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

[SFRanger7GP]

I don't like neck shots because the neck roast is one of my favorite parts. In my experience, higher than normal velocity and frangible bullets do the most meat damage regardless of bullet placement.

Safe shooting and Best Wishes for a healthy and happy 2022.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Double lunger here, archery and gun. Shoulder shots have ruined roasts for me.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

I’d rather have the neck meat than the shoulder meat anyway. And it’s a lot less work

 

[Hunt anything]

Don’t like neck shots unless the animal is close to a river, cliff or other place that recovery may be a problem. Also lots of good meat on the neck and too much room for error, and with the double lung shot if off a little you may loose a shoulder but gain a deer or whatever you are hunting.

 

[Philip Glass]

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?

It totally depends on the hunt. If I am culling whitetail does at home and have a good rest it will be a head shot. I prefer a facing headshot and not profile or broadside. If I am on a paying trophy hunt I will be aiming on the shoulder most of the time.

 

[Bonk]

A clean humane kill is my primary goal. Meat damage is of zero concern. The target for a clean humane kill shot in the head is tennis ball sized. The target for a clean humane kill shot in the torso is cantaloupe sized. If I miss the brain the animal will be terribly wounded. If I miss the heart I'll still probably deliver a killing wound through the lungs and large blood vessels. YMMV

 

[curtism1234]

From various euro forums / facebook groups - many of the european hunters shoot for the head and neck as the meat lockers won't buy the animal if it's shoulder shot.

I would never, ever take a head shot or a broadside neck shot. My favorite is a quartering towards angle where you can take out the neck, sometimes 1 shoulder, and the vitals. Drops them on the spot. Otherwise a double shoulder if it's a big male or it's raining. Rib cage if ideal conditions. The problem with shooting them in the ribs is they run 100% of the time --- harder to tell if you hit where you were supposed to. In the US we are taught to shoot once and keep an eye on where they run. I'd rather know right away if I need to shoot again.

 

[Vintageguy]

I go for the top of the heart, might be behind the shoulder or through it, depends on the angle and I don’t care. Not much meat in a whitetail shoulder anyway and a quick kill is foremost. I went through a period of head shooting all meat deer which was great until I had one jerk it’s head around right at the shot. Got her but that left an indelible impression on me. A non (instantly) fatal head wound from a centerfire rifle isn’t pretty. Bullets with tougher jackets like A-frames really cut down on destroyed meat too.
My last buck was killed with my 375 and 300 grain a-frame behind the shoulder with really no meat loss. My buddy during the same drive and seconds later blew both shoulders to garbage on his deer with a 30/06 and a 150 grain soft point and he laughed at me for being over gunned that morning. Both deer went about 20 yards. I also use the meat in the neck not so much the ribs.

 

[Randy F]

I'm with the rib cage-double lung group for preference. I also prefer that it bleeds out as much as possible and, for me, head shots don't bleed them out enough. I hunt in mostly brush country so getting the time for a well placed neck or head shot is iffy at best. The rib cage is a little bigger and better target for that.

 

[Dirtdart]

When I lived in Wyoming I kept a water tank out back for whatever critter wanted a drink. More antelope than anything else would show up. One early afternoon I noticed an antelope standing at the water tank but something wasn't right so I got the binos out for a closer look.

The lower jaw had been blown completely off and the poor bastard was was desperately trying to drink. There was no way he could. The antelope season was open in the area and this goat had enough horn to qualify as a buck but not a shooter by me or anyone I knew. I called the game commission and they said a warden was on his way to put him down. The antelope finally gave up on the water and started to walk off. I couldn't watch it anymore so I ended his misery with my .300 Win.

The game warden showed up within a half hour or so and I led him to the carcass. I was informed that I was not authorized by the state to perform such an act and if I tagged the animal immediately I would not be fined for failure to tag.

I have no idea who shot that goat in the first place or what the shooter was thinking but that animal always comes to mind when this subject arises.

 

[Cam Moon]

I'm really surprised by all these horror stories! Is it possible that I've just been lucky all this time? Like I said, I've headshot COUNTLESS critters with never a problem. It seemed like the best thing ever, because I never had one suffer! And no tracking and no wasted meat was definitely nice too!

 

[ZG47]

The only time I use headshots is when helping a friend to check his trap lines OR when doing night time possum shooting at very close range.

 

[JimP]

A lot of people that go for a head shot and have the animal run off have no idea if they hit it or not, they usually just figure that they missed and move on.

I have seen a number of both mule deer and elk that have been hit in the lower jaw and unable to eat or drink. I am sure that the shooter figured that they just missed and went to find another animal.

 

[CoElkHunter]

If shooting ANYTHING PG wise (In my world: deer, pronghorn and elk) where the least amount of destruction to ALL the meat is most always preferred, I/we ALWAYS try to avoid a front shoulder shot. That has happened, and the shoulder is mostly completely wasted, especially with a lead bullet. I guess in Africa, a shoulder shot is preferred, so I'll take out the shoulder(s). Seems a waste though of good shoulder meat?

 

[curtism1234]

The game warden showed up within a half hour or so and I led him to the carcass. I was informed that I was not authorized by the state to perform such an act and if I tagged the animal immediately I would not be fined for failure to tag.

The Wyoming Game Wardens are pretty savage. They made us literally unload every single thing from the back of the truck bed (which with a campshell and out of state hunters meant it was completely overflowing), got in his truck and drove away leaving us with a hell of a mess on the side of the road.

 

[CoElkHunter]

When I lived in Wyoming I kept a water tank out back for whatever critter wanted a drink. More antelope than anything else would show up. One early afternoon I noticed an antelope standing at the water tank but something wasn't right so I got the binos out for a closer look.

The lower jaw had been blown completely off and the poor bastard was was desperately trying to drink. There was no way he could. The antelope season was open in the area and this goat had enough horn to qualify as a buck but not a shooter by me or anyone I knew. I called the game commission and they said a warden was on his way to put him down. The antelope finally gave up on the water and started to walk off. I couldn't watch it anymore so I ended his misery with my .300 Win.

The game warden showed up within a half hour or so and I led him to the carcass. I was informed that I was not authorized by the state to perform such an act and if I tagged the animal immediately I would not be fined for failure to tag.

I have no idea who shot that goat in the first place or what the shooter was thinking but that animal always comes to mind when this subject arises.

I would have done the same thing. One elk hunting season a number of years ago, we came upon three spike bulls that were shot having been mistaken for cows. One was still alive, so a hunting buddy slit it's throat instead of shooting it, so we wouldn't have been accused by the sound of gunfire of killing an illegal elk. The rule has changed though here, so if an illegal elk (by points or no points) has been killed, the DOW is notified and the hunter generally won't get a citation as long as the meat is preserved and ultimately the DOW donates it to a food bank.

 

[Cam Moon]

I took three shots this past hunting season. Got 2 Whitetail and 1 moose. No wasted meat, no suffering, and no tracking. Headshots!
BUT now I'm reading all these horror stories of poor animals with no jaw, and I hate the thought of that. But at the same time, I know another hunter that also took three shots this season. All shoulder/rib shots. They have tag soup. To me that equates to three deer likely suffering a slow painful death.
It seems so strange that my experience with headshots is so positive, and that I'm reading all these negative comments.
So now my question is how many can share stories of animals lost with body shots?

 

[C.W. Richter]

'Have recovered several neighbors' neck-shot deer 1/2 mi away from the shot. Bullet often recovered (not near the spine/artery/cord) was an 87 gr .243. smh. Not much meat damage, but they didn't recover the deer and proceeded to continue the woundfest! (Dropping the deer and another with additional tags, using the proper shot placement and bullet will result in a surplus of meat.) Hit the vitals (frontal, broadside, quartering-toward or away, between the shoulder blades from above or even TX heartshot/femoral artery/spine) and use a proper SD bullet! Neck shot on Cape Buff, elephant or hippo is a great way to get the party started... Funny-they forgot to include the "neck" shot on all shot angle diagrams.

 

[C.W. Richter]

Headshot today could very likely result in CWD pate for din din. Very few hunters can pull that off (esp. in typ. high wind, wintry conditions encountered in northern climes. In TX, on a nice, calm day have at the head shot (for culling non-trophy animals) with your trusty .257, .264 (or even .244, .223 using proper hunting bullets and steady rest. I've never seen an antler blown off by the (proper) vital organ shots.

 

[CoElkHunter]

Headshot today could very likely result in CWD pate for din din. Very few hunters can pull that off (esp. in typ. high wind, wintry conditions encountered in northern climes.

CWD (chronic wasting disease) is another reason for NOT shooting an animal in the head at least where I hunt in northwestern Colorado. Deer, and to a lesser extent, elk, are known to carry it. If you shoot an animal in the head, they can't test the brain tissue for CWD or so I've been told. We take the head(s) to the DOW and have it/them tested. It's well worth the $20 for peace of mind.