Would you take a close distance shot that ruins the trophy, or let him go?

Would you take a close distance shot that ruins the trophy, or let him go? In other words, a big buck is close, say under 75y, but your only shot is in the head because of environmental factors. Would you let him go or take him?

I want to say I'd let him go, but I have not been in that situation. Assume your like me and would rather eat a medium sized doe anyway lol; or say your freezer is full.

I think it's unethical to take head shots at deer, but that's a whole different story. But I'd take my chances at a neck shot if I think I could get a clean kill. To me, it's about respecting the animal, nature, and ethics and morals of hunting more than taking the "trohpy". I sure do get excited when I've killed my big bucks, but that's not why I hunt. It's all of the other things that you're able to experience during the process.

If that makes sense.

I would shoot it in the face.... let the taxi do his work, and if need be, put a different cape on him.


If it is a trophy, and I want it, I will take the first kill zone my cross hairs land on.

X2

I would not take that shot because of the risks involved. That would allow me to continue to hunt that buck for the rest of the season.

I don't take chancey shots on game animals. I'm very confident in my abilities but I also realize that things go wrong sometimes. A deer's head is always moving. What if he moved as the trigger breaks and you blow his jaw off. I'd feel pretty carppy about it. Not worth it.

At 75 yards or even 50 yards, if the only true target available was his head...as in head only, no neck, I wouldn't take it. If I had full neck and above, I'd take it. A trophy buck would have my adrenaline pumping and I'd hate to wound it because I twitched or he moved.. But last year, I had two clean head shots on hogs at 150 yards. I guess I'm not as excited about shooting them.

I have never been in the situation where all I had was a Head shot. I wouldnt shoot a buck in the head. But I have shot alot of animals in the neck or as close to the head as I can get in the neck and dont mind at all.

matt

That's my opinion as well.

Like turkey beards, I only keep the antlers of any buck that I take for the memory of having done so.

About the only thing I shoot now are spike or 2 year old axis. either the head or high in the neck.A lot depends on if you think you will ever get another chance at that deer or not. You are the one that has to make the decision. Do what you think is right and the heck with what others say.

All I can say is I've never been in that situation with any big game animal. In general, you either have a shot... or you don't. More often than not, I've been able to wait for an acceptable shot or work my way into position to take one.

What you define as an acceptable shot is up to you.

Agree... well said!!

I agree with just about everyone, thanks for your answers.

I have one more question:
with a well constructed .308 bullet, would a shot just below the tail (into his exit if you will) pass all the way through to vitals at under 150y?

Bullet's I'm considering are:
165gr Nosler Green Tip *have
150gr Speer Soft Point Boat Tail *have
165gr Barnes TSX Boat Tail *would have to buy
155gr Berger Hunting VLD *would have to buy

More importantly... why would you take a shot "in the animal's exit"? This seems like an unethical shot as well. Just my honest opinion.

Be more specific on the round... .308 caliber could mean many different things. Eg .308, 300 win mag, 300 RUM. A 300 win mag or a 300 RUM with a TSX would definitely go through.

I have no qualms shooting a spike or doe in the head, if you are trophy hunting then you probably wouldn't want to a nice buck.

However, the bottom line on this isnt if you are for or against headshots, but rather what is behind the deer, if all you can see is the head then you probably shouldn't take the shot bc you don't know what is behind the animal.

"Texas heart-shot" ?

Only thing I shoot in the head is a rattler...

I want the cleanest, quickest kill I can get. I wouldn't take a head or butt shot on a deer. Necks and heart/lung shots on game. Hogs and other vermin will get it wherever I can get a shot on em.

M2C.

absolutely no head shots (unless its a coon or pig )

I would shoot it. I dont get "buck fever" like a lot of folks do. I hunt meat, not horns. No matter how much you boil them, they dont get tender, lol. I'll say this, once you "hunt" people, animals dont bring the thrill they used to.

I personally wouldn't take a head shot on a deer but I don't care what anybody else does. If you like the shot then take it.

Man I would never take that shot. If you shoot the exit you'll hit all sorts of things you don't want to have mixed in with the meat you should be eating...

Why is it unethical to shoot a deer in the head? What's the difference between wounding him in the head and wounding him somewhere else? I've never shot one in the head because I've never been in that situation, but it seems to me that a properly placed head shot is going to put a deer down faster than a vital organ shot...someone educate me if I'm wrong.

i wouldnt say its unethical its just that it can lead to a wounded animal easier than a wounded animal lung shot. the head doesnt sit still and moves around so its just easier to wound one with that shot, timing is everything when taking that shot, when done properly its lights out.

Hope I can get a better shot....

My question to follow up, if a head shot is unethical, how is a neck shot ethical? There's lots more kill area in a head shot than a neck shot.

Don't rule out the factory load FEP308C from Federal, a Federal Premium with a 165 gr Sierra Game King boat tailed soft point.... a very accurate and very effective whitetail round.


And after the client clipped an Axis high, the texas heart shot was perfect as a day ender....

I would agree with just about everything that has been shared so far , if its a doe fire away , if its a spike fire away , if its a hog definitely fire away , but taking the risk of injuring a trophy buck that could very well be the only chance of a lifetime is not worth an unethical attempt.However as stated the choice is yours

I disagree with that. Last season I was hunting with my 11 year old son and a doe came to the feeder. I could instantly tell that she did not look right. She kept sticking her nose to the corn on the ground but could not pick any up. I told my son that he needed to use his last tag to take out that doe because something was wrong with her. So, he did. Turns out that deers bottom jaw had been shot off. That was enough to convince me to never shoot at the head whether it's a doe or a trophy buck. If you would have seen that doe trying to eat I'm sure you would agree.

I don't understand how it's unethical to shoot a trophy buck in the head but not a doe or spike to me if i only saw that buck that one time i'd probably put it right between the eyes

Absolutely. That's my biggest argument with this whole topic, trophy or not. It's about respecting the animals we hunt enough to take ethical shots. Someone said it earlier in the post, but the deer's head moves so much and so quickly, you just never know. Sure, if you shoot them perfect in the head, they'll die, but you've got no room for error, none.

Certainly to each his own, but if you've ever seen a deer without a bottom jaw because some drunk jackass hillbilly can't shoot or thought it'd be cool to do it, you'd feel the same way, I promise.

Wouldn't take the head shot for sake of, as mentioned, blowing off a jaw or destroying an antler. Wouldn't take the rear shot because, reaching the vitals or not, you will more than likely explode the guts and have one heck of a nasty mess on your hands. Not to mention, destroy the hams or to high and bye-bye tenderloin. On a tropy, broadside or quartering behind the shoulder is your best bet. On a meat deer, the head or neck or behind the shoulder. Please respect the deer you hunt.

Head shots are not my thing, but do have friends that have taken them and they do get the job done.

Ahh the Texas heart shot, effective? Yes! Messy? Oh Yes!

Wide range of replies and probably all correct in different scenarios.

Alot depends on how confident you are at taking a head shot at 75 yds. I wouldn't think twice if he was a true trophy and standing still and I had a good rest.

Free handed....Different story.

I would never try to hit a deer in the head with my bow.

Seen at least two animals with jaws that were jacked up from a poor shot and the animals ended up starving to death.

If I want to take the deer then I take the shot. Who decides it's not ethical???? I would never try to tell someone to pass up a big buck because some one thinks it's unethical.

urbnat,I like your answer.

x1000

I have hunted for along time and took many different shots. I thought a neck shot was the best way for yrs because they where lying where you shot them. I was shooting a 7mag and shot a nice deer in the neck,Im disabled drove up to the deer got off my atv and pick him up and looked at his horns went and got my 2 nephews to help me and when we got back no deer just a little blood .never seen that before or again

good point, i know people that try to shoulder shoot deer and end up blowing a leg off or gut shooting the deer and never finding it.

Its all up to the hunter, if he feels like he can make the shoot all the power to him. i would feel confident with shooting a deer in the head because ive done it without a problem befor, but if its a true trophy i would wait him out see if he would show me his neck so i could drop him.

I have always thought head shots were a faster kill shot, I won't shoot a wall hanger in the head though. I came up hunting in NC, a lot different than here in TX. I look at it as if you hit it in the head you most likely kill it asap. If you miss the head in most cases you will miss the deer. If you miss the lungs/heart in most cases you hit a leg or guts and it will run off and never be found.. Just my opinion...



BTW I have learned no head shots on deer with a bow..

Like many others, I don't like head shots. Seen too many deer with nothing left to hold their tongues in. Like many other methods of hunting, there are people that are highly capable of executing the shot but when it goes wrong, it goes way wrong. Never had an issue shooting one in the neck. I have killed many deer with a neck shot and never lost one. Texas Heart Shot...no way!!!

As far as being unethical, I guess it would depend who is behind the gun.