Where do you aim

[gonefishin]

I've made 1 head shot in my life and it was also my last, when I walked up to the deer my stomach turned... and I will never take a neck shot. Of all the deer I have shot through the lungs/heart, I would say 90% of them have dropped in their tracks.

[huntslots]

Originally Posted by bb356

A perfect example of the stupidity of neck and head shot's !!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPLQc3JJDGw

That's terrible!!

Is that a Norwegian "pack dog"

[Arn?Narn.]

Head shots are just fine...

Not only on big game if the conditions are right,...but small game and varmint as well.

My last 2 deer were headshots...

[jryley]

I often wonder where or if guys on this forum have even done any sort of hunter education or training. Right from ethics, to common sense taking headhots is pure idiocy. There is no reason for it whatsoever

[Arn?Narn.]

Originally Posted by jryley

I often wonder where or if guys on this forum have even done any sort of hunter education or training. Right from ethics, to common sense taking headhots is pure idiocy. There is no reason for it whatsoever

(SIRENS)

The Ethics Police have arrived...


What is unethical about head shots?

[jryley]

Youre decrasing your odds of making a clean quick kill by choosing a smaller target. How does that make any sense choosing something so small to aim at? Absolutely unethical. And from a common sense side just dumb. I cant put it any clearer than that. Theres no need to headshot a big game animal at all.

[sjemac]

Originally Posted by jryley

Youre decrasing your odds of making a clean quick kill by choosing a smaller target. How does that make any sense choosing something so small to aim at? Absolutely unethical. And from a common sense side just dumb. I cant put it any clearer than that. Theres no need to headshot a big game animal at all.

Moral indignation in most cases is, 2% moral, 48% indignation, and 50% envy.
Vittorio De Sica

Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo.
H. G. Wells

A puritan is a person who pours righteous indignation into the wrong things.
Gilbert K. Chesterton

Moral indignation is a technique used to endow the idiot with dignity.
— Marshall McLuhan

Ethics are like your privates, best kept to yourself and not flaunted about in public. No one really wants to see either and they generally look better to yourself than to others.
Me.

[Slash8]

Originally Posted by Gary K

Let's just go ahead and get this thread closed

Now that was funny!

[marlin1]

right for the centre of the target

[Lefty-Canuck]

Originally Posted by Gary K

Let's just go ahead and get this thread closed

2nd post here and the most sensible of em all

LC

[Slash8]

..

[Arn?Narn.]

Originally Posted by jryley

Youre decrasing your odds of making a clean quick kill by choosing a smaller target. How does that make any sense choosing something so small to aim at? Absolutely unethical. And from a common sense side just dumb. I cant put it any clearer than that. Theres no need to headshot a big game animal at all.

Like long range shots right?

[sjemac]

Originally Posted by Arn?Narn.

Like long range shots right?

Or moving shots. Hey! Out of ethics shouldn't we be only shooting birds that are sitting to ensure a better chance of a kill. But wait, shooting sitting birds is supposed to be UNETHICAL.

[diamonddave]

If you can put a clover leaf at 250 yrds, why wouldn't you put that clover leaf right in the mellon?? Shoot within your comfort level and shes all good my friends.....

[Arn?Narn.]

Originally Posted by sjemac

Or moving shots. Hey! Out of ethics shouldn't we be only shooting birds that are sitting to ensure a better chance of a kill. But wait, shooting sitting birds is supposed to be UNETHICAL.

I tried that, but found out it was unethical to shoot over water....

[buckbrushoutdoors]

I've always been taught shoot for the boiler room unlesss there is no shot presentable then try a neck shot if that is presentable. I have killed most animals through the lungs and they never go far. The ones I have shot in the neck have run a very short distance but usually on there lips before they pile up. But if give the opportunity it's heart and lungs for me. I have dropped an awful lot of game from this combo.


Shoot to your limits of accuracy and ability and not past them that's the best plan!

[Slash8]

[QUOTE=stuckon308;1120530]Has anyone tried to track a deer that had it's jaw blown off by a jerk who tried shooting it in the head?QUOTE]

I have...... for about 3 feet...... the next one was right in FN the eye!

[aulrich]

Originally Posted by sjemac

Moral indignation in most cases is, 2% moral, 48% indignation, and 50% envy.
Vittorio De Sica

Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo.
H. G. Wells

A puritan is a person who pours righteous indignation into the wrong things.
Gilbert K. Chesterton

Moral indignation is a technique used to endow the idiot with dignity.
— Marshall McLuhan

Ethics are like your privates, best kept to yourself and not flaunted about in public. No one really wants to see either and they generally look better to yourself than to others.
Me.

That's a lame response, sort of akin to sticking you fingers in your ears and mubling la la la.

But lets move back to a point were we all can agree. The ethical hunter makes every attempt to kill the animal they are after with a minimum of suffering for the animal in other words a clean kill.

So on paper it seems OK and really if you make the shot it fits the criteria. But we ll know about shooting a moving target so it becomes a matter of risk managment. And that is where the head shot starts getting on shaky ground.

Granted most every thing out of the kill zone is air the portion that is is mostly not immediatly fatal. And it's some of the most nastly not immediatly fatal.

So it is basically it's a risk managment thing, your failure modes are
1. 0 impact - clean miss
2. Stupendous - blow off the nose, days of suffering untill they die

Then you add a randomly moving target that is small to boot in field contitions, it is easy to see where the ethics buttons get pushed.

And one last thing if we take this statement at face value

Ethics are like your privates, best kept to yourself and not flaunted about in public. No one really wants to see either and they generally look better to yourself than to others.

We would still be going around thinking it was OK to beat up the wife because she burned the toast.

[Mike_W]

Originally Posted by buckbrushoutdoors

I've always been taught shoot for the boiler room unlesss there is no shot presentable then try a neck shot if that is presentable. I have killed most animals through the lungs and they never go far. The ones I have shot in the neck have run a very short distance but usually on there lips before they pile up. But if give the opportunity it's heart and lungs for me. I have dropped an awful lot of game from this combo.


Shoot to your limits of accuracy and ability and not past them that's the best plan!

X2

[BGSH]

call me Mr Shots, shoot for the stars

[drake]

Originally Posted by best guide shawn homeniuk

call me Mr Shots, shoot for the stars

beautifuly put.....

[buckbrushoutdoors]

Originally Posted by best guide shawn homeniuk

call me Mr Shots, shoot for the stars

Brings a tear to my good eye!

[Arn?Narn.]

Originally Posted by aulrich

That's a lame response, sort of akin to sticking you fingers in your ears and mubling la la la.

But lets move back to a point were we all can agree. The ethical hunter makes every attempt to kill the animal they are after with a minimum of suffering for the animal in other words a clean kill.

So on paper it seems OK and really if you make the shot it fits the criteria. But we ll know about shooting a moving target so it becomes a matter of risk managment. And that is where the head shot starts getting on shaky ground.

Granted most every thing out of the kill zone is air the portion that is is mostly not immediatly fatal. And it's some of the most nastly not immediatly fatal.

So it is basically it's a risk managment thing, your failure modes are
1. 0 impact - clean miss
2. Stupendous - blow off the nose, days of suffering untill they dieThen you add a randomly moving target that is small to boot in field contitions, it is easy to see where the ethics buttons get pushed.

And one last thing if we take this statement at face value

Ethics are like your privates, best kept to yourself and not flaunted about in public. No one really wants to see either and they generally look better to yourself than to others.

We would still be going around thinking it was OK to beat up the wife because she burned the toast.

If you miss the vitals, same difference...
A miss at a heart lung shot does not equate an adequate shot.

Often they are gut shots, ...

I would say that percentage wise, respectively, far more gut shot animals run off after a boiler room shot, than jaw shot animals after a head shot....but I have no evidence other than my own experiences and those I have witnessed.

[BGSH]

Originally Posted by buckbrushoutdoors

Brings a tear to my good eye!

I am so sorry, i did not want anyone to cry

[Mountain Guy]

Geez....where's the shoulder blade crowd?
They must be out making movies right now

[HunterDave]

Originally Posted by Mountain Guy

Geez....where's the shoulder blade crowd?
They must be out making movies right now

I was thinking the same thing throughout this thread......lol! Quite awhile back I remember debating which shot was better.......the shoulder or the boiler room...........now it's the neck or the boiler room.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by HunterDave

I was thinking the same thing throughout this thread......lol! Quite awhile back I remember debating which shot was better.......the shoulder or the boiler room...........now it's the neck or the boiler room.

Shoulder shots are for bears and rabid gophers only
Cat

[Dark Wing]

Originally Posted by Toe823

I have shot half the animals i have ever shot right behind the ear. I have never had one not die instantly. I will only shoot them there when i am under 100 yards. i have never seen one with the jaw blown off, but i imagine they are there. I have had to put down a few gut shot deer(wounds 2 or 3 days old) from people missing an obvious lung or heart shot. I personally think it comes down to shooting ability, shooting when a good shot presents itself, and making a good clean kill shot.

I've seen a lot of deer put down with the shot you described. I've also seen skull plates split or deer knocked out when the bullet hit the base of the antler. I had a family member tossed over by an elk that went down with a head shot also knocked out with a shot to the base of the antler. It's eye balls were twitching and when he grabbed the antlers the elk flipped him.

I guess I'm in the shoulder shot crowd. Give me the biggest target every time and there's less of chance of missing. I hate the neck shot, lost a few deer in my younger days trying to save meat.

[roger]

i like the broadside, i put the vertical crosshair on the 'middle front leg'...(thats whichever front leg is positioned closet to the rear two). it can be the close side or the far side. then center mass or lower. ba bbang
its hard to explain without a doodle

[backstraps]

each unique hunting situation requires a decision for the best shot possible. If I am facing a neck only shot out to 200 yards and I am thinking in my head "that bastard is not going to show me anything else..." I will most certainly take the neck shot. Its not the best possible shot but it has a high chance of success...and in the circumstances perfectly fine. Not ideal but fine. After the shot is taken and the animal drops you should be thinking " I better get there quick for a finish shot just in case since there is a chance I didn't hit anything vital.."

I have had my only two neck shots results in instant death on the two deer I have shot that way. Although a 338wm to the neck is pretty dramatic, probably a lot more dehabilitating then a 80g from a .243 or something.