So I have a question for all the experts here, explain to me how this can happen.
Just got back from my Idaho whitetail hunt and first time harvesting big game with anything smaller than .30 cal.
I shot this buck at 190 yds shooting factory federal premiums with 140 grn accubonds. He was quartering away (more than I realized at the time). Bang flop rolls down the hill doesn’t get up, doesn’t even kick. Some time passes, I keep glassing looking for the other buck I had spotted seeing as I had two tags. I can’t find buck #2 so I go around and down to I meet up with my partner and we go up to get him together. On our way up he picks his head up with fire in his eyes when we’re less than 10yds. He has a look like he’s gonna blow out of his bed. I give him one more through the neck. Done deal. I lift his head up and find the wound pictured. I could almost put my fist in it. At this point I’m puzzled as to how he was still alive at all.
Upon the necropsy I find the bullet entered by just clipping the near side ham, just clipping the first muscle over the sirloin. Hits the abdominal wall and rips it wide open under the hide. As the bullet continues it never ruptured the gut sack or anything below the diaphragm. Continues north and I could not find any damage to the liver heart and lungs not even a bruise. The only bone it broke was a couple ribs as it exited. How is this possible? Could the hydrostatic shock have pushed everything out of the way as it ripped through the abdominal wall? What gives?
-THEN-
I shoot my second buck, full frontal, at 125yds hit him “perfect” just a touch below the wind pipe. He whirls and takes off. I go down to look for him after 15+ min and blow him out of his bed, rifle up, boom, tea kettle him. I opted for the gutless method on this one. The bullet skimmed across the meat of the inner thigh and lodged under the hide of his right ham 2” below and 1” over from his anus.
How the Sam hell did this happen on these two bucks?!?! Why did these deer need more than one round?
Oh and what was the cartridge you may ask... 7mm-08
Just got back from my Idaho whitetail hunt and first time harvesting big game with anything smaller than .30 cal.
I shot this buck at 190 yds shooting factory federal premiums with 140 grn accubonds. He was quartering away (more than I realized at the time). Bang flop rolls down the hill doesn’t get up, doesn’t even kick. Some time passes, I keep glassing looking for the other buck I had spotted seeing as I had two tags. I can’t find buck #2 so I go around and down to I meet up with my partner and we go up to get him together. On our way up he picks his head up with fire in his eyes when we’re less than 10yds. He has a look like he’s gonna blow out of his bed. I give him one more through the neck. Done deal. I lift his head up and find the wound pictured. I could almost put my fist in it. At this point I’m puzzled as to how he was still alive at all.
Upon the necropsy I find the bullet entered by just clipping the near side ham, just clipping the first muscle over the sirloin. Hits the abdominal wall and rips it wide open under the hide. As the bullet continues it never ruptured the gut sack or anything below the diaphragm. Continues north and I could not find any damage to the liver heart and lungs not even a bruise. The only bone it broke was a couple ribs as it exited. How is this possible? Could the hydrostatic shock have pushed everything out of the way as it ripped through the abdominal wall? What gives?
-THEN-
I shoot my second buck, full frontal, at 125yds hit him “perfect” just a touch below the wind pipe. He whirls and takes off. I go down to look for him after 15+ min and blow him out of his bed, rifle up, boom, tea kettle him. I opted for the gutless method on this one. The bullet skimmed across the meat of the inner thigh and lodged under the hide of his right ham 2” below and 1” over from his anus.
How the Sam hell did this happen on these two bucks?!?! Why did these deer need more than one round?
Oh and what was the cartridge you may ask... 7mm-08