Where on the neck is the neck?

[courtgreene]

I've seen a lot of people talking about neck shots. Some say that's all they take, others say that's all one SHOULD take with a smaller caliber. What none of them actually say is where, on the neck, the neck shot is. A deer's neck is like two feet long and at the base it's about as tall as they are from the chest to the spine. There's lots of real estate there. So when people say to shoot them in the neck, where do they mean? I've searched this on the internet but could find nothing definitive. broadside, people will describe a specific aiming point such as "in the shoulder" or "behind the shoulder." Look I've been hunting for a while and consider myself knowledgeable, but everything I know about it I've had to learn on my own so without some one to go with me and show me on an actual deer that they killed, I turn to you.
Thanks.

 

[CoRoMo]

I've shot for the spot where the neck meets the skull.

I read an article once about a handful of elk hunters who used a .243 on their elk. They would shoot for a spot on the base of the neck, right about where the neck attaches to the body. With an animal that was standing still, their goal was to run through some of the major arteries there, so that the heart and lungs keep running, but the animal bleeds out quickly. IIRC, the heart would pump blood out of the body's muscular system and into the chest cavity, making for better meat. Peculiar approach for sure.

 

[ricebasher302]

In my limited experience, amd knowing the experiences of a few others , it seems the neck shot is pretty effective on most critters. Where? I think the idea is that the spine is easily accessed from the neck area, and that trauma to the spinal column in the neck abruptly ends most vital processes (as opposed to spinal trauma to the back or midsection). In addition, very near to the spinal column are the major areries and veins. In my experience, a shot to the spine generally severs one of those major blood supplies. Broadside, a shot centered in the neck or slightly toward the top seems to work well. In bull elk, the mass of hair on the brisket and neck may draw your shot too low, so be careful there. I don't believe that it is as critical if the shot is closer to the body or closer to the head. Obviously, a shot nearer the head will lessen meat damage, and there is less muscle there to interfere with penetration.

Of course, from the front or back, shoot dead center and it's lights out for your quarry.

 

[Fernando]

Ok, here is a neck shot, lol:





The shot was taken at night during full moon at more or less 100 meters. He was eating corn on the ground, one meter away from a box similar to this one in the picture, but with a metal front. After the glare from muzzle I heard a “boink”, that was the sound of him hitting the box with his head, lol.

I did not intend to shoot him in the neck. I was aiming for thorax (what you call boileroom, I think lol), but my scope mounts had some screws loose, as I found out few nights after with another boar. The damn mounts have more than 18 screws, and they are fabulous only when they are all tighten up, lolol.



I make this boxes with double walls from old wood. And man, they like them
Those mud marks are from their noses

 

[desidog]

That's a good question. Here's my crude illustration, although the angle-of-approach matters, which would take multiple pics from multiple angles. I don't have any pictures of deer from the rear... but that's where i'd go neck-shot, instead of sending one through their **** in hopes of hitting their heart.

otherwise, a neck shot can be the most forgiving for poor range estimation, as you see (with my performance) more in archery.

 

[courtgreene]

so, according to desidog's chart with the deer, are we talking d3 or b2 or what? and thanks for the responses everyone.

 

[Art Eatman]

I generally like the bottom of C2. The spine is approximately a third of the way down from the top of the neck. A hit there or in the center of the neck disrupts everything. Bone, arteries, you name it.

Center of B2 is good, but it tends to make the "handle" bloody. I don't like messes.

From in front? Hey, God put that white spot there as an aiming point!

 

[jbkebert]

Myself I would go right at the intersection of c-3.

 

[wankerjake]

I'd take anywhere of B2, C3, or D4. I hit my cow elk last year at like the top of D4, right thru the spine but didn't hit any major vasculature. She went down in a hurry though. I'm a big fan of neck shots, they drop immediately unless you don't hit the spine. My dad shot one just under the spine once, she bled out in about 30 yards. I hit one calf elk right at A1 one time, not a bit of meat wasted and I've never seen an animal bleed so much. I think all of it came out!

 

[courtgreene]

Fantastic, thanks. Definitely saving this.

 

[chas08]

From in front? Hey, God put that white spot there as an aiming point

YOU DA MAN!!!...Seriously thats my favorite neckshot on a Doe Whitetail. I generally will pass on killing a Doe if she doesn't give me that shot. They are for meat only, and surely another will come along if that one didn't cooperate.

 

[DIM]

here is neck shot

when shooting deer try not to hit lower or upper jaw, sometimes bullet doesn't have enough momentum crashing all the teeth. I had one shot in the upper jaw with 308 and 155 gr SMK, that buck's nose became a trunk and antlers were swinging like some sort of joysticks, so if you wany to take picture with your buck shoot them below their face.

 

[Fernando]

Hum… DIM, is that your dog? How about a thread with pictures of our four legged friends? They help us on our hunts, it is the least we can do

 

[DIM]

Yes Fernando that's my dog, he is not hunting dog, he is 110 lb doberman, but he loves to hunt from deer to ducks, last week he was attacking young black bear, probably 3 year old, I was worried about him when he chase him in the bushes, but he was fine, got back ok no scratches.
Here is him getting another deer.

see where my dog grabbed that buck that's were neck is, by the way that's a neck byte in previous picture dog got confused and grabbed buck by the butt

 

[Fernando]

"in previous picture dog got confused and grabbed buck by the butt"

small mistake, eheheh. the fog was the one to blame

Ok, if someone opens a thread for our hunting dogs, I will throw a bunch of pictures of my flea bag lol

 

[Fremmer]

I think if you're going to take the neck shot, you'd better go with C-3 and give yourself a little wiggle room. That's what I did, and it worked just fine. Bang flop!