[quote=Snyper]
I dont put a lot of stock in blood trails as I have shot and seen shot plenty of deer that showed no evidence of a blood trail.
Your territory must be a lot more open than ours.
Around here if a deer goes 50 yds without a blood trail you may never find it
In some places 50 feet is too far
Try a 95 gr Ballistic Tip if you want a good 24 cal deer killer
Where I hunt In Arkansas I have areas that are open agri fields AND swamps and bayou,s.
Perhaps I wasn,t clear enough about the subject.
Just because a deer has an entrance and exit hole does not mean that you are going to have a blood trail.
Often times all the blood is inside the chest cavity and the only blood found will be when the deer is found.
Over the years I have found that often people assume they missed a deer because there was no blood trail and no deer laying there after the shot.
Often times going to the last place the deer was seen and doing a search with ever widening circles the deer would be found.
Ever tried to find a deer in water a foot deep?
Dont be counting on a blood trail to help!
Blood trails are nice when you can get them but deer dont always cooperate by leaving one !
There is also the thoughts that a bullet that shoots through and through an the deer hasn,t opened as widely and donr as much damage as one that gets inside and totally scrambles the vitals.
I am in that camp after having used to stout bullets for whietail.(180 grain 30 06,hard cast Handgun bullets etc)
Back in my youth we run dogs for deer and if a hunter was the one running the dogs a deer might jump from close underfoot and all that was presented was a butt shot . Then the 180 grainers out of an 06 gave good penetration.
Now I dont hunt with dogs and I dont take buttshots (unless a deer is wounded and might get away)
I take good chest shots and as long as the bullet is stougt enough to break a shoulder and still scramble the vitals its fine in my oppinion.
Now if it wont break a shoulder and do that and is ONLY good enough for ribcage shots then I wont use it.
Sounds like the 80 grain Speer Hotcor used in the blue box ammo may be reliant on JUST using ribcage shots with the inability to bust a shoulder and then scramble the vitals.
I am a shoulder shooter if at all possible.
The more I can breakdown the running gear of a deer the better !
So from your recomendation and others I think I will try the 95 grain Ballistic tip in either Federal Factory form or Winchesters Ballistic Silvertip.
Thanks
Craig
