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Head shot -why only?

9K views 93 replies 44 participants last post by  quack addict 
#1 ·
How come every head shot story I read about involves does only? If people are 100% confident in their head shot skills, wouldn't they take the same shot at a buck? It is almost as if does are a 'lesser' animal and don't deserve a well placed shot behind the shoulder.
 
#74 ·
If people are confident in there ability and have a head shot.................take it. I have had a few, and they resulted in instant kills. I have seen far more deer wounded by poorly placed body shoots than I have poorly placed head shots. I butcher my own deer, the best placed body shot still creates collateral damage. I do believe the opportunity arises far more with doe than with bucks.
 
#77 ·
Turkeys are shot in the head because the body has thick feathers and it's more reliable. One pellet out of the 100 hits the brain, spine or major blood vessel in the neck, the turkey is dead. I guess a head-shot with a 222 at a turkey would be comparable. But it's more likely that you get an instant kill or clean miss on a turkey. The deer has a long snoot that you might hit. The turkey is a golf ball with a beak. Probably same with a squirrel. Less "non-vital" area to a squirrel's noggin. And even hitting a squirrel or turkey in a non-lethal area of the head would knock it down for a follow-up.
 
#78 ·
BUT, this wasn't about shotguns and turkey heads. It was about rifles and turkey vitals. Why is it okay, accepted and generally appropriate to shoot a turkey with a rifle in the vitals? Why is it not okay to shoot a deer in the head with a rifle? Both areas are of essentially the same size.
 
#79 ·
BUT, this wasn't about shotguns and turkey heads. It was about rifles and turkey vitals. Why is it okay, accepted and generally appropriate to shoot a turkey with a rifle in the vitals? Why is it not okay to shoot a deer in the head with a rifle? Both areas are of essentially the same size.
Are we talking about shooting a turkey in the heart/lung/liver area? That's probably the biggest target for a rifle on that small of a game animal. I don't even want to get into shot placement on a hummingbird. :D
 
#82 ·
Just last evening with 5 minutes of shooting time remaining for the day a buck and doe showed up in a thicket my son was watching with his grandfather 70 yards away. He had no shot at the vitals only thing he could see was the head. Now this is a 14 year old kid that has been shooting rifles since he was 4 years old and now shoots sporting clays once a week The kid loves to shoot. Just 2 weeks ago I watched him sight in a 22-250 that we want to use for coyote at 235 yards and had 5 shots in a 3/4 inch group a 1/2 inch right of the bull. So when the best buck he has seen in the woods while rifle hunting shows up with 3 days left in the season and his grand father who knows what the kid is capable of tells him shoot it in the head. This is the reward for the effort made from all his effort put in through the years. shot at 70 yards about an inch below the right antler. He is always told make the first one count.
 

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#87 ·
He made the shot and I congratulate him on the harvest. But, you said it yourself, he had no shot at the vitals. 1 inch high and it's a miss..one head flick or head bob or twist...a miss or a poorly wounded deer with a devastating slow death ahead. All that and you're shooting behind the shoulder at vitals, it's a hit. I was always told to make the first shot count too...behind the shoulder.
 
#90 ·
I too was taught to go behind the shoulder, as were all my hunting buddies. I have been hunting for 40+ years, have lived and hunted in PA, OH, NE, CA, AZ, CO and WY and don't know of a single hunter in my travels who was taught to take head shots or are advocates of head shots. The consensuses in my experience in the field from other hunters is a head shot is NO shot.
 
#91 ·
We get it Heit. You are 100% against head shots.

Why tread on those who have a different experience than yourself?

I also have been hunting for 40+ years and my expierence has been different than yours.

Have you ever taken a running shot at a deer? If so you must have been breaking someone's self exposed rules of engagement. A shot at a moving deer has less margin for error and a greater chance of wounding than the head shots I take.

Would you respond to the question of rifle turkey hunting and vital area size? I also enjoy rifle hunting fall gobblers. Have also head shot a few of them with the rifle when everything came together right.

There is a huge difference between pushing for a head shots, and waiting for the RIGHT SITUATION to present itself or making the situation occur.

Some have singled out " clean body cavity" as if this was the only reason stated. Kind of like today's drive by media aye?
This is only a bonus. Respect for the deer that are part of my daily life. A calm deer is not full of adrenils from flight or fight response of a shoulder shot deer or one that has been run all morning. A much better grade of meat, which is why some of us harvest does. It is not to say that we got one to brag, it is to use wisely. Again I will say I would never shoot one of my coon dogs in the lungs to put it down. That would be disrespectful to the dog IMO. Would it be right to shoot the dog in the shoulder? Or the horses to be put down, how would that be to shoulder shoot them? Pretty disrespectful it would seem to my crew.

Keep doing it your way and we will do it ours.

Peace out..
 
#92 ·
Hey Kip......do your thing brother. You don't have to try to justify your actions to me. Yes indeed I am against head shots and no I have not shot at running deer nor will I for the great margin of error. I don't need any deer that badly....trophy buck or doe. I have given my experience and opinion on the matter.....no more....no less. Happy hunting.
 
#94 ·
I agree with what a lot of you guys are saying especially coffinmaker. You need to know your limitations I am only in my early forties and can already tell my shooting skills have taken a hit with time just from the bench. but a lot of my time the past ten years has been spent teaching my son to shoot like I once could. and I feel that is where a lot of wounded animals come from. the people who do not know and will not practice enough to become proficient with their weapon of choice. with practice come confidence. one thing I have learned in my time is if you wait for the perfect shot it's not going to happen like you expect it to. as far as letting deer walk I have eaten a lot of tags since my son started hunting and have witnessed him pass on small buck that when I was his age would not have thought twice about shooting. I can count on one finger how many deer I have killed since he started hunting. It is up to the parents to instill the skills needed to shoot a deer or any animal for that matter. My rant is over thanks for reading
 
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