Neck Shot for deer

nontypical

Ten Pointer
All this talk about neck shots on deer and if the need ever came up for a dead right there shot. You guys that have experience with this, where do you aim on the neck and what position does the deer need to be in to be effective? Only broadside? Quartering in any way? I can see the need for this in some instances.
 

wturkey01

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
What Dobber & Timekiller said. ?

Few meat cooler sights are as pretty as a hanging deer with no holes or bloodshot areas in the torso!! ?
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I only shoot them in the neck if they are facing directly toward or away from me and very still. This way any vertical error is irrelevant. If they are broadside or quartering, the shoulder will do the same thing with more forgiveness.

Usually 100 yards or less for neck shots.
 

lasttombstone

Kinder, Gentler LTS
I tend to take a higher neck shot. I want to be as close to where the neck connects to the head as I can. With any high powered rifle, if you don't actually hit the spine, the shock will cause enough tissue damage that the deer will go down and give you plenty of time to get to it. No, saying all that, if you pull the shot and just clip the back or side of the neck don't expect much. Also, for me, this is a close range shot, not over 50 yds. or so. I'm sure I can hit that spot at a greater distance but I just don't take that chance.
 

woodmoose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
your best bet,,,,study deer anatomy and understand bone structure,,,,next deer you kill really look at the neck,,,and where the spine sits in the neck muscle,,issue with using pictures is there is no consistency,,but here is an example,,,

images
 

nontypical

Ten Pointer
Thanks guys. Kinda what I was thinking. I have always waited for a shoulder shot but this year I am right on the property line. Gonna give the ole neck shot a try this season.
 

nchawkeye

Old Mossy Horns
I'm with SkyHawk...Broadside, I put it in the shoulder blade...Facing, I put it in the neck, where the bullet will hit the spine...With my .243 they will drop on the spot, very useful when you are hunting near a swamp or cutover...Now, if they are in a field, let them get 50-60 yards out, I'm find with a lung shot, they will barely make it to the woods...Now, if hunting a field and wanting to fill the cooler, take the lead doe, drop her, the rest will scatter but stop before getting into the woods...Drop another...You are on your own as to what to do next... ;)
 

nchawkeye

Old Mossy Horns
Are there specific bullets that provide a better DRT results regardless of shot placement?

Nope, I've killed at least 200 with plain old 100gr CoreLokts out of a .243...What drops them is a bullet through the spine, or brain...Just use a good cup and core bullet, no need for the premiums for our smaller whitetails...
 

timekiller13

Old Mossy Horns
Are there specific bullets that provide a better DRT results regardless of shot placement?
Shot placement in a vital area will kill regardless of type of bullet. Shoot em in the gut or ham or leg, then it don't matter what bullet you use, it ain't going to drop em. I shoot the federal blue box soft points in most of my guns. NC deer are not hard to kill. These aint elk or moose we are talking about. These are 150lb deer. Even a 55 grain 22-250 round puts em down quick.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
Shot placement in a vital area will kill regardless of type of bullet. Shoot em in the gut or ham or leg, then it don't matter what bullet you use, it ain't going to drop em. I shoot the federal blue box soft points in most of my guns. NC deer are not hard to kill. These aint elk or moose we are talking about. These are 150lb deer. Even a 55 grain 22-250 round puts em down quick.
yeah- that is surely true. you miss the mark and it's a bad deal regardless of round.
I was aiming for the thoughts on what advantages ballistic tip bullets might give one if they wanted DRT results.
An option perhaps to aid boundary line recoveries.
Not suggesting shooting them just anywhere and expecting positive results. With any weapon.
Sorry for the confusion.
 

NCbowjunkie

Ten Pointer
I’ll take a neck shot all the time over a shoulder hit. I’m going for meat. I would rather it drop right there. Now that being said I do know what my capabilities are with the gun I use. 243 WSM With a lot of work done to it I will not settle for a 2” group at 100 yards with any of my guns Shoot only my hand loads 70 gr I will work with the load till I’m touching holes at 100. Good glass on a rifle is a must also. I don’t shoot for brown i shoot for the tick that’s in the deers ear sand bag rest and I have took head shot out to 1365 yds normally the shots are around 80yds. This past season I had 8 does in the corn. I waited till I had the shot I wanted and touched it off 2 fell DRT waited till both was aligned and sot first one at the base of neck and head the one behind had the same result. Good clean meat for the table I just hate to see a shoulder or ham bloodshot and what a waste of good meat
 

billyearl

Six Pointer
Contributor
All this talk about neck shots on deer and if the need ever came up for a dead right there shot. You guys that have experience with this, where do you aim on the neck and what position does the deer need to be in to be effective? Only broadside? Quartering in any way? I can see the need for this in some instances.
I've never tried an actual neck shot. That's a pretty riisky target for me. But I've had dozens DRT with a high shoulder shot, near the junction with the neck ...
 

NCbowjunkie

Ten Pointer
Crossbow neck shot. Entered through the front and exit out the back
 

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Talk to dog trackers. They will tell you most of the deer they recover are either gut shot or neck shot. If your gonna take a neck shot you better hit the spine or the jugular. I like a high shoulder at longer distance and a head shot at close range. Unless your a trophy hunter you dont want to mess up the mount.
 
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NCbowjunkie

Ten Pointer
Talk to dog trackers. They will tell you most of the deer they recover are either gut shot or neck shot. If your gonna take a neck shot you better hit the spine or the jugular. I like a high shoulder at longer distance and a head shot at close range. Unless your a trophy hunter you dont want to mess up the mount.
Yep but how many of the shooters was aiming for vital area and shot ended up in gut or bad neck shot. Some people just get to excited and shoot at brown
 

nontypical

Ten Pointer
If the horns are big, I still get excited. I shoot a few does every year for meat, but I’m selective on the bucks I shoot. At some point you got to ask yourself am I hunting or am I just killing.

With that said I plan on trying the neck shot this year on a few does.
 

Deerherder

Ten Pointer
A hunting buddy of mine takes all neck shots & does very well with that strategy.

I try to stay shoulder/lung, but have killed two with neck shots. Both were deer that were walking across the cutover. I led them both a bit too far, once with a 12 ga slug & one with a crossbow bolt. The 12 gauge slug dropped her like a sack of hammers.

The crossbow shot didn’t kill him, but it did hit the spine & paralyze him on the ground. His head was still moving & gasping for air. Watching it made me wish I hadn’t hit him at all. A 7.62x39 to the heart ended it, but he didn’t die in the 15 minutes it took to walk to the truck & back to fetch the gun. My son also hit one in the base of the neck last year & paralyzed the deer without killing it outright as well. A .410 slug to the neck/head juncture took her out.

My point is, neck shots aren’t always the one hit wonders that some claim them to be. I’ve seen both sides of the neck shot coin & for me, I don’t like watching them suffer if they are just paralyzed. My take away was to make sure the bullet has plenty of energy at impact to fully sever the spinal cord or just shoot them in the boiler room & let them die a few yards away.
 
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22LR

Twelve Pointer
I took my younger cousin deer hunting one time. I sat him on an old logging road on a tree stump, he could see about 200 yards. I put some tinks on my boots and walked down that road and to my spot. I later heard him shoot his 270. On the way to him I found a 80 lb. spike buck dead in the road bed about 150 yards from my cousin with a perfect neck shot. I thought to myself, that's a damn good shot. I got to him and asked how it unfolded. He then told me he saw the deer crossing the road and stop, looked his direction and " I aimed right behind the shoulder and shot" ??? He was so happy it made my day too!
 
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