... I went back and found that I had center punched a 1" grape vine that I hadn't seen. That bullet at around 2600 fps broke both shoulders. I cut it out with a folding saw that I had. I still have that piece of wood....
Between those two successes, I had another where I hit a 1/2" Devil's Walking stick with the 200 gr Hornady on the way to a walking buck about 30 yards away and didn't touch a hair. My buddy and I spent over an hour looking for any sign that I had hit the buck. No luck.
Point being I didn't intentionally shoot through brush but hit the first two deer more due to luck BUT there was enough bullet left intact to to break down those two bucks.
Good advice. I hit a 1" grape vine once with a ML using 240gn xtp , 80grains pyrodex at the time was the standard load. 30 yards? maybe 40? deer just stared at me then trotted away. Only when I cleared my head and the smoke did i figure out that I hadnt seen the grape vine Not sure how, since I had a 2x scope, but i didnt. Bullet barely made it through, jacket separation.
2 or 3 years ago I shot at a small doe trotting across a trail. I knelt down, saw her crossing maybe 25-30 yards away form me, a few dozen feet behind some thin bushes. BIG heavy slow 460grain no excuses conical. Chip shot. Deer ran off. Snow. no blood. gone.
3 clipped twigs, each one lower and lower. we are talking what, 24"-36" of deflection over a few yards. 3 yards maybe.
I am convinced there is no brush bucking.
