I always get a kick out of those genius's that have to poke everything in the butt with a rifle barrel. My boys always howl with laughter when they do it. Just once, I would like to see a deer jump up when they do it. That would be a hoot! If you can't tell if something is dead,maybe you should go fishing instead.
I've always made it a point to approach a downed animal at the opposite end from the teeth and horns. When I approached a mountain goat that I had shot, he slowly started to raise his head. There was instantly a powder burn on his chest.
Oh, and I didn't go fishing that day because at -15* F that morning I thought it was too cold to fish, so I climbed 2,000 feet up a mountain in crotch deep snow, by myself, and shot a goat.
I once had a pheasant come back to life in the back of a Chevy Blazer. A friend and I laid several across the top of a dog kennel and headed for home. The dogs started raising hell and we looked back to see a rooster perched on the top of the kennel looking back at us. I was tasked with crawling back there and trying to finish him off but it was touch and go for a minute what with the feathers and spurs. I came out of it seriously injured with several scratches that may have required Band-Aids for a lesser man.
Since that day I carry a pocket full of turkey loads and all pheasants get a finisher on the ground no matter how dead they look. A man can't be too careful with dangerous game.
About 20 years ago I was on my way to go cut some firewood. On the way, I shot a coyote with a .22 LR. I hit it in the face. I retrieved said coyote, threw it over my shoulder and carried it to my pickup where I tossed it in the back. I drove about 5 miles farther up the mountain to my wood cutting spot. At my wood cutting spot, I went to turn around. When I looked in the rear view mirror I could see the coyote sitting up shaking his head.
It was very much not dead. I pushed it out of the back of the pickup and preceded to make it very dead.
Especially with a .270 I come from the upper back side and shoot it 3-4 times between the shoulder blades through the spine into the chest. If I'm using my 7x57 I throw it in the truck right off the bat. However I have had em' jump up REAL close w/an '06!-Muddy
Muddy - you are under gunned. Once with me was with an '06. 180 gr. The other was with a .338WM (210 NP - never used it again!). Both times were front approaches. I quit doing that!
Then (third) there was the time with a "yearling" bull moose, whacked .338WM, 250 gr. running, thru the spine ( pulverizing about 6 inches), exit thru base of neck, entrance high shoulder at 150 yards. Momentum carried him into 16 inches of water/mud. Put another into base of skull (just for luck) from behind before parking gun on handy willow 10 feet up bank, then wading out to turn him around and drag him up on shore for dressing out. That created a bit of a sore back about 2 days later, tho.
On my grabbing his antlers he blinked. Only time I have ever achieved levitation directly to firearm- or anywhere else.
Moose ain't hard to kill, tho often stubborn about it.
When I was in High School, a buddy and I were pheasant hunting. A rooster got up, and we both obviously hit it, nearly simultaneously. Threw it in the back of the pickup, only, driving a short time later, it was sitting up on the tailgate, kinda woobely. We jumped out, with guns, and it flew. Larry busted it again. When it came off the ground again, I busted it.
The coyote story reminds me of another one from just a few years ago. I was with my dad and a close friend working on the friend's property in a machine shed. The friend lets another guy do some trapping and he drove up to show us a nice coyote he had snared. It was in the back of a pickup with a topper. He opened the back of the truck and we leaned in to look. As the trapper reached in to drag the coyote out (which was laying on its side)for a split second I remember thinking its eyes looked awfully bright for a dead animal... He grabbed the coyote by the scruff of the neck and the back and swung it out of the truck to drop it on the ground. The coyote hit the ground, popped up and glared at us, then jogged away. Nobody said a word for a minute and then the trapper said "Well that's never happened before". We had a good laugh over that one. The trapper had snared this guy, pulled him out of the snare limp and threw him over his shoulder and walked a hundred yards across the field with the 'dead' coyote over his shoulder. That could have gotten interesting...
Been walking up to them with one in the chamber , safety off, finger on the trigger and poke them in the eye for years now. Then I stick a wad of ferns in their mouth.
I throw a stick at them from a distance if there is any doubt. I had a black bear jump up and take off once when I did that. It was nice to be 20 feet away when that happened! I have had two mule deer Sumo me to the ground when I grabbed their antlers knowing they were alive but thinking I was stronger. Bad program is all I can say.
I had a coyote in the back of my truck one time that I thought was dead. I went to a drive through on my way home. When I got up to the window the gal went to take my money and shied away. She came back with another lady- manager I presumed, who called me an a$$hole and slammed the window. I looked behind me and the coyote was standing up on my toolbox-all bloody. My dog woke up and saw him about the same time and shook it like a ragdoll getting blood all over the drive-through window. I never did get my cheeseburger!
NRA Benefactor Member
Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.
I throw a stick at them from a distance if there is any doubt. I had a black bear jump up and take off once when I did that. It was nice to be 20 feet away when that happened! I have had two mule deer Sumo me to the ground when I grabbed their antlers knowing they were alive but thinking I was stronger. Bad program is all I can say.
I had a coyote in the back of my truck one time that I thought was dead. I went to a drive through on my way home. When I got up to the window the gal went to take my money and shied away. She came back with another lady- manager I presumed, who called me an a$$hole and slammed the window. I looked behind me and the coyote was standing up on my toolbox-all bloody. My dog woke up and saw him about the same time and shook it like a ragdoll getting blood all over the drive-through window. I never did get my cheeseburger!
That's freaking awesome Dennis.
I've had a 190"+ muley run off and had a couple of fox wake up in the truck bed while we were calling the next stand. That was a bit sporty....
- Greg
Success is found at the intersection of planning, hard work, and stubbornness.
Some great stories, especially the drive thru coyote!
I learned a valuable lesson myself about turkeys about 15 years ago. I had just bought a Mossberg 835 and had shot a nice gobbler with a 3 1/2" load of 6's. He dropped like a rock and never twitched. It was my second turkey ever and I thought the new shotgun was a death ray to have dropped the bird with no flopping.
I walked up to the turkey and grabbed it by a leg to pick it up, at which point it went berserk, flapping and flopping like you would imagine a 20 lb bird can do. I held on for dear life, not wanting my trophy gobbler to get away. Dust and leaf litter were flying around and getting in my eyes.
Nearly blind and pretty scared, I finally tackled the turkey and held it down until I could wring its neck.
The valuable lesson I learned that day is if the turkey's eyes are closed, he ain't dead! Same goes for furry critters too.