# Neck shot deer with a Bow?



## Hokiehunter06 (Sep 4, 2008)

I believe if you cut the wind pipe and arteries running up the neck, then yes it will die, even if the spine is not hit.


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## bcfr501 (Aug 25, 2011)

I believe yes anything can happen but would you find the deer? Could also get some type of blood posion also and die. more along the lines of a few hours dead or suffer dead?


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## 74Superlead (Jan 19, 2009)

Literally dropped a deer units tracks with a neck shot


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## RackAttak (Mar 7, 2012)

Sure they are deadly. But I also know people who've tried and not recovered their deer


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## useyourbow (Jun 2, 2010)

There is a lot of muscles in the neck. Where there is muscle there are veins and artries. I would believe a shot in the muscles would kill quicker than one in the wind pipe plus there would be blood to follow.


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## kx90 (Sep 10, 2009)

Three years ago a doe jumped my string when I shot and the arrow caught her in the neck, dropped her right there but she didn't die (hit the spine). Put another arrow through her lungs and she died a minute later.


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## Robertfishes (Aug 22, 2004)

Bad idea, if you miss spine or arteries you now have a wounded animal that may suffer a slow death..i always shoot for the lungs..


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## Yamahog12 (Sep 3, 2007)

bcfr501 said:


> I believe yes anything can happen but would you find the deer? Could also get some type of blood posion also and die. more along the lines of a few hours dead or suffer dead?


I killed one years ago with a neck shot that didn't drop him instantly. He went about 40 yds tops.


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## sniperx043 (Jun 13, 2012)

ive shot 3 deer in the neck.. not the shot to take.. found 2 of the 3 all have ran.. one ran a long ways befor dieing and lost blood pry about 100yrds into the trail.. other one ran 20yrds up hill then fell all way back to where i shot him.. but i shot one down threw the neck under me and he ran off and never found him. DONT RECCOMEND THE SHOT! but yes it can kill them all depends what is hit


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## mielkhunter (Oct 5, 2011)

I killed a buck in rifle season with an arrow sticking out of its neck. Nasty abscess in the area. Did not eat that deer.


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## Bowhuntertim214 (Jun 19, 2012)

not a yes or no question... depends on a lot of different factors; actual shot placement, angles, etc. Way too much room for error to purposly shoot a deer in the neck with a bow IMO.If you hit the spine it will drop right there, if you catch the esophogus it might live for hours or days and then die, if you hit the artery it may run 100 yards and die, if you hit muscle it may live or it may die a week later...etc.


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## crankn101 (Jan 26, 2007)

*Popular small 4 blade fixed head 9 hrs later...*

The link to original thread is in my profile.


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## MeatSeakerX2 (Aug 5, 2012)

crankn101 said:


> The link to original thread is in my profile.


Thats crazy!! and living proof!


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## missionman44 (Jul 3, 2008)

Anyone who purposely aims for the neck is an idiot. Straight up


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## snoman4 (Jul 1, 2011)

It depends on what is hit. One of the guys in my club, who is no longer a member I might add, purposefully shot one in the neck last year because it was the only shot he had. The arrow hit the back of the deers neck on the left side and came out on that side. The deer was trailed for many hours with a dog and never found. We got a picture of the buck a 5 days later with a nasty oozing wound on its neck. The wound looks like it would have gotten part of the esophagus. I never got another picture of that deer so my feeling is that it died of starvation but I can not be sure. If you get lucky and hit the carotid or the spine they will surely die but that is a shot IMHO that should never be taken because too much can happen.


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## davydtune (Apr 27, 2007)

Bad shot choice but can be deadly. I've seen a couple shot straight on from the ground in the neck and it just destroyed them. Still too much room for error to me.


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## Ohiorut (Nov 2, 2006)

bcfr501 said:


> Question is will a neck shot deer live or die? No need to get hateful just everyones thoughts I say no it will live unless it drops on the spot. This is not a gun shot question just with a bow!


Many factors play into it. Personally seen it happen because an artery was hit. If artery was missed, who knows, maybe, maybe not. Not an option in my book as a way of taking an animal, but things happen that result in situations like these. You can only hope that it does so the animal won't suffer, but many factors contribute.


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## DKime (Sep 14, 2010)

First doe I shot last year was an accidental neck shot, Arrow deflected off a limb on the way to her and the Grim reaper WTS blew her wind pipe and artieries up. I was heart broke until I saw the red garden sprinkler coming out of her neck as she ran across the field and started doing the "spin of death" Needless to say I was lucky and if could go the rest of my bowhunting career without making a marginal shot like that again Ill be a happy man.


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## ATR2425 (Feb 1, 2010)

The first nice buck i shot with my bow, was shot in the neck. definitely not on purpose. was shaking like a leaf and pulled the shot
incredibly bad. i hit an artery in the neck and the blood trail was followed with a brisk walk. Incredibly easy to see.
however, i would not take that shot ever, even with a gun. way to much room for error. a neck can be incredibly lethal
if put in the right spot.


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## Sluggersetta901 (Dec 12, 2009)

buddy shot one at 15 yards on purpose... ( i do not recommend this ) and it bled like crazy... but he still never found her.

i have shot and destroyed many deer with a 30.30 by shooting in the neck but i would never do this with an arrow.


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## valastroa (Sep 20, 2010)

My ex hunting partner took a neck shot with his bow because he got trigger happy. Stopped following that deer after 50 yards due to "lack of blood". So I went out to put in a serious effort. 9 hours later still no deer. 

After the spring thaw, found a deer carcass about a mile further back on our property. Had his arrow mixed in with the bones. Deer most likely died from infection. 

Needless to say that was one of a few reasons, but he no longer hunts here. 

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk 2


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## BP1992 (Dec 24, 2010)

I think it just depends where in the neck you hit it. If you cut the windpipe, then it will probably die. However, if you get all meat, then it probably isn't going to die.


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## ChasingCoyotes (Apr 22, 2011)

Depends!!!!When I was 14 I shot a pope and young in the neck on porpose because thats all he gave me to shoot at. My buddy killed a nice doe the week earlier by hitting the jugular it only went 40 yrds. After 2 1/2 miles of tracking I gave up on my buck. My neighbor ended up shooting it during shootgun season a month latter and couldn't believe the healed broadhead wound through the middle of the bucks neck. I was shooting 1 1/2 Spitfire. I'll never do that again unless the deer is like 10 yrds and facing me.


bcfr501 said:


> Question is will a neck shot deer live or die? No need to get hateful just everyones thoughts I say no it will live unless it drops on the spot. This is not a gun shot question just with a bow!


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## bcfr501 (Aug 25, 2011)

Seems to be hit and miss.. the only one i ever hit in the neck I never found nor was there much blood but the arrow was still in him. plus i couldnt even get on the property next to mine to look. I still say shoot for te vitals but bad things happen and a hit in the neck can happen. I just figured it would not kill a deer after my experience.


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## Kstigall (Feb 24, 2004)

In the pic below where the leaf is on the deers neck is where a broadhead exited. The entrance was directly on the other side and just a bit higher. I estimate the clean and healing wound was two weeks old. I looked this deer over closely and I have no idea how the arrow passed through without mortally wounding the animal!!! I did a minor autopsy and the path the arrow took was obvious but obviously healing cleanly. I killed this buck chasing does......... If I saw an arrow enter a deers neck in this location I would swear it would go down quickly either because of severely damaged vertebrae or a severed artery(s). 

I can not remember if the arrow went over or under the neck vertebrae.


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## mohawk32 (Sep 13, 2011)

Happened to me last year on a doe. Not sure if I royally messed up the shot or she jumped the string but the neck shot dropped her right there. I wouldn't do it on purpose though.


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## Salbo1 (Nov 5, 2011)

Did this 15 years ago, the buck jumped my string and the arrow went in-between the spine and arteries which is all muscle. This was down right disheartening to say the least, seeing the arrow sticking out of his neck on both sides, BH on one side and feathers on the other side. Fortunately the buck managed to pull the arrow out and live to see another year. I would not intentionally aim for the neck since the target is to small, if you do not hit the spine or arteries everything else is muscle and in a rutting buck that's alot of neck.


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## Yamahog12 (Sep 3, 2007)

missionman44 said:


> Anyone who purposely aims for the neck is an idiot. Straight up


Dumb comment. Straight up.


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## Arrowdynamics (Sep 25, 2012)

You should Youtube --8 year old Will 2011 bow kill. This will answer your question.


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## hunting170 (Sep 12, 2003)

Yamahog12 said:


> Dumb comment. Straight up.


Only a dumb comment if you`re a bowhunting slob.


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## Led Zeppelin (Dec 31, 2010)

I was brought upto shoot them in the neck. I don't do it anymore but my dad still does. He's killed tons of deer with neck shots and so have I. I personally (see personally!) feel like I have recovered more deer with neck shots then lung shots....


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## crazy4hunting (Feb 4, 2006)

hunting170 said:


> Only a dumb comment if you`re a bowhunting slob.


I agree. If you care little about recovery, I guess it's a shot to take.


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## hoyt-n-illinois (Jul 19, 2007)

hunting170 said:


> only a dumb comment if you`re a bowhunting slob.


x 2.


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## rutman (Sep 14, 2009)

I shot one the was starring straight up at me with a 2 blade vortex. He turned three backwards flips and that was it. Just about cut his head off.


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## Termie (Jan 21, 2006)

I accidentally shot a doe in the neck a few years ago(pulled the shot). I didnt see the hit. When i found my arrow, and seen the blood i thought for sure it was lung. I gave her an hour and followed her up. We tracked a very good blood trail for 100 yards into some this stuff. BLood everywhere. I figured id find a body soon. Suddenly my deer jumped up and ran out of the thick stuff. And my jaw dropped. I could tell she was pretty weak, so i gave her a couple more minutes and snuck up the blood trail. I found her bedded and very weak 40 yards later. I was able to slip another arrow in the lungs to finish it off.

In the end it would have been a fatal shot, but took longer then i would have liked. Not the shot for me.


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## Kb83 (Dec 17, 2011)

Only form of a neck shot I have ever taking was a frontal shot where I put the arrow at the base of the neck where it meets the chest. Went in past the fletching. Cut the windpipe, sliced through lungs and the diaphragm. Deer went lest than 30 yards and piled up. I was young but I think if you are confident and have a close shot on a calm deer it isn't a bad shot. You have to know you can make it though. Off a bit either way could result in a very different outcome. I'll take slightly quartering away or broadside over it anyday but if it 10 yards or under and calm I will take that shot if it's the only one I can get. Now a straight on head down or side neck shot I'll pass. 


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## swanee (Oct 10, 2004)

missionman44 said:


> Anyone who purposely aims for the neck is an idiot. Straight up


Yup.


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## jdrake19 (Sep 1, 2010)

Botched shot + alert deer + deer spinning around during the shot = dropped in her tracks. Never would try this on purpose but I was definitely a happy camper. She kicked for maybe 5 seconds after she fell. 

Rage did a lot of damage to some major artery and broke her spine.


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## hoyt-n-illinois (Jul 19, 2007)

Arrowdynamics said:


> You should Youtube --8 year old Will 2011 bow kill. This will answer your question.


I watched this video... Slow and unethical death! This confirms it for me!!


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