[cj-5]

With Buck Monday not far away here in PA. I have been thinking of going for a head shot on a white tail buck. 50 yards or less with 30-30 Marlin . I was always taught shoot vitals,Heart or through shoulders to drop them.I Buck hunt My 11 acers and dont want him going of my property after I shoot him.My Wife tells me her Daddy always shot deer in the head.
Any thoughts out there on head shots ?
Thanks Guys
Have a good Thanks Giving and GOD Bless
CJ

 

[4570Tom]

A well placed shot through a deer's head will drop it instantly. However, there is no margin of error and a shot that is even a little off stands the chance of blowing off a jaw or a snout, in which case the deer will run for a ways, may not be found, and eventually will die an unpleasant death.

 

[William Iorg]

Lots of head shooters here in Texas. I don’t care for headshots, as there are many reasons for a poor shot. We have many hunters using the Hornet, 218 Bee and the 222 for these shots.
I prefer to take a shoulder and cross the X - body cavity - using a 170-grain bullet. Under 50 yards the 30-30 will often drop an unalarmed deer in its tracks. At other times they will run 100-yards.
A few years ago, some of the Beartooth members got me to try the 130-grain Speer bullet. I shot several cull deer with the 130-grain bullet using both low and high lung shots. All of the deer dropped at the shot.
We had a thread on this - “One Mans Opinion” I will look for it and attach a link.

I would use either a heavy bullet and cross the body cavity with a shoulder entry or exit or the light bullet with a low lung shot.

http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=4151&highlight=mans+opinion

 

[Daveboone]

I have shot many does in the head...meat hunting.. Be aware that the results can be very disturbing. My preferred shot is high behind the shoulder. You take out both lungs with massive shock to the spine dropping the deer in its tracks. You certainly have as much a target or bigger than the head, and more margine of error. I agree entirely that a deers twitching head makes for a very difficult target. Just when you think it is steady it is moving again.

 

[sert01]

Head shots

Years ago I came on a blood trail while doe hunting. Following up on the trail, I ended up jumping a large doe and shot it. It had been hit in the mouth and half of its teeth were blown out. I'm just really glad that I came upon it or it would have died an awful death. I'm not saying that whoever hit it was trying for a head shot or not, but, I never went for a head shot before that and never would after that experience. All it takes is for the deer to jerk just a little and you'll have the same situation that I came across. Just my $.02 worth and maybe a little more. Sert01.

 

[tpv]

I have to ask,"do you care anything about the animal you are hunting?"
That is not a good shot no matter what.
A side to side lung shot, and you are going to lose a handful of rib meat. I hope that is not your reason to go for a headshot.
Oh well, to each his own!

 

[MikeG]

I did it once, to see if I could. Granted, the conditions were as follows:

Extremely accurate heavy barreled .22-250 with Barnes "X" bullets.
Rock solid rest and known range of 110 yards.
20x scope, broad daylight. No wind to speak of.

Waited till it was directly facing away, with it's head down. Timed it so that the trigger squeeze started when it put it's head down to feed. Shot right between the legs into the bottom of the head.

It was nerve-wracking and I won't try it again. Used to shoot pigs in the head, till I did some home taxidermy on a pretty big skull and figured out just how small the brain is. I guess that the majority of them that I shot in the head just had enough damage and bone fragments going through whatever that they died on the spot. Never had one run off when doing that, but I know people who have. Figure I'll preserve my perfect record at this point and call it good. Well, last fall I did shoot one more pig in the head on purpose. But at a range of 50 feet or so, that eyeball looks pretty big in the scope!

I'll admit to doing it because that is the truth. But I'm not a good enough shot to make it a habit. Has to be very close range and an absolute sure shot. We don't get those too often.

 

[Rugerfan0374]

Years ago I came on a blood trail while doe hunting. Following up on the trail, I ended up jumping a large doe and shot it. It had been hit in the mouth and half of its teeth were blown out. I'm just really glad that I came upon it or it would have died an awful death. I'm not saying that whoever hit it was trying for a head shot or not, but, I never went for a head shot before that and never would after that experience. All it takes is for the deer to jerk just a little and you'll have the same situation that I came across. Just my $.02 worth and maybe a little more. Sert01.

Several years ago , I did the same thing while doe hunting in the snow in PA. Came along a blood trail that Stevie Wonder could follow. So I followed and after about 300 yards I came acorss a doe laying in the snow, just bleeding so bad. As I looked through the scope at her from 50 yards or so, I could see that she was missing her lower jaw altogether, and the blood was just dripping from her snout. She tried to get up, but she could not. I pulled the trigger and ended her suffering. She had two other shots through her gut, besides the failed head shot, and of course mine.

That day I swore of ever trying a head shot. I can still picture the way she looked at me, just before pulled the trigger.

Just make sure you can pull off the shot.

 

[cj-5]

White tail head shots

Hey guys thanks for the input,all good stuff,the jaw thing kinda puts it perspective,which is what I wanted.
THANKS
Have a good Thanksgiving
and Good luck on Buck Monday
GOD Bless
CJ

 

[m141a]

I pretty much gave up deer hunting about 8-10 years ago, but had a constant partner that i hunted with that ONLY made neck shots.
His point of aim was the middle point between the bottom of the jaw and the shoulder. He shot countless deer this way, all droppin in their tracks, whether shotgun slug or rifle bullet. He hunted an 1100 in shotgun counties, and a remington 700 in .308 in rifle counties.

I can only remember one instance where there was a slight 'miss', but the .308 bullet tore the throat out of the buck, and it ran about a dozen yards. Distances shot were between 50 and 100 yards, never any further, and most times, in dence NY state woods.

If i still hunted deer, my shot would be the lung/shoulder shot that the other posters speak of.

good luck to you.