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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,246
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,246 |
Had a couple of decent piney-woods 8 point bucks suddenly show up via cell-cam at last light on Tuesday night and first light on Wednesday morning on an old stand location I just reclaimed this season, so I made myself find the time to climb in the stand about 4pm yesterday. One of the two stepped out near the camera with 6 minutes of legal light left. The stand location is down in a dark hardwood bottom and I had to turn on the NF illuminated Forceplex to place on his silhouette, slightly angled away. I popped him with the little 16.5" suppressed CVA Scout 7-08 at 85 yards (factory 139 Interlocks) and heard him crash a few seconds afterwards. A few minutes later and I wouldn't have been able to make him out in the scope. Only really picked him up in my binoculars because I saw his lighter colored rack move at the end of the lane. Once I started taking a closer look, I saw his coat was tufted a bit, high on the shoulder. Looks like somebody flubbed a high-shoulder shot in the last couple of weeks by hitting a few inches too high. Buck had healed over completely and the exit on the other side was a black scab about the size of a quarter. He was perfectly functional and healthy, but I'm sure some other hunter was sick about it. Mathematically, it simply doesn't take much shooter error to flub that shot when buck fever sets in, or you forget about POI/POA, or you aren't very steady when the shot breaks. The photo below was from the "neck shot" thread recently. I continue to generally hold for getting a bullet through the black circle, even if they run a bit. There's a fair margin for error there. As an aside, I keep forgetting that I'm hunting with suppressed rifles and still expect the loud boom. One advantage that is seldom discussed is the ability to hear a deer run and crash with "fresh" ears. It's rather cool and useful.
Now with even more aplomb
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Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 28,840 Likes: 9
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 28,840 Likes: 9 |
I flubbed the shot I made Sunday on a buck; too high but far enough back that I think I got the aorta. He went maybe 80-100 yards with a skimpy blood trail, but was well bled out.
Three years ago I made a similar hit on one with a crossbow, but too far forward to catch the aorta and it turned into a real goat rope. Imagine if you will, a gimpy old fat man running down a trail behind an exhausted deer….When he (the deer) finally collapsed, I shot another arrow into his chest, but ended up putting two Mini Mags from my LCP2 into the back of his head just to make certain.
Wish I had a video of that one!
What fresh Hell is this?
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 28,262 Likes: 6
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 28,262 Likes: 6 |
Great buck! Yeah, that first round is in "no man's land", and is a stunner, not a killer. I've seen a handful of aoudad sheep hit here with the same results.
It is irrelevant what you think. What matters is the TRUTH.
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,246
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,246 |
Might be one of those shots where the hunter climbs down out of the stand to go pick up his dead deer, and finds that the deer has jumped up and run off.
Now with even more aplomb
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,246
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,246 |
I flubbed the shot I made Sunday on a buck; too high but far enough back that I think I got the aorta. He went maybe 80-100 yards with a skimpy blood trail, but was well bled out.
Three years ago I made a similar hit on one with a crossbow, but too far forward to catch the aorta and it turned into a real goat rope. Imagine if you will, a gimpy old fat man running down a trail behind an exhausted deer….When he (the deer) finally collapsed, I shot another arrow into his chest, but ended up putting two Mini Mags from my LCP2 into the back of his head just to make certain.
Wish I had a video of that one! Seems like most “goat rodeos” at our place generally involve a misplaced archery shot. Glad you turned into a win, even if wasn’t pretty!
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 60,166 Likes: 13
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 60,166 Likes: 13 |
Have seem the "too-high" shoulder shot happen on deer--and other big game. In 2011 killed a Cape buffalo in Tanzania that had a set of pale scars on either side of the top of his spine--and the "spinal process," the fin-like knob above the scars was missing. You can see the white scar just in front of me in this photo: Here's a close-up of the area: Have often wondered what happened after that shot...
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,665
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,665 |
Very impressive buck, JPro!
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Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 6,670
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 6,670 |
Have often wondered what happened after that shot... I don't think I would have wanted to see that rodeo.
'Four legs good, two legs baaaad." ---------------------------------------------- "Jimmy, some of it's magic, Some of it's tragic, But I had a good life all the way." (Jimmy Buffett)
SotG
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,246
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,246 |
Have often wondered what happened after that shot... I don't think I would have wanted to see that rodeo. No joke. Hopefully the buff left the scene that day, headed for the horizon. Aside from a big cat or bear, that's probably the last animal I'd want to hit like that and pursue. I spine-shocked this sow a few seasons back with an offhand shot and she bulldozed her way into the brush, out of sight, then took off. The blood trail petered out after a couple hundred yards with the blood smears being awfully high on trees. She showed back up on the cameras a week or so later and I watched her heal up with a nice big scar. Those buggers have that stand location wrapped up lately, so she is probably still haunting me there.....lol
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Joined: Jun 2004
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 44,869 Likes: 5 |
Have often wondered what happened after that shot... I don't think I would have wanted to see that rodeo. It may have been interesting to watch from afar.
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 44,869 Likes: 5
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 44,869 Likes: 5 |
What percentage of "this bullet is no good for deer" and "cartridge xyz doesn't have enough killing power" stories come out of situations like this?
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 10,978
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 10,978 |
High shoulder works great……when the bullet goes where needed! Expiration is a bit longer……but, a behind the shoulder, through the lungs offers a much larger target and is a very reliable kill-shot. It’s been pretty effective since mankind has been killing things! memtb
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
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Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 28,840 Likes: 9
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 28,840 Likes: 9 |
I flubbed the shot I made Sunday on a buck; too high but far enough back that I think I got the aorta. He went maybe 80-100 yards with a skimpy blood trail, but was well bled out.
Three years ago I made a similar hit on one with a crossbow, but too far forward to catch the aorta and it turned into a real goat rope. Imagine if you will, a gimpy old fat man running down a trail behind an exhausted deer….When he (the deer) finally collapsed, I shot another arrow into his chest, but ended up putting two Mini Mags from my LCP2 into the back of his head just to make certain.
Wish I had a video of that one! Seems like most “goat rodeos” at our place generally involve a misplaced archery shot. Glad you turned into a win, even if wasn’t pretty! I don’t give up on them until it’s hopeless. If you’re gonna shoot ‘em, you need to follow up with the same serious effort you put into putting yourself in position to make the shot. I’m a pretty fair tracker. The one I shot Sunday didn’t leave much blood until he went down. About half of what I followed was disturbed leaves and a few skid marks. The xbow buck went through some go-to-Hell catbriars I couldn’t negotiate, so I circled ahead and picked up the track on the other side. He’d bedded down beside a tree right on a well-travelled trail and when I got close he got up and the chase was on… My first ML deer was hit poorly and I tracked her about 3/4 mile, fortunately in snow, and since I couldn’t get another bullet down the barrel, I punched her ticket with a S&W snubby with a laser grip. Long drag back to the car with that one, in a driving Wintry mix, in the dark. I was alot younger then, 61😜
What fresh Hell is this?
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Joined: Nov 2015
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Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Nov 2015
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Joined: Sep 2009
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 42,021 Likes: 5 |
What percentage of "this bullet is no good for deer" and "cartridge xyz doesn't have enough killing power" stories come out of situations like this? All those situations are, always, caused by "the nut behind the bolt" !
Paul.
"Kids who grow up hunting, fishing & trapping, do not mug little old Ladies"
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Joined: Sep 2009
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 42,021 Likes: 5 |
What percentage of "this bullet is no good for deer" and "cartridge xyz doesn't have enough killing power" stories come out of situations like this? I've only had to track 2 deer, further than 50-60 yards. 1st one was shooter error, from a liver/diaphragm/gut shot, from my son's .243, 300 metres. 2nd one was shooter error, as above, from my wife's crossbow, again 200ish metres.
Paul.
"Kids who grow up hunting, fishing & trapping, do not mug little old Ladies"
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,246
Campfire Ranger
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OP
Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,246 |
What percentage of "this bullet is no good for deer" and "cartridge xyz doesn't have enough killing power" stories come out of situations like this? Probably 80%+. I bet all the hunter found on that shot was maybe some meat and hair.
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Joined: Oct 2013
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,511 |
i shoot the deer down diagonally (from where you shoot it) to the right, where the "armpit" is. about the bottom of the orange dot i did shoot them your way for years, but i got tired of throwing away meat. its half dozen if you do a shoulder shot and its 6 if you do a lung shot. a neck shot is fine, IF the deer is close enuff and your rifle is STEADY. i have done that 3 or 4 times. i only did one headshot. it was with the 22-250AI and the deer was only 15 yards away. i shot a 4pt a couple of years ago. it was 53 yards away, using my Winchester m94 in 35/30-30 and 200gr RCBS FN GC with 2400/tuft of Dacron that goes 1726fps. somewhere i messed up the shot. it was either i smacked the trigger, moved the rifle or whatever. i did mess up the shot. anyway, i shot it high in the lungs, missing the shoulder completely. the deer ran about 15 yards and it stood behind a big tree. i could hear it drowning in own blood for what i thought was 15 minutes, but it only lasted for 1 minute or two and then the buck fell over dead.
"Russia sucks." ---- Me, US Army (retired) 12B & 51B
Russian Admiral said, after the Moskva sank, "we have the world's worst navy but we aren't as bad as our army".
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Joined: Dec 2004
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 17,246 |
I make a lot of pure lung shots also, mainly on whitetail does I'm just shooting for the freezer. I try to pull forward into the rear edge of the shoulder just a bit when I'm not as interested in conserving every bit of meat, mainly for the slightly larger margin for error on a deer that moves or a wobble in my rifle hold. So long as the vital-zone balloon gets popped, I'm generally happy.
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Joined: Jul 2007
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 24,651 Likes: 1 |
That’s a dandy buck - congrats!
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