Rifle Shot Placement for Least Meat Loss

[mdhunter]

I had a guest on my farm try the neck shot on a deer last week. Suffice it to say it ended without the deer and an upset host. Sorry, that's not my favorite shot as their are far many more people who "think they are Annie Oakley" than actually are.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

the most lost meat is an animal that gets away

100%, I find circumstance dictates my shot placement a lot.

Deer or elk in CO I don't "anchor" I figure I will probably be able to find them. A lot of times there are even in areas where you can watch them run for 500 yards.

POW bear, I did not want to chase a bear into that crap.

I had a guest on my farm try the neck shot on a deer last week. Suffice it to say it ended without the deer and an upset host. Sorry, that's not my favorite shot as their are far many more people who "think they are Annie Oakley" than actually are.

Definitely controversial, context is important.

 

[SaskHunter]

Boiler room is the way to go, largest target and as long as you keep it behind the shoulder and away from spine you will not get much waste. I've taken a handful of neck shots over the years with minimal meat loss and they were usually the only shot I had, otherwise I wouldn't recommend.

I'd rather pound a deer in the shoulder than take a marginal shot a lose a wounded deer.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

After finishing a bowl of Mexican neck roast stew, I would suggest through the lungs, behind the shoulder.

I have been enjoying a batch of whitetail neck roast barbacoa this week for my lunches. Chipotle has nothing on it....

 

[rmyoung1]

The least amount of meat I ever lost was from a black bear I hit directly above the left eye. Easy tracking job. No meat loss. The problem: I was aiming for the neck. And that’s the problem with those neck shots. Often you don’t get that lucky if something goes sideways at the last second. I say go ahead and suffer some meat loss and hit it in the heart/lung area if at all possible.

 

[2rocky]

The blacktail I throat patched at 20 yards Had no bloodshot meat and fell where he stood. I wouldn't recommend that though.

A double lung shot will damage the least amount of large muscle mass...

 

[Nick87]

A picture is worth a 1,000 words right? I would be aiming about 3 inches left and 1 inch higher than where the crosshairs are centered in this picture on an elk.

Agreed but for some reason I always end up aiming right where @JLS pic shows the crosshairs.

 

[sn.outdoors]

Neck shots save meat... Unless you shoot em with a cannon





Despite the size of the hole, there was very little meat loss. I prefer neck shots when I'm close and have the time to place the shot accurately. Base of the head is best. This particular doe only had her neck/shoulder junction visible, so that's where I shot her. Of course if she was further away, I would've shot her elsewhere.

All that said, meat loss doesn't concern me. I'd rather lose some meat and kill the animal than wound one trying to conserve meat.

 

[Gr8bawana]

I must agree with the lungs as first choice and it's a shame to waste any elk meat unnecessarily because it's so delicious and we don't get to hunt elk every year like some of you.
That being said, I'm of the mindset that if an elk is still standing keep shooting until is not. They can cover an awful lot of country even when hit in the lungs.

 

[TheJason]

Agreed but tit some reason I always end up aiming right where @JLS pic shows the crosshairs.

Put the vertical crosshair in line with the center of the leg (or midline between the legs if quartered to or away) and the horizontal crosshair 1/4-1/3 of the way up the body. With mono bullets, the meat loss will be measured in ounces.

 

[RobG]

View attachment 166457

This is exactly where I would aim, if there was enough wind to move the bullet towards the top of that crease on the left

 

[Wildabeest]

Texas heart shot unless you like to eat butthole and heart.

 

[Wildabeest]

Convince me you wouldn’t do it...

 

[mtmuley]

I shoot a RUM. A near miss ruins meat. mtmuley

 

[Sask hunter]

I would rather lose some rib meat then neck meat. 3” or so behind the shoulder and you miss the shoulder meat and just lose a bit of rib meat

 

[buckbull]

I've shot s few whitetail with headshots when they were within 30 yards. The last time I tried it though I missed its head but shot through the deers windpipe. It flopped around like a fish on a dry dock. It was absolutely horrible to watch. From then on I wait on the double lung shot.

 

[Sask hunter]

Another thing to mention is bullet design. With my Barnes This fall I broke a spike elk shoulder at 25 or so yards and lost maybe five pounds and Hugh shoulder blades a moose and the only meat damage was a 338 hole through the flat irons and a bit of blood shot that was easy to trim off the back strap. Maybe 2 pounds off the moose

 

[matechakeric]

I've shot s few whitetail with headshots when they were within 30 yards. The last time I tried it though I missed its head but shot through the deers windpipe. It flopped around like a fish on a dry dock. It was absolutely horrible to watch. From then on I wait on the double lung shot.

yea i "finished" off a doe years back with a bullet between the eyes up an inch from 10 yards away. the deer seized and kicked for over a minute before I finally shot her through the heart. those sure-fire brain shots are anything but. i almost gave up hunting because of that experience. glad I didnt but I'll never take another head shot and even a neck shot makes nervous to consider

 

[Doublecluck]

Just off the crease, little farther back little higher than traditional shot placement. I 100% intend to hit lungs, heart tastes good and I’m shooting vlds so shoulder shots are destructive. When we shoot solids we aim where JLS does, break the animal down and still minimal meat loss. We don’t chase things. As said the meat you recover is better than the buzzards eating your meat 5 miles away in some hole.

I got a really good video of my 16 y/o daughter shooting a lope at 500 through the neck facing at us this year. Nearly zero meat loss. Pretty thin margin of error though, don’t recommend it unless your pro staff.

 

[mtmuley]

Pretty thin margin of error though, don’t recommend it unless your pro staff.

Tough shot. Made one like that myself a few years ago. But I ain't pro staff. mtmuley