Stirring the pot on shot placement

Agreed. I have shot an animal in the neck, and it was not quick, and it was not pretty. I have also shot animals that I never found, but I think died that day.

To cause undue amount of suffering to an animal is such a terrible feeling. To lose an animal you think you killed an even worse one. I like to think I will take the shot that maximizes the likelihood of a combination of quick and certain death and cessation of movement over concerns of meat loss that may occur.
Head and neck shots? NO!

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Being from and living in Texas, I generally find politicians, no matter the state, the most DA and low thinking. The hunters, anglers and outdoors folk I've met and spoken with, no matter the state, are some of the, smartest and free thinking people around. However, since childhood, I've noticed, even amongst the smartest people, there are those who presume to be jackasses.

All that said, I understand that a ringer shot IS a good way to kill a turkey quickly. Is that true?
If you are archery hunting and the bird is in full strut and facing directly away from you, it is a good shot.
With a shotgun, aim strictly at the base of the neck.
 
I have seen hunters drop an animal (on TV and in video), one shot and not another step, just dropped like a stone. Seeing this is why I look at head and spine shots as viable. Where are these hunters hitting these animals? I ask, because those shot placements are never discussed and I believe they are the perfect shot placement.
I’ve had it happen on thoracic shots fairly often. Hydrostatic shock? 🤷‍♂️ Fragmentation with a portion of the bullet hitting the spinal cord 🤷‍♂️.
 
One thing to keep in mind is that younger / newer hunters will learn a specific aiming point and it will take conscious thought to move off that aiming point later in life. My Dad was taught head/neck shots (back in the 50's). He taught us for heart shots. I usually try for lungs now, but if there is any kind of reaction or I need to make a quicker shot - my instinct is heart shots.

I'll be teaching a lung shot, broad-side only - for my young hunters. It has more room for error than other shot placements and keeps meat loss to a minimum.
I agree...I killed a deer with a bow before I really started gun hunting and I've only been able to consciously tell myself to take the high shoulder shot once. The deer would have ran onto private property and I didn't want that to happen. I did a control gun hunt at a local nature preserve this past season and had deer at 50 yards who had never been shot at calmly walking around and I still instinctively went for the lung/heart shot.
 
The best shots and hunters I have know have at some time made a poor shot placement me included more than once. As hey say stuff happens. All I can say is suck it up and make a better follow up sot.
 
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