Neck shots?

[Coastal_native]

I'm curious to see what people think about taking neck shots with a MF when elk hunting.  I know it's not universally accepted as an ethical shot. 

It's prooven to be a very effective way to put elk down for me over the last 10-15 yrs.  Generally, If I have a lung shot I'll take it, but if I restricted myself to only taking lung shots while hunting coastal WA, I would have watched many bulls run away in the thick brush.  My experience has been that even if I don't directly hit bone, the shock will still break the neck and drop the elk in its tracks.  Most of my shots are inside 50 yds with a .270 or .300 WIN.

I've been called an idiot by a few people for taking those shots, but I've never lost an animal.  Anyone else have any testimonies?

[JimmyHoffa]

My preferred shot.  I don't care for shots over 200 yds on animals anymore because I like to go for the neck...although I broke that rule on a bear this year and went to 207 yds.  It's lights out, and the animals are in their tracks...dead in a fraction of a second.  I've spent too much time tracking other peoples' animals that were shot heart/lungs....especially with some kind of bad bullet/underpowered cartridge.

[jeepasaurusrex]

A properly placed neck shot puts them down right in their tracks with minimal meat loss. I like the fact that the internal organs etc are not scrambled up. Makes gutting them easier and less messier.  

[sakoshooter]

A bullet in the neck at the base of the skull is much more doable than any where else in the neck. I hate neck shots unless it's close, standing still and I've got a good rest. Otherwise too many wounded with just a terrible flesh wound that run off and possibly die slowly.

[Coastal_native]

A bullet in the neck at the base of the skull is much more doable than any where else in the neck. I hate neck shots unless it's close, standing still and I've got a good rest. Otherwise too many wounded with just a terrible flesh wound that run off and possibly die slowly.

yeah...I've seen a few deer and elk that were harvested that had festering wounds in the neck and back area that appeared to be from gun shots.  I've only completely missed the spine one time, but the shock must have still damaged the spine because he dropped in his tracks and was lights out.

[ladybug]

A bullet in the neck at the base of the skull is much more doable than any where else in the neck. I hate neck shots unless it's close, standing still and I've got a good rest. Otherwise too many wounded with just a terrible flesh wound that run off and possibly die slowly.

 Ahem!!! i beg to differ!!!!

[carpsniperg2]

Have lots of experience with deer, but not on elk. But I can tell you, I have been around more then 20 deer shot in the neck. From 50-250 yards. Only one of these shots did not TKO the deer. The bullet cut the jugular and the deer bled out very fast. Less then 50 yards. All the others were down on contact. There is nothing wrong with a good rest and a neck shot.  

[jeepasaurusrex]

Mine from this year was a neck shot at 110yds, prone position.

[JLS]

Personally, I'd probably lean towards a shoulder shot to anchor quick.  But, I would't pass on a good neck shot either.

That said, if it's not an absolute jungle, or no huge cliffs around, I would never take a neck shot over a good old fashioned lung shot.

[bobcat]

Neck shots work good on deer, but not always good on elk. I shot a cow elk at 15 yards with a 435 grain maxi ball out of a 54 caliber muzzleloader through the neck. In the end I was lucky to get her- she ran 1/4 mile downhill, and with no blood trail at all, we still managed to find her again and I got a good doulbe lung shot into her at 75 yards and she went about 30 yards and went down. An elk's neck just has too much area with nothing but "meat." However I think a neck shot on a deer with a high power rifle is pretty much a guaranteed instantly dead deer.

[Bob33]

Pretty small vital area.  I'd rather not risk it.

[JimmyHoffa]

Bob33, Your diagram doesn't show the jugglar vein/coratid artery.  Typically if you use a soft bullet or hollowpoint at high velocity, it explodes enough to hit all three (vein/artery/spine).  I try to shoot for the throat patch on deer.  The exit wounds are usually bigger than my fist.  With a 30-06 I had a few smaller than that, the 300 RUM exits were a little bigger than my fist, but I don't want them to feel anything so I now use .338-378 Mag on them and keep the bullet over 3000 fps and it takes out half the neck.  Most of the guys I've known that weren't into neck shots avoided it because they don't want to damage the cape.

[ladybug]

Neck shots work good on deer, but not always good on elk. I shot a cow elk at 15 yards with a 435 grain maxi ball out of a 54 caliber muzzleloader through the neck. In the end I was lucky to get her- she ran 1/4 mile downhill, and with no blood trail at all, we still managed to find her again and I got a good doulbe lung shot into her at 75 yards and she went about 30 yards and went down. An elk's neck just has too much area with nothing but "meat." However I think a neck shot on a deer with a high power rifle is pretty much a guaranteed instantly dead deer.

I toatally agree with you.I was talking deer,i personally seen a 6x6 bull take 8 to the neck from a 7mag...... meat hunting of course but never again!!

[wsucowboy]

I've killed a few deer that way and so has my dad. They have all dropped in there tracks. Never tried it on a elk, but if I am in a situation where I can't put one through the boiler room I'll take the neck shot in a heartbeat.  

[Coastal_native]

Pretty small vital area.  I'd rather not risk it.

Awww c'mon bob, where's the trachea and jugular, any damage to those and you gotta dead animal too. 

Just joking, thanks for the pic.  Excellent reference.  I never really intended on relying on neck shots, but after some success I started noticing that a simple pass through shot does some extensive damage to the neck without hitting the spine, even with a large full rut bull with an inch of neck hide.  I've probably jinxed myself by starting this thread.

I think "risk" is a relative term in this discussion.  There is more risk in taking a neck shot in that your vital target may be smaller.  However in making your lung shot, there is added risk of recovering your animal once it runs off.  Either way, I like the input...I may be one shot away from changing my mind, you never know.

[firecrotch]

I used to shoot everything in the neck untill i realized that i was ruining perfectly good meat. I was finding on an average mule deer i was able to get 20 lbs of meat off the neck, and elk around 35 lbs. When i shot them in the neck i was ruining half of that if not more. For me neck shot means TKO, but ive also never had a deer run off after a good shot behind the shoulder/on the shoulder.

[Skyvalhunter]

Alot of my shots have been neck or base of the skull shots. But for me it depends on the distance as to weather I will take that shot.

[rasbo]

this where I shoot all my deer,unless Im bow hunting

[farmin4u_98948]

I always go for a neck if I have time to set up.  I shoot a wsm 270.   The  second elk was shot a bit closer to the head . It seems to not have any  entry . Dead is dead

[338_Thumper]

I used to shoot neck shots alot years ago but we shot hundreds of rounds all summer long . Over the years Elk hunting I saw alot of elk wounded by high or low neck shots and get away . I only shoot in the Boiler room now - With a .338 it's a Guarantee kill. Now this year my 6x6 was 210 yards away (With the Rangefinder) and in a bunch of cows with no shot except a neck shot and they were getting ready to go into the woods. I was sitting down with my gun resting on my shooting sticks and I shoot dime size groups at 200 yards so I was pretty confident of my shot - Also by shooting at the neck the cows were out of the shooting lane - Well boom and the shoot was dead center in the neck and he dropped Instantly .
Only Problem I see with Neck Shooting is that most Hunters don't practice enough during the year with their gun and only shoot a couple of times (If that even) before hunting season and then take a neck shot - Alot of times then you got a wounded animal.

[WSU]

Personally not a fan.  I've seen three different animals get neck shot and not go down.  First was a bull I killed two years ago with a muzzy.  Lung shot it and it ran into the reprod.  It was still alive, but very near death, when I went to recover it.  I shot it 3 more times in the neck with my muzzy from about 10 yards.  Each time it would flop over then lift its head again.  I finally just shot it in the head.  I also shot a cow elk with my .300 win in the neck.  I she just kept running and didn't miss a step (I had previously shot her in the lungs, so she died 40 or 50 yards away).  I also saw a large muley buck get shot in the neck with a .300 win from about 40 or 50 yards.  He took off running and took a few more shots to bring down, including one a couple of minutes later.  Prior to these experiences I had shot 2 deer in the neck.  Both hit the jugular and not the spine, but it was instant lights out each time.  Since seeing the last 3 results I will not be shooting anything in the neck.

[saylean]

Not a neck shooter. Im not bad mouthing others, just not my thing. I prefer broadsides. I would and have passed on neck shots. However, I did take a head shot about 2 years ago on a deer, as it was all I had of him (rifle).

[Hunterman]

95% of all my deer have been shot in the head or neck, and 99% of the elk the same way..I hate to track..To me a body shot(heart/lung) (although a good shot) give the animal "That Wild Taste"..A shot to the head or neck doesn't put the adrenaline in the meat..

Hunterman(Tony)

[Bean Counter]

I shot a doe in the neck in an antler less unit using a shotgun slug. She was 10 yards away and facing me at twelve o'clock. Interestingly, I didn't hit her CNS but she toppled none the less. I think it was the carotid artery and the shock of it all.

Other than that, its always lung shots. yes, its more messy, but much more forgiving for error (wind, movement of the animal, jitters, etc).

[Skillet]

Shot a decent (for me) whitetail in the neck once.  Range about 20 yards, he was staring right at me, all I saw over the brush was his head down to the throat patch.  Hit his spine - he was dead before he hit the ground.  The spine is a small target, but if that's all ya got... it sure works.

[BlackRidge]

I feel I practice enough where I'd feel comfortable taking a neck shot if I was forced to, but would much rather wait for something broadside. I've just heard too many horror stories where it doesnt get the job done quickly enough, or at all.

That dome shot is pretty nasty Ras, effective tho

[carpsniperg2]

I think a lot of guys on here would rather take a vitals shot. But if the only shot option was a neck shot, most would take it.

[steve04]

Neck shot doe with arrow. She piled-up about 50 yards from where she was shot.  This shot was not by myself nor was it intentional.....just bad shooting habits. The broadhead had to be pulled out with vise grips it....even then it took some work to get that thing out. muzzy mx4

[ORCA_SIX]

I have shot a few deer and one elk in the neck and it did the trick. All three were DRT (DEAD RIGHT THERE). But dead is dead anyway you can get it, as someone posted earlier. I seen a few deer and some animals in Africa killed by the Texas Heart Shot (in from the rear). That did the trick also. Some guys prefer the vitals to track blood. Personally, I prefer the shot opportunity that is best given and what I feel comfortable with. Neck, Head, Vitals, etc. But when I was in Africa, we did a lot of neck and back of the head shots for a majority of our cull hunting. So we could save the meat. But you definitely want to practice and have good DOPE on the gun your shooting.

This is one afternoon. All below the ear or neck shots from 50-250 yards. The other is a Kudu, back of the head in some prickly pears. The only shot I had available. DRT 

[bwhntr350]

 I never took the time to read all these posts, basically because it would do me no good, lol. My father taught me that a neck shot is much too risky and I have never taken one. His boss (back when he worked) used to hunt Wyoming with a couple of my Dad's friends and two years in a row, and 3 out 5 years he took neck shots at bull elk and never found a single one of them, and that was with the others helping in the tracking process.

 I work with a guy that takes nothing but neck shots and seems to do alright.

 I guess that I just don't understand why? A lung shot will be a guaranteed kill.
 A neck shot is obviously questionable, and beings it was asked here helps confirm that. Nobody has ever started a thread on whether or not a lung shot is debatable for a quick kill.

 Just trying to weight in pros and cons and to make it easy, I will just continue bowhunting where a neck shot is never an option!

[sakoshooter]

  An elk's neck just has too much area with nothing but "meat."

I think everything about a deer's neck compared to an elk's neck would be smaller by a given ratio creating a smaller target. The jugular is tight against the spine also and and the trachea is only for breathing so putting another hole in it isn't going to hurt.  That's been proven by some of my fellow hunters and me more than once.

[ScottyG]

The only bull elk I've ever lost was a neck shot from about 75 yards with a 7mm.  I've dropped quite a few deer with a neck shot.  I couldn't believe that he didn't just drop right there but I was still sure I had my elk.  Well, about 500 yards later I was doubting myself as I crawled around finding blood drops.  About 2 miles later I lost blood and lost that elk.  I can tell you that neither his jugular or trachea were likely touched and all that long hair seems to soak up a lot of blood and plug up a wound pretty well.

I'm not ready to say the neck shot is a horrible shot, but there is definately more risk to it than I thought.  I won't take another at an elk.  If you are going to take it, make certain you are holding on the spine and not the middle of the neck.

[Skyvalhunter]

I can tell you once I shot a blacktail thru the neck at about 25 yards and it went down in a pile. Well my buddy goes over kicks the back of the deer, the deer jumped up and started running down hill. When we caught up to it the bullet severed one of its corotid and it was breathing partially thru the hole in its neck. So the key is definately hitting the spine which makes more sense.

[Alan K]

I've heard the same reasoning for taking neck shots over and over. . . You save more meat. . .

Well, I'd rather pop a buck or bull behind the shoulder and increase the size of the vitals I have to hit by 2-3 times and yes, risk messing up a bit of front shoulder meat (the toughest, and in my opinion, worst meat on the animal).

What about the neck meat that guys mess up taking that shot?  On average I'd say it's about the same amount of meat lost, whether it's the jerky front shoulder or the neck.    

[Kowsrule30]

I've taken and dropped 4 BT and two mid size (body wise) muleys with neck shots... From a 243 or 50 cal muzzleloader..... Elk are just way too tough imo for me to not get a lung/heart shot with the first one and make it count...... Plus I only hunt elk with a muzzleloader....

[firecrotch]

I've heard the same reasoning for taking neck shots over and over. . . You save more meat. . .

Well, I'd rather pop a buck or bull behind the shoulder and increase the size of the vitals I have to hit by 2-3 times and yes, risk messing up a bit of front shoulder meat (the toughest, and in my opinion, worst meat on the animal).

What about the neck meat that guys mess up taking that shot?  On average I'd say it's about the same amount of meat lost, whether it's the jerky front shoulder or the neck.    

im there with you. i think the shoulders are the worst part in my opinion

[grundy53]

I prefer a lung/heart shot but feel confident enough in my shooting to take a neck shot if its all that's presented me.

[MtnMuley]

Pretty small vital area.  I'd rather not risk it.

[teanawayslayer]

I like neck shots myself.  like you say they don't usually go any where.  I only take them if it is my only shot.  The vital area is alot bigger area to hit.

[steen]

I just don't understand how someone can lose a lung /heartshot deer.  The only thing I can figure is you Thought you shot it in the heart/lunge and never found it to confirm.  I shot one this past year and couldn't find blood but persisted in looking and found the deer just by thinking of where he would go.  After it got light enough the bloodtrail was obvious.  The blood was there I just couldn't see it a half hour after shooting hours opened on a drizzly morning.

[400out]

If you think a neck shot is the preferred shot, then you are seeing more critters then most of us!  If it's all that's presented then I guess, but it you have a full body shot don't be stupid 

[NW-GSP]

this where I shoot all my deer,unless Im bow hunting

Not a bad Idea, it is either a dead deer or a clean miss cause if you hit too far forward the deer is still going to bleed like crazy and too far back your still going to destroy the back of the skull. Nice shot man!

[wsucowboy]

I prefer a lung/heart shot but feel confident enough in my shooting to take a neck shot if its all that's presented me.

Pretty much the same way I feel about it.

[Kent Hunter]

I'll do a neck shot every time if it's offered. I've never lost an animal with a neck shot. It pollaxes em.

[400out]

  just saying..........

[pianoman9701]

I've killed about a dozen nice deer with rifle neck shots. I've been told never to take a neck shot on an elk because the chance of a pass-through is much greater. Now, I only hunt archery and a broadside or quartering away shot is all that I'd take with a bow.

[mulie Addict]

I have killed a few elk with a neck shot with a 270  and havn't had a problem. My dad will take neck shot on elk if it is available.  He shot an elk this past year at an elk laying down at 350 yards in the neck. The elk didn't know what hit him.

[farmin4u_98948]

I have killed a few elk with a neck shot with a 270  and havn't had a problem. My dad will take neck shot on elk if it is available.  He shot an elk this past year at an elk laying down at 350 yards in the neck. The elk didn't know what hit him.

Now thats cool....  Good job!!