I’ve never seen a deer “run” with both shoulders broken more than a few feet… and that just hindquarters-driven plowing ahead. Are you losing deer or just having to find them? If, up to recently, they’ve been dropping in their tracks and now they’re not it says to me you’ve been breaking shoulders or spine and now you’re not. Have you been examining the bullet path after gutting and skinning them? As someone mentioned above, often well-hit deer don’t leave much blood trail, there are a lot of factors involved in whether or not you get a good blood trail.
The boys have always had deer run after being shot with 243 very few dropped in their tracks.
We have both been losing deer and having trouble finding deer. Last year my youngest shot a big mule headed doe at about 140 yards. I was watching through my 10x Swaros and seen the bullet her. The doe ran 100-120 yards and we never found a drop of blood. The bullet hit just behind the shoulder slightly below center of her chest.
How far behind the shoulder? Get much over 3" and you're getting into liver only territory. Straight up the leg bottom 1/3 centers the lungs much better.
When I shoot for heart/lung I try for that. If they are behaving and under 100 give me a high forward shoulder/neck shot for instant kills.
Last edited by 10gaugemag; 11/13/22.
The last time that bear ate a lawyer he had the runs for 33 days!
