Neck Shots

[edmondshunter]

My first Whitetail fell to a neck shot from a .243 M77 Hawkeye.  Severed artery, spinal cord, and esophagus with a shot placed in the upper crease of the neck and shoulder, quartered to me on a down hill shot

[popeshawnpaul]

Everything I've ever seen shot in the neck has died quick.  That includes a bow shot deer.  I have heard bad things about it so I try and find another shot if possible.

[MountainWalk]

i dont deliberatly go for a spine or neck vertabrae shot, ive taken quite a few and may shoot a few more in the future. in ark, i grew up hunting deer with a 220 swift and i got to where i knew the line of a deers neck bones like my own.  norma 48 grainers out of my ruger m77 long barrel did the trick... that or real up close hunting in the thickets back home, plenty of does well to head and neck shots with number one buck..

i try to avoid it, but sometimes i'll take it.

[boneaddict]

I've shot two in the neck that I can recall offhand.  One was a P&Y whitetail that was bedded next to a creekbottom down in the deepest hole possible.  I stlked up to about 15 yards from him and took him in the throat.  He flopped around like a fish for a minute, but never gained his feet.  Not recommended I suppose with archery gear.   I let this deer walk by at 10 yards the previous day.  I was hunting elk in the NE corner and didn't have an archery deer tag in my pocket.  He emerged and walked right by me when I was at full draw.  I saw 5 book bucks that were within bow range that day.  I was like heck with this and went and bought a tag.  I was about 2 miles away from that spot and sure enough....there he was in the cool moist air of the dark mossy creek.   I boned him out on the spot.  That was one of those "wish I had a slat shaker and fork bucks". 

the other was a follow up archery shot on my NM bull this year.  I didn't want him leaving so jugular it was.

[bobcat]

Neck shots usually work good on deer, but it's a bad idea on elk. I shot an elk once through the center of the neck at about 15 yards with a 430 grain .54 caliber muzzleloader bullet. Her front legs went out on her and she went down on her knees, but got right back up and ran down hill about 1/4 mile. I was lucky to find her again and got a good double-lung shot into her at about 75 yards this time. But I will never take a neck shot on an elk ever again.

[MIKEXRAY]

My only neck shot was my first deer which was a white tail fork horn, I aimed my $ 50 mossburg shotgun at his chest and put the slug right where the head meets the neck. (buck fever) Dropped him right in his tracks dead. I was 15 and pretty proud of that buck. I only archery hunt now and would not take a neck shot.

[ICEMAN]

My longest shot on an elk, dropped it with a neck shot. A cow tag, I had a 250 yard+ shot on a feeding cow, down hill across a canyon, feeding straight away from me at a slight up hill. The fog kept rolling thru, and I positioned myself on a stump. Even had time to stack up a few limbs to make the shot rock solid. Placed the shot at the base of the skull, and slow squeeze, my .270 130 grain bullet took out a vertabrae a couple of inches below the skull.

Up on Sawtooth ridge I had a great muley buck come straight at me down a shale chute, as I lay against a downed tree. I had no shot cause of all the limbs. The buck passed me maybe 10 feet away, and as he got below me, I stood and aimed at his head, all I could see was fur, touched off a round, the bullet took only his jugular, no bones. Blood shot out both veins as he bolted straight down hill. Ugly sight. He passed out and collapsed 100yard away, and I finished him.

I do not look for a neck shot, but will take it.....

[mossback91]

Never have. Was taught not to. My dad used to do it until he had a deer run off on him after a neck shot and got it with other shots and the shot had missed all vitals. So I was taught to only make vital shots alot more room for error. I have first hand seen a deer that ran away from a neck shot which the hunter never found. Deer would have died of infection if we had not seen him. My sis shot him in the RIGHT spot. He was shot low and could not eat anymore and his neck was infected pretty good and he was shot like the thursday of the hunting season I believ so I think he was shot opening weekend by rifle. So from what I have seen its a bad shot and I wouldnt take the chance.

[Red Dawg]

the neck shot is money. you wont find a qicker way to take them down. The only bad thing is that you ruin the roast. Cut the wind pipe out and slow cook in the dutch oven with some spuds and you have a great meal.

[Gobble]

Shot the 5 x 5 whitetail in my avatar this past season in its bed at 180 yrds.
The only good shot I had was in the lower throat area and turned it into jello, the vertabra were obliterated and the deer did not move an inch, its legs were still folded under it when we got to it. Oh by the way I was shooting a 700 remington 30-06 with Federal High Energy 180 gr. nosler bullets.

[alecvg]

I did on my first deer.  My scope was fogged up and a doe walked out at 218 yards ( i had a doe tag) so i put the scope close up against my head and pulled the trigger, not my smartest moment, but i was only 11, so i have a nasty scar from that, but i hit it strait in the neck and it only ran about 30 yds., it did the job, but i rather go for the lungs or heart.

[Gobble]

I did on my first deer.  My scope was fogged up and a doe walked out at 218 yards ( i had a doe tag) so i put the scope close up against my head and pulled the trigger, not my smartest moment, but i was only 11, so i have a nasty scar from that, but i hit it strait in the neck and it only ran about 30 yds., it did the job, but i rather go for the lungs or heart.

LOL! I got my first scope bite a couple years ago, still wearing the nice radius scar of a 3 x  9 vari X II on my forhead

[MountainWalk]

for deer, i'll most likely take a middle lung shot. on elk with a rifle, i will always take the shouldershot.

[jackelope]

i voted for never would, because i did 1 time and it didn't go so good. i shot this buck in the crp. saw his head flop at the shot and lost track of him from that point. no blood, no nothing. a little while later he popped up again and he got 1 in the shoulder. when i skinned that buck, i found my neck shot bullet in the meat just inside the skin on the off side of his neck. it hit no bone, no artery, no nothing and somehow did not exit through and through. wierdest thing i've seen to date. glad i killed him after wounding him, but sure didn't look like it would have bugged him much either.
i don't think i'll be taking any more neck shots. i think it's a high risk shot...nothing against you guys who do like the shot.

[Head-shot]

the neck shot is money. you wont find a qicker way to take them down...

 A head shot is pretty damn quick and you don't mess up any of the meat. It's my favorite and it's instant, look like the earth just swallowed them up.