Are Neck Shots Preferred Than Broadside Shot To Prevent The Damage Of The Meat?

[Doug Hamilton]

I was told from one of the deer processor that neck shots are preferred than broadside shot to prevent the damage of the meat. What is your preferred shot?

While I have broken a few necks, mostly because it was the shot that was available at the time, it isn't my preferred shot. The spine is a narrow, flexible target. A near miss can lead to a wounded and lost animal. My grandfather used to tell a story about being fishing. A big buck came down and tried to drink. His jaw had been shot off by someone that had tried a high neck or head shot. A couple of inches off and you have a horror show.
A couple of years ago, A couple of years ago three friends and I went on a moose hunt in BC. One of the guys saw a good bull and shot him in the neck. The bull staggered, my friend thought he would go down, but then he charged off into the brush and trees. We never recovered him.
A well constructed bullet of an adequate caliber through the heart/lung area always results in a dead animal. Nothing lives very long without those two organs working, and even if you miss the heart itself, A big hole through the lungs is still effective. The cartridge and bullet should be able to penetrate the shoulder if you should hit it, and he will still go down.

 

[Inline6]

An ostrich neck shot would be when you are really comfortable with windage, but not so sure if you're shooting high or low. Hell, you've got a couple feet worth of bullet drop without an issue! LMAO

I have made a neck shot on an Emu, this was a long time ago in Oklahoma. Was deer hunting with some friends, an Emu got out and we could not catch it. Buddy said shoot the damn thing. So I did, it was 170 yards.

 

[Daveboone]

The thread is a bit old, but....so am I.
I am a north woods hunter primarily, so shots are usually close by most standards...inside 50 yards, but I have taken plenty at up to 200.
I used to take head shots on "meat deer" (does, young bucks,etc.) to make best use of all meat. I still do on occ. I on occ. did make a neck shot, but with only a bit of variance, if the spine is missed the target ran too far before falling, resulting in not finding until a.m. (most of my sightings are before dark). If the spine is hit, bone shrapnel goes all directions probably ruining as much meat as my preferred double lung shot. I learned long ago not to get fancy with shots. If the deer is worth shooting at make the shot count. Go for the money shot.

 

[Ngaka]

At the base of the neck, just anterior to the scapulohumeral joint, is the jugular and carotid exit from the thorax (red dot); a shot at that point causes the animal to fall instantly. If you want a withering shot, you must shoot at the cervical vertebrae (green line) or behind the jaw, where there are nerve centers, the carotid bodies (blue dot) that kill the animal with nervous shock. The problem with these points that I have marked is knowing how to locate them well and place the bullet there: when shooting at the spine it is easy to hit higher or lower with the consequent flight of the animal and its slow death; with the shot to the aortic bodies it is easy for him to move his head and miss, break his jaw or spoil the trophy.
The easiest is the shot to the heart (in yellow); the animal will run a few meters before falling but it is an easier shot and it does not spoil almost any meat.
In suidos (wild boar, bushpig, warthog) I prefer shooting at the ear: they don't move their necks as much, the shot is withering and it is relatively far from the trophy (the tusks).

 

[Frank Cavallo]

Used to neck shoot only.

But now I'd rather waste rib meat, which I always threw out than usable neck meat, which I grind.

 

[RR 314]

I shoot deer facing me right in the middle of the neck and have never had one take a step. DRT and very little meat loss/bloodshot meat. We eat more pigs than deer and all of them get the lights switched off with head shots. No lost meat or messy butchering.

 

[FlowHamed18]

Have seen several animals with lower jaws shot. Animal can't eat or drink and suffer a miserable death. Several outfitters here in Texas I have hunted will not allow head shots for that very reason.

Heads move a lot, you really have to take into account the way the animals is acting. If they are nervous a head shot is probably not the best way to go.

Plus one on that... have seen especially wildboars where the shot was in the jaw and/or blinded the animal while searching their tracks with my dog afterwards...
And of course all shots from guys who can kill a flying bee at 500m with a single shot out of a cold barrel when asking them... that's all bullshit...

If you only loose one animal in your lifetime because of a bad headshot, you could have shot every animal you hunt in three lifes through the lungs and still have lost less meat...

Just my 2 cents...

 

[reineke]

@ CoElk Hunter: Referring to my post of Jan 5, 2022, I happened to find the picture
of may headshot QOstrich:

 

[BJH65]

I have headshot a few cow elk, a MINIMUM of half a dozen moose, and COUNTLESS deer. I hunt for meat and have come to prefer this shot over all others. No wasted meat. No tracking. No animal suffering. Now if it's something I'm thinking of mounting, I usually try for behind the shoulder if I can. I have heard that some people have been warned by other hunters that it's not a good idea, but for me personally......I've had tremendous success!
But then this past hunting season, my hunting buddy headshot an antlerless Whitetail, and I got to witness something. I had a feeling he was going to go for a headshot, and so I was watching closely. I saw the hair puff from her head. I saw her drop on the spot. I knew he did a headshot. I was proud of my young protégé! He was digging in his pocket to make sure he had his tags before proceeding to the deer, and as he was the deer started to kick, pushed herself along the ground, and then tipped over motionless. We headed over to her, and when we got there we were shocked to find that she was gone!
I can only surmise that the bullet knocked her out cold, but wasn't immediately fatal, and she regained consciousness and managed to run away. (Probably as we were walking to where she was)
There was a little bit of blood where she had went down, but no blood trail visible otherwise. With no snow, we searched for other tracks to follow, but without much success. The light was fading and so we tried a grid type search in the nearby bush, but didn't find her that night nor the following day.
I don't know if she was ok, or if she died a slow painful death due to the wound. It's not a good feeling. Has anyone here experienced anything similar?
I hate the idea of needlessly causing prolonged suffering....... That's the main reason I headshot as much as I do, when I can...... But after witnessing this......

I know of more than a few who use headshots but l feel unless one is 100% certain it’s a low percentage shot. Having found a dead emaciated deer with its jaw shot off, which is always a possibility if you’re a little off with a headshot, is a memory I won’t forget.

I made a bad shot on a nice blacktail buck once, gut shot. He didn’t go far and all he presented was a headshot so I took it and dropped him instantly. The shot split his skull cap and antlers, his eyes were popped out of his head, every bone in his face was shattered and his entire face was broken and droopy. I had to use two hands to hold his face and antlers together for a sad picture.

My thoughts are for a beautiful majestic buck, a shattered face with the its eyes popped out of its head or the possibility of shooting its jaw off is not something I personally want to do. Some may disagree and that’s fine, but I find it a distasteful way for a deer to die. I would only try a headshot if absolutely necessary.

One side of my family has killed hundreds of deer with the neck shot. They didn’t like wasting meat. They never understood why I always went with the high percentage heart/lung shot even at close range. I would certainly try a neck shot over a head shot though.

 

[Hunt anything]

With the heart/lung shot you may waste a little meat but you gain a whole animal.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Interesting concept that neck does not contain meat that can be damaged. There's a LOT of good meat in the neck, especially breeding males. I would argue that the meat in a front shoulder is no better than what's in the neck. Both are sausage stuffing for me. Shoot behind the shoulder. Obviously very little meat to be potentially wrecked shooting in ribs.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

I know of more than a few who use headshots but l feel unless one is 100% certain it’s a low percentage shot. Having found a dead emaciated deer with its jaw shot off, which is always a possibility if you’re a little off with a headshot, is a memory I won’t forget.

I made a bad shot on a nice blacktail buck once, gut shot. He didn’t go far and all he presented was a headshot so I took it and dropped him instantly. The shot split his skull cap and antlers, his eyes were popped out of his head, every bone in his face was shattered and his entire face was broken and droopy. I had to use two hands to hold his face and antlers together for a sad picture.

My thoughts are for a beautiful majestic buck, a shattered face with the its eyes popped out of its head or the possibility of shooting its jaw off is not something I personally want to do. Some may disagree and that’s fine, but I find it a distasteful way for a deer to die. I would only try a headshot if absolutely necessary.

One side of my family has killed hundreds of deer with the neck shot. They didn’t like wasting meat. They never understood why I always went with the high percentage heart/lung shot even at close range. I would certainly try a neck shot over a head shot though.

I know of more than a few who use headshots but l feel unless one is 100% certain it’s a low percentage shot. Having found a dead emaciated deer with its jaw shot off, which is always a possibility if you’re a little off with a headshot, is a memory I won’t forget.

I made a bad shot on a nice blacktail buck once, gut shot. He didn’t go far and all he presented was a headshot so I took it and dropped him instantly. The shot split his skull cap and antlers, his eyes were popped out of his head, every bone in his face was shattered and his entire face was broken and droopy. I had to use two hands to hold his face and antlers together for a sad picture.

My thoughts are for a beautiful majestic buck, a shattered face with the its eyes popped out of its head or the possibility of shooting its jaw off is not something I personally want to do. Some may disagree and that’s fine, but I find it a distasteful way for a deer to die. I would only try a headshot if absolutely necessary.

One side of my family has killed hundreds of deer with the neck shot. They didn’t like wasting meat. They never understood why I always went with the high percentage heart/lung shot even at close range. I would certainly try a neck shot over a head shot though.

My grandfather used to tell a story about a blacktail on the Mendocino coast in California. He was fishing in a small "crik" when a buck came down. He had no lower jaw from someone's attempt at a head shot. Grandpa got a rock and tried to get in to kill the deer, but the buck took off. He always felt bad for the buck. I've never taken a head shot except on a deer due to hearing that story as a kid.

 

[mdwest]

Interesting concept that neck does not contain meat that can be damaged. There's a LOT of good meat in the neck, especially breeding males. I would argue that the meat in a front shoulder is no better than what's in the neck. Both are sausage stuffing for me. Shoot behind the shoulder. Obviously very little meat to be potentially wrecked shooting in ribs.

neck roasts and front shoulders are both “grind pile” meat for me… I always try to take the meat on the neck…

Because of that, neck shots are a no-go for me…

 

[Fatback]

I really enjoy a good venison neck roast. I’d rather loose some meat from a shoulder than the neck. A slow cooked neck roast is as good or better than any beef pot roast I’ve ever had. I always try to go for the heart/lung shot if at all possible.

 

[SFRanger7GP]

Mama loves to slow roast the neck and then shred the meat and use it for tacos, arepa rellena (stuffed arepa) and empanadas.

Safe hunting

 

[Fatback]

Neck roast and fixins. Good eats for sure.