Shot a little 3 pt at 7 AM. Needed meat. Passed on a 6 and an 8.
He ran 40 yds into swamp and fell in creek. When I was dragging him out I found the skull and rack of the 11 pt I shot last year right next to creek. I had trailed that sucker for 4.5 hours. Where blood stopped I thought he went left into my neighbors property. He went right about 100 yds and veered into swamp.
Hey at least you found him finally! Was the rack in good shape or chewed up pretty bad? Are you having to track most of the deer your shooting or are these two just a few exceptions? Its crazy what a different bullet can do fired from the same gun. I’ve got my .308 dialed in to where I feel like I’m hunting with a bolt of lightning. I shoot and everything just drops in their tracks. I haven’t lost one yet since I started using 180 grain winchester soft points.
Capt. R. Killin
“Day Tripper”
Shamrock 20 cuddy
Ford 351W
Five or six years back I killed a nice symmetrical 8pt on the coldest November day I can remember in a long time. There were actually snow flurries on that day. He ran, we waited, and then we tracked until blood disappeared in thick thick cover. Looked for 3 hours and nothing to show for it. Went back three days later and searched again, no buzzards. 15 months later walking around the woods in February looking for sheds, stumbled across the full skeleton with skull/antlers in tact. About 150 yards from where we left off the trail. I still have that skull; sucks that he was wasted but still a good feeling that we finally found out what happened to him. Very minimal on the squirrels chewing on the antlers too.
Glad you finally found him and put that story to rest.
This one only went 40 yds. I was in a different stand last year on the other side of my property when I shot the big one. Interesting how they both were going to same place. It is the bedding area in the swamp.
Hunting, fishing, and poker are my sports. Work when necessary.
Wounded deer almost always head for water, in my experience. Or the thickest cover they can find if no water is around.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Swamp Worshiper
What are you shooting? I dont know if I’ve ever had a deer go more than 30 yards, few take more than one jump.
First, Most, Biggest
It is not the gun. It is the shooter:smiley:
270 150grain
The last few years almost every shot was taken in a hurry with deer about to disappear into woods.
Hunting, fishing, and poker are my sports. Work when necessary.
I shoot .270, 150 and rarely have a deer go more than a few yards. I killed two this year. 8pt went forty yards maybe. Doe dropped in her tracks. Shot a 6pt at 220+ last year that dropped in his tracks.
I told you guys that it is not the gun.
Up until 4 yrs ago, They are dropped in their tracks. I must be getting old.
Hunting, fishing, and poker are my sports. Work when necessary.
Shot a doe this year with a .308 Winchester fusion bullet. Broke 1 shoulder blade, went through the bottom of the heart and exited breaking the other front leg lower near the joint. That deer ran 40yds I couldn’t believe it. Up until this I never had a deer run more than 20
18ft Polar CC 115 Yam.
“Pamplona is no place to bring your wife” Earnest Hemmingway
those fusion bullets are really the best lead core bullet out there for our whitetail! killed a few with my .308 with that bullet as well. When I got into handloading though and started cooking rounds the hornady ballistic tips now have my heart lol
Any pics?
2012 Skeeter ZX22 Bay
Yamaha 250 hp SHO
Minnkota Riptide 101
Caliber and/or bullet composition doesn’t kill, shot placement does. I’ve hit deer with my truck and watched the deer get up and run off. That doesn’t mean I need a bigger or better truck.
The “I shot a deer with my papa’s .270 and it ran off so that’s why I gotta buy this 300 Win Mag” crowd absolutely infuriates me and truly highlights a lack of understanding and comprehension of basic hunting marksmanship. I’ve shot deer with a .223 and I’ve shot deer with a 300 Win Mag. The ones I’ve shot with a .223 were just as dead as the ones I’ve shot with the 300 Win Mag.
Yes, different bullet compositions will have different results depending on shot placement (ie. soft frangible bullets will frag more if you take shoulder shots versus behind the shoulder shots) but shot placement is far more important (and lethal) than what you shoot them with. Personally, I prefer neck shots so it doesn’t matter what caliber I’m shooting or which bullet I’m using. I promise you a deer shot far back (guts or worse) with a 300 Win Mag will run much further than a deer shot with a .223 or .243 in the neck or even behind the shoulder. Plus, one variable that too many people overlook, or worse don’t even comprehend, is you can never over-state a wild animal’s will to live.
No matter how much it hurts, how dark it gets, or how far you fall…you are never out of the fight.
quote:
Plus, one variable that too many people overlook, or worse don't even comprehend, is you can never over-state a wild animal's will to live.
That is the key. I killed hundreds of deer. Many drop on the spot, and many do not, even with very well placed shots. It’s amazing how far a deer can run with it’s heart and lungs shot out and broken bones. I call this phenomenon “dead and don’t know it”.
I’ve probably seen as many killed with a .22 rimfire as anything else. Shot placement is the key. A .22 behind the ear or between the eyes will put them down better than a .300 mag with a gut shot.
Capt. Larry Teuton
Swamp Worshiper
quote:
Originally posted by bangstickCaliber and/or bullet composition doesn’t kill, shot placement does. I’ve hit deer with my truck and watched the deer get up and run off. That doesn’t mean I need a bigger or better truck.
The “I shot a deer with my papa’s .270 and it ran off so that’s why I gotta buy this 300 Win Mag” crowd absolutely infuriates me and truly highlights a lack of understanding and comprehension of basic hunting marksmanship. I’ve shot deer with a .223 and I’ve shot deer with a 300 Win Mag. The ones I’ve shot with a .223 were just as dead as the ones I’ve shot with the 300 Win Mag.
Yes, different bullet compositions will have different results depending on shot placement (ie. soft frangible bullets will frag more if you take shoulder shots versus behind the shoulder shots) but shot placement is far more important (and lethal) than what you shoot them with. Personally, I prefer neck shots so it doesn’t matter what caliber I’m shooting or which bullet I’m using. I promise you a deer shot far back (guts or worse) with a 300 Win Mag will run much further than a deer shot with a .223 or .243 in the neck or even behind the shoulder. Plus, one variable that too many people overlook, or worse don’t even comprehend, is you can never over-state a wild animal’s will to live.
No matter how much it hurts, how dark it gets, or how far you fall…you are never out of the fight.
Old discussion Bang stick! I agree 100%. .17 does a fantastic job under 100yds in the head.
Most amazing will to live story I have is a 120lb spike I shot with 30-06 220gr. shoulder shot. one leg busted all up heart & lungs destroyed and other front leg hanging by a piece of skin. Rascal left a heavy blood trail 60 yards blood thinned, then stopped, then another 20 yards found him under a Myrtle bush.
Se
I’ll get a pic on soon. The story gets worse. I just remembered that I looked for that deer the next day and I saw buzzards. Why I went to investigate there was a dead armadillo and I figured that is what the buzzards were eating. I just remembered that is where the deer was. If I had walked 10 yes further I would have found him:frowning_face:
Hunting, fishing, and poker are my sports. Work when necessary.
The story gets worse. The buck that I trailed for 4.5 hrs after shooting and could not find last year went right when I htought it went left. I came back next day looking for him and saw buzzards. went to them and saw an armadillo and assumed that is what they were after. The rarCK and skull that I found the other day was only 10’ from that dam armadillo. If armadillo was noir there I would have found my buck.
Hunting, fishing, and poker are my sports. Work when necessary.
Not in too bad a shape. Maybe you could do a euro mount.
shot a 6 pt and he ran 40 yds into creek. No blood trail at all.
Hunting, fishing, and poker are my sports. Work when necessary.
The guys at the processor estimated that my deer was 2.5 to 3 yrs old. weighed 145#
Hunting, fishing, and poker are my sports. Work when necessary.