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

[CoElkHunter]

I think the epitome of a head/neck shot would be on an ostrich, so as not to destroy the feathers for a trophy or the evenings ostrich roast? And, I'm sure some of the hunter/snipers on here could/would attempt it. LOL

 

[Cam Moon]

Now I want to shoot an ostrich!

 

[CoElkHunter]

Now I want to shoot an ostrich!

Head shot only! Ha! ha!

 

[CD24]

I use the neck shot almost exclusively. Any round bigger than a 243 has broken the spine and dropped them right there. The longest track of the season was actually a 35 whelen behind the shoulder. If it's a long shot (200+) I'll take the shoulder shot because it's bigger. If it's standing or inside of 200 I shoot center neck and accept a clean miss or a done deal break of the spine. I have never lost one (knock on wood).

 

[Cam Moon]

Head shot only! Ha! ha!

Obviously!

 

[Jörg Krüger]

I do neck shots up to 100 meters otherwise its behind the shoulder. I deem it safest for me to keep the neck shots 100m and under.

 

[Rocked and Loaded]

I think the epitome of a head/neck shot would be on an ostrich, so as not to destroy the feathers for a trophy or the evenings ostrich roast? And, I'm sure some of the hunter/snipers on here could/would attempt it. LOL

Col. Patterson mentions taking an ostrich with a neck shot in The Maneaters of Tsavo. I think it was off the train on the ride from Mombasa at the beginning of the book.

 

[reineke]

CoElkhunter: Sorry I have to brag a little and contradict my latest post - unfortunately I cannot find the photo right now. Some years ago I hunted with my best Pal in SA, in the Limpopo Province, with Tallyho Safaris. One day we saw some Ostriches while driving around, and I said: I'd like to shoot one in the head sometime. As I only carried my 9,3x64 the PH said, if you hit the head with this rifle it's for free. So next day we drove around, and in front of the car stood a male Ostrich, about 50-60 meters away, standing rather still but waggling his head, as they like to do. There is your trophy, said the pH - I took aim on the roof of the hunting vehicle and down he went, spraying blood all over the place. I still can hear the tracker whistle in the back of the car. Even if that might sound a little bloodthirsty I was satisfied with the event. What the pH did not know is that my 9,3 with a Mauser .98 System is custom made, and I shot nearly all my African PG with it. So I was rather confident...

 

[Deleted member 74279]

I grew up using a .375 h&h from the age of 16... I shot a lot of game for meat here in Zimbabwe. From impala to eland and nearly everything in between... you learn very quickly which shots are best. Although I did use quite a few neck shots my favourite was just behind the shoulder. Done properly you loose very little meat. (if it's a perfectly broadside shot)

 

[Carter123]

Often when Culling at night , only shoot head and neck shots , main reason is the animal will drop instantly , as well as minimum meat damage , your bullet size will also effect meat damage , so if using a very large round on a smaller animal , I’d recommend neck shot if you can shoot straight , slightly more risk to neck shots than a shot behind the shoulder

 

[CoElkHunter]

I use the neck shot almost exclusively. Any round bigger than a 243 has broken the spine and dropped them right there. The longest track of the season was actually a 35 whelen behind the shoulder. If it's a long shot (200+) I'll take the shoulder shot because it's bigger. If it's standing or inside of 200 I shoot center neck and accept a clean miss or a done deal break of the spine. I have never lost one (knock on wood).

Hey Townsend @Bob Nelson 35Whelen, "The longest track of the season was actually a 35 Whelen behind the shoulder". Should've used a .338WM! Ha! Ha! Ha!

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Hey Townsend @Bob Nelson 35Whelen, "The longest track of the season was actually a 35 Whelen behind the shoulder". Should've used a .338WM! Ha! Ha! Ha!

@CoElkHunter
Mate the longest track I've ever done with a shoulder or behind the shoulder shot with the Whelen was around 15 long paces from where it was shot. Not really a tracking job as I saw where it fell thru the scope.
Place the RIGHT bullet in the RIGHT spot and you shouldn't need to track far at all. Be it a 22lr on a rabbit or a 577 on an elephant.
Bob

 

[Jörg Krüger]

@CoElkHunter
Mate the longest track I've ever done with a shoulder or behind the shoulder shot with the Whelen was around 15 long paces from where it was shot. Not really a tracking job as I saw where it fell thru the scope.
Place the RIGHT bullet in the RIGHT spot and you shouldn't need to track far at all. Be it a 22lr on a rabbit or a 577 on an elephant.
Bob

And a Tomato stake for everything in-between.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

And a Tomato stake for everything in-between.

@Jörg Krüger
I will leave the useless tomato stake to those that like them.
With my fast 25 the longest tracking job is the walk to pick up the game. It usually doesn't move off the spot when hit with a 117grain SST.
Bob

 

[CD24]

@CoElkHunter
Mate the longest track I've ever done with a shoulder or behind the shoulder shot with the Whelen was around 15 long paces from where it was shot. Not really a tracking job as I saw where it fell thru the scope.
Place the RIGHT bullet in the RIGHT spot and you shouldn't need to track far at all. Be it a 22lr on a rabbit or a 577 on an elephant.
Bob

Bob,
This is the shot in question. The entrance was a little further forward and the exit is obvious. She went about 200 yards which is typically not a problem except this 200 yards included the worst thorn patch I've ever seen, down a steep bank, across a relatively deep creek, up the steep bank on the other side, and onto a particularly ornery neighbor's property. I should have taken the neck shot.
Chris

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Bob,
This is the shot in question. The entrance was a little further forward and the exit is obvious. She went about 200 yards which is typically not a problem except this 200 yards included the worst thorn patch I've ever seen, down a steep bank, across a relatively deep creek, up the steep bank on the other side, and onto a particularly ornery neighbor's property. I should have taken the neck shot.
Chris

View attachment 445309

@CD24
It's a,wonder she made it that far with such a wound.
I have shot fallow deer in the neck with my 25. Very dramatic kill but the meat was bruised to right down between the shoulders. I lost all the beautiful neck meat and a fair bit of back strap. That's the reason I usually try for a behind the shoulder shot. Still massive bruising on the off side but you don't get much meat off the ribs anyway.
It is unusual for an animal to run that far with such massive damage. I think it would be the exception rather the rule.
Just my thoughts
Bob

 

[Cam Moon]

Head shot only! Ha! ha!

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

 

[Cam Moon]

@CD24
It's a,wonder she made it that far with such a wound.
I have shot fallow deer in the neck with my 25. Very dramatic kill but the meat was bruised to right down between the shoulders. I lost all the beautiful neck meat and a fair bit of back strap. That's the reason I usually try for a behind the shoulder shot. Still massive bruising on the off side but you don't get much meat off the ribs anyway.
It is unusual for an animal to run that far with such massive damage. I think it would be the exception rather the rule.
Just my thoughts
Bob

You mean because it looks like she was shot with a cannonball?

 

[Gerald Boyd]

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......

Agree....... we call it the Lee Harvey Rule

 

[Finprof]

I hunt for hogs in Lowcountry SC where the outfitter insists on head shots. The area is thick and swampy so he doesn’t want to track a hog in terrain where you can’t see your feet let alone 5 yards in front of you. The hog is either drt or gone. What makes it difficult is that a hog never stops moving his head even when standing still.
Several clients have knocked them down on attempted headshots after which the hog got up and ran away. The difficulty is compounded by rarely getting a broadside shot.

On an upcountry fancy private club we do high shoulder shots and they are also drt.

I always thought that head shots are risky after seeing deer and hogs with a jaw shot away. If you hit a bit far back you might get a neck hit but too far in front and you shoot away it’s jaw.