Do hunters try to shoot the animal in the head?

or do most of them shoot them in the body? It would make sense to try and shoot them in the head, they would die instantly and not suffer. Do most hunters just not care and shoot them anywhere they like?

I think its rather tough to aim for the head. Im no hunter, so im not sure.

Think so... You know they chop of the head afterward anyway.

The better question is, when they do get a headshot does some man in the trees with a very low pitch voice shout "BOOM! Headshot!"

If you want the head as a trophy, it would be ruined by a headshot.

No, at least with deer hunting most aim for the lung/heart region.SaintLeonidas

If you want the head as a trophy, it would be ruined by a headshot.

Kreugh

exactly. Who wants a Deer with a big hole in its head? As far as I know hunters want to shoot an animal in the heart. Sure the bullet may get stuck in there, but it's more likely to bring the animal down. You dont want to shoot at the head and NOT kill it or MISS. Aiming for the heart you're more likely to hit the animal and allow a 2nd shot if the first doesnt bring it down. I'm not a hunter fyi, but I know several.

edit: and I know of several animals that the skull is very strong, so a bullet to the head may not even kill them. you gotta know each animal's weak point i guess.

You are most likely to kill if you hit in a leathal spot, this is for the black bear:

As you can see the brain is so small that it will be very difficult to hit, if you miss the bear could live on with a bullet in its head. Your best choice is to aim for the lungs which will be much easier to hit and still kill the bear.

I don't know if this is true for deers.

You are most likely to kill if you hit in a leathal spot, this is for the black bear:

As you can see the brain is so small that it will be very difficult to hit, if you miss the bear could live on with a bullet in its head. Your best choice is to aim for the lungs which will be much easier to hit and still kill the bear.

I don't know if this applies to deers.

Kreugh

It is basically the same for deer, most hunter aim for behind the shoulder blade

Depends on what you are hunting. For example, if you are hunting a deer you typically want to aim for either the shoulderblades or the back of the legs, by the butt. That is where a lot of their arteries are.

or do most of them shoot them in the body? It would make sense to try and shoot them in the head, they would die instantly and not suffer. Do most hunters just not care and shoot them anywhere they like?

chocobo7000

I've been hunting for nigh on 15 years. I shoot squirrels in the head if possible to avoid damaging the meat(very tricky shot but with an accurate .22 not impossible), but in almost all situations you would aim for the heart/lung area. A deer's head is a pretty small target and a headshot does not mean instant death. Penguinchow

And besides everyone knows the best round for taking care of squirrels is the .50 BMG

um, yea...that is why you see so many stuffed heads with gaping bullet wounds in them...

no seriously they aim for the heart with deer and similar animals.

Depends on what you're hunting for and why you're hunting it. I'm not a hunter but almost every male in my family before me was and generally, even when hunting for food, they shot deer somewhere in the upper part or shoulder of the front leg to try to pierce the heart I believe. For whatever reason it made sense to do that as opposed to other parts of the body, I can't imagine shooting a deer in the colon would be a great experience and would probably ruin a lot of the meat you wanted.

Only if you are FPS Doug

Small game animals such as fowl, rodents.. will be typicaly shot in the head because they're small to begin with so you effectively ruin the meat if you shoot them any where else...

Large game animals are not to be shot in the head.. the most effective way to take down large game animals is by shooting them in the heart. Anyone who attempts to take down large game animals by shooting them in the head.. doesn't know anything about hunting.

[QUOTE="Penguinchow"]I've been hunting for nigh on 15 years. I shoot squirrels in the head if possible to avoid damaging the meat(very tricky shot but with an accurate .22 not impossible), but in almost all situations you would aim for the heart/lung area. A deer's head is a pretty small target and a headshot does not mean instant death. IndigoSunrise

And besides everyone knows the best round for taking care of squirrels is the .50 BMG

As it has been said, you can't mount half a head as a trophy. And in my experiencs most hunters strive for a good shot to minimze any suffering the animal may endure.