Head or neck shot

[crazymofo]

In my rifle hunting days i used to use and love the neck shot on deer because it would drop them in there tracks. Has anyone ever successfully taken a deer with a head or neck shot with there bow? (on purpose or accident)  If so what happened and how long was the shot?

[bucklucky]

I have seen plenty of elk running around with arrows stuck in there neck and one calf that had one sticking straight out os its nose. This is my opinion but if you are shooting for the head or neck on deer and elk your not a very ethical hunter. That is a very low percentage shot.

[DeKuma]

  very 

[dreamingbig]

As Bucklucky said, DON'T take the shot intentionally.  It is a very low percentage shot and it will kill a few animals at times but not worth the risk.  A frontal shot in the chest is much more lethal but still not recommended.  Wait until they are broadside or quartering away.

If you hit the neck when a shot goes wrong then you are hoping you hit the jugular vein and/or wind pipe.  If you do so, it will put them down in a hurry but it is very difficult to hit intentionally.

[Intruder]

very 

+1

[saylean]

+2

If you cant hit vitals clearly, dont take the shot, IMHO.

[TeacherMan]

When I was a kid my dad's hunting partner always raved about head shots with a rifle, I use to think they where a great idea as a teen, until I was hunting with them in the Entiat one year and a nice little 3pt Mule Deer stepped out at about 75 yds away and he attempted to make a head shot. He ended up blowing the lower jaw off the animal and we pursued that animal on and off for two days never finding it. About 3 hours the first day. They are all a bad idea. Look at that nice bull that was killed in Oregon on the random photos, it lived several weeks because of a bad neck shot. Just don't do, be ethical. 

[DeKuma]

Look in the bear forum for the story on the bear hit in the head that lived.  Pretty amazing.

[jdb]

with a rifle I am a high shoulder shot kinda guy with a bow heart or lungs. I have killed 1 deer with a neck shot it was when I was younger and took a snap shot a at a deer on a dead run, hit him right in the neck and rolled him up. greatest shot Ive ever made but not very responsible and I wouldnt take such a shot now. JB

[wastickslinger]

I hate it when Uncle Ted shoots those fawns in the juggular. I wonder how many he wounds when doing this.

I will agree with the majority. Never take a head or neck shot with a bow.

[Bean Counter]

I took my first doe with a rifled slug out of my 12 ga.  It was a neck shot while she was facing me.  I didn't want to shoot at her torso and risk busting the gut.  She was less than 10 yards, and I had a good, solid rest for that shot.  I can hit the black on a target at 50 yards with my ShotG.  No way would I try those antics at 100 yards, be it with a shotty or my rifle. 

[DeKuma]

I admit to taking them on very close range animals with modern equipment, but never a bow.
I have shot a couple of deer with both rifle and handgun in the head/neck at lest than 20yds, and I put down a cow elk at 2 yards with two shots to the head with a .44 mag.  Those are the exceptions and never the rule.  If they are that close, a modern round will roll them if placed in the head around the ear just fine.

[catwithboost]

My spike last year I took it in the neck with a 7mm mag it went about 20yrds and dropped.

[Bean Counter]

I put down a cow elk at 2 yards with two shots to the head with a .44 mag. 

TWO YARDS? Wow!  You need a bayonet! Woulda saved $1.25 on the round 

[DeKuma]

I put down a cow elk at 2 yards with two shots to the head with a .44 mag. 

TWO YARDS? Wow!  You need a bayonet! Woulda saved $1.25 on the round 

You're telling me!  My step mom had shot it and broke it's back in the lower quarter.  It got up and stumbled over the hill.  I ran down the ridge and up the other side and found blood and started tracking.  I found it a short way over the hill and like an idiot, kicked it in the butt, instead of going to the head.  It did not move, and I thought her dead, so I turned my back on her and waved to my dad and step mom to signal I found her. Just then I heard her jump up and try to kick me with her front hooves.  As I stumble/fell backwards I fired on shot into the head/neck junction and when I landed on my back, I fired the second between the eyes.
Scared the living crap out of me and I have never approached a downed animal like that again!  Always approach the head on use a stick to poke the head or eye to make sure it is DOWN!!

[Bscman]

When I was young--7 or 8yrs old--my father shot a blacktail doe in the neck with his compound bow. Not quite sure what happened--but that was NOT where he was aiming.
It dropped the deer on the spot (paralyzed) but didn't hit any major arteries. He had to put it down by hand...you can imagine the look on my face while all this happened. Pretty disturbing to a kid.

Years later, I had a shot deflect off a branch (never saw it) and my arrow pierced the neck of a doe. The deer ran about 120yds and stopped. My arrow still sticking in it's neck. It took me almost 2 hours to finally get within range to take the final shot. I felt terribly (guilty) for weeks after that.  It was a complete accident, but something I hope will never happen again.

No!!!

[MountainWalk]

I do not see any reason to neck or head shoot a deer or any game animal with a bow. I have taken plenty of deer with neck shots using guns. Back in Arkansas, many many whitetails fell to a load of number one buck  where the head and neck meet.

[Broken Arrow]

I also had the unfortunate experience also of having an arrow deflect from a twig I did not see and ended up with a neck shot. Only problem was this was a bear. It was at that point that I realized that a bear can run faster than a cat on fire. Luckily in about 60 yards the bear tree himself. Then came the daunting task of trying to get arrows in-between branches now (that i actually could see). To make a long story short, I did kill my first bear, however decided against the rug option as it looked like a pin cushion. It was a sad and horrible death, was disturbed by it for some time....well at least until i went hunting again. Its double lungs for me or nothing!

[DOUBLELUNG]

Terrible archery shot - terrible rifle shot for many hunters.  I know of two head shot kills by friends, neither one intended to hit there (in fact, one didn't hit the deer he shot at, he shot over and hit the fawn).

I've killed 3 mule deer and one antelope with arrows through their necks, all were high profile and tuned many folks against archery hunting.  To be fair, I've also shot around a dozen with their jaws blown off by rifles.  These were work, not my own hunting.

[bowsandhose]

   a black eye for hunting having deer running around with an arrow sticking out of its neck or head 

[crazymofo]

Well fellas i got to see the answer to my question the other day. I was hunting with some buddies the other day and one of them spotted a decent 3x4 standing up in some timber. After stocking to shooting distance he ripped one off ( the deer was looking at him) and his arrow glanced off a branch he didnt see. The arrow hit the deer in the side of the face length wise and stopped in its neck. It was probably luck but he hit an artery or something because the deer left a big blood trail and piled up about 100 yds. away. I wouldnt do it on purpose but in this case it worked perfectly. 

[wastickslinger]

Good thing he wasnt shooting a 100 yards. A glance like than at long range can really be bad.

[PA BEN]

Killed two whitetails with 20 yd head shots, killed them right then and there. Neck shot an elk at 60 yds, facing away from me and I hit him right where I was aiming. Best blood trail I ever had.

[hard hunter]

I've shot a couple of deer through the neck with a rifle (less than 100yds) but would never think to do it with a bow.  I spooked one doe in Idaho that had an arrow in her neck but she was in the next county before I could get a shot.  I did here someone got her a day or so latter.

[bow4elk]

In my rifle hunting days i used to use and love the neck shot on deer because it would drop them in there tracks. Has anyone ever successfully taken a deer with a head or neck shot with there bow? (on purpose or accident)  If so what happened and how long was the shot?

Come on!  Why the $%& is this even being discussed?  The only ethical shot placement for quick humane kills (bowhunting) is the heart/lung area.  All other shots should be AVOIDED and not even considered.

I get pissed when I see posts like this....

[andrew_12gauge]

shot 2 muley bucks both inside of 100 yards in the head or neck with a rifle one was bedded with just his head stickin out of thick sage and i hit him in the forehead at 80 yards he dropped like a rock but wasnt dead, another muley was about 25 yards jumped out of his bed and stopped luckily my scope was on 3 power because the first thing i saw was neck and i shot quick before he could run away. would i ever try it with my bow though the answer is no way in hell.

[PA BEN]

In my rifle hunting days i used to use and love the neck shot on deer because it would drop them in there tracks. Has anyone ever successfully taken a deer with a head or neck shot with there bow? (on purpose or accident)  If so what happened and how long was the shot?

Come on!  Why the $%& is this even being discussed?  The only ethical shot placement for quick humane kills (bowhunting) is the heart/lung area.  All other shots should be AVOIDED and not even considered.

I get pissed when I see posts like this....

Why? Because someone asked. It's a free country and so is this forum.

[Machias]

In my rifle hunting days i used to use and love the neck shot on deer because it would drop them in there tracks. Has anyone ever successfully taken a deer with a head or neck shot with there bow? (on purpose or accident)  If so what happened and how long was the shot?

Come on!  Why the $%& is this even being discussed?  The only ethical shot placement for quick humane kills (bowhunting) is the heart/lung area.  All other shots should be AVOIDED and not even considered.

I get pissed when I see posts like this....

+1   

[billythekidrock]

In my rifle hunting days i used to use and love the neck shot on deer because it would drop them in there tracks. Has anyone ever successfully taken a deer with a head or neck shot with there bow? (on purpose or accident)  If so what happened and how long was the shot?

Come on!  Why the $%& is this even being discussed?  The only ethical shot placement for quick humane kills (bowhunting) is the heart/lung area.  All other shots should be AVOIDED and not even considered.

I get pissed when I see posts like this....

+1   

+2

[PolarBear]

In my rifle hunting days i used to use and love the neck shot on deer because it would drop them in there tracks. Has anyone ever successfully taken a deer with a head or neck shot with there bow? (on purpose or accident)  If so what happened and how long was the shot?

Come on!  Why the $%& is this even being discussed?  The only ethical shot placement for quick humane kills (bowhunting) is the heart/lung area.  All other shots should be AVOIDED and not even considered.

I get pissed when I see posts like this....

+1   

+2

+3!!!!!!!

[bankwalker]

my old elk hunting buddie once shot a cow in the back of the head and dropped her in her tracks. the fallowing year he shot a calf in the side of the head and she never died at least not that we know of. we seen her the fallowing day and again 3 days later. he ended up getting an arrow in her the second time we seen her thankfully. the arrow in the head had already looked infected and gross.

i stopped hunting with him after that season. he started telling me stories of shots he has taken like that all the time and never found animals after. i just couldnt stand it.

as for deer. i watched a girl a couples years ago in vail shoot a doe 3 times in the head and they never found the deer.

[elkoholic]

I shot a cow elk about 4 years ago in the neck and lost her..we looked for 3 days  never finding her, all I had on my arrow was a chunk of meat stuck in my fletching. whenever I see an elk the thought of that cow pops back in my head almost every time and I get a real sick feeling about it. the next year I had a 4x5 bull at 22 yards and could have easily put an arrow in his neck but passed thinking of that cow...

[kingsalmonkllr77]

I have seen 3 head shots in very thick brush at less than 10 yards over the past 5 years.  The guy who made the shot aimed directly at the nose and the arrow entered thru the nasal cavity making a horrible sound.  The deer rolled backwards and fell instantly.  I am not saying it is a good idea but in western washington crawling around on your hands and knees thru tunnels broadside shots are not a usual item but what a hell of a target to try to hit.  Very unethical but at 300 feet per second it is possible.