Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Deer Lost = using a 243

I'm still waiting for the cartridge/caliber/bullet that kills 'em dead with BAD shot placement. Haven't seen it yet....

After whacking the nice whitetail with the .243, Eileen asked me if it would work on elk. I said, "If you put the bullet in the right place." She looked a little hesitant until I added, "And when have you EVER shot an elk in the wrong place?"

She won't shoot until everything's just right, unlike some men.

Congrats! Envious that you are still hunting. When does your season start?!

I can VERIFY, or ATTEST to the thickets of the Deep South.

Unless you have hunted a RE-GROWTH cutover, you have no idea how hard it CAN be to find a DEAD DEER, laying where he was shot, MUCH LESS even trying to FIND a blood trail.

When it's HARD to find a whole deer laying on the ground, HOW HARD do you think it is to find a blood trail.

THIS IS WHY I almost DEMAND 2 holes. They are not a guarantee of a blood trail but it puts the odds in your favor.

I am NOT being smart. If you haven't been here and done it, you are NOT QUALIFIED to pontificate small holes and no blood trails.
You honestly don't understand.

Jerry

If bowhunters can do it, so can you.

I've heard guys make the same argument about elk rifles, and yet they still go bowhunting every year.

Sometimes I think rifle hunters get a little sense of "bloodtrail entitlement" and expect that the ideal load should ALWAYS leave a blood trail that can casually be followed at a fast walk.

I don't think any cartridge or load should be written off because it may require some good 'ol fashioned tracking skills.

bellydeep - bow hunters DON'T hunt re-growth cutovers.

Let me TRY to give you a verbal pic. Sagegrass, briars waist hi, hardwood re-growth up to 10-12 ft. hi, pine saplings 8-12 ft. hi.

Sat. morning I was in a stand ON A HILLTOP looking 360 deg. A HORSE could have walked across the side of the hill I was on and I could not have seen it.

From my stand, there are openings, spots, & I can see INTO hillsides N, W, & E of me. There are plenty of places to shoot a deer. Going to find it is SOMETHING ELSE.

I am being as nice as I can be. Actually I RE-WORDED this.

You DON'T UNDERSTAND ! !

Jerry

I am sure this shot is a killer as explained.I don't hunt the deep south or real thick cover areas much. If I was worried about getting the biggest blood trail I'd use my 35 Whelen in that terrain. I hunt more open areas cause that is what is availible to me for deer hunting. Look at the red dot location and move 3" to the right and 3-4" down and that is the aiming point I most frequently use. It will do both lungs and break the off frt leg exiting. I have found that the 100 gr Horn SP to be very effective and nearly allways exiting and leaving a good blood trail to follow to a dead deer or antelope inside of 40 yds. I believe the 100 Horn SP gives better damage than either the 100gr or 95 gr NPT yet about allways exits leaving a 1+" exit hole.I don't have a problem with either Nosler but sure like the results from the 100gr Horn SP at the same velocity. just my 2 cts worth. Magnum man

jwall- You give an exact discription of the place I hunt. If its been mechanically replanted, the cornrows make it even more difficult to find your deer. If you walk between the trees, you won't see it 'till you step on it. If you walk across the rows, it one step up, next step down. Up,down,up, down, trying to keep your balance while looking ahead. I use an old G.I. compass to take a reading to where the deer was when I shot so I don't lose my way walking in that mess.

having looked at comments on the 243 and shot placement and damage caused by any number of bullets large and small, exit wounds virses no exit wound,tracking in heavy cover ect. i find it intresting that in my experince, most hunters that make bad shots that wound critters including deer,the shot was made in a hurry without thinking about it and making a careful delibert shot, low light morning or evening results in a lot of wounded critters, as for tracking skills most people that hunt and have hunted for a long time dont know how to track.and couldnt find an deer with a huge exit wound in 3 ft of snow. heavy cover is a problem no matter what state you live in, the answers to all these problems, we have seen many times here on the fire, " do your hunting and tracking before you pull the trigger" there are many kinds of wounded only one kind of dead" all the reasons above are why we keep 2 damn good tracking dogs, and rarely lose a critter. rio7

Jerry I hunt cut overs in Georgia and have been finding shot deer for many years. My opinion has changed over the years as I have watched how bullets have changed. I also think as you get older you graduate from more power to finesse. A mono metal bullet is more likely than not going to go slap thru a simple WT deer from even a 223 on the other hand I have seen several deer stop cup and core bullets from a 30-06 and leave no blood trail. Like the old(er) man in a gun shop told me once as I was fondling a 45-70 for deer hunting "son your going the wrong way".

Reckon that's also why the 6.5x55 is so popular too.

Dogger you are a smart man!!! Hard to beat these two you listed!! IN fact you cannot beat them.
David

Here is a picture of my son taken last year with a LARGE deer he took with his 6mm Remington shooting 90 gr. Nosler E-tips. It was one shot at 350 yards and this large deer only went about 20 yards and tipped over. The hole on her left shoulder is that wonderful E-tip exiting!!

j p -

nice deer but plain to see there is no blood...

I shot a large doe using the 95gr NBT with my new 243AI a couple weeks ago. Let me say, that I was impressed! 160yds, through the lungs. The deer ran 30 yds and toppled over with a great exit and blood in such a short distance.

I may have found my new favorite deer rifle. I will be trying out some 85gr TSX's when the season is over Jan 7th.

JB - LOL - you picked a great wife, she works hard to be sure not to ever let you down, and to help do her part keeping you fed

Jimmy, if you are talking about my deer, all the blood gushed out when I dressed him - it was obvious there was massive blood loss immediate post shot, wrecking havoc in the plumbing

JW - I too have hunted in the thich stuff, been luck the few deer I ever lost were the result of my not putting a bullet THRU vitals due to a few various reasons ie. shot angle and not compensating for that, etc.

Nice elk about - Noz knows a thing or two on bullets.

Re; the 100 Hornady above, not used on game in 6mm, but have in 6.5 and 7mm. Have nothing but good things to report and heard on several occasions the 100 SP is a very good bullet in 24 bore, would not hesitate to use one.

It may be flawed logic, but I DO like to use bullets that do not have a lead tip, keeps the tip perfect till impact and they always have shot very accurately.

I don't have to wash my hands after handling - kidding, but on the downside can't use Poly tips or mono tips to fill out my deer tags! Lol.

So, still in search of the ideal bullet as JB, until then I will strive w/Less the perfect bullets that are best in class for job at hand and try using PERFECT SHOT PLACEMENT

Remember you can pick a bullet but cannot control what it does after it impacts, yet you CAN PICK where to Place that slug!

Works EVERY TIME when I do it right!

FWIW, being color blind, I don't WANT to worry about how good a blood trail I have, it's NOT a thought, as it's a distraction from doing what I NEED to do in the first place - SHOT PLACEMENT....all else takes care of itself when I do my part.

It's much EASIER to spend the time during the shot cycle to PRECISELY pick a spot and squeeze, then to start tromping around looking for blood etc. Much better return on investment w/time spent - proper aim/squeeze vs. tracking. Just remember, it's REALLY NOT so much WHAT hits them as WHERE it hits them, truly.

That said, things happen and I have trailed a few, some short, a few gave headaches, but thankfully most fairly hit don't get far. YMMV.

About the only downside regarding 243's is the poachers buy up the used ones and it keeps the price jacked up.

JeffO - Thanks Sir.

Sorry I meant to reply sooner - in my area..

Archery
Oct. 1-Jan. 31

Primitive Firearms
(all either-sex except as noted)
Oct. 22-28
Jan. 16-22

Still Hunt
(no dogs allowed)
Oct. 29-Dec. 6
(39 days)

With or Without Dogs
Dec. 7- Jan. 15
(40Days)

Are my eyes completely gone or does this deer look an awful lot like a cow Elk ?

O O S - Re-read the FIRST line of your quote of 6mm above the pic.

LARGE deer and cow elk are NOT contradictions.