Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Exit wounds and more blood trail

I'm done here .Only thought some would be interested

I am interested, thanks for the thoughtful reply Saddlesore. I remain a fan of the "two holes = better tracking" school of thought, but I may have learned something.

I enjoyed your story and your thoughts.
Congrats on getting your deer.

Your rifle looks really nice. Wishing you many more great hunts with it.
Take care

+1

I have always been a fan of a good blood trail, but then up until this year I had a dog to do the trailing. No dog now, so I am rethinking my shot placement. Why, a good blood trail if you have a dog? Keep the dog sharp until you really need it, and I think it makes for better meat, but a lost deer makes no meat for the shooter. miles

It's not just rifles I've seen some good size holes through deer being hit with broadheads and sometimes don't find blood for 50-100 yds and thats with a 2" hole through them. I like Miles idea, can't beat a good dog for bad times.

Thanks, Saddlesore. Always enjoy your posts. Wish I had your rifle and you had a better one.

Dang. This was a worthwhile observation from an experienced hunter, worthy of discussion. Urbaneruralite, your comments are out of line.

I like blood on the ground. Lots of it. Two holes seem to help, but not always. A hit through the lungs is a quick killer. but unless large arteries are hit, it may not bleed much. Recovery is still usually easy. DRT sounds good, but the brain or spine is the only sure way I’ve found for that. Both shoulders? Maybe, but I want to eat them if possible. Usually one ends up fairly shot up anyway.

I shot a nice WT quartering away with the Ballistic Tip 150 from a 7x57. 25yd shot, so prob 2700 impact velocity. Almost no blood for the 30 yard death dash. Lots of blood inside and big arteries hit. Turned on that a flap of chest muscle blocked the exit wound. Things happen.

FWIW, the heaviest blood trail I’ve seen came from a doe my neighbor shot. 257 Roberts 117 Sierra. Shot was downhill and through the heart. The bullet exited and left a sprayed trail like I’d never seen. She still ran 50yds.

This was the last kill for my old friend. He’d been given instructions to call me if he shot one. I was afraid he wasn’t up to tracking, or caring for it himself. I arrived in 10 minutes to find he’d already found the deer. It would have been hard to miss.

I shot an 8pt Thursday out of a tall box stand overlooking a big bean field. He walked all way across the field at last light....stopped. He was like 80-90 yards quartering away facing me. I hit him down his neck just in front of his left shoulder....dropped right there never took a step. Saw him kick one time thru the scope. I shoot a Win. 70 in 308...Barnes TTSX 130 g. handload 3165 fps or so. When I got to him his head was laying in a pool of blood...no exit hole and small entry in lower neck. Guy dressing him out after aging him few days. He will find the bullet when he skins him out. I believe in this kind of shot when they are under 100 yards...always drop right there for me. Longer shot, I like to go up front leg and put it in heart/lungs and they never run very far and will pile up. If that bullet is placed right you don't need a blood trail, but it always helps for sure.

Especially on a mostly broadside shot with minimal amounts of animal for the bullet to pass through I absolutely want an exit wound on a deer or big game animal to insure complete destruction of the vital tissue and bone on both sides and because the usually larger and lower on the body exit wound would seem most likely to be the side that is going to leave the most blood. No doubt it’s never an exact science though and each case is an example of just one with different reactions from the critter and the trail they leave.

An exit wound doesn’t always result in a good blood trail but generally speaking it would see more likely for two holes with the second being the exit hole to result in more blood than a caliber size entrance wound only.

I’d be surprised if any bow hunter would say they don’t think an exit wound is desirable. There may be more kill inducing shock with a bullet but an exit wound provides a better chance of a blood trail if tracking is required.

My brother tmax264 shot a big fat mulie buck last Saturday in Unit 55. 35 Whelen 225 grain Accubond at about 35 yards. Caliber entry, between ribs across the top of the heart and through a rib on the exit side, just knicked the tricep on exit.

At the shot he bounced off out of sight in heavy timber. Shooter directed me to the exact spot deer was standing, I looked hard for blood and found nothing. We did a sweep and found him only 35 yards away. The only blood we found was in the last 5 yards. There was a skiff of snow present, so blood wasn't hard to spot.

We both were surprised there wasn't more blood trail.

Yes unfortunately “ theories “ don’t always
hold water.

I long ago quit depending (expecting) on a blood
trail. They’re not always there.


Jerry

Nice shooting!

If he had traveled 300 yards you would have appreciated the extra hole.

If it went 300 yards, I didn't do my job in the first place

My son recently shot a couple of bucks with a 6.5 CM and 130 grain Accubonds going about 2800 FPS and he got considerably larger exit holes than you did. The distance on one buck was about 100 yards and the other about 175. I'm not sure why the difference, but there can be a lot of variables when bullets hit game.

saddlesore;
Good afternoon to you sir, I hope the day down in your part of the world is as bright and sunny as here and you're well.

Thanks for the thread and field observations, it's interesting how little that buck bled for sure.

Also interesting to me is the cartridge and bullet used, as my usual hunting partner and eldest daughter shoots a 96 Swede - 130gr TSX at 2650fps from it's 20" barrel and I've been using a 98 with a 96 Swede barrel - mine 21" and this year was the first time trying a 120gr GMX at 2900fps more or less.

The mulie I hit was moving at a fast walk at perhaps 200yds crossing right to left. I aimed for the off shoulder blade, but as it turned out didn't get that as I didn't lead quite enough. At the shot it reacted to the hit, ran about 50 yards uphill stopped, took 2 or 3 shaky steps back down the mountain and piled up. Interestingly it didn't leave much of a blood trail either, but honestly I saw it piled up so while I did trail it up to see what had happened, I admit to not paying as close attention as I might have.

There was a fair bit of a puddle where it landed in my case. When I gutted it, there was a hole in the lungs about the size of a softball and the exit was 3/4".

When I skinned it back at home I saw it was one of those rare shots where no bones at all were hit, so I was happy to see that the bullet had still opened up fine despite just hitting skin, flesh and lungs.

Anyways sir, that's my story from a somewhat similar sized buck and a sort of similar situation this fall.

Thanks again and all the best to you as we head into winter.

Dwayne

All's well here Dwayne .Beautiful blue bird day. 70 degrees and I am at 7600 ft elevation.Same, all the best to you this winter

Very similar reaction from this little buck.Missed a rib going in and clipped one going out. Lungs were mush, heart cut almost in two. I litterly poured everything out of the chest cavity. Only blood outside was pooled under the body where it fell

It was a very slight angling shot Deer was going from left to right. I tucked the bullet behind the near shoulder and it barely clipped the front of the off shoulder.

When Accubonds first came out they were fairly soft/explosive and damaged a lot of meat. Subsequent years Nosler refined it,but catching bone will still up set them pretty good