Rifle Season, Shot Placement

[Sledhead71]

Originally Posted by Mateo

No, your logic is flawed.

Pretty sure low percentage shots are just that, one day you will mature as a sportsman and understand my comments.

[Lefty-Canuck]

Originally Posted by Sledhead71

Pretty sure low percentage shots are just that, one day you will mature as a sportsman and understand my comments.

It would be interesting to do a small non scientific survey on these questions...I once shot a whitetail and he went down, as I was approaching he jumped up and ran straight away, I shot him in the back of the head/neck from about 70 yards because that's all I had, he dropped immediately....but that was a situational thing, I had NO other shot....he was wounded and trying to flee.

I would think some of the answers would hinge in what sort of past experiences a hunter has had...good or bad and what was learned.

I also think this discussion is good to have...for new and old hunters to perhaps consider/reconsider why people are doing what they do from both schools of thought.

I remember one fellow last year who posted here he was only going to take heads shots on a moose with his bow....because it was a cut and dried dead moose or a miss....

How old are you?
How many years have you hunted?
How many animals have you harvested?
If given the choice between a chest shot and a head/neck shot which do you choose first?

LC

[Desert Eagle]

Seems like everyone has an opinion and thinks everyone else is wrong...

It's hard to say about shot placement unless you are in the situation yourself.
I have taken both shots, depends on location, practice, what shots are presented, how you are feeling, what bullets you are using etc.

When I had more time for practice I used to shoot lots of head and neck shots, Most animals were DRT. One Mule doe ran a ways and did not have a drop of blood left when we field dressed. I have had far more animals run and had a tough long recovery with heart/ lung shots.

I did find a definitive answer for neck shots last year... 338 Lapua in the white patch, Deer is DOWN!

[Cowtown guy]

Originally Posted by Mateo

No, your logic is flawed.

Whoa. Great comeback.

[ACKLEY ABE]

Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck

It would be interesting to do a small non scientific survey on these questions...I once shot a whitetail and he went down, as I was approaching he jumped up and ran straight away, I shot him in the back of the head/neck from about 70 yards because that's all I had, he dropped immediately....but that was a situational thing, I had NO other shot....he was wounded and trying to flee.

I would think some of the answers would hinge in what sort of past experiences a hunter has had...good or bad and what was learned.

I also think this discussion is good to have...for new and old hunters to perhaps consider/reconsider why people are doing what they do from both schools of thought.

I remember one fellow last year who posted here he was only going to take heads shots on a moose with his bow....because it was a cut and dried dead moose or a miss....

How old are you?
How many years have you hunted?
How many animals have you harvested?
If given the choice between a chest shot and a head/neck shot which do you choose first?

LC

I'm older than some of the dirt in my backyard.

Over 30 years... serious like. Like 4-6 wks a year.

Game animals not including coyotes and such: Somewhere between a whole bunch and a s__load......

Heart lungs first by a long shot ...head neck...as a first shot....count em on one hand and only where everything was in my favor...and it was the only shot available and there was no chance of a miss....and I probably still should not have taken the shot..but I was young...once.

[happy honker]

I vote for Boiler Room, heart/lungs.

I've hit "spine" more than a few times due to not understanding anatomy as good as I should have in earlier years.
Spine shots stop them well enough, but usually require a follow up in the noggin, and the DEFINETLY damage backstrap meat.

I hunted for years with a buddy who preffered neck or head shots. He stopped taking head shots after he shot a mulie buck in the boiler room with his second shot (bang, flop)...we walked up to it and realized his first shot went into the left eye and out through the skull, the animal, likely stunned big time, just stood there, but the shot was not fatal.

He still likes his neck shots, but I'm a boiler room guy (I now understand way better where exactly the vitals are)....my follow up shots are extremely rare, can't remember the last one honestly.

Also, my comfortable range limit is about 350 - 400 yds when rifle hunting....but I prefer 60-250. (typical range of where I hunt white tail with a rifle)

I'm in my 40's...and I've probably harvested around 50 deer.