Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Shot follow up

I was fortunate very early in my hunting of big game to read an article in an annual Alberta publication by Bob Scammell called follow that shot. He described very well the reaction of big game to a variety of shots. He was adamant that any shot at a deer that "missed" required at least 45 minutes of follow up before declaring the shot a miss and that any deer that dropped as if struck by the hand of god required a couple of minutes under the cross hairs if one could not get to the deer quickly and ensure it was dead.

After reading this I became a proponent of keeping the cross hairs on any deer that dropped immediately for several minutes as well as the detailed follow up of any shot. Experience has confirmed the validity of these practices.

I am also a fan of putting a second shot (sometimes a third) into an animal if the opportunity presents. Some of my buddies have hassled me about this but throughout my time hunting and guiding I have seen several dead animals "come back to life" and I would rather have an extra hole or two in an animal than have a long tracking job whilst an animal suffers unnecessarily.

My last deer of our 2017 season was a good reminder of keep the cross hairs on any deer that drops immediately. I'm sitting beneath a large spruce tree hidden behind a couple of poplar blowdowns in the Alberta foothills watching an opening in the bush. A buck come drifting through the poplars about 110 yards east of me, I grunt, he stops only allowing me to see his nose, guts and hind legs.I expect him to start looking for the source of the grunt and whilst doing so move around a bit and give me a shot opportunity. He just puts his head down and takes off, not running but walking with purpose and vigor.

At the next gap in the trees I aim for just behind his ear and expect delay in my reaction,my lack of leading his movement and travel time of the bullet to allow for an impact in the neck near the shoulder. At the shot the buck drops, it looks like his bedded with his head outstretched. Load another round and keep the cross hairs on the deer. In about a minute his head begins to move side to side, the rejuvenation develops rapidly from there, it takes about 15 seconds and he is throwing his head and using one front leg to try and get up. Another shot into the neck just above the chest puts an end to his movement. Another couple of minutes of no movement I grab my stuff and go gt the deer.

Whilst skinning and butchering the deer a bit of DSI (deer shot investigation) was done. The first shot entered the neck just in front of the shoulder and exited at the very top of the far shoulder, the dorsal process of several vertebrae were completely destroyed but the spine itself remained intact, the second shot took out a fist sized chunk of spine.

What also showed up was a number of recent superficial wounds and a puncture through the abdominal wall. Looks like this guy just got his ass kicked by another buck. Most likely the reason for getting out of Dodge rather than looking around for the source of the grunt.

Would the deer been able to recover enough from the first shot to get up and leave we'll never know, but I have seen deer and caribou recover enough from similar shots when friends and clients did not believe me that they needed to be prepared for a follow up shot that rodeos ensued .At the end of one multi shot rodeo the client asked Rick (another guide) "should I shoot him again? Why not I think there's one quarter without a bullet in it"

So this year's last deer just reinforced my possibly excess enthusiasms for thoroughly following up every shot.

For those who are interested the rifle is a 7-08 Vanguard, 140 grain nosler ballistic tips propelled by varget.

This hunting seasons ends with me being a mile north of Montana and 24 miles west of Saskatchewan as my furthest south east and west of Hythe in Grand Prairie country as my north west extreme. For those of you whose seasons are over I hope they were grand, for those of you still hunting the best of luck.

Thanks for reading my ramblings and I hope they have triggered some thoughts and recollections.

All the best GRF

Good post. I agree with your thoughts and actions.

On Monday, I shot a medium size 8 pt at about 40 yards slightly quartering to me. At the shot he dropped and started kicking. I put another in the rifle and watched him starting to collect his wits about him. He stood up and started motivating past me, actually getting closer. I put another tight to the shoulder and he went down. My second shot was a twin to the first except dead broadside. He didn't need another shot but I've seen enough rodeos to know a follow up is always a good idea, especially when they've gotten back up. The DSI revealed shredded lungs but no broken bones. Gun was a 308 fueled with Re15 and 180 Sierras. I wasn't undergunned........ 😎

In my early 20's I had a shot at my biggest buck at the time, at 40 yards on the move. I shot the darn thing 4 times before he could hit the ground. I was so excited at the sight of him, that I had that bolt action Ruger sounding like an uzi. He was not going to get away!

With more experience I grew out of that.

Very good post, excellent info.

FWIW day before yesterday I thought that I missed a whitetail buck and had we not persisted in looking (and if not for a grandson's sharp young eyes) we would have called it a miss and not recovered the buck.

I saw no reaction to a hit aimed at its near shoulder as it angled toward me, and then found zero hair or sign of a hit at the spot where the deer was walking when hit. I asked my 14 year old grandson to go with me and look for sign with his better eyes, and within a minute he had found a speck of bloody hide with a few hairs attached. He worked out a faint blood trail and found the buck 28 yards away lying dead hidden in a hummock hole. Broken shoulder, shredded heart and lung: there should have been gouts of blood but he left minimal blood trail. As said, a shot deserves 45 minutes of serious looking for sign of a hit or where the bullet went.

Re second shot: not doing it cost me a bull elk lying apparently dead. OTOH I got a large bull moose because I gave him an insurance shot when he appeared dead. Something about the way he fell and the way he looked when “dead” didn't seem right so I put one in his brain and went on to finish pushing bush for my friend. When we returned, we discovered that the first shot had gone between the vertical bones in his hump and didn't even bleed on the ground. He would have woken up and left with no more than a sore neck.

100%


If the animal is down, I always get the cross-hairs back on him ASAP. If there is any doubt, I follow up with a second shot. Hard to make meat out of a critter that gets up and runs off, not to be found.

Ya!

GWB

Several years ago I shot a nice buck with a 50 cal muzzleloader and he went down on the spot. I watched for a couple of minutes and he didn’t move so I climbed down from my stand. I looked up and he was trying to get up. Trying to reload and keeping an eye on the buck was a trick but I was able to get the second shot in which did the trick.

What I should have done was that during that first couple of minutes while I was watching him I should have been reloading then, not as he was trying to get up. Assume the worst.

My philosophy, and what I teach my girls, is "Shoot them until they are down and stay that way."

Usually that is one shot, but we've had animals drop and them get back up.

YES! Most of my game animals have required but a single shot - however... There have been a few that needed at least one more shot.

I've long had the habit of instantly cycling the bolt or lever and getting a fresh cartridge in the chamber, while keeping an eye on the animal, down or not. One of the things I like a lot about hunting pronghorn & mule deer with the soft-kicking 25-06 is that it doesn't really come off target much, so it's real fast to get back on target if necessary.

It's paid off a few times. Tougher with a muzzle loader, but yes, I've scrambled to reload before approaching the downed animal, just in case.

Somebody here described a moose that just didn't look dead. I had a mule deer buck like that once. Down, but... Dead? My 13 year old son knew I was a bit uneasy about the buck - though I didn't shoot it again. Probably should have. After I got the heart and lungs out of the deer my son said "I'm pretty sure he's dead now Dad."

Guy

A few years ago my son shot a whitetail buck with his 30-06 at modest range, maybe 80 yards. The buck fell instantly and I thought it was likely a hit near the spine.

So glad I'd taught the young man to cycle his bolt after the first shot, and be ready to take a second shot! Within 30 seconds that buck was back on his feet. John put him down for good with the second shot.

The first one had indeed, hit near the spine, but hadn't broken it. That buck was about to get the heck out of there, when he picked up the second, quite fatal, 165 gr Nosler.

Guy

There is one thing I have noticed on this topic: if they fall over at the shot, it's going to depend on where they were hit whether they stay down. If they take a good hit, run or walk away, and fall over, they aren't getting up. I've seen both deer and elk take a whopping from the first shot, drop like they were hit by lightning, and pop up later. Have come to recognize this generally happens due to a temporary shock to the nervous system. If vital tissues have not been destroyed, they are getting back up. High ribs shots have been most common when they get back up. As far as likely misses and follow-ups go, I have found that it is important to hunt with a partner if you can. Someone acting as an observer while you shoot is at times really vital. It's easy to miss when all adrenaline'd up, and it's also easy to miss the signs of a good hit when in the same state. Having that observer there can make a world of difference when the quarry vanished at the shot from the perspective of the shooter.

And it depends on what the target was. I popped a deer in the head this year. It was a bedded doe, and I was on sticks, and she wasn't standing up anytime soon, so I opted to take the headshot, and if I missed, a follow-up to the ribs would be pretty simple. At the shot, her head vanished. The rest of her was concealed in grass. I was SURE that I connected, but I had no evidence of that. She was with a group of does, all bedded, and she was to the left of the rest of them where she lay. The other does didn't react to the shot either. Likely because she had been the dominant doe in the group, and since she wasn't getting up, none of the others did either. They eventually all stood and jogged off, minus my doe, as I made my way to their bed area. Like I said, I KNEW I hit her. No point in waiting. My point is that circumstances play a part in decision-making. If the doe's head had not vanished at the shot, that would have been a sign of a problem. If you are shooting for the CNS and the animal does not drop immediately, you missed.

As a guide it absolutely amazes me how many hunters do not even reload after a shot at game. And that is even after I've told them, previous to the shot, to keep shooting until they are down and not moving. What is worse is when someone shoots and not only does not reload but doesn't even stay on the rifle, but starts getting up to celebrate. You see this on the hunting shows all the time.

Getting a second shot might not be possible but you ALWAYS reload and try for one.

I once had a sheep hunter drop a ram with a muzzle loader. I told him to start reloading and I'd keep eyes on the ram. And he argued with me about the need for reloading. I was stunned. I "politely asked" him to reload and he did.

I've wondered why an instant reload isn't a natural reaction, but I don't have a good explanation, does anybody?

Ralphie; some thoughts on your question:

Some of the PHs I have talked to and hunted with think North American hunters admire their shot rather than getting ready for the next shot....

Some hunters have far too much confidence in the "power" of their cartridge and too little awareness of how tenacious some game animals can be. They think that after receiving the 180 grain bullet from their .30-06 or .300 RUM that no animal could possibly stand up let alone run away.......

Some may lack hunting experience and have not seen the "dead" animal leaving scenario......

Some may have not had the experiences that we have had to make us think a reload and back onto the animal is common sense...

Some are caught up in the one shot one kill ethos and don't want to have to tell their buddies that it took them 2 shots to kill their beast.....

Some have not had mentoring or coaching....

Some are 100% sure that the animal is dead....

Some may be unaware of all the non-lethal spots one can hit on a game animal...

Some may have put all of their emotional effort into pulling the trigger and are too mentally drained to think to recycle..

Some have very little to no experience shooting without a bench for practice, with all of their hunting being from enclosed stands with great rests, therefore have had little need or opportunity for the quick reload....

I have see friends and clients making more fuss over making sure they don't lose their brass than reloading and getting ready for a second shot.

Perhaps some think life will work out like their video games....

I'm sure I've missed a few but I think there are many reasons why a hunter does not reload as soon as the have finished "follow through" on their shot. Just my thoughts.

GRF

GRF: I lost a nice wild pig like that once. I wacked it with my Ruger 44 mag Deerfield at about 25 yards. It was squealing with all four hooves in the air. While I was deciding wheather or not to finish it off with my 38 spl snubbie-it ran off. The meager blood trail petered out after about 50 yards. Now I shoot 'em again if it is still moving. Better to lose some meat rather than the whole animal! Mel

They only shoot off a bench and do not practice a fast second shot from field positions. My mule deer this year only ran 50 yards after the first shot but I got off a second and third shot in that distance. Have to admit I missed the second shot but anchored him with the third. The first would have killed him.

Great topic here guys. I've been lucky to never have one get up after a hit, but I instantly reload, and after reading this, I'm gonna keep the the gun trained on any knocked down animal much more aggressively. Thanks for the great info here guys.

I can be guilty of not taking a follow up shot, assuming I knew I was right on the money. I can't recall when its ever done me wrong. BUt I totally understand.

A deer dropping at the shot thats not head shot... I cover that instantly because its not supposed to be. I dont' try to wreck spines on purpose but lung shoot or heart shoot.

There is nothign at all wrong with being ready. I try to be ready instantly and cover any animal. Dropping the 2nd shot though, takes a bit, for me.

My father schooled me to cycle the action ASAP whether I thought the shot good or not. His reasoning was that the animal (deer) could not pinpoint where the sound came from while the gunshot still echoed through the woods. I've been guilty of wasting ammo and meat many times. After the first shot, if they're still on their feet, I'm slinging lead!

I shot my buck this year at maybe 20 yards. High forward quartering away shot. Held about 3" from the top of his neck so as to anchor him right there. At the shot his azz collapsed and he went down.

I reloaded, put the gun back on him and watched. He was blinking so I knew he was alive but he never could quite get his running gear underneath him. Less than a minute later I watched his body relax but still kept the gun on him for a bit longer. Some of the fastest kills I have seen also have had a deer jump up and run like a scalded dog.

Watch this one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1i2FlY-9Sw

When I was a teenager I watched my cousin drop a nice 8pt whitetail with a neck shot from a 30-06. After about 2 min I watched him climb down his ladder stand. As his boots touched the ground, I watched the buck get up and take off. No blood trail and never found the deer.. This is when I learned to stay on target and to take follow up shots as needed.....And elk always get multiple shots until they drop.

I'm a firm believer in the keep shooting until they are done idea, even with a bow. 😎 I got 3 arrows in this bull and was getting ready to shoot a 4th time when he fell over.

Wow, cool video.

I'm a believer in that you keep shooting 'til the deer is down. Once, years ago, I heard 5 shots from my son's direction. I then heard a cross between a rebel yell and a victory yell.

I texted my wife the boy must have gotten one 'cuz I heard 5 shots from his direction and could hear him yelling 600 yards away.

As I walked over to him she sent a text back asking how many of the 5 shots he hit the deer with. After looking at the deer, I replied back, "ALL 5!"

That buck henceforth became known in our household as the "Swiss Cheese Buck."

When I asked him why he kept shooting, his reply was simple enough, "Well, dad, it was still standing." Works for me.

Valuable info and anecdotes for those with ears to hear.

A young man on his first local bear hunt saw a bear as he and three friends drove around the bend in a logging road. He jumped out and shot the bear tight behind the shoulder with his .300 short magnum as it angled away at 50 yards. (First mistake: shot placement on an angled animal.) The bear went down as nearly every bear I've seen hit does, no matter where hit. The young man turned to face his friends (second mistake) and did an end zone dance in the middle of the road. The bear got up behind him and left while he danced.

Ingrain the habit to cycle fast and stay on target.

Like rost495, I have refrained from shooting a few times when I knew that the animal was dead on its feet and not going to go anywhere. A moose that I had hit twice in the vitals was one. After the second shot he braced his legs out and used all of his will to stand, as dying moose often do. You can shoot a box of ammo into one at that point and unless you sever spine or brain, he will stay on his feet. His head and neck were behind a bush so I held the rifle rested crosshairs on his ribs till he fell over 15-30 seconds later, and did not shoot any more. If he had started to take one step I'd have shot him through the lungs again due to brush and the way he was standing.

Elk are a different story. I knocked a bull down 50 yards across a swamp from me, and held the crosshairs on him for I'd guess two minutes. He never moved. I hated it but I had to lose sight of him to get around the swamp to him. He was gone when I got there. In hindsight I should have watched him longer. Fortunately I heard him walking and chased and shot, chased and shot etc. Bullets tumbled sideways when they hit him through brush, till finally I knocked him down again and charged close enough to shoot him point blank when he got up. Ugly, and lucky to get him. I had another “stone dead” bull get up about the time it took me to cover 125 yards of tough ground to reach him. Both of these elk were mortally wounded but unlike moose that use their last strength to stand, elk will use that last vitality to run into a canyon in the next county.

I can certainly see why outfitters tell clients to shoot until they stop moving as they don't know shooting ability of their hunter. I'm pretty picky about my shots. I have killed three deer this fall. Only one I reloaded my muzzle loader,but there was no need. Very few elk have I shot at an angle,waiting for a good double lung. A few have required a second shot as they lay their dieing, but those were mostly to end their life a tad quicker.

When I do drop the hammer, I am very confident of the sight picture and a kill, although I know things can happen.I can't see grinding up more meat if it isn't necessary as I am killing the elk,deer ,or antelope to eat

I went to a Deer Classic here and the speaker was touting taking the "withers shot" as being an instant dropper. Fast forward to that year's deer season and a nice 10 point was down in the creek bottom below me, but partially obscured by brush. His top half withers were showing though, which I figured was high lung or low spine. 7mm-08 140 grain Barnes TSX and don't use those for deer. Anyway, he ran at the shot up and out of the creek bottom and he wasn't supposed to do that. The bolt was cycled and I was on him again as he stopped for an instant at the top of the hill. If I shoot again, I'm going to wreck that far shoulder I remember thinking. Okay, he didn't drop right there either and he should be just over the hill like they always are. Nope, two days of looking and five drops of blood were all that I ever found. I rue the day for not pulling that trigger a second time. Too hard a bullet with that spot below the spine and at the top of the lungs that isn't worth a darn for putting down a deer. "Soft" SST Hornady's have worked way better ever since.

That video shows the guy saying the deer is still breathing and then he still approached it and from the wrong, hoof side too! Then clue #2 was that deer has it's eyes half closed. Dead ones don't do that.

Barnes not up to deer. ROTFLMAO.

Maybe the TTSX, but that TSX from that 7mm08 only punched a quarter size hole through both lungs on one the year before when I'm use to seeing lung soup that strains through your fingers from lead core bullets. I just use those left over TSX's now for fouling the barrel.

My PaPaw taught me when I was a kid, that you always walked up behind the deer, take your gun barrel and reach in and nuzzle his nuts (this was before we had a doe season and in my family you just didn't outlaw). PaPaw explained that if there was any life left in him, that would bring him back...lol. I've done that to every buck I have ever killed and have taught my son the same lesson. But now, I also approach a doe from behind and poke her somewhere in the rear to see if she moves any. I've watched people who walk in front of the deer and poke them from the front...and this video is a good reason to never do that!

Ain't nuzzling no nuts here!

I've never been a nut nuzzler either!

As a guide, I don't know how many times I've watched clients shoot, then lower their rifle to admire their shot.........even when the elk or deer is still on its feet...........

I preached and preached to my son to keep shooting until the elk is down. His fourth elk stopped at the shot, my son paused, and the cow took off and immediately disappeared into the timber . Luckily she only ran about 40 yds before piling up. The next year, when he missed an offhand shot and the cow instantly kicked it into high gear, he was already racking another round in, and nailed her the second shot.

We often learn more from our failures than our successes........

WOW ......such wisdom!

I have never regretted shooting too much.

I have regretted thinking I have.

Thank you.

Come from behind - touch their eyeball with the rifle barrel.

From the angle of those arrows it looks like he was attacktacking you. Nice pajamas, by the way.

I operate under the premise that anything worth shooting once is worth shooting two or three times.

Very important in my experience is being able to call the shot. Knowing where the crosshairs or front sight were the moment the trigger broke is very instructive and lets you have a pretty good idea of what's going on. I've had deer show little or no reaction to the shot but knew that I killed them because of that flash image in my mind. But knowing their reactions is important as well. I once aimed to shoot a buck in the heart at about 50 yds with a .30-30. He jumped and kicked the way then do when heart shot, but after that jump he stopped to look around. Recognizing something different I shot again and he took off into the brush. Come to find out an unnoticed branch deflected the first shot into a hoof and the second got him through the lungs.