Can a neck shot with a bow take down a deer?

When the deer hears the bow, the FIRST thing that moves will be the head/neck. With the fastest bow in the world, unless you're about 5 yards away, it's going to "duck" the arrow. I question the credibility of your hunter safety instructor for not covering this in the course :confused:. Even in such a scenario as the deer is directly under your stand, i would not aim for the neck. If it was the possible trophy of a lifetime, i might be convinced to try to put one BETWEEN the shoulder blades, but again, low probability of a good shot. Better bet would be to wait for the deer to give you a good solid shot, or leave him for next year :)
 
I should have specified, yes, between the shoulders is the better shot, clearly. A deer will jump the string on any bow, whether you were shooting for it's ass, its horns, or it's vitals. The trick is waiting until the animal is calm, and taking the shot.

More importantly than anything, it all rests on your ability. I may do something that I have practiced to perfection, that which you can not do or have never tried, and for me it would be moral. Not so for you.
 
With a gun I would not hesitate to shoot a deer in the neck if that was the best shot available to me. But do NOT shoot a deer in the neck with a bow. The mechanics of how an an arrow kills (versus a bullet) are entirely different, making an arrow into the neck highly risky.

Last week the deer in the pic below stuck his entire head and neck out from behind thick bushes at 12 yards. But as far as I was concerned, I had no shot. I waited for him to expose (hopefully) his heart/lung area. Of course I was risking not getting a shot at all, particularly because he soon pegged me and was ready to bolt. Lucky for me, he zigged when he should have zagged, giving me the boiler room shot I needed.

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I'm not going to say it's a good idea, but it has been done. I know of a deer dropped at 75 yards with a bow that was shot in the spine with an expandable broadhead. I also Know of a deer that was dropped within 20 yards when the main artery as well as the jugular were cut with a fixed blade broadhead. If the shot is available and you are confident in placement, it can be done. It is a very risky and low % shot, but sometimes that is all you will be presented with.
 
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