Neck shots

[Tbob]

Could somebody please post a picture of a deer and where you’d aim if you were going to take a neck shot with a rifle (maybe from the side and facing you)? . Thanks!

[jackelope]

Right there.

[10thmountainarcher]

Right there.

Yup lol

[RockChuck]

 

I tried a neck shot once.. right through the meat of he neck  and elk decided to leave my second shot was in the spot above he stoped leaving

[pianoman9701]

I've killed quite a few whitetails and a couple of muleys with neck shots within 100 yards. They're extremely effective if you practice consistently with your firearm.

[WSU]

I wouldn’t do it.  I’ve seen a handful of animals shot in the neck where the shot was not lethal.

[10thmountainarcher]

I've killed quite a few whitetails and a couple of muleys with neck shots within 100 yards. They're extremely effective if you practice consistently with your firearm.

They are effective, but the margin of error is less then that for a head shot if I’m not mistaking.

[ellensburgpo]

Spectacular success or spectacular failure, one or the other with neck shots from those I’ve seen...

[jackelope]

I've killed quite a few whitetails and a couple of muleys with neck shots within 100 yards. They're extremely effective if you practice consistently with your firearm.

The problem for me is in the margin for error.  If you pull the shot or the animal moves slightly and you hit the green dot I added 2-3” right, the buck is wounded/maimed and suffering. I’ve got some good shooting rifles and shoot pretty regularly. I won’t take that shot. Different strokes for different folks.

[Tbob]

Yeah right on, thanks for the info. I’m not wanting to take that shot, but I’ve heard many people now say “aim for the base of the neck”. Wasn’t sure if that meant where the head meets the neck or where the neck meets the body?  I’m an archery hunter and always aim behind the shoulder, but I’m going on a rifle hunt in MT soon and was just curious if offered the neck shot where the best place to aim is.. like I said, I’d likely pass on that shot anyways.

[Bango skank]

Ive neckshot 2 bucks with a .270, both flopped hard.  I also did a frontal throat shot on a bear with a hcfn bullet from a .44 mag.  Somehow missed his spine, but knocked him ass over tea kettle and he made it maybe 40 yards or so, and i had to put a finishing shot in his head, but he left a blood trail a blind man could follow.

[7mmfan]

I have no qualms about taking a neck shot if that’s my only choice. If I have time to wait for a better shot, I will every time.

Like others have said the margin for error is quite small, so I limit myself to about 100 yard shot. What I have learned is that there are either dead instantly or they fall down and get back up a short time later. The point of that being, if you take the shot and knock them down you better hurry your behind over there and make sure it’s game over. I’ve seen one instance of an animal shot in the neck that got up a couple minutes later and ran off, clearly with it’s bell rung.

This bear was a neck shot, only shot I had and he was getting ready to leave in a hurry. He was dead before he heard the boom.

[Griiz]

I think velocity and bullet impact shot choice too. I’ve shot my last two bucks in neck as it was offered shot. 120 and 250 yds. I shot a raghorn bull with my muzzleloader in neck as that was best shot available and he ran off. An hour and probably a mile later I put him down. First shot put a hole right through the spine and his neck broke when he fell after the second shot. Figured this out when I grabbed rack to reposition and boning our. I believe the slow velocity is more likely to poke holes, where high velocity causes way more damage and tissue shock. Also consider what your slug is designed to do.

[Scuffy]

The shot placement on a deer facing you should be on the vertical plain from the point the vertical and horizontal plains intersect to the upper portion of the vertical line just below the white patch. As stated by others, the margin for error on a neck shot is much smaller than a broadside shot. I learned to hunt only taking neck shots and if you hit your target, deer expire instantaneously and don’t get the adrenaline shot, which can lead to a strong game flavor in the meat. But your target is about the size of a cucumber. Where as a broadside shot gives you a target the size of a basketball. If it is a relatively close shot, a straight on shot is fine to take a neck shot, but any distance  I would wait for broadside shot.

[TooTallMike]

I've shot a deer at the "base of the neck" meaning where the neck meets the body as it was the only shot available was a 270 win and it was dead before it hit the ground.

[buckfvr]

Right there.

@ 3:00

[buckfvr]

The shot placement on a deer facing you should be on the vertical plain from the point the vertical and horizontal plains intersect to the upper portion of the vertical line just below the white patch. As stated by others, the margin for error on a neck shot is much smaller than a broadside shot. I learned to hunt only taking neck shots and if you hit your target, deer expire instantaneously and don’t get the adrenaline shot, which can lead to a strong game flavor in the meat. But your target is about the size of a cucumber. Where as a broadside shot gives you a target the size of a basketball. If it is a relatively close shot, a straight on shot is fine to take a neck shot, but any distance  I would wait for broadside shot.

Pass on that dink.

[Scuffy]

The vertical kill zone stretches from just below the chin to the base of the neck, but the horizontal zone is only 2.5-3” wide. Where the two lines intersect would be the ideal shot placement. That dink will eat good.

[jackelope]

Right there.

@ 3:00

I agree, but could only be so precise with the tip of my thumb lol.
But there again, that’s the beauty of that shot. There’s wiggle room if something happens. You flinch and pull the shot, the deer flinches, whatever. There’s room for error.

[greenhead_killer]

if youre gonna take a frontal shot, why not just aim a bit lower blowing lungs/heart/everything else out? i dont like neck shots because of the reasons others have stated, too much potential for shot error, but if someone else is comfortable, im not going to judge them for that . i shot my buck this year at 20 yards running at me and shot just in the crease of the neck and shoulder. dead 60 yards later.

[Scuffy]

It depends on the angle, but if you are on the same plain as the deer and you aim lower for the heart and lungs, you run the risk of a pass through that goes through the guts.

[Humptulips]

Those pictures are really nice but at least where I hunt there is brush and trees and often I am shooting down narrow corridors. Behind the shoulder every time but sometimes that shot ain't there and you take what you are given. Sometimes it is a neck or head shot or it's gone.

[tgomez]

 If he's facing you, shoot for where the base of the neck meets the shoulders/body. You will break the spine and it will drop like a sack of potatoes.