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

[Ares]

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?

 

[Red Leg]

On deer on my place? Base of the neck. On a hunt costing lots of money, behind the shoulder for a deer species and low on the shoulder for an antelope, zebra, or buffalo.

 

[wesheltonj]

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?

That would be correct for the maximum amount of useable meat. That said, I’ve lost deer with that shot and don’t take it any longer. I try to get a rib shot into the lungs right behind the shoulder to minimize meat loss.

 

[gbflyer]

We head shoot our meat deer. Get close enough for a confident shot. Like Red Leg, if I were paying or it was a real choad I would put one through the boiler room.

 

[JimP]

Rib shot for a double lung, the animal doesn't go very far if anywhere and you have a much larger target.

If you punch through the ribs you are not going to waste very much meat.

 

[scoober78]

Rib shot for a double lung, the animal doesn't go very far if anywhere and you have a much larger target.

If you punch through the ribs you are not going to waste very much meat.

Yes. I've taken other shots, and will again in the right situation, but this is the one size fits all.

If you aren't worried about parking it, stay out of the shoulder and you won't waste more than a couple pounds of meat.

 

[Newboomer]

Yes. I've taken other shots, and will again in the right situation, but this is the one size fits all.

If you aren't worried about parking it, stay out of the shoulder and you won't waste more than a couple pounds of meat.

Yes. I've taken other shots, and will again in the right situation, but this is the one size fits all.

If you aren't worried about parking it, stay out of the shoulder and you won't waste more than a couple pounds of meat.

Neck shot can be iffy unless you hit the spine which is located in different places in different species. If you are close enough for that, pop him in the ear. No meat damage and no tracking. You can use a smaller caliber, too.

 

[scoober78]

Rib shot for a double lung, the animal doesn't go very far if anywhere and you have a much larger target.

If you punch through the ribs you are not going to waste very much meat.

Yes. I've taken other shots, and will again in the right situation, but this is the one size fits all.

If you aren't worried about parking it, stay out of the shoulder and you won't waste more than a couple pounds of meat.

Neck shot can be iffy unless you hit the spine which is located in different places in different species. If you are close enough for that, pop him in the ear. No meat damage and no tracking. You can use a smaller caliber, too.

Agree! I was saying I agreed with the "double lung through the ribs"!

 

[Tanks]

Yes. I've taken other shots, and will again in the right situation, but this is the one size fits all.

If you aren't worried about parking it, stay out of the shoulder and you won't waste more than a couple pounds of meat.

Agree! I was saying I agreed with the "double lung through the ribs"!

I like the double lung shot for buffalo as well.

 

[GuttormG]

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?

100% damaged meat is the deer you shoot at and never find..

 

[mark-hunter]

my preferred shot:
Shoulder, or behind the shoulder.

(I dont care about meat damage, but I care a lot, if an animal is wounded and lost - and that is what neck shot can be, and I dont want that)

 

[Cam Moon]

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......

 

[Inline6]

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.

 

[Cam Moon]

You've actually SEEN it with your own eyes? Not just heard of shot jaws??

 

[Inline6]

Yes seen it with my own eyes, I am fortunate enough that I know people with high fence ranches. I help them out when they can use an extra set of hands. You may or may not be surprised by how many people wound animals. People think they can shoot a 4" target at 100 yards they can kill an animal no problem. Buck fever affects people different ways...

 

[Dudders]

The worry with a head shot is there is a large area which if hit will drop a deer with the impact but will not cause enough damage to kill it immediatly and will in the end starve to death.

 

[Cam Moon]

Wow. Maybe I should reconsider.....

 

[BeeMaa]

Even when I would hunt for meat, I didn’t take neck or head shots. Lungs shot makes for little meat damage. Shoulder shot is my primary choice for game hunting, and I’ll wait for that opportunity instead of taking a neck/head shot.

 

[GuttormG]

You've actually SEEN it with your own eyes? Not just heard of shot jaws??

Yes, to many times

 

[Dudders]

Just for Info these are two similar sized fallow bucks the one skull is missing the lower jaw but you will get the idea. The red circle is the location of the brain, Anything below the blue line will most probably get back to its feet and run and the further away from the blue line the higher that posibility.