Observations from a hunting show

[pls1911]

T by G's post above captures the simplicity of my 50+ year Texas hunting experience... I was brought up in a strict regimen where if you point a gun something dies... right now, and no excuses.
High shoulder shot, 30/30, cast bullets at 1700-1900 fps, cast soft, hard or in between.
Bang flop...pigs too.
Expansion? Who cares? Penetration is complete. Shoulder bone structures, spine, high vitals, and connective tissue disruption with a single shot means DRT... I've never recovered a boolit from a critter, but never had to trail one either.
Put the bullet where it counts, and you'll never chase a critter beyond it's own shadow.
Can't make the shot? Then don't take the shot.
It's that simple.

[rodwha]

Put the bullet where it counts, and you'll never chase a critter beyond it's own shadow.
Can't make the shot? Then don't take the shot.
It's that simple.

To be fair I’ve not had to, nor anyone I know of has had to, track an animal. And that’s not to say they didn’t run a bit as I’ve had a few deer run maybe 25 yds, but I’ve read of far too many instances of perfectly placed shots with more than adequate projectiles to say such a statement is valid.

[John F.]

Rodwha,

Well said, and I wholeheartedly agree!

Real life ain't "perfect" at all times...
John

[Mr Peabody]

I'd agree that animals hit the same way or place react pretty much the same. It hasn't seem to matter the horsepower involved.

[Good Cheer]

I'd agree that animals hit the same way or place react pretty much the same. It hasn't seem to matter the horsepower involved.

Yeh, that is the way it is. Whether it's a buck deer getting his spine cut or my grandad's buddy Tom getting his head removed while going for the next trench in 1918 and running around like a chicken, our bodies do behave pretty much the same. Making a highly disruptive chest cavity shot is what usually works best hunting mammals. Selecting a boolit and gun suited to your situation rests with the hunter.

[Jedman]

My hunting experiences mirror what Rick Hodges wrote, I have used everything from a 45 lb. longbow to a 416 Rigby rifle .
It was a big surprise when the Rigby shooting a 350 gr. Barnes TSX bullet placed in the shoulder of a 85 lb. antelope doe didn't put it down on the spot ! That animal ran 75 yards on 3 legs before piling up.

Jedman

[RPRNY]

I was turkey hunting up around Devil's Tower in northeast Wyoming two weeks ago. No luck with the birds; it was late season and while they would gobble, they weren't coming in. Anyway, one ranch I was hunting at was covered with the smallest white tail that I have ever seen. They were so small and so pale, I wondered if they were a different species. I have no experience with the Filed Monsters of Illinois. The vast majority of my white tail experience is in southern Vermont and I thought they were small.

Deer are remarkable for their flight response. With the exception of a poor shot that luckily severed a spinal column, I have never had a deer DRT for me. On the other hand, in my limited experience of elk, a solid heart and lung shot results in a pretty quick debilitation.

To the OP's point, I like big holes.

[Thumbcocker]

"They were so small and so pale, I wondered if they were a different species." Did they go baaa and look wooly?

[Smoke4320]

Naaa say the small pale deer of a different species

[Silvercreek Farmer]

I posted a video a while back of a deer hit in the ribs with a 50 BMG. It still managed to run 50+ yards with a hole big enough to put your fist in.

[toallmy]

I learned the hard way that I'm not a tracker or good at dragging , so I try to blow one front shoulder through the other side . Preferably near by the field dirt roads - makes for easy loading .

[rking22]

I had that happen with a Ruger level 4570 ,300 gr hp, no exit and no indication of a hit. That is till he ploughed the ground with his jaw! Entire chest cavity was destroyed. Still ran 60 yards!

[T-Bird]

Usually the common thread in those deer that are drt is that the bullet passed near the spine/cns. Look at the anatomy of a deer, many shoulder shots are actually near the spine as they pass through. Sudden drops are usually cns shock. In my experience, deer shot in the heart(which isn't located near the spine) usually run like everyone has said "until they realize they"re dead"