Shooting deer in the neck

Permitchaser

Senior Member
Has anyone done this either on purpose or by accident. If so what happens, is it like a gun and they drop right there or they run
I shoot a Muzzy 115 grain on a 2512 arrow
 

NE GA Pappy

Mr. Pappy
I shot one in the neck about 5 inches behind its head with a .243 back in 1982. It ran way over 100 yards. The shot was just a little low and took out the geezle pipe. It had to bleed to death. The shot was just under 10 yards and out of a 15 ft high tree stand
 

Long Cut

Senior Member
Had an arrow deflect off a twig that I never saw and hit a doe right in the neck. Thankfully it severed an artery and broke its spine and the deer died before I hit the ground.
 

baddave

Senior Member
agree w/ this -- if you hit the spine they would possibly drop right then but then you'd have to shoot again , possibly , to finish it .. don't do it .. double lung is my shot . then listen and watch very closely
 

Dustin Pate

Administrator
Staff member
Had an arrow deflect off a twig that I never saw and hit a doe right in the neck. Thankfully it severed an artery and broke its spine and the deer died before I hit the ground.

I also had this happen. She was also stone dead before she hit the ground. No way it heck would I every try it on purpose with a bow.
 

Dirtroad Johnson

Senior Member
I found a nice 11 pointer on my place this past November that was shot in the neck, I sawed the antlers off. A couple weeks later found out that a man in the hunting club down the road & across from my place had shot him at about 60 yards. He was shot not quite half way down length wise & in the lower third from top of neck to bottom. He showed me some pictures that he had of him. I gave him the antlers & he said he had another cape & was gonna mount him.

He told me he would bring him by after the mount was complete. I'm guessing he ran a minimum 250 - 300 yards. Bout forgot to say he was shot with a 30-06 & that's my favorite caliber.
 
Last edited:

Lumpkin Hunter

Senior Member
Pull up a deers anatomy and look at how small of a target the spine and blood veins in the neck really are. A rifle shot takes them down quickly due to the force released when the bullet expands suddenly on a neck shot. Even then as someone said it can still be a risky shot with a bullet that doesn't expand rapidly releasing all of its energy quickly. I would never intentionally shoot a deer in the neck with an arrow. It is too risky of a shot, the deer deserves to be killed in as a quickly and humane way as possible. That's why a double lung shot is the best when shooting a deer with an arrow. Good question to ask. Do pulp a picture of a deers anatomy you may be surprised at the locations of several vital organs or blood veins.

Good luck this year.
 

Hillbilly stalker

Senior Member
When I was younger and cocky with my bow, I shot several deer in the forehead with a broadhead....dead right there. One day I went for a forehead shot with the deer looking straight up at me. She jumped and the arrow went thru her neck. The deer busted out of there wide open like you smacked her on the butt. That little 70 lb doe bled and ran FOREVER. I found her alright, but it was the longest good blood trail I ever was on. And all dragging back, no 4 wheeler. Now that Im a little longer in the tooth, I would never take a neck shot with a bow.....or forehead. Too much room for error.
 

Permitchaser

Senior Member
Well I ask this because I live on 3 acres and in my neighborhood everyone has 3-6 acres. We have a deer problem. I see 4-5 at a time. So I wondered can shooting with an arrow work like a gun. I've shot does in the neck with my 22-250 and they drop right there. I don't want to shoot a deer in my back yard and it run over and die in someone's pool or worse in a anti hunters yard.
Now all the deer I've shot in the shoulder with my bow go about 15 yds. And fall over so I guess I'll do that
 

Ihunt

Senior Member
If you’re good enough to shoot them in the neck aim for the lungs. Most times, it will be a significantly quicker kill.

And I know, I have this buddy that......

Aim for the lungs
 

Hunter922

Senior Member
Well I ask this because I live on 3 acres and in my neighborhood everyone has 3-6 acres. We have a deer problem. I see 4-5 at a time. So I wondered can shooting with an arrow work like a gun.

Without permission to track 3 acres isn't big enough to hunt with a bow. Likely have about a 20% or less chance of it expiring on that small property.
 

baddave

Senior Member
typically a deer lives approx. 8 seconds after a good lung shot .. it can run about 150 yds in 8 sec .. this will be the fastest that deer has ever ran in its life .. it will , a lot of times , die in mid stride .. Sharp broadheads can not be over emphasised especially the circumstances your talking
 

mizzippi jb

Welcome back.
But if you shoot them in the shoulder they die within 15 yards. Those are the shots I need to start taking
 

HermanMerman

Senior Member
Back about 20 years ago, my cousin shot one in the neck with a bow. The deer didn’t make it too far, but was still very alive and struggling mightily when we got to it. It took a hatchet blow to the head to kill him.

Was the shot effective? Certainly. Was it efficient? Not at all.
 

Permitchaser

Senior Member
So if I shoot it, it will probably run back to the big creek. But if it runs up to the tree hugger house I'm in trouble. So I may be rethinking this. I'm going to start running a camera and corn in my back yard to see what's going on
 

Long Cut

Senior Member
Something we also need to consider is how much a deer can move in the time it takes an arrow to reach them. Deer jump the string all of the time with guys aiming center mass, lungs or heart..

It works so well with rifles because they don’t have time to jump the bullet, unless you’re taking a stupid long shot. You are actually hitting where you aim. Unfortunately with arrows that isn’t always the case.

Aim center mass, we owe it to the animals for clean, ethical shots.
 
Top