The thick stuff of which I speak is on the big pine company leases in south Arkansas. The undergrowth on our 4500 acre club/lease is amazing. Walking through it is a chore unto itself. Of course I agree that shot placement is key, even with that, they DO still run. No blood trail just exacerbates the problem. Not every hunter happens to be a crack shot with finely tuned equipment that just happens to practice regularly. Most I come across buy some bullets and go hunting with the "I shot it last year out the truck window rifle". I also agree that no caliber guarantees DRT. I have myself shot deer with little guns over the years and they were surely dead. I've also seen deer soak up those little pills and run into the next county, with good hits. If you limit their range to 175 yards or so, their OK. Out past that, they are left wanting. Been there done that. Point is, there are far better cartridges for big game, especially when being used by someone less than experienced. And I disagree, marginal hits ARE the difference between pop guns and solid deer cartridges.
