HEAD SHOTS...

travishunter3006

travishunter3006

Very Active Member
Messages
2,065
How many of you still put the good ol head shot on your deer/elk/whatever you shoot?

I was watching a youtube video and this old guy tries a head shot at 300 yards but settles for a neck shot at 250 on the second attempt.

I have seen deer drop from neck shots, head shots, 1/2 lung shots, heart shots, spine shots.

If you go old school and still shoot deer in the head/neck, why?

I tried a late season depredation tag but i couldn't hold still good enough to send a bullets through a does head at 300 yards. I know I suck, but if you can do it, congrats!
 
Monticello Utah. 2 big bucks one about 26" 4x4 and tall with deep forks and mass (180-190 score) and one 30" wide 4 point about 185 score. I could only see their nostrils up. I should have drilled one of them between the eyes. My uncle Jay Stewart was a taxidermist and could have fixed the damage and made a great mount. I gave those deer a couple seconds and they jumped a fence into land not in the CWMU.
That experience made me sick for years wishing I had one of those beautiful bucks. Shoot between the eyes if you have to.
 
Doe Antelope head shot.....no wasted meat or bloodshot meat either.

Brian
http://i25.tinypic.com/fxbjgy.jpg[/IMG]
 
I go shoot a buffalo every year for meat and I always do a head shot. A .243 through the old ear hole and you have an immediately dead animal.
 
LAST EDITED ON Dec-30-10 AT 12:45PM (MST)[p]Trying to shoot a deer, antelope, or elk in the head is ridiculous IMHO unless it's so close you can hit it over the head with the gun barrel!!! An animal with a big head like a bison or hog is a little bit of a different story. Being able to shoot uner 1 MOA on targets is one thing because they don't move. Since you don't know when an animal with a small head is going to move it just as you squeeze off the shot, and especially if it's any distance away, is just asking for a miss or a crippling shot, which is the worst scenario. A shot through the lungs will take any animal down quickly if the proper caliber and bullet are in use with little, if any, meat loss. One guy was even arguing with a bunch of members on another BB a couple years ago about intentional head shots with his bow and we all told him where he should stick his equipment!
 
Here is my head shot


914510-15-2010.jpg
 
No head shots but most of my mule deer are neck shots. Most shots are well under 200 yds. My first deer was a neck shot @ 100 yds. He dropped in his tracks. No chasing or tracking involved. I keep shots realistic range less than 150 yds and make sure I'm steady. I reload and load/rifle combo well under MOA w/.30-06 and go to the range often. 150g Nosler BT pushing 2900fps absolutely huge wound channel to neck looks like jello afterward. No bloodshot meat also a plus and no leaded meat after cutting off head. I would not attempt a head/neck shot over 200 yds.
 
I've ran into several deer over the years with their lower jaw shot off. One was a nice 4 point that ran past me with 3 other deer just before it was too dark to shoot. I dropped him, not knowing he had a problem. By the time I got to him it was dark enough that I still didn't notice his jaw. While cleaning him I knew there was something wrong. His stomach was completely empty and he felt very hot inside. That's when I got to looking and realized the poor thing had his lower jaw blown off. Dehydration had caused him to have a high fever. I was happy I was able to put his out of his misery. I never liked the head shot just because I feel it destroys the majesty and dignity of the animal. That may sound strange but everything deserves to die with dignity.
 
One of my friends brought back from a doe hunt in another state a trailer full of dead deer, heads blown to smitherines, jaws blown off, tongue was blown off of one. just kinda a messy deal if ya ask me.
 
I finished a Gut Shot 4 point off this year with a head shot!

The Guy that Gut shot the Buck was PIZZED at me!

I got a little high on him & shattered the Skull Plate & Took one Horn off!

I don't normally do Head Shots unless I figure I can!



God is Great!
Life is Good!
And People are Crazy!
I love not acting my age,
Damn I love my NASCAR race,
And Hell yes I love my Truck!
And a good BBQ!
I am Medicine And I am Poison!
 
I was with a friend of mine about two years ago on his doe hunt. He was packing the 30-378 Mag 200 grain bullet, shot his doe at 75 yards in the head. Well I would post pics but i'm certain it would upset a few people on here. Lets just say there was nothing left of her head, I felt bad but at least she didn't suffer.
 
I TOO HAVE SEEN MANY DEER WITH THEIR JAW HANGING OFF BECAUSE OF A HEAD SHOT ATTEMPT. THEY GO OFF TO DIE WEEEKS LATER OF STARVATION OR DEHYDATION. NOT A GOOD WAY TO DIE. NECK SHOT IS A GOOD OPTION
 
No neck shots unless that is all you can see. Can not beat a double lung shot.

Here is a head shot...
3030best_seat_in_the_house.jpg




Every hunting season you miss is one you can not make up
 
100% head shot... just watch this...

shot one deer and three elk in neck and all dropped. +100 to saving more meat... isnt that what its about?
 
Here is another shot to prove... really if it is a small area and you miss... no harm done. You think missing and hitting it in the ear is going to affect it? neck? spine? all good shots. experience will tell you that... unless you have never tried and then I guess you will never know.
 
good luck with that big time experience' .for the rest you the next time you see a deer run by with an arrow sticking out of its neck. that dies days later. you know who to thank...
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-01-11 AT 08:39AM (MST)[p]

Anybody that would post that last picture must have been drinking too much and/or has absolutely no respect for the animals they are hunting!!! The other post with the two imbeciles that think shooting that deer in the head with a bow and then watching her and waiting until the next morning are about as unethical as anyone I've ever seen out hunting! It's a shame these have not been yanked off this website as they are absolutely distasteful and not what true hunting is all about!!! When my Dad was a game warden back in the 60s at Fort Custer, MI he had to shoot a doe that some imbecile tried to kill with a headshot. It was two weeks after bow season ended and she had a broadhead sticking out of her left eye and the shaft of the arrow was broken off behind her right ear. I will never forget being with him that day and seeing that poor thing staggering all over the place and to think she had been like that for at least two weeks still haunts me! When I see pictures and video like are in this thread it makes me want to puke!!! I'm no wussie either, as I've taken over 100 whitetails, mulies, antelope, and elk, as well as tons of small game in my lifetime. Not one of those big game animals needed to have a headshot attempted and not one of them went more than 50 yards with a lung shot with the proper rifle and bullet! It's taken me four edits to put this up on the BB because it upset me so much! Not a good way to start 2011 at all!!!!!!!!!!
 
one-dry boot. you need help......we dont need people like you in the hunting world. that is somthing a 13 old would do.....
 
Maybe the 2% or so of the best marksman should attempt it but for everyone else its a poor idea. I know of a guy a few years back who thought he would be cool and take a head shot on a spike bull and all he succeeded in doing was blowing its jaw off. He never did get the elk. Too small an area and you never know when its going to move that head.
 
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How many of you still put the good ol head shot on your deer/elk/whatever you shoot?
>>
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Every time I listen to someone tell a head shot story I tend to look at them like they're ignorant.

Over the years I've used perfectly good tags on 4 animals some idiot tried to head shoot. Even though there is some sense of gratification from knowing you did the right thing, putting down an animal some idiot sent toward a slow painful death isn't exactly what I think about while waiting for a season to open or a hunt to begin.

As each new year rolls around I'm starting to be more thankful for the way I was raised and the common sense my inner circle instilled on me at a young age. It's unfortunate others were not so fortunate.
 
Amen ghak99!!! The first year I hunted in Wyoming back in 1992 I had to put a small mulie buck down the second day of the season because a jackass didn't practice ethical behavior. Opening morning I had heard shots and knew they were from a camp of Wisconsin guys that were camping illegally on state land down the road from us. The second morning I saw a buck limping badly as he dragged his right hindquarter along. I followed him to where I though he had bedded in a small gully, went over there, and he struggled to get up and I finished him off to put him out of his misery. I left immediately without tagging him when I saw how bad the wound had already festered, but wasn't able to contact anyone from the F&G to tell them about it because we had no phones out there at that time. Later that day I ran into one of those guys and asked if one of his party had shot at a buck opening morning. He said yes, it was him, and he pointed up to where the deer had been standing. I asked him where he was and when he said it was up on a hill to where he pointed I asked if he realized that was about a 600-700 yard shot. He was using a 30-06 with no bipod or shooting sticks and he said yes, he just holds into the wind and high on shots like that. When I told him he had wounded and ruined a perfectly nice animal by his unethical, unsportsmanlike conduct he just looked at me like he had no idea what I was talking about and didn't really care!!! It's too bad these head shooters and guys like that are allowed rifles and licenses!!!
 
Seeing an animal suffering in agonizing pain with his muzzle blown off or his jaw horribly broken and hanging while he slobbers blood and saliva don't sit too well.
Losing a little more meat with a heart lung shot is a very small price to pay for a much more reliable / larger target.
For the average marksman out in the woods, head shots are a very very poor choice IMHO.
 
HunterHarry and Topgun thank you. The only answer to this question is NEVER!!! The head shooters are the idiots that are destroying our past time!!! I have said it many times, If we don't police our ranks and commit to ethical behavior the anti's will win and take away our rights to hunt. Get closer, take only heart and lung shoulder shots and be resposible, ethical human beings.
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-01-11 AT 03:04PM (MST)[p]
Care to elaborate on that?


Quote:

"Gawd this place is full of Nancy's..Hike your skirts up ladies and carry on"
End/


So littering the mountains with wounded and/or lost animals makes you some sort of tough guy?

Am I interpreting that smart ass remark properly Reddog?

Solid.

;-)
 
HunterHarry---If I'm reading his comment right, he's probably a close relative of the jackass that shot that deer between the eyes with his bow or the one that put that graphic picture on the thread! People like that are not needed in our sport and I agree wholeheartedly that if we don't police our own there won't be anybody left to police the way the antis grab hold of stuff like this!!! Shooting at paper targets or clangers and at heads that can move at any second are two completely different things. My rifles all shoot under 1 MOA, but that doesn't mean I should go out and try to shoot a critter in the eye with one!!!
 
I will bet most animals that have a jaw shot off or any other wound, the hunter was probably aiming for the chest. Most hunters in the heat of the moment can't hit shi.t. Look at all the animals shot in the a$$ when they were aiming at the chest area. I always aim for the chest, shoulder area, that is where I like to aim.but I'm not against a head shot. And if that's where someone likes to aim good for them. And for those that think the picture I posted will cause PETA to come un glued, they hate everything we do and I will not give in and worry what they think. They can go fly a kite!
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-01-11 AT 05:54PM (MST)[p]And you Mr. Dryboot can go fly a kite and kiss my azz while you're at it!!! Punks like you just don't get the fact that pictures like that on ANY website are an affront to just about everyone with any ETHICS or COMMON SENSE. There was absolutely no reason to post it and with that and your followup posts you have proven that you have neither!!!
 
Im sorry topgun, from now on I will approve everything I do through you before I do it!

I was thinking about going to a poker game tonight, if thats ok with you? Please hurry and decide it starts in less then an hour.

Now, I will go fly a kite and kiss your azz while im at it. :) As long as you approve it?
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-01-11 AT 06:40PM (MST)[p]Just keep putting up those dumbass posts because as they add up it just shows everyone how stupid you really are!!! Maybe you should think about playing poker in all your spare time and stay away from hunting with your attitude! That way nothing would be harmed except you if you lose, LOL!
 
I figured the headline of this post would be enough to get everyone that has a super opinion of ethics on MM all riled up... I like to fuel the fire sometimes. What I posted is already all over the internet. Its a fact of hunting. Something could go wrong with your heart shot and you could hit it in the head. The results could be the pic of the elk. If you hunt you better be ready for that. I'm not saying its a good idea to fuel anti hunters. No, your shot is never 100%.
 
As the old time MM'ers on here know..I'll shoot right behind the ear up 100 yds every time on my critters on a still shot..that's the way I was raised--save the meat....I do have a reason why my weapons are sighted to cover a two bit piece at 100 yds. Aim small miss small...farther out I aim for the shoulder....I've taken 80% of my critters within 100 yds...I was taught to hunt and not just shoot..if you can't make the shot...don't take it..
 
Topgun you're on the mark, I couldn't agree more.


Stupid hunters are the only threat to our sport worse than the wolves.
 
You hypocrits need to quit splitting hairs!

Dead is dead.....and it is NEVER dignified nor painless!... and if you believe otherwise, you are stupid!

The most self righteous, ethical hunter on this site is considered to be a "retarded, short peckered, bloodthirsty heathen", to 98% of the people in the entire civilized world!

We have NO justifiable reason to kill anything, especially dumb animals that present no threat to us. It defies logic, in modern society.

People are ok to occaisonally kill, but only if they are "meanies."

"....you'll shoot your eye out kid!"
 
Entertaining stuff. For me, a head shot? NO. I just read a different thread about MM bashing. Kinda think the OP knew what he'd start here. mtmuley
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-02-11 AT 02:50PM (MST)[p]You need to study up on the definition hypocrite.

Nobody is saying you can't kill an animal, it's a matter of how to minimize the chance of a screw up. fortunetly most Quigley want to be's miss head shots anyway, it's the ones who take out a jaw or a nose we're worried about.

Boddington puts it pretty well in this short article.

http://preview.rifleshootermag.com/shooting_tips/tracks_091907/index.html
 
Can't think of one good reason for taking head shots, the "no wasted meat" argument is not legitimate IMO.

But if you must, go for it.

Stating opinions is one thing. The "holier than thou" attitude is something else. Far be it from me to impose my ethics/morals/whatever you want to call it on someone else.







the artist formerly known as "gemstatejake".
 
Finish off a few does with no nose or a hanging jaw and your attitude is more about compassion than who's holly.

Back when we had deer and I let depredation hunts take place on my property I saw it all, some real class acts.
 
Topgun and 440sixpack, I am a Utard and I am right there with ya.


"You hypocrits need to quit splitting hairs! Dead is dead....and it is NEVER dignified nor painless!"

So nickman, your saying that if you burn to death that is just as painful and agonizing as drowning, or being shot in the head and dying instantly.

I think there is a difference. I do agree that Dead is Dead, but how you get there does make a difference.

Killing animals carries with it a certain amount of risk and I am sure we have all made "bad shots" causing our prey to suffer unnecessarily.

But we should all do our best to make an ethical, low risk shot that will end the animals life as quickly as possible.

I am not sure the argument about saving meat is all that valid either and if any of us think that our actions in the field and/or on a site like this does not have an affect on the opinions of others then, as nickman would say, "you are stupid".

I guess I need one of those "cyber tissues" and yes I need to "hike up my skirt", but if thats what being ethical means then guilty as charged.

Just sayin'
 
someone inferred that I originally posted this topicto stir the pot, but that wasn't my intent. Actually this is a Forum full of opinions, experience, know-how and knowledge, so if you think that I posted this to get MM'er's panties in a twist, grow up.

I wouldn't ever shoot a deer in the head, but I would take a running shot at a deer with my rifle. I would never no matter the distance shoot a deer with my bow in the head. A guy that i hunt with shot a buck in N. Utah a few years back that had an arrow stuck in its face and was all maggot infested.

I wouldn't take a head shot, but to each his own.
 
2572img_20101217_132708.jpg





Wow head shots are unethical? I just shot a cow 70 yards in some thick aspen. I was very comfortable with the shot placement and knew my margin for error was very very small, I felt there was none. In fact the 20 min I spent finding a shot I was comfortable with gave me opportunity for a shot in the vitals, quartering away right behind the front shoulder. But I did not feel comfortable with the shot so I didn't take it. My head shot dropped the elk dropped instantlywhen I got to her she was dead. Bled out its head I didn't even have to slit its throat to drain blood. The meat does not have any gamy taste to it, and I was able to recover all the meat. Thanks to my buddy who helped me pack it out.
Muzzleloader spike hunting I had a chance to take a head shot 50 yards but didn't feel comfortable with the shot so I didn't take it.
The comfort of the shot and shot opportunity I think is more important than where the animal is actually shot. The comfort of the shot being based off the shooters abilities and comfort level with the shot placement. May abilities do not warrant a 300 yard head shot on anything but 70 yards with my .270 was a different story.
 
I really see no need for that picture to be posted either as we all know what a large caliber bullet in the head is going to do "IF" you hit it dead center!!! The fact that most of us feel it is not even close to a 100% certainty of a clean kill compared to a wounding shot because of possible head movement is what we are debating. I can't understand how you can say you watched that cow for 20 minutes and had an opportunity for a quartering away shot to the vitals behind the front shoulder and didn't feel comfortable with that, yet say you felt comfortable shooting at a tiny head!!! Sorry, but in my mind that does not make a bit of sense!
 
Ok, I have to address another poor choice??? Let me preface this comment with the fact that I have worked in a slaughter house. There is NO need to slit a dead animals throat!!! The reason it's done at a slaughter house is because the animal is NOT dead when they cut the jugular vein to bleed the animal. It has to have a heart beat to properly bleed an animal. So stop cutting the throat of DEAD ANIMALS PLEASE. It serves no purpose. Just trying to help young hunters with information not trying to piss anyone off.
 
I've shot 4 hogs with intentional head shots. Most of them around 75 yards. Its something I wouldnt try on a deer. If your good enough to hit a brain shot at 300 yards just put 1 through the heart and be done. Just my 2 cents.
 
>Ok, I have to address another
>poor choice??? Let me preface
>this comment with the fact
>that I have worked in
>a slaughter house. There is
>NO need to slit a
>dead animals throat!!! The reason
>it's done at a slaughter
>house is because the animal
>is NOT dead when they
>cut the jugular vein to
>bleed the animal. It has
>to have a heart beat
>to properly bleed an animal.
>So stop cutting the throat
>of DEAD ANIMALS PLEASE. It
>serves no purpose. Just trying
>to help young hunters with
>information not trying to piss
>anyone off.


+1
Another is the fear of bruising meat while packing out a dead animal.
Bruising occurs when blood is forced to the site of an injury to promote healing.
No heartbeat...no bruising.
HH
 
Mr. Topgun,

Thank you for your reaction, I got exactly what I was looking for! I simply posted the pic to stir the pot. It is a sensitive subject for a lot of people and I took advantage of it. If you look back you will see that I never take head shots, that's just me but if someone wants to take a head shot that's fine with me. You say if they miss they will just wound the animal,blow a jaw off ect... well the same can be said about those that shoot for the chest. If the animal moves they will hit it in the guts or neck.if they shot low they hit it in the leg. Look at how many animals are hit in the guts, leg, a$$, when there trying to hit it in the chest.
If you are off on a head shot, it is more likely it will be a clean miss, then if your off on a chest shot.
so I'm sorry for using you and a few others for cheap entertainment. I knew it would ruffle a few feathers.
 
Killed a doe today 40 yds. head shot. I have killed elk, Hogs and many many deer doing head shots, neck, shoulder, high spine shots. NEVER NOT found an animal I shot. If you cant shoot that good DONT, but why piss and moan for those of us who can. I understand the people who have these kind of shots but hopefully thay learned from that and will NOT try that in the future. But as for me I will take whatever the best shot oppertunity is head or not. Like it or not this shooting style has worked for me for 30+ years. And I ask for no ones permission to hunt the way I like to hunt. What ever you do have fun and shoot straight.
 
I have taken head shots on small meat bucks.(last day freezer fillers) all under 100 yards. It sure does the job. I will only take that shot at or under 100 yards.
 
Fox13 news showed a 4pt buck in North Salt Laketonight on the news.It was walking around with an arrow sticking out of the neck head area.Maybe the shooter was trying not to ruin any meat!(ROD)
 
Yep, that kind of footage and the link in the post by shotgun1 are just what we need the public to see and then they figure that's how lousy and inhumane all of us hunters are!!! Some just don't get the fact that it is not a high percentage shot, no matter how accurate the rifle and shooter are on paper targets! I'll keep preaching to shoot for the larger lung area and if it changes just a few people's perspectives it will have been worth the effort!
 
Made my first head/neck shot (30-06 - 165gr. TSX, 80 yds away) on a cow elk this past season while hunting in dense black timber. Had brief chest shot opportunities as the herd moved in but was worried about the animal running down in the timbered canyon or worse running onto private land and not being able to recover it. She fell right where she stood which made the pack out a whole lot easier. Something weird happened right after the shot in that the rest of the elk just walked away like nothing happened. Not every situation can warrant a head shot but sometimes it may be the best shot to take for the circumstances. Just be smart/ethical about it...
 
All I can say is WOW
You can't tell some-one that your way of hunting is better then their, it has always been different strokes for different folks, The next things will be that you shouldn't run deer with dogs or hunt them over feeders or shoot them from long distance,or road hunt,or kill forky's the list just gets longer and longer because I"M THE ONLY ONE WHO IS RIGHT anyone seeing the pictures here.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
 
"All I can say is WOW

You can't tell some-one that your
way of hunting is better
then their, it has always
been different strokes for different
folks"

Gator, I don't think the point of this thread is to tell others how to hunt. It is to point out that a Head Shot, in most cases, is not a "High Percentage" shot. Most guys claim to use a Head Shot to "save meat" and that argument doesn't hold much weight.

Guys are going to do what there going to do, regardless of what is said on a forum like this, but if a discussion such as this makes someone think about something from a different perspective then maybe it was worth it.

I also believe that if we do not address issues like this within our own ranks, as hunters, then others will and I don't like what that might look like.

Ethics refers to the study and development of one's ethical standards. Feelings, laws, and social norms can deviate from what is ethical. So it is necessary to constantly examine one's standards to ensure that they are reasonable and well-founded. Ethics also means, then, the continuous effort of studying our own moral beliefs and our moral conduct, and striving to ensure that we, and the institutions we help to shape (Hunters), live up to standards that are reasonable and solidly-based.

In the end, I think we have to ask ourselves if the actions we are taking would reflect poorly upon all of us as "Hunters" and then adjust accordingly.

If we do then we will all be better off.

And if we don't believe this is necessary in the environment we all live in then we are ignorant to the forces that are actively trying to end the lifestyle that each of us enjoys so much.

Just sayin!
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-06-11 AT 01:21PM (MST)[p]Another MM classic thread!

You can bet your azz if I take a head shot it is a HIGH percentage shot :D

As well as you can bet your azz if I take a shoulder shot it is going to be a high percentage shot :D

I don't shoot unless I am sure of a fatal hit either way....nuff said!
 
What would be the more ethical shot? A head shot at 100 yards or a chest/lung shot at 600 yards? Serious question.

Attempted head shots aren't the only shots wounding animals. I've seen plenty of legs blown off and ass shot deer to verify this fact. I've also seen 3 deer get shot in the head from hunters attempting chest/lung shots so just because you find a deer with it's jaw blown off it doesn't mean it was because of a hunter attempting a head shot.
 
I love them on gophers and beavers for bear bait other than that not much. I've shot alot of game but only one headshot-a whitetail buck in the thick bush at about ten yards-all I could see of him. I'm kind of a heart/lung man myself.
 
Gator, I don't think the point of this thread is to tell others how to hunt. It is to point out that a Head Shot, in most cases, is not a "High Percentage" shot.

Sure it is, if a hunter grew up hunting just that way, it is his way on how he hunts and shoots you telling them it wrong isn't going to change a way he was taught by his Dad and Grampa.If you can make the shot who's to tell them they can't do it is it in the rules?.Sorry but NO_ONE has the right to get on here and tell some-one else that it isn't right because it not the way they do it. List all the things that could go wrong with a head shot and you can flip that list to say things a shot at a lung area would do to, (too far back, too high,too low, Are you seeing the picture yet.
Same goes hunting with Dogs in the South, You would hear hollering all the way from one end of the state to the other if you saw guys running deer with dogs in Utah like they do in the swamps of Ole Miss. Hell let not even get started on what gun to use because anyone who don't use a 30-378 sucks buttermilk.


"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
 
O_S_O_K---That was an excellent post, is exactly my feelings on this subject, and all I was trying to get across in my posts.

In response to the previous post on head shots in comparison to a 600 yard body shot, my feelings are somewhat mixed as to how far is max! I will say that I think it's more shooting than hunting when you shoot at an animal at almost 1000 yards with a rifle that has a suppressor on it, even if it's legal. I didn't want to cause trouble on that other thread because I've probably already got members hating me for my comments on this thread. However, when a shot is taken and then "two seconds later the snow flew up behind the bull's rearend, but he had no idea what was happening because of the distance involved and the supressor on the bazooka making it as quiet as an air rifle", is a little much!!! That is followed with a statement to the effect that "the scope was then tweaked and, bang, she took another whack at him, heard the bullet hit, watched the animal run off, and then it took an hour to get to where he was standing", is not my idea of ethical hunting. That happened with the animal standing still and broadside! What if it had moved as the trigger was squeezed with the amount of time we're talking for the bullet to travel to the animal or the wind was not gauged properly! Simple answer, either another miss, or worse, a wounded animal that in all likelihood might not be recovered if it took that long to even get to where he was standing. It made a great story and some nice pictures, but I think the question asked by another member as to "what is next..." was appropriate and exactly what I was thinking!!!

Sorry if I come across as a know it all, but hunting is my obsession and I'm afraid when I read things like I am in these two threads and elsewhere on the net that "WE" are asking for our sport to be eliminated if we don't police ourselves and try to make sure that every shot is as near to a 100% humane kill as possible. If those guys hit animals in the jaw/head/ass while aiming at the chest, my reaction is that I wish I had the authority to take their license away from them and let them take up knitting! Sorry, but I started hunting with my Dad when I was six back in 1953 and what I see some espousing as the way to do things will eventually lead to the end of hunting as we know it. Thank God it will probably not happen in the few short years before I can no longer get out there, but what about the kids and grandkids chances to enjoy our sport? These are my thoughts and I feel I have as much right to express them as the guys did that put up the pictures that I don't agree with. As long as we can express our feelings "without attacking others" with name calling, etc., I think threads like this are useful. Have a good day everyone!!!
 
I suppose it comes down to a person recognizing his/her own limits, as well as the limits of the firearm/cartridge/bow/broadhead/arrow/wind/etc..., and staying within those limits. If we all did that and stayed within the scope of our competence, there would be far less wounding of animals.
 
mmwb---You just said in 3 lines what I've been trying to say in all my posts. Thanks, as I think that pretty well sums up the whole issue!!!
 
"Gator, I don't think the point of this thread is to tell others how to hunt. It is to point out that a Head Shot, in most cases, is not a "High Percentage" shot."

"Sure it is, if a hunter grew up hunting just that way, it is his way on how he hunts and shoots you telling them it wrong isn't going to change a way he was taught by his Dad and Grampa".


So Gator by your logic, if my Dad and Grandpa taught me it was OK to own slaves and to perform mass genocide then all is good and nobody should ever question that, right?

All that I am saying is there is the individuals way and then there is the way of the majority of Hunters (and Society). Just cause the individual was taught or believes one way is right doesn't make it acceptable to the majority of Hunters.

Now, that being said, I am not saying the majority of Hunters would agree that a Head Shot is "Un-Ethical" and it is definitely not "Illegal" (and legality does not necessarily define ethics either), but I do believe that most Hunters would say that the highest percentage shot, regardless of the animal or the circumstances would be a broadside heart, lung shot period.

Do guys miss and wound animals when shooting at the heart / lungs? Of course they do. That is not the point.

Are you seeing the picture yet?
 
>mmwb---You just said in 3 lines
>what I've been trying to
>say in all my posts.
> Thanks, as I think
>that pretty well sums up
>the whole issue!!!

soooo...what then would be wrong with a 100yd head shot if a hunter was sure he was within his limitations.
 
"as long as we can express our feelings without attacking others with name calling ect"

Lol you of all people said that mr.topgun. Lmfao now that is funny
 
o-s-o -k. its allways the few that cost most of us the right to hunt' bear arms' when your way pisses off the rest maybe you should ask why?? that deer ksl posted will haunt real hunters for along time to come...
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-06-11 AT 05:23PM (MST)[p]I don't believe I called any person that made a post on this thread a name other than referring to you as a punk and I was using a lot of restraint to limit it to that!!! In case you haven't noticed, your post #27 with the graphic picture was deleted from the thread, so it would appear that the man in charge might have felt I was correct! You seem to have fun trying to stir the pot with your BS and I guess the best way for people to handle you is just not respond and maybe some day you will grow up and join us with some meaningful, positive posts!!!
 
"soooo...what then would be wrong with a 100yd head shot if a hunter was sure he was within his limitations."

That's a reasonable question. I'm not voicing an opinion on head shots. I am saying in the end the hunter's perception of his competence and his actual competence will need to be the same and then he'll have to stay within it. It comes down to the individual being honest with self and maintaining hunting ethics that put the welfare of the animal and the sport in the forefront.
 
Couldn't that same hunter take a lung shot? maybe his limitations are not what he thinks they are.

Not that that could ever happen.
 
"I'll only take one if the range is close, the animal is stationary and I'm very steady with a rifle of known and dependable accuracy"

This was quote taken from your Boddington article Hdude.

Maybe you could be wrong about a serious hunter/shooter knowing his own limitations....not that that could happen.
 
IS it still OK to own Slaves,(will ask my wife) I think they changed that a few years back,I Do believe it against the law Now. Is it still ok to do head shots, I DON'T think they ever changed that yet. If I get this right you can kill a animal with a head shot or a lung shot nothing in the Laws or rules say anything about it.
Hell I kill Gophers all the time with head shots is this wrong too, does one animal(deer) have more right on how to die then another(gopher). Mean they are both animals right. Are you see any pictures yet.
What else do you want to change since you are on the soapbox.



"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
 
It might be legal to drive 70MPH out on the freeway too! However, most of us use common sense and slow down to a slower speed in bad weather so we don't kill ourselves or someone else by pushing the envelope!!!
 
No you have it wrong TOPGUN it not legal to do it at 70mph if road condition are bad there is law about that ask your local Highway patrol and they will let you know you're wrong again.

Talk to me about those gophers they are asking for help.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
 
Yes, the law says you are supposed to slow down for unfavorable conditions, but I'm not aware of anybody getting tickets up here in Michigan that slide off (tons of idiots that do it every day up here during the winter) because they are going too fast for conditions unless they damage property or cause an accident with another motorist!!! Shooting gophers or squirrels in the head does not equate to deer because the head on them is about as big as their vital area. As an example, I've shot all my hogs in the head when broadside because it's just as big a target as their small heart/lung area that is way forward almost directly behind the shoulder. The latter is sometimes hard to get at unless they are quartering away. If you hit directly on the shoulder with a smaller caliber rifle it might not penetrate properly and a larger caliber will ruin the meat on at least the near shoulder. Let's just agree to disagree on this head shot topic because obviously we all have our own feelings on the subject and many will not be swayed from it.
 
I can now do head shots out to 300 yards on running targets the size of cantalope.

I put a cantalope on the top of my truck had my friend drive. then i proceeded to shoot and after a couple trips to the hospital, i eventually hit that d*mn cantalope. and since cantalope sounts like antelope, i think that will eb the first animal i try it on. car was going 55 and i know lopes and do 55mph no problem.

anyone else wanna try my shooting rig out. (I jerry rigged it to be able to do it by yourselve. just gotta have 25 lbs of duct tape)
 
Looks like it worked out pretty well for the buck roaming the foothills on the front with the arrow stuck a full 1/2" in his neck lol. Couple of inches higher and a bit to the side, into the eye and might have had that head shot that time.
 
I have shot a few in the head at close range in thick blacktail country but it is not my first choice.

TOPGUN you seem pretty adamant about this being a bad shot as the target is too small but then go on to talk about shooting hogs in the head because the head is bigger than the vital area but the target for a head shot is not the head itself it is the brain and it is no larger on a pig than a deer. Therefore I find your opinion to be hypocritical.

For you to say some of the things you have about a hunter who takes a head shot on deer and elk only to turn around and claim it is the best option for pigs just because thats how YOU DO IT shows that ethics is a matter of opinion and personal experience and to most only theirs' matters.

Bill
 
Both of you can think what you want because we are in America, but have either of you ever shot a hog in your life? If you haven't, you probably don't realize that even if you are off a few inches you will knock the animal down and easily have a second shot, if needed. I've never needed a second shot because I only do it at under 100 yards when they are feeding in a broadside position. It's not that way because of the formation of the head on those other animals and the head is much smaller. I figured if I mentioned hogs that someone would jump on it, especially Dryboot after our little tiff, LOL!!! Ask anybody that hunts and knows anything about hogs and the vast majority will tell you that is the one animal to shoot in the head!!!

Hey Dryboot---How many large game animals have you shot in your life and how many got away? I've got over 100 under my belt and haven't lost one yet that I've hit doing what I have mentioned on here!!! End of discussion on my part
 
Hey your the one that said head shots are bad, then say how you shoot hogs in the head? you knew you were going to get crap for that.
Ok so you havent lost a single animal doing what you have mentioned. but how many have you lost NOT doing what you mentioned on here?

Let me add it up Topgun... I have shot around 17 Mule Deer, 2 bear, 14 elk.. Ranging from 10 feet to 934 yards. Not nearly as many as you, but then again, im Half your age! I know I act it too! :)
Dont worry, as soon as I get into hunting whitetails and can shoot 10 a year I will catch up quick.

In the 14 years I have been hunting, I have lost two animals. The first year I hunted I shot a buck low in the leg and never recovered it why? Didnt know the yardage,inexperience, buck fever. then 4 years ago, the first year I archery hunted, I hit a buck at 40 yards and never found it. shot looked great, found the arrow, but was tough to track in the jungle. BOTH animals were standing broadside and YES I was aiming for the heart, lungs!
Out of all the animals I have shot, 0 were shot in the head! They were all shot using your "tried and true method".
I agree with the way you hunt, I just did not agree with the "my way is better then your way" But if I do it, then its ok.
The same can be said with hogs. What if you shot there jaw off?? what if you hit it in the nose? what if, what if, what if,?

I dont care who you are, if you hunt long enough you will lose an animal.
 
Cow my Ass!

That's a f'n Calf!

God is Great!
Life is Good!
And People are Crazy!
I love not acting my age,
Damn I love my NASCAR race,
And Hell yes I love my Truck!
And a good BBQ!
I am Medicine And I am Poison!
What Voltage of Cordless Sawzall are you running & what's your quickest Drive-By at hackin the Horns off of RoadKills?
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-09-11 AT 08:39PM (MST)[p]one_dryboot, or should I call you son! Just kidding, since you mentioned you're half my age and that you've been hunting for 14 years! I've been hunting since 1953 so that adds up to whatever, LOL! Anyway, you lost me on your "what have I lost comment", so if you would care to explain that one a little better I'll try to respond. Maybe I should just say that if I can't do what I have stated over and over on this thread that I don't shoot. It's really pretty simple and squeezing the trigger is just the culmination of the great experience that got me to that point each time in MHO. If it happens, it happens. If not, it's not going to give me any earth shaking problem to pass on an animal! As far as the hog comments go, I figured I might have some repercussions from anyone who has never shot one just because I said the head in this ongoing debate! Trust me; unless I closed my eyes, there would be no way that I'm going to hit a big hog in the nose, mouth, etc. when aiming behind or below the ear as big as that area is on them. That's why I explained that if I'm off several inches I would still collect that particular animal because of the size and way their head/neck area is shaped. A body shot on a good-sized hog with a caliber smaller than a 30-06 will leave very little blood if they run off and they will run a lot of the time when shot there. Down in south Texas where I hunt them, the hard, sandy soil makes it very difficult to track an animal unless it is really bleeding and hogs tend to seal up and not loose much blood unless using a big caliber rifle. I will again say that I don't feel I'm a know it all, but I will admit that I'm pretty adamant when it comes to taking what I feel is the best shot that will give you as close to a 100% chance of quickly and humanely dispatching the animal without risking a wounding shot that will result in a lingering death and an animal that is wasted. I don't think with the difference in size and shape of the animals heads that I'm a hypocrite by doing what I do and have mentioned. Sorry if you don't agree with that philosophy!
 

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