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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,485
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,485 |
I shot my first bull in the neck at 60 yards because another was behind his chest, a split second correct decision. A follow up made sure it was over quickly. Finished another a 300 yards on the move with 2 already in the back of his lungs. I’ve killed many deer with neck shots it’s my favorite shot from behind or facing. It’s not for everyone & broadside I’m always going for lungs but it’s worked for me. In several situations- love DRT.
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Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 5,482
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 5,482 |
I’m 60. I been hunting deer and hogs since I was in my early 20’s. I never been a neck shooter. I got nothing against neck shooting I just always shoot for the boiler room. In some conditions I will take a shoulder shot if I am worried about recovery.
Life can be rough on us dreamers.
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 47,175 Likes: 1
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 47,175 Likes: 1 |
God bless Texas----------------------- Old 300 I will remain what i am until the day I die- A HUNTER......Sitting Bull Its not how you pick the booger.. but where you put it !! Roger V Hunter
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Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 8,305
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 8,305 |
I’m 60. I been hunting deer and hogs since I was in my early 20’s. I never been a neck shooter. I got nothing against neck shooting I just always shoot for the boiler room. In some conditions I will take a shoulder shot if I am worried about recovery. AGREED
LIFE NRA , we vote Red up here, Norseman
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Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 3,788
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 3,788 |
That will do it Roger! Hard on the racks though
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 20,253 Likes: 15
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 20,253 Likes: 15 |
insurance shot is so small of an expenditure i always pay the premium. ??? If you normally neck or head shoot them how do you put an insurance shot into them? Don’t they drop instantly (assuming you hit when you aimed)? Do you mean that when you walk up to them, you always put a second round into them from a few feet away?
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 32,135 Likes: 3
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 32,135 Likes: 3 |
I've taken just over 20 moose. About half have been head or neck shots, if I can get them per above listed criteria. Moose are big, the neck bone is fairly big (6-8") and I limit myself to about 100 yards, and these were usually "do it now!!" shots, standing, offhand. For reason....thick cover after I lost one that over the course of the day I had walked within 5 yards several times. The next weekend I followed my nose to what was left of him, about 3 inches of maggots, hair and some bone. As I forced my way through the spruce branches, I literally stepped on his remains. He was invisible from 1 step out. I really don't intend to feed bears, maggots, and wolves anything but guts. He had made it into a 10' circle of 10' tall spruce ,with over-lapping branches, obviously an old squirrel midden, so surrounded by 5-7 ' high deadfall that it diverted me from entering into the circle of death. If I knew then, what I know now, about shot moose, I'd have climbed over and through that tangle and found him on the first, 2nd or 3rd pass across that hillside, and not wasted a whole day not finding him. Makes a guy sick, losing an animal like that.. The shot was bout 160 yards, standing, off-hand with the arm sling wrap. I was yards from any rest or better position. The shot looked good, but after a day of searching until dark , we concluded I had flat missed, with zero evidence of a hit. Th bull had traveled about 90 yards down a trail, where we lost the track when he did a 90 in tall grass to go the 40 yards or so to reach that spruce circle on a burned over hillside heavy with deadfall and second growth. I shot the next one ( and as many after that that I could manage)at 40 yards just under the antler base. No looking for that one, cuz he went straight down, legs under him, between two 3' high hummocks about 4 ' apart. Hunting solo, he got dressed out from above..... On one 42" bull, the only shot I had was at his back half, the front half being hidden by a spruce when he stopped about 100 yards away. He was about to continue his boogie. I put the 250 gr. .338WM slug into his spine just forward of the pelvis. I lost a couple meals of backstrap, but secured 500 lbs of other meat. I was exactly one step away from him before I could see to finish him, as he was down in waist high grass. behind a couple waist-high deadfall logs. But Dammit Jim, I knew where he was! I like neck shots in such conditions. Everything else - species, distance, etc. - gets double lunged by choice.
The only true cost of having a dog is its death.
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Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 667
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 667 |
most of my does get shot in the neck. Have also killed a couple bucks that way too when that's what they gave me or I needed to anchor them right there.
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Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,485
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,485 |
The risk of a neck or head shot is that even with a superficial wound they typically hit the dirt like you brained them with a sledgehammer. Nobody wants to go into a canyon with a “dead” deer laying on the other side & find one running away when you come back out (happened to me on a steep angle chest shot). So a little time observing no breathing or an unhurried finisher is good insurance.
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 357
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 357 |
The risk of a neck or head shot is that even with a superficial wound they typically hit the dirt like you brained them with a sledgehammer. Nobody wants to go into a canyon with a “dead” deer laying on the other side & find one running away when you come back out (happened to me on a steep angle chest shot). So a little time observing no breathing or an unhurried finisher is good insurance. Yup. Shock the spinal cord. They can stand up after a minute or two and scamper away. Happened to me in Namibia on a red lechwe, but put him down as soon as he got back up. I used to neck shoot spikes/does, but wasted too much meat. I'd rather shoot them in the ribs as I don't save rib meat- ribs go to the dogs anyway.
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Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 4,350
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 4,350 |
Killed a cow elk yesterday afternoon with a 30 yard shot to the back of her head/neck. Went straight down
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Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 4,377
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 4,377 |
Last year's buck showed me something about bullet construction. A previous buck ran away and hid from a 140 grain TSX too hard a bullet, so I am firmly into the softer is better deer bullet camp currently. I switched to Ballistic Tips from my 7mm-08 and last year broke a deer down with a spine shot a little too far back. The deer needed a second shot and when I hit it in the high neck, the permanent cavity stretched the neck skin and tissue to almost double size. The exit wasn't that large, but the internal damage must have been horrendous. Even if the spinal column wouldn't have been broken, that much shock to the spinal area surely would have put the deer down and kept him there.
My other auto is a .45
The bitterness of poor quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price has faded from memory
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Joined: Aug 2022
Posts: 1,308
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2022
Posts: 1,308 |
Made a few neck shots in my 20's. Now approaching 60, I'm a high shoulder guy.
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Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 5,507
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Dec 2016
Posts: 5,507 |
I have made a lot of neck shots over the years, but I don't ever try it unless I am sure of the hit. I favor the middle of both lungs. Still, when I have the neck as a target and the chest is obscured I will take them when I know I can make the hit. Here is one from a few years ago 2018 #1 Ant. Buck by .com/photos/156296479N08/]Steve Zihn, on [bleep]
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Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1,445 Likes: 1
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1,445 Likes: 1 |
No ! You will never see a self defense instructor teach a neck or head shot for a reason. Shoot low and you have an animal with a tracheotomy. Shoot for the biggest, fatal target.....chest heart and lungs.
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Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 17,179
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 17,179 |
Yep, the neck shot works most of the time on deer.
Randy NRA Patriot Life Benefactor
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Joined: May 2017
Posts: 1,056 Likes: 1
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 1,056 Likes: 1 |
I took a buck a few days ago with a neck shot because that's what was offered. With an open sighted .54 caliber caplock hawken from 80 yards. This is added to a looooong list of successful neck shots. I've never had an unsuccessful neck shot. I'm the first to admit that I would have shot it in the lungs had that shot been offered but neck shots aren't nearly as dramatic as some of you are making them out to be. Or some of you have no confidence in your shot placement... Not sure which but dang..... This is my buck but my daughter is a way better model than I.... Todd
Last edited by Justahunter; 10/04/22.
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 2,716
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 2,716 |
The neck roast is one of the nicer pieces of meat and has more meat than a shoulder.
I prefer a Barnes TTSX to the shoulder and drop where they stand.
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,238
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,238 |
The more nervy the animal is, and especially if it’s a monster buck, the less apt I am to think about anything other than boiler room. I’ll take a neck shot, if it’s presented, and the animal is calm(and I am too). Don’t specifically look for a neck shot, but haven’t passed on a good one meeting my criteria. All have been DRT, except one doe that was a clean miss with a really accurate inline muzzleloader. (Guy on the trigger didn’t execute the shot properly that time.) 😎
Doc_Holidude
Livin ain’t killed me yet, but it’s workin on it!
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Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 5,175
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
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On bucks I like to break shoulder bones. I don't like stuff to run off after I squeeze the trigger.
Life is good live it while you can.
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