Thanks all.
Now,, as sixshot has alluded to,,, a neck shot is NOT the shot MOST folks should take. I teach NC Hunter Safety,, and I do NOT teach it as a preferred target spot. So,, a little history here.
I killed my 1st deer at the age of 16,, with a 30-30. My first shot was in the heart lung area. The deer turned & ran. As a newbie,, I freaked a bit,, and shot 4 more times at the deer. I missed 3 of those. The last shot hit the neck,, and the deer cut a flip backwards off the hill it was going up. I started studying the neck shot a bit, but didn't persue it right away. Well, as I grew up, and hunted more,, and shot some deer in the heart/lung area,, I found myself tracking deer a lot in some rough mountainous areas,, and losing some deer. I hated losing any deer. Then the stories of how hunters have shot a deer only to have it run off & someone else put a bullet into it,, or even have a deer fall & they fire a shot to "claim" the kill, caused me even more concerns. I know of this happening around here more than once. I started studying things a bit more. And,, I recalled how my 1st one stopped cold with a neck shot. That & biology taught me that if you hit the neck/spine area,, an instant, drop right there reaction was the result. Along about that time,, I had gotten a sweet little Ruger M77 in .243,, and it was accurate. I could shoot dimes at 100 yds,, so the gun was great. I figured I'd try a neck shot one day to see what happened. The little 6 pointer dropped so fast I almost thought he totally disappeared. So began my neckshooting. I didn't have to track one,, no chance of someone else claiming one,, no lost deer,,, no wasted meat to being bloodshot,,,etc. The downside was I KNEW I had to be able to precisely place my shots, and it had to be on a standing,, unaware deer.
During the years I was using the 243,, I got interested in handgun hunting for deer. I was already small game hunting with a handgun,, so,, it was a natural. I bought into the "need" for a Redhawk for this. I bought the first Redhawk I found for sale. I made myself a promise; The first deer I took with it would be a "wall hanger." Well, for several seasons, (6 of them,) I'd carry my Redhawk,, the first 2 weeks of a 3 week season. I'd pass up smaller deer, and then the last week, I'd break out the 243 & drop some meat for the freezer. Finally season #7 with the Redhawk,, and it was the day after Thanskgiving. I was a bit late going uphill to my stand,, as I'd helped 3 others whoi had come into camp find a stand. It was already daylight. I was about 150 yds from my stand when I realized a deer was walking my way. A doe,,,, in heat,, followed by a heavy horned 7 pointer. That was him,, I was gonna bloody my Redhawk. Now,, I was gonna use the heart/lung area shot as I wasn't sure of myself enough to try a neck shot with the Redhawk. (It was capable as it was extremely accurate,) I was finally presented with a broadside angle, at 35 yds, and I dropped the hammer. I missed completely, and the deer just stood there. Another shot,, and another miss. I was stunned. Since we were camping,, I didn't leave the area to check my scope,, I figured "it was me." The next day,, I had a small buck show up,, and again,, I shot two complete misses. Well, we broke camp that night,, and I went to my range the next day to check the gun. The scope was so far off I got VERY pissed. It was 18" off. I just put the gun up,, drug out a T/C Contender in .223,, and it shot tiny groups,, so I switched guns. The next week a deer gave me a chance at him,, and I knew the Contender would do it,, & I was presented with a good solid rest & neck shot,, so I took it. So began my pistol hunting & neck shooting at the same time. I actually killed 3 deer that year,, with the Contender, all neck shots. The 243 was on it's way to gathering dust. Well, when I gave the 243 to my son,, I'd taken 21 deer with it,,! (I'd bought it one day with the knowledge I'd pass it to my son one day anyway.) And then I found the 7x30 Waters caliber,, I was hooked on it. The 7x30 quickly became a favorite of mine. It was accurate,, even at longer ranges, mild recoil in my hands, fully capable of dropping deer even if I had to do a heart/lung shot. So, yesterday,, I go my 90th deer with the 7x30,, and it's still just as accurate as ever. (As long as I do my part.)
Now,, neck shots,, are NOT for everybody. I have let a LOT of deer walk because I didn't get my standing, clear neck angle I need to make the shot. That includes a few very large bucks I could have taken otherwise. I even let a deer walk this season for that exact reason, no clear neck to shoot. I know that a deer's spine in the ncek area is about 2-1/2" in diameter. My Contender can place shots inside an inch when I do my part. That gives me a small margin of error,, but not much. I have to be patient,, and feel it's gonna be true. Anybody remember last year??? I posted about shooting a deer & it running off & then a couple of weeks later I killed the same deer and it had a bullet wound in it's front leg. I had squeezed the trigger just as she raised her head,, and shot her front leg. I have all this on video,, so I know what happened. Her leg was healing up,, but she gave me another chance.
So,, yes,, I've killed 90 deer with the Contender in 7x30,, but I've also killed many more than that. The 243 took 21 neck kills itself as well. There has been a mix of others,, but those 2 account for the major totals. I've used other guns as well, and will most likely do so again. I match the gun, the shot, & the caliber to whichever style of hunting I'm doing.
And yes,, the numbers are higher due to the fact we have a liberal bag limit on deer, and as the population increases,, we have more liberal either sex hunting dates. In parts of NC we can gun hunt from sometime in Oct to jan 1st,, and harvest does anytime as well. We are required to only take 2 bucks,, as they want to reduce the number of does we have. Locally, we start gun season on the monday before Thanksgiving,, and go until Christmas. In that area, I have 2 weeks of either sex. Then on another piece of my property,, I only have 3 weeks of season,, and the last week of that is either sex. So,,, I get 3 weeks of either sex all close to home. It makes the numbers add up.
And as for numbers,, to me it's NOT about the numbers,, it IS about the hunting log I keep. In fact,, if I hadn't been keeping a logbook for so many years,, I wouldn't have a clue as to how many or where I've killed them all. That & I take the deer I need to fill my freezer for a year. We eat venison as our main meat here at home. I do not visit the meat counter in the grocery stores.
Sorry to be so longwinded,, but please understand,, it's not about the numbers,, and especially do not try a neck shot until you KNOW you can make them.