same day. That buck made it a long ways to me (and he looked pretty healthy) before I shot him. That neck shot from the other hunter was all the information I needed to never attempt it myself - too much margin for error I've figured. But some say it's effective, it's just not for me.

 

[WhatToHunt]

Oh, and just for fun. Not sure I saw it earlier.

 

[KenLee]

Im very similar to the OP, archery guy who has a 44 mag lever gun. I attempted a neck shot with a quartered to me deer feeding maybe 40 yards i was on the ground. I went in the neck and blew out the offside shoulder. It ran 40 yards with the single front leg. I almost shot again, in hindsight I wish I did. It ran downhill and I thought crashed. I went over after 30 min and it was heading uphill away from me. Never recovered it.


Ive since killed 1 deer with it and it was a 90 yard poke, dropped in its tracks. I've come to treat it like a loud bow.

Bullet too hard

 

[KenLee]

I'll take a neck shot every chance I get. Furthest is 262 yards on a bedded buck that had a little 18" window under a pine tree.

Bang flop every single time when using frangible bullets. Had a 4 deer neck shot streak going a few years back and it was just nuts how fast they die compare to being lung shot.

Splatter bullets for the win!
230 yards. Put both fists in the exit.

 

[Mish-pop]

I seen the results of both sides this past weekend and they were due to bad shooting or equipment failures. Saturday morning a guy was hunting on public next to private my family hunts. We stopped and chatted and he said he hit a nice WT buck in the neck (confirmed with his buddy videotaping). He said the buck hardly flinched and kept right on chasing a doe. My dad heard the shot and soon after from that direction came this WT buck chasing a doe and my dad said it didn't appear to be wounded at all. Never seen the deer again on the private or public. Very little blood. The guy went and checked zero and his scope had lost zero and had to resight it in.

Next day my dad shoots a MD buck at 220 yards with solid rest. He shoots and the deer dropped in its tracks and dead immediately. Get up to the deer and see it's been shot it the neck. Skinned it and he shattered the vertebrae and severed spinal cord. However, he took his gun to check zero also and he smoked a prairie dog at 240 with no issue. They both aimed for vital but one had equipment issue and my dad must've flinched or pulled shot.

The neck shot did wonders for my dad and the other guy never saw his buck again. I agree it can be lethal but there is definitely plenty of room for error with neck. Probably a best bet only with close shots and steady rest.

 

[Yoder]

I've shot four whitetails in the neck. Three with a rifle. One dropped instantly. One dropped then jumped up and ran 50 yards, then died. The last one dropped, then stood up stunned and I shot it again. The last one I flinched bad on a 40 yard shot with my crossbow. I was aiming at the chest and hit it in the neck. It dropped like a rock and bled out before I walked up to it. What a terrible shot with an amazing result.
If I have a solid rest and it's a close shot with a rifle, I might try it again. Otherwise I'm aiming behind the shoulder.

 

[RS3579]

I’ve shot many many whitetails in the neck. Buck and doe. You have to be confident in your equipment and all the shots you take. They all have dropped immediately. There is not a lot of meat loss. Take the ethical shot that presents itself and that you are comfortable with. Practice, practice, practice. Good luck!

 

[Will_m]

Neck has a lot of good meat to mess up but it’s definitely a killer shot.

 

[Dust Rider]

I have taken a few neck shots on bedded bucks. Always kills them quick. My daughter killed her first WT buck with a neck shot.

 

[Kroach]

The feedback has been amazing and I really appreciate it. I did harvest a doe today but shot the vitals. Still not sure if I would take the neck shot. But seeing as it seems like a viable option as long as everything feels right and I'm confident in the shot placement I will seriously consider it. The destruction bullets do to animals is pretty crazy.

 

[chemist]

I grew up in MO on land when there were unlimited anterless tags OTC. I shot two whitetail with a bow in the neck that were feeding straight to me at 15 yards. I have lost track of head/neck shots with a rifle. When a doe would come in with two yearlings, I would take the doe with a neck shot and the yearlings will just stand there waiting to be harvested. The shooter needs to stay with in their limits and understand the anatomy. I mostly shot them just below the swivel point of the head on the neck. I never lost a deer that I was shooting at the neck. I also never missed one where I was shooting at the neck because I only took that shot when I had absolute confidence.

 

[Laramie]

The real issue I have with these discussions and testimonials is 99% of people who have had issues won't post and arrogance leads the conversation. The neck shot is extremely lethal but it requires extreme accuracy and real anatomy knowledge that most rookies who read these threads don't possess. Miss by 2" on a neck shot and you likely wounded an animal that will die a week or 3 later.... miss a lung shot by 4" and most will never know because your deer is dead inside of 100 yards.

 

[goalie]

Neck has a lot of good meat to mess up but it’s definitely a killer shot.

You lose a lot less meat than hitting shoulder though.

The real issue I have with these discussions and testimonials is 99% of people who have had issues won't post and arrogance leads the conversation. The neck shot is extremely lethal but it requires extreme accuracy and real anatomy knowledge that most rookies who read these threads don't possess. Miss by 2" on a neck shot and you likely wounded an animal that will die a week or 3 later.... miss a lung shot by 4" and most will never know because your deer is dead inside of 100 yards.

Distance matters.

I have zero issues with taking a neck shot. I also shoot deer at under 50 yards. Me popping a buck in the neck with my 45/70 last week at 25 yards in the woods isn't even comparable to taking a 300+ yard neck shot in some swirling wind.

Anyhow, kill it and grill it in an ethical manner that matches your skill and situation.

 

[S-3 ranch]

I love the neck shot, especially with splashy bullets and usually at 100 yards or less , we hunt heavy brush and cactus and a death run could be a lost deer without a good track dog
Plus it’s super clean when gutting/ no bloody mess
I shot this buck in the neck @ 110 yards DRT this year opener
Imo if you can’t shoot accurately then do a chest shot or stay home