Thread: Neckshot placement

Originally Posted by Rushy

A technicality I know but he was actually trying to trade him in on an underpriced rifle.

It pays to be accurate. A trade does not sound so bad.
I hear you can get a couple good shovels for a kid in Uruguay.


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Originally Posted by R93

It pays to be accurate. A trade does not sound so bad.
I hear you can get a couple good shovels for a kid in Uruguay.

A few years back I suggested trading in my well used 40 year old missus on two brand new 20 year olds. The idea (which I thought was a master stroke of genius) was met with a great deal of resistance at the time.

Cant get the video to work? Sent me to 600+ of your photobucket uploads?

Its of a goat dropping like a sack of shit and hanging its self in a tree to make it easier to gut/skin and butcher. If only deer had the courtesy to do that

Iv witnessed too many horrible fails on head shots to do them unless its the only shot and only then if side on or facing away.

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Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Iv witnessed too many horrible fails on head shots to do them unless its the only shot and only then if side on or facing away.

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Fair enough, that what its all about - knowing what works for you and is within your own personal comfort zone to do with the consistency the animal deserves.

kj

I prefer neck shots over head shots, as KJ says whatever you're comfortable with, generally in the bush & close, quite often thats all thats on offer when an animal is looking at you, either the top or base of the neck. I try to avoid them on rutted up stags when their necks are swelled up, having fooked one up years ago.

I always laugh when I here of head shots being the be all end all ! We where lucky enough to sneek up on some pigs sleeping in afternoon sun , my mate decided to get all fancy on it and head shoot ( long shot) myself aim for boiler room . Mine never woke ,flattened it. my mates jumped about 3 feet in air( like a head shot rabbit). It was dead but bounced and subsequently rolled into a smelly muddy swamp , and wriggled about to get completely covered in the black smelly mud . He had the most uncomfortable carry and got give absolute arseholes from me

Gibo, no offence, but instead of practicing on "goats", get your .22 out and practice on cans and targets, and if you can, shoot as many rabbits and possums as possible. Do it in a controlled fashion, aiming for a specific kill spot over and over. Aim small, to hit an aimed for point, not "at the general target" or "the big bit". To become confident in bullet placement and being a consistent accurate shot you need to practice sending pills down the tube.

I realise you're not going to go out and willy-nilly shoot at goats, but rather than worry about where you should aim on an animal, worry about sending the bullet exactly where you want it to go. To kill a deer you know you need to hit it vitally, or in the brain or break its neck, and you should be able to determine whether a kill shot is on offer or not the second you see that animal. With new hunters I always tell them to wait for a clear kill shot before sending the bullet. If it means we lose an animal then so be it, it's better than a tracking a wounded one for hours or in the worst case losing it.

I now shoot the majority of my deer with a 223 (up to several a month) and will confidently neck or head shoot a deer out to, and in good conditions 200m, from various stances and with the deer on various angles. Depending on range and angle of the animal I will either aim for the base of the neck, behind the animals ear, below its face, back of the head etc. Any further than that range or if I am not confident, comfortable, the animal won't stop or the weather conditions don't allow it I either won't shoot and will stalk closer or I will let the animal walk, or if I'm hunting an area with longer ranges I'll take a bigger calibre and hilar shoot.

The only reason I feel confident to take these shots is because I use my rifle almost daily and know exactly where it shoots, and know what I am personally capable of. I have never gone for a neck or head shot and wounded a deer, and the only deer I have wounded and lost have been ones when I have rushed a chest shot on that animal.

Originally Posted by JoshC

Gibo, no offence, but instead of practicing on "goats", get your .22 out and practice on cans and targets, and if you can, shoot as many rabbits and possums as possible. Do it in a controlled fashion, aiming for a specific kill spot over and over. Aim small, to hit an aimed for point, not "at the general target" or "the big bit". To become confident in bullet placement and being a consistent accurate shot you need to practice sending pills down the tube.

I realise you're not going to go out and willy-nilly shoot at goats, but rather than worry about where you should aim on an animal, worry about sending the bullet exactly where you want it to go. To kill a deer you know you need to hit it vitally, or in the brain or break its neck, and you should be able to determine whether a kill shot is on offer or not the second you see that animal. With new hunters I always tell them to wait for a clear kill shot before sending the bullet. If it means we lose an animal then so be it, it's better than a tracking a wounded one for hours or in the worst case losing it.

I now shoot the majority of my deer with a 223 (up to several a month) and will confidently neck or head shoot a deer out to, and in good conditions 200m, from various stances and with the deer on various angles. Depending on range and angle of the animal I will either aim for the base of the neck, behind the animals ear, below its face, back of the head etc. Any further than that range or if I am not confident, comfortable, the animal won't stop or the weather conditions don't allow it I either won't shoot and will stalk closer or I will let the animal walk, or if I'm hunting an area with longer ranges I'll take a bigger calibre and hilar shoot.

The only reason I feel confident to take these shots is because I use my rifle almost daily and know exactly where it shoots, and know what I am personally capable of. I have never gone for a neck or head shot and wounded a deer, and the only deer I have wounded and lost have been ones when I have rushed a chest shot on that animal.

Cheers Josh appreciate the advice,

I am not saying I dont know how to shoot or that I am not confident in where my slug will go, what I was asking for was "where" in the neck do you aim to kill as I have never done it.
I will take a hilar shot when available everytime but wanted to expand my options.

It was on average $2.00 a kilo difference between a clean shot (head-neck) or body shot deer. Clean shot fetching the higher price obviously.
It sucked carting animals out of the scrub that you could have made another hundy on, if you clean shot it.
So it paid to gain confidence in clean shooting animals. It is to this day the only shot I will take on a deer within 200. I may once in a blue moon tuck one in behind the ribs of a young animal if it is moving. You don't have to break its neck to kill it, but it helps.
I have missed shitloads over the years but that goes with the territory.
If you are having no troubles shooting the big bits I would just keep doing it.
I prefer clean shots for a number of reasons, the finished product without doubt, is better if shooting for the table, for one.

Cheers R93, good advice and info.

True, the neck is a smaller target than the chest, but if you are happy to shoot at the chest of a deer at 400m then you should be accurate enough to nail it in the neck at 40m. When I aim for the neck I imagine my bullet passing through the center of the neck, no matter what the angle or how far up the neck you aim. This seems to flatten them. The one shot I won't take is front on into the brisket. Lost an animal at 5m like that (big calibre and good bullet) and know 3 others that have had the same problem. I will always aim further up the neck now.

Originally Posted by Shearer

True, the neck is a smaller target than the chest, but if you are happy to shoot at the chest of a deer at 400m then you should be accurate enough to nail it in the neck at 40m. When I aim for the neck I imagine my bullet passing through the center of the neck, no matter what the angle or how far up the neck you aim. This seems to flatten them. The one shot I won't take is front on into the brisket. Lost an animal at 5m like that (big calibre and good bullet) and know 3 others that have had the same problem. I will always aim further up the neck now.

Agree

It is possible on that front on brisket shot for a bullet to pass outside the ribs inside the shoulder and not actually hit anything vital... not saying thats what happened just saying.

also just saying... I think most people who shoot for the engine room shoot too low Ie one third up the depth of the chest. where the fuck this rule of thumb came from I have no Idea.
Aiming for this area a slightly low shot will break the brisket and do no real damage. If it hits where you aimed it will likely hit or at least damage the heart and they quite often(fucken always) take off on a heart run which in some country can mean a hour at least trying to find a dead deer or not finding it at all.
Aiming that low also gives very little left right margin for error on a broad side shot,the diaphragm and lungs taper back from forward low to high rear.

Broadside on if you want bang flop place your pill half way up the depth of the chest in line with the front leg,if your shot is true you wont hit leg bone, you will annihilate the lower lungs and major arteries out of the heart and shock to the spine will drop it right there.
If your a bit high from aim point you will breakm the scapular damage high lungs and shock the spine and drop it right there, if your a bit high and left or right a bit you will damage lungs shock the spine and drop it Right there.
If your really high(4-6 inches on a mature red) you will hit the spine and lungs and drop it right there
The "vitals" cavity on a mature deer is from upper side of brisket to about 2/3rds of the way up.
A pig is differrent, vitals are in the lower half not 2/3rds.

I will slip it in on the crease most the time if its to far for a neck but if it is imperative its DRT( IE will be hard to find if moves) its halfway up the depth of the chest(lung shot) at a point in the center of the chest between the NATURAL LINE OF THE FRONT LEGS.
So IMHO you want to pass that pill threw the point between the front legs halfway up the chest,depending on angle this could mean aiming behind the shoulder on the crease or in front of the shoulder on the point.

Sincerely "hates heart shots with a passion"

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Agree

It is possible on that front on brisket shot for a bullet to pass outside the ribs inside the shoulder and not actually hit anything vital... not saying thats what happened just saying.

also just saying... I think most people who shoot for the engine room shoot too low Ie one third up the depth of the chest. where the fuck this rule of thumb came from I have no Idea.
Aiming for this area a slightly low shot will break the brisket and do no real damage. If it hits where you aimed it will likely hit or at least damage the heart and they quite often(fucken always) take off on a heart run which in some country can mean a hour at least trying to find a dead deer or not finding it at all.
Aiming that low also gives very little left right margin for error on a broad side shot,the diaphragm and lungs taper back from forward low to high rear.

Broadside on if you want bang flop place your pill half way up the depth of the chest in line with the front leg,if your shot is true you wont hit leg bone, you will annihilate the lower lungs and major arteries out of the heart and shock to the spine will drop it right there.
If your a bit high from aim point you will breakm the scapular damage high lungs and shock the spine and drop it right there, if your a bit high and left or right a bit you will damage lungs shock the spine and drop it Right there.
If your really high(4-6 inches on a mature red) you will hit the spine and lungs and drop it right there
The "vitals" cavity on a mature deer is from upper side of brisket to about 2/3rds of the way up.
A pig is differrent, vitals are in the lower half not 2/3rds.

I will slip it in on the crease most the time if its to far for a neck but if it is imperative its DRT( IE will be hard to find if moves) its halfway up the depth of the chest(lung shot) at a point in the center of the chest between the NATURAL LINE OF THE FRONT LEGS
So IMHO you want to pass that pill threw the point between the front legs halfway up the chest,depending on angle this could mean aiming behind the shoulder on the crease or in front of the shoulder on the point.

Sincerely "hates heart shots with a passion"

Agree entirely.
I imagine a tennis ball right in the middle of the chest and the bullet has to pass through it from whatever angle.
My theory with the front on brisket shot is that the bullet passes between the lungs, above the heart and too far below the
spine. Effectively turns it into a gut shot. Not good.