Hunting & Fishing Neck shot, how???

[stello1001]

Hello everyone,

So I've been hunting and doing lungs/heart shot throughout all my hunting life. I know some people that claim they do neck shots. For those of you that do, where exactly on the neck is the best shot placement?
Thank you,

Serg

 

[Deleted member 10043]

In the neck.

 

[stello1001]

In the neck.

I always figured neck shots were done on the hind legs!

 

[Deleted member 10043]

It is a high risk shot unless you are above the animal and can place the bullet in the neck just behind the skull. In any case, if you miss the spinal cord you risk dramatic loss of blood with increased adrenalin.

 

[stello1001]

It is a high risk shot unless you are above the animal and can place the bullet in the neck just behind the skull. In any case, if you miss the spinal cord you risk dramatic loss of blood with increased adrenalin.

That was a bit better and I apologize for my sarcasm. So by what you just mentioned, I'm assuming it's a great option for bowhunters who have a deer walk right below their tree stand???

Someone told me recently they do it right in front of the shoulders where the neck has the most girth but somehow don't think that's an effective placement. I really don't know tho!

 

[stello1001]

I hunt with 6.5 creed or .270 Winchester and the hunters who have told me about neck shots also hunt with rifle, not bow! Not sure that makes a difference.

 

[SamBlankenship]

Have take a few animals with a well placed neck shot many of times. I always hold center of the neck right below the scull base. And ive never had one ever take a step.. all were takin with 243 shooting 70gr Nosler Varmint BT's

 

[Va_Gentleman]

Every deer that my father or daughter has shot in the neck... from the base of the shoulders to the head have all dropped immediately and not moved. High on the neck, low on the neck.. if it directly enters and doesn't graze.. they will go down quickly.

 

[CuTm]

I’ve shot two in the neck. Both dropped immediately. Hold center of neck and shoot . With a rifle . Think of all the damage as that bullet hits. Look into the anatomical structure of a deer. One was running away from me up hill I aimed at back of head and shot . Hit about 4 inches below skull and 3 inches right of spine. Died immediately. The second deer was running directly at me under 100 yards. Shot center through neck into spine. Deer fell lifted head a little bit off ground then died . I believe problems are going to occur if you don’t hit close to spine or carotid. Carotid of corse would almost be luck. So in my opinion a neck shot should be fine if the deer is facing you or away from you. Other then that you would have to hit spine or rely on the power of the rifle .

 

[FatBoy]

I have neck shot a couple with 243Win. 4" below head on stationary deer inside 100y. (1 at 5 yards). Drop instantly.

No way I would take that shot with a bow, ever.

 

[Dirty8404]

Right where it hits the body, 1/3 of the way down. I’ve seen and killed more deer killed this way +headshots with a 222/223 than anything else.

If you miss by more than a few inches up or down, they will usually drop and get back up. Had to do a Texas heart shot at ~20y because I did that once.

I think it’s a great shot with a 130gr soft points in a 270 or similar that fragments a lot.

 

[Milo 2.5]

Other then that you would have to hit spine or rely on the power of the rifle .

I think the bullet construction or terminal performance of the bullet has more effect than power or speed. If you put a pencil hole in the neck of a deer with a 300 RUM, I doubt it would be any more devastating than doing the same with a 223.
A neck shot with the right bullet is quite a show stopper, otherwise connecting with bone a must.

 

[Dirty8404]

I think the bullet construction or terminal performance of the bullet has more effect than power or speed. If you put a pencil hole in the neck of a deer with a 300 RUM, I doubt it would be any more devastating than doing the same with a 223.
A neck shot with the right bullet is quite a show stopper, otherwise connecting with bone a must.

Exactly, that’s why cheap 55gr soft points in a .222 Rem do such a great job. I learned neck shooting from my dad, who learned it from his grandpap, who fed his family poaching deer during the Great Depression.

In my experience it’s mostly old timers who don’t get the jitters putting meat in the freezer who neck shoot.

 

[Jeffd]

Anywhere!

 

[TanktheFrank]

I've shot a few in the neck, either right beneath the head where it connects, or half way down. It is a risky shot, but because our deer here are small it helps preserve more meat in my opinion. Outside of 100 yards though, I stick to vitals. 300 win mag, 22 hornet, 223, 6.5 creed, 308, 22-250, and .243. Drt, have not lost any.

 

[Iamero]

I've taken several deer down with various calibers with neck shots as they are facing me. A few inches under their jaw, center mass. Drops them every time. I try to limit those shots to under 200 yards.

 

[Milo 2.5]

Neck shot caught my eye, I haven't been in this section in yrs. I have to say though, any other gun forum the ethics police would have been here flashing their plastic badges, what gives?

 

[isofahunter]

Bottom of white patch under the chin facing or head/neck intersection from behind or side. A perfect shot DRT, but throw in a live animal and a human it is not fool proof so know your limitations.

 

[Dirty8404]

Neck shot caught my eye, I haven't been in this section in yrs. I have to say though, any other gun forum the ethics police would have been here flashing their plastic badges, what gives?

I think it’s a form of political correctness that needs to die. Fuck those guys.

They read too many of those stupid hunting magazines that are just basically one giant advertisement, filled with articles targeted to be friendly to what they think will appeal to female hunters, using the idiotic word “Harvest” like we are picking fucking tomatos. I don’t “harvest” an animal. I kill it, butcher it, and eat it. Fuck the word games.

They have all forgotten that we are predators down to our DNA, and any death we give to an animal is far better than starvation or being eaten alive.

 

[Milo 2.5]

I think it’s a form of political correctness that needs to die. Fuck those guys.

They read too many of those stupid hunting magazines that are just basically one giant advertisement, filled with articles targeted to be friendly to what they think will appeal to female hunters, using the idiotic word “Harvest” like we are picking fucking tomatos. I don’t “harvest” an animal. I kill it, butcher it, and eat it. Fuck the word games.

They have all forgotten that we are predators down to our DNA, and any death we give to an animal is far better than starvation or being eaten alive.

LMAO, good analogy. Never have liked harvest myself.

 

[SamBlankenship]

I think it’s a form of political correctness that needs to die. Fuck those guys.

They read too many of those stupid hunting magazines that are just basically one giant advertisement, filled with articles targeted to be friendly to what they think will appeal to female hunters, using the idiotic word “Harvest” like we are picking fucking tomatos. I don’t “harvest” an animal. I kill it, butcher it, and eat it. Fuck the word games.

They have all forgotten that we are predators down to our DNA, and any death we give to an animal is far better than starvation or being eaten alive.

Well said.!!!!

 

[coldboremiracle]

you risk dramatic loss of blood with increased adrenalin.

Dramatic blood loss is always my goal, they taste better that way too.

 

[ken4570tc in WY]

Careful! I took a nice mule deer by neck shot with a Winchester 150 grain Silver Tip at about 150 yards. Surgically removed two vertebrae, it fell over like a wooden target. Tried same shot several years later. Bullet didn't expand, found a spot of blood with a small bone sliver and tried tracking blood and tracks in wet drizzle for two hours, lost the buck. I've reached an age where I refuse to take a chance on loosing an animal. I insist on chest shots with Barnes TSX bullets for medium/large game for all calibers with the exception of .458 and larger. Frying pans and locomotives don't have to expand much or go fast to put things down. I haven't had to track a wounded animal in thirty five years. I intend to keep it that way.

 

[stello1001]

So far it seems from the mixed responses that a neck shot could be either very vital or if the bullet pencils through, it could be a very unreliable shot placement option.

Thanks all for sharing your past experiences on this.

 

[SamBlankenship]

So far it seems from the mixed responses that a neck shot could be either very vital or if the bullet pencils through, it could be a very unreliable shot placement option.

Thanks all for sharing your past experiences on this.

Bullet choice has alot to do with it also not just the placement.

 

[stello1001]

Correct, so if the bullet pencils through then I'm probably better off with a high shoulder so it's central nervous system can shut down, thus leaving the animal to expire quickly...

 

[264win]

Neck/ spine shots if placed perfectly are very lethal with an adequate firearm.
For this shot the target is 2-3" tall and usually not easy to identity clearly.
No doubt some hunters can pull this off but I have seen and heard of a lot of game geting wounded from attempting this shot.
A double lung / heart shot really doesn't ruin much meat. Why go for a smaller target even if you can ( probably ) hit it ?

 

[coldboremiracle]

All of these points are fair, bullets, placement, accuracy etc. But above all is being able to accurately place the shot, all else falls behind that:

 

[goinghunting]

All of these points are fair, bullets, placement, accuracy etc. But above all is being able to accurately place the shot, all else falls behind that:

Didn't see the nice bull? JK, nice shooting, love all the stuff you're doing CBM.

 

[CStroud]

I've shot several mature whitetails in the neck with both 6.5 creed and saum, and none have ever taken a single step. But, all were within 100 yards (decent shot placement, but not perfect), and all were shot with 143 eldx bullets. I'm not naive enough to think that they will drop 100% of the time, but if that is the only shot present, it can be very effective way to kill an animal.

 

[daylate]

Base of neck for me if I have too usually dead before hits ground ....I prefer lung shot though as we usually get up to 5# of Berger from neck....

 

[TexGlocker]

I prefer the base of the white throat patch while the animal is looking your direction. If not looking at you a couple inches below where the head meets the neck. No tracking is necessary and no meat loss.

 

[FatBoy]

Base of neck for me if I have too usually dead before hits ground ....I prefer lung shot though as we usually get up to 5# of Berger from neck....

a couple years ago I started doing a half neck roast in the slow cooler like pot roast. So damn good. Meat has long stands so cutting it into cubes against the grain helps if you have family that doesn't like 5" long strings of meat. Personally, if I can fit it on a biscuit, I don't care what it looks like. I know a lot of guys who toss the neck, but I like the meat and if I do neck shoot it's well above the roast.

 

[coldboremiracle]

a couple years ago I started doing a half neck roast in the slow cooler like pot roast. So damn good. Meat has long stands so cutting it into cubes against the grain helps if you have family that doesn't like 5" long strings of meat. Personally, if I can fit it on a biscuit, I don't care what it looks like. I know a lot of guys who toss the neck, but I like the meat and if I do neck shoot it's well above the roast.

Same, I do it in a crock pot with BBQ sauce and onions.

 

[TanktheFrank]

a couple years ago I started doing a half neck roast in the slow cooler like pot roast. So damn good. Meat has long stands so cutting it into cubes against the grain helps if you have family that doesn't like 5" long strings of meat. Personally, if I can fit it on a biscuit, I don't care what it looks like. I know a lot of guys who toss the neck, but I like the meat and if I do neck shoot it's well above the roast.

Brother, that does sound good. Bad part for me is that I haven't been able to get more than table scrap sized neck meat off the deer I take in Texas. Maybe I'll get to try it after an put of state hunt. I can only imagine the pounds of meat that would come off of an elk or mulie.

 

[stello1001]

Brother, that does sound good. Bad part for me is that I haven't been able to get more than table scrap sized neck meat off the deer I take in Texas. Maybe I'll get to try it after an put of state hunt. I can only imagine the pounds of meat that would come off of an elk or mulie.

This is a south Texas deer. They're out there, you just gotta find them and have patienc. I didn't like his rack tho so my father and I passed on this guy a total of 3 times in hopes that he would be bigger and better the year after.

 

[FatBoy]

Took a buck 2 years ago that dressed 135# and took about 10# of meat off the neck. Looked to be about 2.5 years old. Does, they don't have much of a neck unless they are some old nannies. Never took any outside TN. Once you get away from the central KY border they aren't big either and don't have near the rack TX deer do.

 

[TanktheFrank]

I'll have to try some neck meat this year, rifle season is soooo close!

 

[diverdon]

My dad uses to shoot button bucks in the neck so as to not spoil any meat, right at the base of the skull. Antlered bucks got the heart and lung shot.

 

[FatBoy]

TN Muzzleloader is my favorite. (first 3 weeks of Nov) Bucks are still chasing. It's not dipping into the teens yet. The leaves still smell when the first bit of sun melts off the frost and you can hear everything cracking and coming alive. The birds and the loudest grey squirrels in the world. Most deer haven't been shot at so they haven't gone to night movements. By afternoon you can hunt a ladder or climber with nothing but a long sleeve shirt. My favorite time of year. I can hardly wait...

 

[DarinC]

Took a buck 2 years ago that dressed 135# and took about 10# of meat off the neck. Looked to be about 2.5 years old. Does, they don't have much of a neck unless they are some old nannies. Never took any outside TN. Once you get away from the central KY border they aren't big either and don't have near the rack TX deer do.

Man, if you need to fill the freezer, come to Nebraska or Iowa, I’ve shot does the last couple years pushing 175 dressed, and decent bucks will be around 225 dressed. Doesn’t take a lot to fill a freezer at that rate.

 

[DarinC]

Back to the neck question, I’ve shot them from the middle of the neck, all the way up to just behind the skull neck juncture. All dropped right there and didn’t lose anything. I asked a vet friend about them, as some wont even hit bone or major blood vessels, yet they’re DRT. He said the hydrostatic shock from the rapid expansion can cause a huge brain hemorrhage, and they’re done. That’s with a 270 and a 140g Hornady SST at 300, so it’s not like I was standing on top of him either

 

[lou400a]

Couple of does from this weekend in NE North Carolina hunt. Top one 105# and bottom 95# both shot at 55 and 45 yard respectively with 150gr ELDX 17” 7mm-08. Bang, flop.
Also shot a small buck @ 110 yards with 120gr 260 with same shot placement and results, sorry no pix on that one

 

[houtdoor]

Hello everyone,

So I've been hunting and doing lungs/heart shot throughout all my hunting life. I know some people that claim they do neck shots. For those of you that do, where exactly on the neck is the best shot placement?
Thank you,

Serg

I exclusively take head or neck shots when hunting deer with rifle. Al deer have been DRT. I have used .223 to .308 for the same shot and I have the same result which is the deer is right where I shot him. I normally aim center mass with equal distance between the body and the head. My feeders are set at 100 yards although many times have taken the deer on their way to the feeder at 50 to 75 yards. As you can see by the anatomy of a deer, the spine runs center mass of the neck.

 

[houtdoor]

I think it’s a form of political correctness that needs to die. Fuck those guys.

They read too many of those stupid hunting magazines that are just basically one giant advertisement, filled with articles targeted to be friendly to what they think will appeal to female hunters, using the idiotic word “Harvest” like we are picking fucking tomatos. I don’t “harvest” an animal. I kill it, butcher it, and eat it. Fuck the word games.

They have all forgotten that we are predators down to our DNA, and any death we give to an animal is far better than starvation or being eaten alive.

I agree. I have not bought a "hunting" magazine in a long time because they try and sell something for the purpose of the sell instead of it being right for the hunt or the hunter. I think the same thing goes for any of the commercial hunting TV shows. They are selling something and the hunts are staged

 

[Fig]

Well, you're a bunch of idiots. If I didn't read every hunting mag cover to cover every month I may have missed the Quigley Ford, and thus lived my life as a shell of a man.

 

[SamBlankenship]

355yds 243 with 70gr nosler BT's neck shot.

 

[Deleted member 10043]

That motherfucker was in the back of your pickup eating out of that bucket?

 

[SamBlankenship]

That motherfucker was in the back of your pickup eating out of that bucket?

And i walked back 355 yards and gave him a dirt nap lmao. Didnt even have to load him haha

 

[Headquarterz]

Shoot em in the face and preserve that neck meat.