Neck, shoulder or heart lung it doesn't matter the circumstances determine the choice. I've taken a ton of neck shots and have never had them do anything but go straight down, but I'm picky when I take them. High shoulder when done right has the same effect plus it gives you a bigger target but there is meat loss. Heart/lung gives about the same size target but most do not drop right there and in thick brush means some tracking, in open country you see them fall, plus no meat loss. My experience with all of these leads me to be a little over gunned. I want blood coming out both sides every time. Hitting them with 3000 ft-lbs is better than 1500 ft-lbs if the shot is off a little. I prefer the animal drop instantly and at least two shots guarantee it if you do your part, you hit the spine and it's down. Some will say I've seen them run from a neck shot or a shoulder shot and I don't doubt it but what they're saying is they seen them run from a bad shot. I expect them to run from a heart lung but using enough gun leaves an easy to follow blood trail.

Shot Placement

You may want to look at this, I think it is a pretty good guide. On a neck shot you are dependent on a spinal injury to cause death. The tissue damage is minimal and in the very rare case you hit a vein or artery you may cause death through blood loss but.

I like the Hydrostatic shock effect on heart and lungs...

Good job, Captain Serious, but he was joking.

And 1 MOA is 1 MOA, at any distance. Maybe you meant inches?

The main reason I posted this question is because I shot a doe on opening weekend in the evening. Shot was only 40-45 yards with my .270, 130gr core lot. All I ever use seeing that in my area the furthest shot I have is around 80 yds.

After I shot, which I knew it was a well placed shot, had a smoke in stand then went to look for the blood(she jumped and ran). I found none, nada,zilch. After 4 or more hours of looking that night and next morning never found her.

Went out next weekend and found her, actually buzzards found her for me. I've only been deer hunting for 10 yrs. I'm 46 so got a late start at it. Out of all the deer I've shot I've only had to track 3 and it was easy, find blood and follow, haven't had to go any further than maybe 70-80 yds before they dropped. All the rest had died on impact. All my shots were to the heart/lung area.

I'm really confident in my shooting skills, maybe not so much in my tracking skills now. That was the first deer I've lost and it made me sick to find her a week later. Shot placement was perfect as I could see my bullet hole on her.

How far did she run, and exactly where did the bullet hit her?

^This. I shot a 9 pt. Monday eve. that wouldn't give me a shot. I waited until he looked up and put one right under his chin. He never took a step.

Hit right behind front leg, looked to be a shot that anybody would be proud of. She evidently was doing the death loop. She ended up a little over 100 yds away down in a 2nd draw. She was on right side of feeder and took off to the right into the deep woods then couldn't see her after that, deep woods and losing daylight. She ended up to the left of feeder and about 60 yds back behind. Looked in first draw but not 2nd one. She was headed back to where I had first seen her before she fell

Unless you break the spine...they will run 99% of the time

Captain serious eh? Ya got me. I'm new to the forum and don't know anyone one here. I'm sitting in Africa with nothing better to do right now, but read posts on the hunting forum and update my fantasy football leagues. So pardon me if I can't tell words written on a screen are jokes. I'm anxious to get home and get some hunting in though. For now I will keep posting my comments on here to keep y'all going. And you're right, I should have specified inches at 750 yds, even if anyone who knows what an MOA is already knew I was refering to inches at 750 yds (1 MOA is 1.047 inches to be exact). 1.047 X 7.5 = 7.9 inches at 750 yds. By the way, the little boxing guys mean that I'm joking in case you can't tell by just the words on the screen.

I was giving you a hard time. I'm not as grouchy as everyone thinks I am.

That's what I figured anyway. I like to believe everyone on this forum is happy to read about hunting wrong, right or otherwise. When you're new to a forum where there is a lot of people who are well respected with thousands of posts, you gotta figure they will try you on to see if you fit. Thanks for not ripping me apart. Enjoy the cold front. Someone should cause I can't.

Nobody respects me, just so you know. And you don't have to, either.

Critize all u want. My 25.06 is zero at 300 yds and all my deer bucks and does are head or neck shot. They all drop in their tracks. No looking and no meat lost. If u have confidence in ur weapon and ur ability then use it. Some of us realy can shoot long range.

My 257wby zero at three also, but then again its under 2" high at a 100

If the deer is still and I have time and the distance about 50-70 yards- neck shot- otherwise I've been using a 1/3 up from the bottom- just behind the elbow. Recently I watched a dvd where from the impact it looked like a lot of hunters were taking a high lung or even a shoulder spot- half way up, maybe a little more than half way up- the deer just dropped, quivered and that was that- impressive. It has got me thinking about shot placement. Would like to keep hearing from others.
I think the bullet has a lot to do with results- a fast expanding type. What bullets are working well?

This is all with a .270 using 130 gr core lilt.

I've shot deer at a bit over 100 yds and died on the spot. I've shot em from 40-60 yds and they run about 100 yds.

Shooting thru heart/lungs

I go with the odds of a center of mass lung and heart shot every time. The chances of making an effective clean kill are astronomically higher when shooting at the chest than the neck. First and most obvious, is the much larger size of the vital area of the torso as compared to the neck. A deer's neck is in motion far more often than their chest, they are constantly rasing and lowering their head/neck and looking left to right and behind them. I could go on. The logic is indisputable. The animal will not survive a lung or heart shot.

I think a lung/heart shot is a much more responsible decision.

Logic is indisputable, assuming the animals gives/leaves you ability to recover it.

There is no right wrong or perfect shoot placement, every situation leaves a unique set of intangebles. Its your ability to offset those intangebles with you skills that really matter, because ultimately a quick, efficient, edible animal recovery is what matters most.

I have a different shot for different circumstances. Head/neck on does if within range. Body shots at longer distances or moving targets.

Why wouldn't you be able to recover it? I have never seen or heard of a deer that has been heart or lung shot with a rifle going more than 100 yards. Every deer I have ever shot in my life was heart or lung from 25 out to 400 yards, and found every one of them. Never considered taking a neck shot. God forbid you have to step down out of your comfy warm box blind and actually look for the deer. Oh no!

I shot 2 bucks a week apart in the early 80's, both in the heart. One at 45 yards and he ran 265 steps from a heart shot. The second one was at 265 steps and dropped in his tracks. Both were shot with a 6mm with 105 grain handloads.

100 yards may be a stretch, I admit. Never much more than 200 though.

Good article on the subjet

http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/big-buck-zone/2012/09/where-aim-kill-deer-one-shot

You haven't had to track to many deer then in nasty habitat. No animal is the same, I've seen perfect lung hits go 400yards with zero blood, and zero tracks, 400yards isn't fun in very thick brush, and very uneven and rocky terrain. When a deer travels a quarter of a mile you have a much smaller chance of recovery because more intangibles come into play(property boundries, cover, predators, ground, elevation changes)

That time we where lucky and had a dog, or we would of never found that deer, or be able to verify perfect shot placement.

I perfer shots that eliminate their ability to move another step, but even that shot has a different set of intangibles, that can be disputed.

Like I said there is no perfect shot, they each have a different set of issues.

I shot 140 grain ballistic tips out of my 270 for several years shot 4 bucks behind the shoulder 3 fell dead 1 ran quite a ways. Every deer is different.

Like bobo said terrain and brush can make tracking very difficult. Dad shot a 235 lb boar last weekend. We went into the brush to find it late with slipping light and couldn't find it. Next morning I walked to where we stopped the night before and could see him laying there not 15 feet away.