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Author Topic: Neck shot or Lungs?  (Read 1553 times)

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Offline obiwankabaldi

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Neck shot or Lungs?
« on: June 16, 2009, 08:11:34 AM »
Every time I have gone bear hunting the guides seem to state, "shoot them in the neck and they will go right down" I have always been a boiler room (heart / lungs) shooter and have not had it fail me yet. Is the neck shooting that effective? Seems there is a lot of area that a bullet can go thru without killing quickly. Just curious.
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Offline Wyo. Coyote Hunter

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Re: Neck shot or Lungs?
« Reply #1 on: June 16, 2009, 12:39:00 PM »
 ;) ob, you are right. A neck shot can be deadly, but it also is a crippler if the spine is missed. I have a pal who likes his cats shot in the neck when the dogs tree the lions. It is a real chancey thing as far as I am concerned. For bear I try to take out a shoulder either going or coming out, but if that isn't in the cards the lungs are my next choice. I have been luck, and had several drop in their tracks, but I also want a bullet that will exit. :D ;)
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Offline obiwankabaldi

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Re: Neck shot or Lungs?
« Reply #2 on: June 16, 2009, 01:24:08 PM »
I have only shot three bear in New Brunswick and my son shot one also. All of them died quickly with shots thru the shoulder or just behind. I flet bad telling my son to ignore the Guides advice, but I feel better with those shots than trying for the neck....Thanks.
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Offline Redhawk1

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Re: Neck shot or Lungs?
« Reply #3 on: June 16, 2009, 02:06:01 PM »
Neck shots can kill any animal, but there is also a big percentage of risk of not killing the animal, or recovering it.  Shoot the lungs and you will kill it every time. Neck shooting is a stunt in my opinion that should not be done.  Stick to shooting the lung shots.
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Offline drdougrx

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Re: Neck shot or Lungs?
« Reply #4 on: June 16, 2009, 04:11:00 PM »
ditto ...  listen to Redhawk...knows what he's talk'n about.
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Offline theoldarcher

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Re: Neck shot or Lungs?
« Reply #5 on: June 17, 2009, 06:15:46 AM »
I've only killed four bears, so I'm no expert.  Above advice is right on as far as I'm concerned.  All my bears were taken with a recurve bow, close range, heavy arrows with 165 grain Snuffer three blade broadheads.  All died within sight of where I stood.  All were shot through both lungs with LOTS of blood on both sides of the bears and out the mouth and nose.  No problem tracking them the 5 to 30 yards they traveled.  I'm lucky, but I also let 'em walk until I get the shot I want.

Best of luck, Arch
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Offline 1sourdough

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Re: Neck shot or Lungs?
« Reply #6 on: June 19, 2009, 02:33:41 AM »
 I visited a taxidermist before a bear hunt a few years ago, he had also bear hunted a lot. He was big on the neck shot. His reasoning was that you should be able to put the bullet right where you want with a 30 yrd shot on an undesturbed bear. While I see some validity to that you have to allow for some 1st timer bear hunter jitters & unexpected movements of the bear. Of course that undesturbed bear can be off in an instant while you are about to take that precise neck shot.
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Offline Redhawk1

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Re: Neck shot or Lungs?
« Reply #7 on: June 19, 2009, 06:59:20 AM »
I strongly disagree with your taxidermist. Nothing replaces a well placed lung or heart shot Nothing. It is a stunt plain and simple.. Save your neck shots and head shots for chipmunks, ground hogs and tree rats. ..
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Offline BBF

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Re: Neck shot or Lungs?
« Reply #8 on: June 20, 2009, 06:09:40 AM »
lung/heart shot for me as well. If nothing else, they are a bigger target.
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Offline Sourdough

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Re: Neck shot or Lungs?
« Reply #9 on: June 22, 2009, 04:35:06 AM »
Guides here in Alaska want you to take out both shoulders period.  Then once the bear is down you can finish it off with a heart/lung shot.  That way they don't lose any paying clients.  OK, OK, that's for Brown Bears, I know you guys are not hunting them, your hunting Blackies.

For Blacks they want a shoulder or heart/lung shot.  Have never talked to anyone that likes a neck shot.  They are looking for the highest likelihood of a good shot that will kill the bear.  A neck shot is too easy to miss the spine, and a wounded bear is not what they want to look for in the alders.  A shoulder shot that breaks one shoulder will slow the bear down so a second shot can be made.  Brake both shoulders and bear can not run away.  Heart lung shot bear may run away, but will be found dead.

Personally I go for breaking both shoulders.  With a .35 Whelen if you take out both shoulders the odds are you will take out both lungs as well.  A finishing second shot is seldom needed.   
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Offline teddy12b

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Re: Neck shot or Lungs?
« Reply #10 on: June 22, 2009, 06:23:02 AM »
To each his own, but hopefully I'll get another chance at a bear hunt in my life.  If so, I'm going for some combination of shoulder heart lungs, and I'll keep shooting till it quits moving.
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Offline ratherbefishin

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Re: Neck shot or Lungs?
« Reply #11 on: June 22, 2009, 05:34:40 PM »
After I failed to recover a couple of big bears, I resolved to  only take a shot broadside right on the point of the shoulder-results in massive shock that puts them right down.They may not be  dead, but they aren't going anywhere.I was just talking to a friend who son shot a big black in the neck-heavy blood trail but it still it ran UPHILL a hundred yards, over the top and down into a steep draw where it expired.Not fun.
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Offline outdoorlover

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Re: Neck shot or Lungs?
« Reply #12 on: July 09, 2009, 01:40:14 AM »
every hunter has their own style of hunting, shoting right to the lungs or heart is a nice move I gotta tel this trick to my hunter friends
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