Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Question about Deer ammo

That hasn't been my experience. Depending on where the bullet goes after it goes through the guts decides where you get your skinning knife out or put your tracking hat on. Either way, you need to hope for a cold, windy day when you open him up.

Tom264,

I did read your informative article.

Many years ago I did gut shoot a buck with a 7MM Rem Mag. He was dead when I got to him. He fell right over.

Last year I shot a lung shot a buck with a 165 grain Hornady .308 Win. He arched his back, dropped his head, walked about 30 yards in thick Aspens, and dropped. That bullet made a mess of his lungs.

I've had excellent luck with my deer bullet, 168 hornady amax! Of course are deer are large jackrabbits, but I do know it does a number on large, tough hogs also! I love fast opening bullets for deer, when using medium velocity round. I love the all copper when you can put some good velocity on them!

Then...you don't know deer. So add that to the list of [bleep] you don't know about. Which at this point could fill a dump truck.

Someday when you move out of your moms basement and actually get some experience with something other than Star Wars figurines, you can post something useful.

I have about decided the bullet "exploded" or expanded to quick when I hit the shoulder. Must have caught it in the joint or the biggest bone. I think the second shot caught lung, but probably more gut than lung. I have no doubt he's dead. Just a matter of can I find him. Bad storms all day today. Next few days are clear. Will be on buzzard watch.

You owe me a beer for the one that flew out my nose when I read that post

I'd aim lower and use a 150gr bullet, Sierra, Nolser or Hornady.

find out where this is, and aim for it.

That was pretty F'n funny.

Cant argue with success, and one in the pump will always work, but IME it'd be quicker if you hit the knot of major blood vessels coming out the top of the heart. You also get lung, and the heart keeps pumping and blood pressure drops nearly instantly.

High shoulder spine hit deer obviously drop at the shot, but deer hit just about the heart have been the 2nd fewest # of paces.

My experience on this comes from shooting one deer with an '06, and mostly a mess of them with slow big lead out of ML and shotguns.

I think it may be that a heart hit causes contracting of BV and the deer could get a death run in. Or it could jsut be my sample size is too small to draw good conclusions. For me though, just about the heart has been mere steps to recovery as opposed to 30-60 yards for lung/heart hit deer.

dead deer either way though, no doubt.

in reference to above, I'd love to hear from biologists & guys who have been on large culls where their #s are in the multiple hundreds or thousands.

Sorry for the morning micro hijack

I agree, I've had deer go further on heart shots than just lung shots but that's not always the case.
To me the fastest kill has been the neck shot but I've only shot 3 deer in the neck and they dropped on the spot.....might have something to do with taking out the neckbones/airway/blood circulation......
As an aside I don't always aim for the neck, just when I don't have any other shot.
I'm a lunger..........

The buck I shot this fall was completely heart shot. In through the "lower" shoulder and out just bit lower in the opposite leg. Any deer should have dropped with the running gear busted and the heart done, but he didn't he went about 40-50 yards.

I have no explination for it but he did. I've shot 3 bucks that were 200# + dressed weight and two of them ran, both had heart shots.

Somehow, they just do.

And I'll say that, having one, you won't really need the other. Both knock big holes in animals.

Heart shot deer run like hell in my experience. Whether bow or gun, they just go full bore until they are out of blood. How far that is depends on cover and stuff like that, but given a clear space, it can easily be 200 yards. Not that they are hard to find.... BUCKETS of blood! Hunched up is almost for sure a gut shot. Tough to lose any animal, and it IS driving you to distraction. Happened to me a couple of times too. You may be right about fragmenting - coulda caught some shrapnel in one lung. Bet the second shot was liver. When pushed, they will go a Loooooong time, even though they are bleeding. The liver, being what it is (kinda soft) can even block the hole for a bit, stopping blood flow.

I once shot a deer in a shotgun only area. The slug tore the sternum loose and the deer's heart and one lung was hanging outside the deer. The slug rolled his ass right smart but he was up and running. He went through a cane brake blowing blood shoulder high. And ran at least 100 yards before another hunter collected him.

I killed a big doe this past weekend with a .45-70, using a 250 gr TSX at 2,550 fps (Barnes load). In and out double lung shot that made mush of the top of her heart. She ran 30 yds spewing blood. Evidently the mono-metal opened and did its job. Thru both shoulders would have dropped her, but I was "meat hunting" and chose bullet placement accordingly.

DF

I never had a problem with the blue box Federal 150 grains. It's only a deer, it doesn't need a premium bullet.

Agreed.

Especially if you got "premium" shoot'n going on.....