I recovered one, or fragments of one. The Hornady 139 grain SP did the job, but was completely destroyed in doing so. It covered 140 yards, smashed the high shoulder on a buck that had to have weighed 240 or more on the hoof, knocked him down like he was hit with Thor's hammer, and he barely quivered.
I found lots of small lead fragments, one chunk of lead, and the jacket of the bullet. I'll try to remember to post a photo when I get it cleaned up.
Steve.
That's a pig of a deer. What cartridge did you let that hornady fly out of?
Sorry. Should have said 7mm-08 in a Remington Model 7 Stainless.
Yes, he is a pig. Here are a couple of weight-estimating formulas I found:
Multiply field dressed weight by 1.26 to get estimated live weight. >> Roughly 200 pounds X 1.26 equals 252 pounds on the hoof. Bucks lose 20% to 40% of their body weight during the rut, so if his live weight was 250 on Monday, back in September to early October he might have weighed 300 pounds. >> A pre-rut weight of 300 pounds with a rut loss of 20% would put him at 240 post-rut. YMMV, of course, depending on how far he had to chase does, how much food was available during the rut, etc. By far, this was the biggest one I've ever shot. Or seen. I'm not saying he was 300 pounds in September -- I'm saying maybe, maybe not. But he easily would have been in the high 200s. He had not an ounce of fat when I skinned him Monday night.
I really don't want to drag one that big, or cut one up that big, again.
Steve.
