Why are deer so special to have people argue whether or not a head or neck shot is ok.
I think that if you have found a deer with its jaw shot off, and know that it died because it was unable to drink or eat, things get a little more understandable.
Ethics is not about placement, it is about shot selection. If you have a head shot, you probably also have an easier-to-make chest shot. That's a decision. If you KNOW you can make that head shot, and you have good reason to prefer it, then fine.
If you're unsure about the head shot, or you're only making the shot to "test yourself" or impress your friends, and you take it, that is not, IMHO, ethical.
if a hunter is incorrect about their skill level, but honestly thought such a shot was not only possible, but probable in making a humane harvest, is that hunter unethical?
Why was the hunter incorrect? Too little range time, and too much false confidence? Then he was unethical.
Missed because he had a simple human failing (a one in a hundred flinch)? Well, we're all human. Mistakes like that are part of hunting. Ethical.
Part of the equation is,
what does the hunter DO with his mistake? If the miss happened because he took a long shot, but misjudged the distance because of poor lighting, or because the wind at the target was way different than where he was? Well, if he just says to himself, "Better luck next time," unethical. If he says, "I'm bringing a range-finder next time," or, "I'm not going to try a head shot at that distance ever again," ethical.
We all prefer to learn from others' mistakes (I mean experience
). But learning from your own is ethical enough. Not learning a darn thing is not ethical.