what's the take on neck shots?

[farcoz]

Recently my area has been infested with skunks and the only the shot I am presented with is an upper neck shot since they bury their head in whatever they eat. I am using a .22 Mrod. Since its not an instant kill it gets to spray a bit of the odor. So my question is how effective is a neck shot?
Also it is legal to kill them on private land however laws are very vague on how to dispose of them.
Thanks.

 

[Matt_Dubber]

Good question. I am used to shooting smaller animals where you're almost guaranteed to break the spine with a good neck shot, but I suppose you might run the risk of injury on a skunk. Are heart and lung shots not an option? Any vitals shot should be quite effective, even if it takes a few seconds.

 

[plinker]

Neck shots are incredibly lethal though the target can be small. If you stop and think about it everything that is vital passes through this area. Vascular- heart to brain with major vessels, respiratory trachea and in humans the phrenic nerve that controls respiration(diaphragm muscles), the spinal column. There is an added benefit of instant paralysis if the spinal column is severed or severely shocked. I have taken almost every whitetail deer I've harvested with a neck shot. They drop in their tracks(.243 winchester Not a pellet) Smaller critters are the same, but Precision in shot placement is everything. 

 

[farcoz]

No heart or lung shots due to the weird elevation angle of my porch. Thanks for the feed back guys.

 

[Jedediah]

I'd aim for the base of the skull/neck area and try and put it dead center. If you can sever the spine it shouldn't spray.

 

[Jedediah]

And like plonked said even if you don't hit the spine it should be pretty effective.

 

[Jedediah]

Stupid auto correct *plinker