22.250

[Dacotah Eye]

I respect your opinions guys and I was hoping mine was worth posting. I should have known better. I usually hunt in a river bottom within 50 yards of a deer trail and shoot from a natural blind with a good rest. Here is another opinion if you care to read it and I'm not saying I'm any type of expert, but it has worked for me for a lot of years. Nuff said.


by Rex Trulove

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Created on: October 11, 2010
Expert deer hunters aim for the neck for a few solid reasons. All of them make it worthwhile to shoot for the neck for anyone who is hunting, especially with a rifle, and regardless of skill level.
The first reason is for the sake of the deer. It would be reasonable to assume that most deer hunters aren't out there to inflict needless suffering. This can happen if trying for a body shot. If a shot for the heart is a few inches off, the deer may indeed die, but it could also drag itself a long distance before it does. A neck shot that is a few inches off will either miss the deer or bring it down, most of the time.
Second, since the neck shot kills the deer quickly, there is little tracking involved. Tracking an injured deer for miles, through dense forest, can be more than troublesome. If the deer is dropped within a couple hundred feet of where it was shot, only minimal tracking is needed. That is a lot less effort, which plays well for the deer hunter.

Third, there is far less waste. Few people eat much of the deer neck, because there is little meat there. Deer heart and liver, however, are prized. A shot through the heart, at the very least, leaves very little heart meat to eat, if it is an accurate shot. At the same time, it also spoils rib or shoulder meat, because of the passage of the bullet.
Some deer, like mule deer, can field dress at over 300 pounds. Most are much smaller. If 25 pounds of good meat is wasted because of a body shot, that is a considerable loss of usable meat. A neck shot deer usually has little wasted meat.
It needs to be understood that most deer hunters are after the meat, not the trophy. Trophy hunters may go after body shots in order to save the head and neck for mounting. It is doubtful that they care much about the meat, but it should still be noted that a neck shot is still the better choice.
Severing the base of the neck causes minimal damage to the deer, including trophy specimens.
Expert hunters know all of this. More often than not, it will be a neck shot they use to bring down their buck, and often they may pass up a shot if they don't have a clear neck shot. That is part of what makes them experts. They will even shoot for the neck if they are doe hunting, though the necessity is not as great as with bucks.
As related by Freda Helmers, who was an expert hunter, "If I can't get a neck shot, I won't shoot. I've eaten venison all my life, and I won't waste it because of a stupid body shot. High powered rifles make a lot of damage as the bullet goes through."
Freda had a track record of 37 bucks in 25 years, all legal, and all of them shot through the neck. That includes one dropped on a full run, at an angle, at 500 yards.
Another person, Steve (last name withheld on request) is also an expert. He hunts with a rifle, bow, and muzzle loader. He thinks that anyone who tries to bring down a buck by anything but a neck shot is crazy.
"I've had deer that I could have shot, but didn't have a neck shot," he says. "I let them go. There will be other days. There is no way that I'm going to ruin that excellent buck meat by shooting it in the body, and having tracked an accidentally gut shot buck almost 10 miles, I don't want to repeat the experience."
It does indeed work for does, too, but most expert hunters won't consider shooting a deer of either sex, anywhere but the neck. The benefits are obvious. It isn't always easy, but it is worthwhile.
Sources:
Oregon Fish and Wildlife
North American Hunting Club
Dale Heath, Master hunting guide

[jigstop]

"That includes one dropped on a full run, at an angle, at 500 yards."

I can respect your opinion but the qoute you gave sounds like BS to me. A deer at a full run at 500yds? If they made that shot it was very unethical and pure luck.

I don't know anyone who saves the heart and liver anymore but I'm sure some people do but for those of us who don't but love our sausage and hot sticks there is a lot of meat in the neck to cut out. A clean shot through the lungs will waste and the most 1lb. of rib meat that most people don't even bother with.

[Phil T]

I don't shoot well enough to try to hit a neck vertebrae.

[Dacotah Eye]

Originally Posted by jigstop

"That includes one dropped on a full run, at an angle, at 500 yards."

I can respect your opinion but the qoute you gave sounds like BS to me. A deer at a full run at 500yds? If they made that shot it was very unethical and pure luck.

I don't know anyone who saves the heart and liver anymore but I'm sure some people do but for those of us who don't but love our sausage and hot sticks there is a lot of meat in the neck to cut out. A clean shot through the lungs will waste and the most 1lb. of rib meat that most people don't even bother with.

You wouldn't find me shooting at anything running at 500 yds. I have passed on a 500 yd shot on a Bull Elk while using my 270. Too much chance of not putting it down. My buddy was on my case the rest of the day because I passed on that shot.

[Dacotah Eye]

Originally Posted by Phil T

I don't shoot well enough to try to hit a neck vertebrae.

I stopped hunting about six years ago due to my eyesight. I have had cataract surgery on both eyes and could hunt again, but my hunting ground has been flooded for the last three or four years. I also have to be very careful since I have only one ear that works and don't like the idea of not being able to hear well while hunting. I used to enjoy being able to hear them walking through the dry grass and leaves. Maybe it's time to hang it up.

[Wade B AKA: Ruger2506]

Originally Posted by Dacotah Eye

Maybe it's time to hang it up.

That's an incredibly sad thought. However I've all but given it up as well mainly due to land access issues. I hate begging for permission and I really hate sharing (seeing other hunters out there) so I basically hung it up as well.

Switched over to hardcore fishing and to be honest it's been a great transition.

[Dacotah Eye]

Originally Posted by Wade B AKA: Ruger2506

That's an incredibly sad thought. However I've all but given it up as well mainly due to land access issues. I hate begging for permission and I really hate sharing (seeing other hunters out there) so I basically hung it up as well.

Switched over to hardcore fishing and to be honest it's been a great transition.

I had some surgery six years ago that kept me out of the woods for a couple seasons. I usually hunt the river bottom land on my mother-in-law's farm and know it like the back of my hand, but the water is around seven feet deep where I usually hunt at this time. My son keeps prodding me to start hunting again and he may get the job done yet. My buddy keeps asking me to hunt geese with him again, but I don't think hunting geese would be much fun while wearing an ear plug. Half of the fun of goose hunting was hearing them before I could see them.

[Wade B AKA: Ruger2506]

Originally Posted by Dacotah Eye

I had some surgery six years ago that kept me out of the woods for a couple seasons. I usually hunt the river bottom land on my mother-in-law's farm and know it like the back of my hand, but the water is around seven feet deep where I usually hunt at this time. My son keeps prodding me to start hunting again and he may get the job done yet. My buddy keeps asking me to hunt geese with him again, but I don't think hunting geese would be much fun while wearing an ear plug. Half of the fun of goose hunting was hearing them before I could see them.

The ear thing is easy. I wear Walker's Game Ear. Probably the greatest device ever. You can hear things perfectly but it cuts out at 80 Db so any noise above that turns the Game Ear into an ear plug. I've even had some guys shoot in a direction that would have seriously hurt my ears but I hardly knew they even shot.

They are expensive but worth it. I bought the game ear and had a custom ear piece made for each ear. I think I'm into them for around $500 ($250/ear). You won't regret them if you get back into it.

[Dacotah Eye]

Originally Posted by Wade B AKA: Ruger2506

The ear thing is easy. I wear Walker's Game Ear. Probably the greatest device ever. You can hear things perfectly but it cuts out at 80 Db so any noise above that turns the Game Ear into an ear plug. I've even had some guys shoot in a direction that would have seriously hurt my ears but I hardly knew they even shot.

They are expensive but worth it. I bought the game ear and had a custom ear piece made for each ear. I think I'm into them for around $500 ($250/ear). You won't regret them if you get back into it.

I will for sure have to have something to keep from losing more hearing. I have seen hearing protector headsets (ear muff type) with microphones in them that will shut off with higher decibels and still allow me to wear my above ear hearing aid so I can hear someone talk. Hearing what is going on around me doesn't happen anymore because when you only have one good ear you lose directional hearing.

[Walleyerod]

I have killed many deer and antelope with my 22.250. I reload 60 grain soft point boat tails and take time to make sure of shot placement. Never had one go more than a few yards.