Headshots on deer - is that a smart thing to do?

[Schulze]

Wow, there was a huge discussion on another site, but I want to hear what the mature and always impressive Silencertalk group thinks about the issue.

Personally, I am not a good enough shot to be comfortable with hitting the brainpan, and also I'll get buck fever that makes it worse.

Is the headshot too much of a risk? Or is it a great way to preserve all the meat and good in some circumstances?

[Mongo]

I nailed a doe that was facing me head on but was down grazing so it was a low risk shot. Hit it square in the top of the head and transected downward through the bottom of the head. Never twitched one bit. Last time I will do it since it blew gray mater all over the place and was pretty disgusting.

[Baboon]

Nothing finer then the old bang-drop. The images of animals I've brained are forever burnt into my brain.

[700PSS]

Head shots on deer whenever it's safe and appropriate (does only). If they're close enough and still enough, there's nothing better than instant "lights out". Couldn't be more humane than that and you save all the meat.

[Casper]

Close is good, but never too close....

Years ago I was walking up on a deer my father had just shot. I had a 44 mag in hand just in case deer wasn't as dead as she looked, one can never be too careful. I was about 5 feet from a very dead looking deer when she jumped up. Gave me quite a scare, and in knee-jerk fashion I swung the 44 up as quickly as I could and squeezed of a round. Next thing I knew I was standing in a bit of a mist, some smoke, some blood, and well, bone and brain etc. etc. It took me a good minute to clean my face off and get all the bits out from behind my glasses. Showering was a real treat.

Moral of the story, give yourself a little distance, up close head shots get ugly.

[Baboon]

Here a decent warthog I brained back a few years ago. IIRC 175 yards with a solid rest.

[SRM]

If the meat is for yourself, why not .
Giving away the meat, well..........

[jlwilliams]

Unless I get an oportunty too easy to pass up handed to me, head shots are just a bit risky. The possability of blowing some animal's jaw off an having it run off and die a miserable, prolonged death is too great. Heart/lungs is just better IMO.

[700PSS]

I will take the head shot if they're say, within 100 yards, but obviously not close enough to get spattered. As long as I'm confident I can make the shot, I'll take it. Haven't missed one yet, fortunately. Once, I took the lead doe of two at 70 yards, before the second one was visible. The second one ran straight away from me, but came back soon to my fawn bleat distress call. All I could see was the neck up, and she remained still long enough to make the shot. What will set me off is when they sneak up on me and ruin a buck hunt at dusk, during the rut. Looking at me like that will surely draw a head shot. They must pay.

[c_bass16]

The possability of blowing some animal's jaw off an having it run off and die a miserable, prolonged death is too great. Heart/lungs is just better IMO.

This happened to me when i was about 14, and in my defense, my father had equipped me with a 3-4 MOA rifle at 100m.
I wounded a doe that crossed a river and laid down in a blow out. Only the head and neck were visible. From about 75yds, I took careful aim just below the ear and blew off her lower jaw. She got up and ran another 3/4 of a mile before we caught up and I ended the madness with my uncles 270.

One of the worst hunting experiences of my life.

My weapon I use these days is a .4MOA rifle out to 400m and the 200m shots just seem easy now. I do still frequently take head shots on doe, even out to 200m, but I have learned my lesson. I never take them unless they are standing broadside, and looking strait AWAY. This eliminates a wild chance of shooting them in the ass. If they are looking at you, the chance for a bullet to glance off the angled face of a deer is higher than it seems.
When they look strait away, any shot that hits the back of the head, will hit skull, which will/should cause instant death from hydrostatic shock. Left, right, or high is a clean miss, and if you do happen to shoot low, you will get neck/spine.

I'm all for head shots, but you'll rethink that if you ever shoot the face off a deer and have it get away.

[NN4S]

I had to rely on a headshot tonight with my 1911 to kill off a deer... of course, it was because someone had hit it driving by and knocked it up into my drive. They didn't even stop, so I went out & put it out of it's suffering. I still can't believe they didn't even bother to stop.

[O'Neill Ops]

if you shoot often at the distance you plan on killing animals, and hit the target thats the size of the objective "cranial vault", know your and your equipements capabilites and can run your stick, why not???

[Wilder]

Clean kill,, or clean miss. What can be the downside? Almost any centerfire will put the animal down with a grasing shot

[Wilder]

The possability of blowing some animal's jaw off an having it run off and die a miserable, prolonged death is too great. Heart/lungs is just better IMO.

This happened to me when i was about 14, and in my defense, my father had equipped me with a 3-4 MOA rifle at 100m.
I wounded a doe that crossed a river and laid down in a blow out. Only the head and neck were visible. From about 75yds, I took careful aim just below the ear and blew off her lower jaw. She got up and ran another 3/4 of a mile before we caught up and I ended the madness with my uncles 270.

One of the worst hunting experiences of my life.

My weapon I use these days is a .4MOA rifle out to 400m and the 200m shots just seem easy now. I do still frequently take head shots on doe, even out to 200m, but I have learned my lesson. I never take them unless they are standing broadside, and looking strait AWAY. This eliminates a wild chance of shooting them in the ass. If they are looking at you, the chance for a bullet to glance off the angled face of a deer is higher than it seems.
When they look strait away, any shot that hits the back of the head, will hit skull, which will/should cause instant death from hydrostatic shock. Left, right, or high is a clean miss, and if you do happen to shoot low, you will get neck/spine.

I'm all for head shots, but you'll rethink that if you ever shoot the face off a deer and have it get away.

This was very rear. Most that I have seen shot in the jaw spin around in a circle for just a minute before dropping.

[I8asquirrel]

I killed a buck this year with a head shot at 70yds facing away from me. I hit the deer just above the base of the spine and alittle left, DRT he was on the ground before the mist cleared from the impact. I was shooting a 60gr Vmax over 26.0 of BLC-2, I shoot ground squirrels all year long with that round. In my opinion it comes down to your comfort level with the shot. I killed 407 ground squirrel out of my freinds orchard this year and many of those were Headshots ( a head the size of a walnut) so I feel shooting the brain of a deer the size of a apple is not to challanging....know you weapon,your ability and hunt ethically. we are all looking for a humane kill.

[Twinsen]

I wouldn't.

[DorikinGTSt]

great practice for the inevitable UN peace-keeping force that will be roaming your city's streets going door-to-door with bad intentions.

If only we could issue those groovy blue helmets to the forest creatures for more authenticity...

[VanKamp]

Brother, every chance I get.



75 gr. TAP:

Entry


Exit


Both were DRT with no issues.

[st33ve0]

Tell me more about that setup VanKamp. Just a 5.56 can wrapped with Realtree coated neoprene or what?

[VanKamp]

LWRC M6A2 upper on Noveske lower, Geissle DMR trigger, Magpul furniture, ACOG TA01 with Docter on a 1 o'clock mount, M42k on a brake. Can has a tan T.A.B. gear nomex cover and I just home wrapped some Realtree burlap (I think Remington makes it, WalMart) around the front end held neatly in place by a few of my wife's dirt colored hair ties. I knew she'd come in handy one day. Just temporary breakup til I can do the krylon right, worked great though. Stayed snug while climbing, hiking and dragging deer a quarter mile through the brush.

ETA: my pack is a little light, I may need a shrike for next year

[selph arms llc]

Taken at 200 yards head shot. 16" 300 Blackout



Taken at 130 yards head shot. 16" 300 Blackout

[tylermtech]

I have done it, I have friends that do it, I will most likely do it again, and I have seen it go bad (jaw shot). with that said, for me to do it again, i will have to be close, and not have a good angle at the body.

For example, if I knew that due to the angle, a lung shot would likely hit the guts on the exit side, I would take a head shot if the distance was reasonable,

To me, this is like most other things, use good judgment, and you will most likely come out ok

[VanKamp]

From earlier today:


Entry through corner of eye, out behind the left ear. Dropped like a sack of hammers. I challenge any anti-hunters that eat meat or wear leather (I doubt there are any reading this) to give me an example of a more humane way to dispatch dinner. One second chewing acorns, the next in peaceful darkness.

[River Runner]

I've probably headshot at least a dozen deer. All instant kills with the exception of one which was just a hair too low. As Wilder stated earlier, she spun in a circle until a second shot found the brain pan a couple of seconds later. No more humane way to kill. Bonus is that field dressing the deer is as clean and bloodless as it can be. No meat wasted.

However, if I don't have the shot I go for the chest or neck.

[700PSS]

After what happened to me 2 weeks ago today, I'll never go for the neck shot again. Head shots (when possible) on does, and upper shoulder on trophy bucks for me.