Feeling sick about a deer :(

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tallburnedmidget
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Re: Feeling sick about a deer :(

Post by tallburnedmidget »

I understand the feeling it sucks. I lost one this year. I think I hit the shoulder bone (not blade but tubular bone) and the bullet may have then been routed out the front of the chest or out the bottom of the chest of the deer missing the heart and lungs :(

We had good blood and tracked for probably about 600 yds and jumped the doe twice but no shot before she would get into brush. Her leg was toast and she was in bad shape but again no vitals seem to have been struck.

The shot placement felt good and I was using 110gr Barnes Blacktip. Again my best guess is that the heart shot caught the leg bone and then changed direction to just miss vitals.

Every year I try and I usually improve to some extent on my 300BLK hunting approach/setup/plan whether it is bullet, bullet placement, etc. etc. I'm still on that journey :)

My solution going forward with the 300BLK is that I am going to go way up scope magnification power from 4/5 power to 3x9 or higher, this way I can more easily distinguish if I'm close to the leg bone or not for a heart shot when at 100yds+ and so. Also I think I'm going to go front shoulder neck shots or maybe head shots with the 110gr Lehigh Defense Controlled Chaos bullets since that thing is beyond lethal.

I really don't want to lose deer and I'm really over tracking deer in the dark with little to no blood trail, it is just too stressful lol
I look forward to continuing my journey and reporting back here to help everyone out :)
blackbird
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Re: Feeling sick about a deer :(

Post by blackbird »

tallburnedmidget wrote:I understand the feeling it sucks. I lost one this year. I think I hit the shoulder bone (not blade but tubular bone) and the bullet may have then been routed out the front of the chest or out the bottom of the chest of the deer missing the heart and lungs :(

We had good blood and tracked for probably about 600 yds and jumped the doe twice but no shot before she would get into brush. Her leg was toast and she was in bad shape but again no vitals seem to have been struck.

The shot placement felt good and I was using 110gr Barnes Blacktip. Again my best guess is that the heart shot caught the leg bone and then changed direction to just miss vitals.

Every year I try and I usually improve to some extent on my 300BLK hunting approach/setup/plan whether it is bullet, bullet placement, etc. etc. I'm still on that journey :)

My solution going forward with the 300BLK is that I am going to go way up scope magnification power from 4/5 power to 3x9 or higher, this way I can more easily distinguish if I'm close to the leg bone or not for a heart shot when at 100yds+ and so. Also I think I'm going to go front shoulder neck shots or maybe head shots with the 110gr Lehigh Defense Controlled Chaos bullets since that thing is beyond lethal.

I really don't want to lose deer and I'm really over tracking deer in the dark with little to no blood trail, it is just too stressful lol
I look forward to continuing my journey and reporting back here to help everyone out :)
They really are more tough of an animal than many give them credit for. Many stories of deer with one leg being blown off being seen the next year getting around pretty well. Or killing a deer with a head/neck shot, and processing it to realize that it has one collapsed lung from a botched archery shot from who knows how long before. And it was STILL walking/running around just fine with one lung.
"Less isn't always more but, sometimes, it is enough."

"If you need a tool and don't buy it, you'll ultimately find that you have paid for it and don't have it."
Joel45acp
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Re: Feeling sick about a deer :(

Post by Joel45acp »

rebel wrote:Guys, this is a very obvious troll. He's mentioned 6.8 like every sentence and talks like a 14 year old.
Ignore - just sayin' :mrgreen:
Knew I'd ruffle some feathers. Hahaha :lol:
JC

Jeremiah 29:11
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Walkers Bay
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Re: Feeling sick about a deer :(

Post by Walkers Bay »

80% of the deer we take are done with a 300blk and the rest a mix of 270s 308s and 7mm rem mags. But with the quantity of animals we put in the crosshair increases the chance of clean kills by way of experience but also the chance of walk offs.
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rebel
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Re: Feeling sick about a deer :(

Post by rebel »

Joel45acp wrote:
rebel wrote:Guys, this is a very obvious troll. He's mentioned 6.8 like every sentence and talks like a 14 year old.
Ignore - just sayin' :mrgreen:
Knew I'd ruffle some feathers. Hahaha :lol:
I didn't find it humorous to make fun of a guy that was obviously upset about losing a deer. You didn't even know what he had shot it with. Could have been a 45/120 for all you knew. If you think your cartridge of choice is such a prize, fine , but don't come on a cartridge specific forum and start that crap as a new guy and expect anything but what you deserve. Just Sayin' :mrgreen:

Good Day
You can't beat the mountain, pilgrim. Mountains got its own way.
Joel45acp
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Re: Feeling sick about a deer :(

Post by Joel45acp »

rebel wrote:
Joel45acp wrote:
rebel wrote:Guys, this is a very obvious troll. He's mentioned 6.8 like every sentence and talks like a 14 year old.
Ignore - just sayin' :mrgreen:
Knew I'd ruffle some feathers. Hahaha :lol:
I didn't find it humorous to make fun of a guy that was obviously upset about losing a deer. You didn't even know what he had shot it with. Could have been a 45/120 for all you knew. If you think your cartridge of choice is such a prize, fine , but don't come on a cartridge specific forum and start that crap as a new guy and expect anything but what you deserve. Just Sayin' :mrgreen:

Good Day
OP and I had a joke going, but then you decided to get involved and get all hurt cuz I bashed your beloved blackout round. Wow lol: BTW I shoot a Remmy chambered in the anemic 300blkout and absolutely love it. Just sayin'
JC

Jeremiah 29:11
Akgun&Ammo
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Re: Feeling sick about a deer :(

Post by Akgun&Ammo »

years back, I shot a buck on Ft Hood that had both front legs shot off. he was eating corn, and near both cattle feed and water...

very heavy callous pad on brisket. Rack was funny looking and a little anemic..
but, he did look healthy. not fat, but ribs didn't show through.

hindquarters seemed more defined muscle wise..

goes to show the ability these whitetails (and other deer) to overcome wounds- both man made and natural

Chris
Gimli
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Re: Feeling sick about a deer :(

Post by Gimli »

I tend to shoot the way I do with a bow. I pick my aim point so that it will come out behind the opposite leg. I don’t specifically aim for the heart, especially on a quartering away shot since that could very well mean hitting the opposite leg and a possibility of no exit wound. Deer ribs are pretty small, so if you can just avoid hitting a leg you should always end up with at least a double lung hit and an exit wound.
silverhawk500
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Feeling sick about a deer :(

Post by silverhawk500 »

Sorry for your loss OP. This marks my 50th year of hunting deer, Rifle, Revolver, Bow and have taken around 300 + deer, through hunting and crop damage. I wish I could say that I never lost one but it would be untrue. I know deer anatomy very well, look for where it's going in and out. We all can make a "bad" shot, but the worst situation is when you believe you did everything right and still do not find it. I respect the animals that I take, We eat what we shoot or give extra to the food bank. We all need to continue to learn, practice, and make good decisions, sometime you have to pass the shot. 17 years ago, on the last day of 2nd archery ( Jan 1 2000) , I was in the tree, 20 min left when I saw a "tree" running down the open field 80+ yards, amazing buck, obviously no shot. 10 minutes later he came blasting in kicked out a 4, small 8, pair of doe, and continued the run. He stopped, turned around and came walking up to where they had scraped the snow away and where browsing. I was ready, calm and he stopped at 10 yards broadside, double lung, he ran, but I could see blood coming from both sides in the snow. When in switched clothes and proceeded to track him, massive blood lost as he went through the cedars, prob went about 100 yards until the blood stopped. Recall I have a huge blood trail on the snow and it stopped. I slowly did circles out in front and to the side till 1 am. We got about a foot of snow that night, but my wife and I went out looking the next AM, I enlisted my neighbors son 16 yr old, and continued to search through Feb till we had covered everywhere he could have gone. Later march at break up we were out searching again, and found the deer, perfect shot, but he had backtracked 40 yards, took a jump over a blow down and we only saw him because we investigated some ravens. Someone had found him ( prob during rabbit season in Jan). The point to the post is, I did everything right, till he stopped "bleeding" and did not think to backtrack when the blood stopped. It made me ill and angry when I could not find him initially, even worse when I found him 10 yards of the path that I walked 40+ times. Respect the game, practice, know the anatomy, work on your skill with what ever weapon you use, and realize sometimes we have to pass a shot. Often I hear people say the "blood" stopped, it did not, I just have not found it yet and keep looking. Be Safe,
ncorry
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Re: Feeling sick about a deer :(

Post by ncorry »

Walkers Bay wrote: Fast forward 6 months. My father was tracking a deer into the trees and stumbled across a skeleton of a red stag about 200m away from where we shot.
It was a good 10 point stag
We call them elevator deer. The ones that either appear or disappear so quickly and effectively that the only possible explanation is that they took an elevator to get there or leave.

In the end, you can only prepare for what you anticipate and control what you can control; if you do both of those to the best of your abilities and learn from your mistakes, you sleep better at night.
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