lesson learned

[Moving2thecountry]

Just deboned a doe, heart shot, through one shoulder at 25 yards.  Too much meat lost due to blood for my liking.  Next time I'll try a neck shot on a doe from that distance.

[deadeye]

Moving2thecountry,
Good point.  I usually use the neck shot on standing deer under 50-60 yards.  Anyone who butchers their own deer has seen the damage a bullet though the shouder can do.

[schwinger]

We butchered our own deer for the first time this year. Prior to this year I  never would have given a second thought to a shoulder shot, I will now.

[Stensethfan]

I can second the shoulder shot not being very good if you like to salvage as much meat as possible.  Through the lungs is also good, but you need them perfectly broad side.  You also have to be willing to track them about 60 - 80 yards with the double lunger!  The neck shot drops them, but if you like the neck meat for the grinder you will probably lose a little there too.

[BiggA]

I think that the neck shot can be questionable. An inch or 2 off and now you have a wounded deer running threw the woods. I suppose under 50 yards pretty good chance of a dead deer but just saying some might believe it to be not the most ethical shot to take.

[22lex]

As a meat lover I too like to harvest as much meat as I can, but I will only shoot through the bread basket (middle mass) hoping they are broadside. That's just because I don't trust myself enough out past 40 yards to drop 'em with a head or neck shot. This is with a muzzleloader of course, with a rifle it might be different.

I don't do much with the front shoulders besides grind them, so I don't care too much if I rip through them.

[stevejedlenski]

i say no to that option... as i tried that this year for the same reason. needless to say there is a deer running around out there thats not going to make it through the winter. i will never shoot anywhere but in the vitals now. this deer was no more than 10 yrds from me on the ground. i had amazing blood for 700 yrds then dried up. yes most of the time it will work but i like the best odds. but i guess its up to everyone to make their own decisions but i have learned from my experience. my dad has also shot a deer with a bow in the spine right under his stand and dropped it in its tracks. then after a short rolling around it got up and walked away like nothing happened.

[dakids]

I agree with Steve.  I to have tracked a deer for about a mile(we had snow).  Mine was a head shot at 30 yards with a riffle.  It went right down like a sack of potatoes and didn't move.  15 min. later as I am climbing down the doe stands up and walks away with its lower jaw hanging down.  I WILL NEVER TAKE AN OTHER HEAD OR NECK SHOT.  Watching that doe walk away was a very sick fealing.

[Ryan]

Neck shots are tough.  I usually just aim a few inches behind the shoulder and usually they just drop right there.  I have had a few run, but there is always a pretty good blood trail to follow so it is not a problem.  There really is not much more meat on on shoulder than there is on a neck and it is all sausage meat anyway so you are not gaining much by shooting them in the neck. 

[guythathunts]

I would never take a neck shot over a shoulder shot. A shoulder shot has way more room for error. The point of shooting at a deer is to kill it. I hate missing deer and I hate not finding deer. The 2 fron quarters are a pain to clean no matter what - the neck is EZ. i would rethink the neck shot. To each their own. My 2 cents.

[BuckdownBen]

i shoot behind the shoulder, wasted some rib meat that's all, deer die quickly.  My buddy shoots at neck, does well also, but on his nice deer the cape needs to be replaced.  There is a lot of good grinding meat wasted on a neck shot.  I taught my boys to shoot for the oppisate  shoulder.  They teach me how to spell.

[HD]

  My kids teach me how to spell tooooo.......

We like neck roasts, so, I never whack um in the neck....plus, I don't like chasing wounded deer.
Granted, the rifle is dialed in...but, still wouldn't take the shot. But, hey, that's just me....

[Moving2thecountry]

Well, the problem I had was a lot of blood seeped all over the meat, between layers of muscle and fat.  Last year I took a double lung, and there wasn't much meat wasted at all.  But this year, through the heart and a shoulder.  She dropped, but there was a lot of wasted meat in my view.  Unless, perhaps, I should have just washed the blood of the bloodied meat.  If that is commonly done, let me know, and I may rethink.  But a standing doe at 25 yards broadside isn't a tough shot.  At 50 yards, I'd probably go back to the shoulder/heart/lung area.

[HD]

I'm confused now..... 

Did you shoot right through the shoulder?
The only time I've had that happen is when I blew the shoulder up on a shot.

I have always tried to target behind the shoulder, and normally don't have that problem. Let me know......
   


                                                   

[Moving2thecountry]

It's butchered now, but I shot through the heart, tore it in two, and the bullet exited the far shoulder.  A lot of blood seeped into a lot of meat in those areas.

[HD]

aaahhhhh.........now, I gotcha......

Yea, I've had that happen when I went through the shoulder....does get kinda messy.
But, it all depends on the angle of the enterance and exit wound that determines the outcome. If it's a straight through shot behind the shoulder, not much meat is wasted (just some ribs)

I guess it all depends on what your comfortable with.....

Me? I set my stands up to where I am almost gar-o-teed a broad side shot (not always) but, most of the time. So, I would rather take the broad side shot.....But, again, that's just me.....What do I know?....nuth'in..... 

[Ryan]

Do you guys eat the ribs?  There is almost not meat on them.

[22lex]

I have a friend that cuts the ribs into sections, boils them, then grills them like you would any other rack 'o' ribs. I don't personally go to that measure, but I do strip them and throw them in the "burger" pile.

[kenhuntin]

The blood damage comes from the incredible pressure created by a high power rifle. It is instantaneous. like shooting a water jug or a watermelon. Blood does not do any damage that seeps around the muscle. I advise against even trying to salvage any meat that is the dark colored bloodshot. I have found lead fragments  in deer up to 18 inches away from the bullets path while cutting out damaged meat. The outside of the ribs is a great low resistance path for the concussion to travel through.
 Deer ribs can be really good if smoked or cooked slowly after letting them stand covered with salt and brown sugar for 12 hours no more. To me they are more palatable if let to cool when you can easily cut or scrape away and discard the tallow.

[Ryan]

Maybe I don't shoot big enough deer, but even to cut the meat out of the ribs then remove that fat leaves very little and does not seem to be worth the effort.  I would rather just throw that part out and let the other animals have an easy meal.

[HD]

We use the meat in the ribs, but like Lex said....it goes into the grinder for burger.
De-boning goes pretty fast with a filet knife.

[HUNTER2]

We quit butchering our own deer years ago. It is $70.00 bucks and that is skinned and cut up and packaged. Not worth the hassel.

[beeker]

better to lose a little meat then to lose the deer. you take the best shot that your skill level allows. I'm not a fan of the neck shot

[Moving2thecountry]

better to lose a little meat then to lose the deer. you take the best shot that your skill level allows. I'm not a fan of the neck shot

At 25 yards, I don't think I would have lost the deer.  As it was, I hit exactly where I aimed, which was for the opposite shoulder.

[Benny]

For me, if the deer is with in 25 to 35 yards and depending on the size of deer I shoot for the head.Either a side or back of the scull shot.But I also know that my rifle is very accurate at this range.

If it's a big deer I will shoot the most opertune spot to kill it right there.

My daughter shot her buck with it facing us in just a slight angle so that the bullet entered in the middle of the front shoulder and exited out the oposite side rear rib cage right in front of the hind quarters.This broke the shoulder blade and ripped the ribs open at the exit point.

It still was walking and turned broad side so I told her to shoot again because she might have missed the first shot.
This one hit a small pine tree and deflected to the hind quarter, and passed out through almost the same spot the first round did.

We didn't loose much meat at all, but the .30-30 win are not all that powerful to blow up the meat.

I seen a deer hit in the front shoulder with a 7mm rem mag that took all but the ball socket off the deer.
So I think it is a matter of how much gun your using as well as the shot placement.

Benny

[22lex]

Maybe I don't shoot big enough deer, but even to cut the meat out of the ribs then remove that fat leaves very little and does not seem to be worth the effort.  I would rather just throw that part out and let the other animals have an easy meal.

Or throw it in the deep freeze, then take it out in January after deer season is done and feed it to the yotes. Of course you will be within 100 yards of that location downwind on a moonlit night, :fudd:with a HP rifle.