Neck shot deer dead ?

[kyron4]

Had a nice buck come through was moving at a good pace stopping only for a second and with vitals always behind a tree . He was heading into the tall grass and right towards the guy across from me stand (public land), so I let out one last grunt and he stopped with only a neck shot. I had a split second so I took the shot. He ran off out of sight. Found hair and blood and began to follow. Other guy got down and said he stopped and he could see blood and thought it was going down but continued to walk off the property. Got ahold of the land owner and after an hour followed the trail. It was drip ,drip then a small pool were he would stop. Kicked him up and he ran into a thicket. Hunters on that land said they would look for him tomorrow and worse case watch for buzzards to circle. All in all he had going several hundred yards. The neck shot was with a .44 mag rifle at 65 yds. I'm not a fan of the neck shot but it was a now or never shot and I took it. I am now regretting it, should I have let him go to the other guys stand ? Any chance I will find this deer dead ? This will probably be my last neck shot. Any thoughts ?

 

[RGriff69]

You didn't break the spine and it doesn't sound like you hit any major arteries. I think the deer is still alive for right now and probably won't be recovered.

 

[Willie]

You didn't break the spine and it doesn't sound like you hit any major arteries. I think the deer is still alive for right now and probably won't be recovered.

^^^^
THIS


Flesh wound... IF you are going to do a neck shot shoot the neck as close to the head as possible. Not a shot I'd do though//

 

[Tranquil]

A neck shot with a 12 gauge is usually a safe bet for a broken spine. I wouldn't have taken that shot with that gun. It doesn't cover enough area IMO for anything but vitals.

I'd go back and keep my eye out for him.

 

[snapping turtle]

It happens. Relax take a deep breath and find someone with a blood trail dog. With the rain last night all sign is gone.

I had had the most wonderful blood trail dog that recovered many a wounded deer in just the manner you are describing. I lost him to old age a few years ago. I would keep him on the trunk and even when I could see the deer down from the stand he always was allowed to find it. He trailed a gut shot doe a friend arrowed once over 3 fields and a small creek a full night after the shot. We never would have found that deer without him.

Rip little buddy:

 

[kyron4]

Ya, Like I said I regret the shot and it was my first and last neck shot. I know it was a good shot as far as hitting where I aimed , still just to much margin for error. I just got to shake it off settle down and get back out. I had read a lot about neck shots, some swear by it others say no. Lesson learned, some times you just have to let them walk.

 

[IndyGunworks]

I am glad it was your first and last neck shot, it sounds like it was an unethical shot to begin with. The issue may not have been with the neck shot itself though, but rather your choice to pull the trigger before you were 100 percent certain that you would make a kill shot.

 

[kyron4]

I am glad it was your first and last neck shot, it sounds like it was an unethical shot to begin with. The issue may not have been with the neck shot itself though, but rather your choice to pull the trigger before you were 100 percent certain that you would make a kill shot.

I had read so much about the neck shots, and even people who only make neck shots, I didn't see it as being a unethical shot. I had done this research and talks over the years and this was the first time it was an only option. If I was going to make a unethical shot I would have gut shot him when he was stopped with vitals behind a tree.

 

[avboiler11]

Where - exactly - on the neck did you aim?

Neck shots can provide quick, ethical, DRT harvests....or cause wounds that lead a deer to infection or starvation.

 

[kyron4]

Where - exactly - on the neck did you aim?

Neck shots can provide quick, ethical, DRT harvests....or cause wounds that lead a deer to infection or starvation.

Center of the neck half way up. It's obvious now that I missed the spine and may have only nicked the vein

 

[snapping turtle]

Lots of the effectiveness of the neck shot has to do with bullet speed. Extreme shock with 243 and up rifles with bullets moving 2500 or better. I have done it before with PCR but it was just with the deer facing me standing still. 44 mag traveled all the way through the deer DRT . The problem with that is there is a smaller target area. Neck shots to me are for deer facing a hunter straight on.

I do not get the shots you see on tv. They are moving deer. They do not stand in a Field broadside in range. I can t take time to look at every horn in a spotting scope first. I normally see a deer for 15 to 30 seconds I have to draw a bead and decide quick if I a take it or passing and if the shot is in range and on target.

Do not kick yourself to much.

 

[Mgderf]

I've only made one neck shot in all the years I've been hunting deer.
I've only been presented that one opportunity.

My neck shot was from 15 feet up, and my shot was straight down. The buck was literally directly under my stand.
I hit the spine with a Breineke 1oz slug.
That buck dropped straight down to his knees and laid over on his side. Never took the first step.

It can be done, but it's far from an ideal shot.

 

[Hookeye]

Small bullet, small hole, miss the goodies and they can go a long ways before expiring.
Lots of slug gun hunters switching to .44 and .357 mag have learned there is no slop allowed.

 

[ilikeguns]

Don't give up on that deer.. Story of my buck this year: bow shot. Want sure where I hit but could see good blood even from my stand. I backed out and waited a couple hours just to be safe. Would have waited longer but blood looked good. Followed easy blood thinking he would be behind the next tree every step. For 400yds! Finally walked up on him and he jumped up and took off. I could not figure out where I hit that deer to bleed so much and still go that far and have that much life left after over two hours but figured I was screwed at that point because he had quit bleeding while bedded. Left and came back the next morning and found him in a thicket 80yds from where I had jumped him. I either jerked the bow or hit a twig or something and somehow hit him in front of his shoulder down low in his neck. Horrible shot. But he died and I found him. Moral is, never assume its a flesh wound and don't loose hope, he very well may be dead. Good luck!

 

[Redskinsfan]

I don't think your shot was unethical. I have shot at and hit a buck in the neck while he was running.

I have fired when I thought I would definitely hit, but half of the time I have fired I missed. Even is a person is 100% sure they will hit, they may not.

 

[halfmileharry]

I like the neck shot with slugs. Got a bunch of them with that shot. Most never take a step. I've taken muleys and whitetail both with .243 on the neck shot with same results. Drop dead in their tracks.
I had a 10 yd bow shot on a nice 11 pt a couple of years back. I nailed him where I wanted to. He ran off and disappeared. NO blood the first 50 yds and I found a large trail later. It got dark and I had to go back the next morning. He was laying 20 feet from where I stopped the night before. When I skinned him out I cut around the wound and the shot was perfectly even between the spine and vein. I couldn't do it again IF I tried.
Don't give up on the deer. Sometimes you just need to let them lay down longer than your patience level.

 

[Mark 1911]

The kill zone in the neck is too small. Heart and lungs is far superior, provides the least chance of the animal suffering, and least amount of damage to the meat / mount.

 

[Hookeye]

Killing them isn't the problem.
Finding them is.
Blast nothing but windpipe, esp with smaller projectiles of lesser contact V, and it can be a long ways from shot to drop.
Buddy found that out on a nice one years ago.
I've taken 8 deer with neck shots, all recovered, most down at the shot. Not my fave, but I'll take it.

 

[ChootEm]

Had a nice buck come through was moving at a good pace stopping only for a second and with vitals always behind a tree . He was heading into the tall grass and right towards the guy across from me stand (public land), so I let out one last grunt and he stopped with only a neck shot. I had a split second so I took the shot. He ran off out of sight. Found hair and blood and began to follow. Other guy got down and said he stopped and he could see blood and thought it was going down but continued to walk off the property. Got ahold of the land owner and after an hour followed the trail. It was drip ,drip then a small pool were he would stop. Kicked him up and he ran into a thicket. Hunters on that land said they would look for him tomorrow and worse case watch for buzzards to circle. All in all he had going several hundred yards. The neck shot was with a .44 mag rifle at 65 yds. I'm not a fan of the neck shot but it was a now or never shot and I took it. I am now regretting it, should I have let him go to the other guys stand ? Any chance I will find this deer dead ? This will probably be my last neck shot. Any thoughts ?

I have taken neck shots but never will again!!...I shot a doe at 20 yards with a 20 gauge Remington Copper Solids....dropper her FLAT...she laid there I settled back into my stand....she kicked a couple of times...thoughts being nerves...then she raised her head..I glassed her and saw a hole about 2" in dia on the exit hole....then she got her back legs up and started pushing her chest through the woods...then the front legs popped up and she took off....I had a drop of blood the size of a pea every fifty feet and lost her.....NEVER AGAIN!

 

[Hookeye]

Any deer that drops at the shot should be thumped again ASAP.
A bullet could be off the mark and just clip the spine (or hit the head).

Might not be a killing shot, or it might be, but take a long time to have that effect.
I saw guy pull a Brenneke from an infected deer with one vert blown in half, another crushed with the slug in the 3rd. Shot must have been going straight away. Deer was alive opening of MZ when the guy shot it. Infected, green stuff running down its side...........dunno how much longer that buck had to live, but he was still chasing does (trying to, was slow mover).

Another guy I know dropped a nice buck and thought it dead. Lowered his gun to get down and it jumped up and took off. Never found it............that year anyway.

Same stand, following year, he shoots that same buck. It had healed but was nasty scar and some bone missing. Amazing creatures.