Do your deer normally run after the shot?

[torpedoman]

If it did'nt run off then you wouldnt need the super duper blood tracking device that is sponsering the 1/2 hour commercial for everything you really dont need to hunt deer. I have found a good pair of levis, a flannel shirt, decent work boots, the state mandated patch of orange, a decent rifle and a couple of bullets is all that you really need. If you but all the toys they sell you are eating (maybe) 1000 dollar a lb meat.

[1marty]

I started using Federal NBT in my Rem 700 7-08. I found more than likely the deer ran 50 yards or so before dropping. I went back to the Winchester PSP and found the deer were dropping in their tracks. Although the NBT shot tighter groups they seem to lack the stopping power.

[rickt300]

I have had all the deer I have shot with my 7x57 drop when I shot them using a top load of H414 and the 150 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips.  Could be another thread on how much better the 7x57 is than the 7-08.  Then again the Ballistic Tips bullets ordered by Federal might be differently constructed than those I get from Nosler.

[rebAL]

I watch a lot of hunting TV programs.  .

Why do you think the TV deer run after the shot?  Ramge is not normally a factor.  Granted a lot of the deer I shoot are does, but I've taken my share of bucks in NC and in other states.  I just don't see why the TV hunter's deer nearly always run out of camera sight.

Do the TV hunters normally shoot too far back on their deer? 

What is your experiance? (/quote)    I think it most often depends on where the bullet strikes.  My experience is deer (& most all game) hit in the vitals behind the shoulder will run off & not drop until blood stops rushing into the brain.  I also believe many hunting shows (especially those sponsored by T/C) and Jim Shokey, want viewers to see drop dead kills and have the host aim for skeletal tissue close to  backbone that will immobilize the game.  The only deer that I have dropped in their tracks were either  neck or spine shots. 

[ihookem]

I like t let them run a bit. It lets the 12 yr old boy track so I shoot half way up 4-6" behind the shoulder.

[High Brass]

The farther behing the shoulder you place the shot, the farther they'll run in general.

[hunt-m-up]

I try to break them down by shooting throught both front shoulders.  Heart lung shots are for archery equipment.

Bowhunting conditions you to take the heart/lung shot, it's hard to get past that instinctually. For the past 5 years or so I've gone to the shoulder shot with muzzleloader and rifle and it anchors them.   

[SHOOTALL]

some do , some don't . some are running when i shoot them . when you shoot um with a shotgun ya never know . most drop close to the shot .

[BRL]

Mine drop before I even squeeze the trigger. 

[BRL]

Haven't had a deer run after the shot. I haven't shot a whitetail but several exotics (and hogs but they are a little different than deer). My shot is broadside real close, but behind the shoulder, about the lower 1/3rd of the body. If I don't have that shot...I don't take one. But, I'm fairly new to hunting deer. I may lighten up on my restrictions as time goes on.

[john keyes]

If it did'nt run off then you wouldnt need the super duper blood tracking device that is sponsering the 1/2 hour commercial for everything you really dont need to hunt deer. I have found a good pair of levis, a flannel shirt, decent work boots, the state mandated patch of orange, a decent rifle and a couple of bullets is all that you really need. If you but all the toys they sell you are eating (maybe) 1000 dollar a lb meat.

okay I STRONGLY DISAGREE  with this













I would wear wranglers (or Rustler K-Mart brand ) and not Levis

[Mohawk]

   People would disagree with using a .38 Special to harvest deer. It is legal and it works fine. A double lung hit is not survivable with any projectile that I know of. A 40yd run after the shot is nothing to worry about, blood trail or not.

[30-30man]

Anybody who tells you all their deer drop on the spot is lying.  I don't care who they are, I wouldn't believe them unless I saw video footage of every deer they have shot.  It just doesn't always happen.  I've managed to kill 6-7 deer every year for the past 50 years.  I only have about 1 out of 10 drop in their tracks.  To get them to drop in their tracks, it takes a spine shot, or a shock to the nervous system.  Most often this is a misplaced shot. Shooting for the spine is very hard to do and I can't reccomend it as the range of error is great. I've seen deer run for a long time with half their heart missing. I usually go for the vitals behind the front shoulder.   Most of them only run about 5-20 yards if hit right.  The longest deer I had to track was one shot in the head by my nephew with 30-30 hollow points.  We don't use them anymore and I've instructed him that there will be no more head shots.  I believe we have a responsibility to the animal to take it quickly.

[montveil]

I have shot one deer through the heart blowing the heart apart and it still ran 40 yards pumping 6 foot spurts of blood - a 30-06 at 75 yds
one with a 50 cal ML at 50 yds just behind the shoulder and it dropped to its front knees got up and ran 15 yds
Another with the ML on a frontal slightly quartering shot placed just inside the front shoulder, the shock waves from the bullet could be seen rippling through the body- she fell just where she stood, kicked twice.
It's my belief that an animal can run quite a distance on adrenalin unless major bones are broken such as shoulders and spine.
I consider the above kills as fast and humane

[GRIMJIM]

It's my belief that an animal can run quite a distance on adrenelin unless bones are broken

I shot a large bodied buck through the front shoulder and shattered the shoulder bone. It still got up, ran 30 yards (downhill of course) and jumped in a pretty big pool in a creek. I bet you could have heard me swearing back at camp. So they will run even with broken bones.

BTW I did go in after him and pulled him to shore.

[Drilling Man]

If your bullet doesn't disrupt the CNS and the deer fails to run consider yourself lucky. I do not generally shoot for the CNS tho at times I hit it anyway due to shot angle or other factors beyond my control. The vast majority of deer I've shoot and seen shot run from 25 to 100 yards and are found dead at the end of a good blood trail.

  I've shot one hell of a lot of big game, from brown bears, and moose on down, and my experience falls right in with your's.  "If" it's a heart lung shot, you never know what will happen, but most times the animal will run, and if it does, it won't run far.  It doesn't seem to matter what i heart/lung shot them with either, as long as i got "good" penetration, "good" bullet expansion, and the bullet had reasonably velocity at impact.

  DM

[rickt300]

Anybody who tells you all their deer drop on the spot is lying.  I don't care who they are, I wouldn't believe them unless I saw video footage of every deer they have shot.  It just doesn't always happen.  I've managed to kill 6-7 deer every year for the past 50 years.  I only have about 1 out of 10 drop in their tracks.  To get them to drop in their tracks, it takes a spine shot, or a shock to the nervous system.  Most often this is a misplaced shot. Shooting for the spine is very hard to do and I can't reccomend it as the range of error is great. I've seen deer run for a long time with half their heart missing. I usually go for the vitals behind the front shoulder.   Most of them only run about 5-20 yards if hit right.  The longest deer I had to track was one shot in the head by my nephew with 30-30 hollow points.  We don't use them anymore and I've instructed him that there will be no more head shots.  I believe we have a responsibility to the animal to take it quickly.

I have had a long string of one shot drops but I generally shoot at the bottom edge of the shoulder blade or the neck in front of it with a fast expanding bullet which shocks the spine pretty bad but usually doesn't damage it badly.  There is a guy on our lease that shoots a 30-30 and I have tracked many of his deer.  You will get a lot more one shot drops from the faster cartridges.  In fact comparing a 30-30 to a  7x57 pushing a 150 grain Ballistic Tip or 140 grain Partition at 2700-2800 fps  is like comparing a wheel barrow to a F-22 Raptor when quick kills are wanted.

[Mohawk]

I haven't used a rifle is several years, most shots are within 20 yds and revolvers work just fine, but when I did the difference was really not that important. Whether a .243, .280, or .30-06 most still ran at least 20 or so yards. Not much less than the same shot placement with a .38, .357, and .44 Spl. My normal shot is simply a double lung hit, not really worried about breaking them down. The second deer I shot last year with a .357 fell within earshot, which is a lovely sound to any deer hunter. If you want to "try" to have the deer just drop, then put the bullet in the area where the neck meets the shoulder, scapula area. That is where the nerve bundles are. Not really a natural target for me, but it will work. But without the use of their lungs its only a matter of time, usually a short time, that they can remain mobile. And a deer with two legs broken is not out of the race. A Sheriff deputy and I chased a deer with two broken legs for over a mile, until the young buck climbed over a barbed-wire fence and made his escape. It was the best we could do to keep him out of the highway. A SWAT member with an AR could not get a shot, and I had no shot. Amazing, but even though he had two broken legs, his plumbing still worked.

[nw_hunter]

The farther behing the shoulder you place the shot, the farther they'll run in general.

I find this to be true.........I've shot the tail off several, and never did find the rascal!

[SHOOTALL]

some limped a few yards maybe

[Retsof]

I've not had but a couple of bang-flops. I and my buddy (who owns the land where I hunt in MS), almost always have the deer run 20-30 yds. However, we never have a problem with finding them, even after it gets dark, since we seem to always have a decent blood trail. We like to aim for a behind-the-shoulder, center-chest, broadside shot (when the deer cooperate). We don't take Texas heart shots. It is heavily wooded where we hunt and we have shooting lanes cut to give us about 100 yard max shots, though most of our actual shots are closer than that. The deer just suddenly materialize and you don't have alot of time to shoot. So, that's why we aim the way we do. It does not seem to matter what caliber we use, as we have used 270, 30-06, 350 Rem Mag and 444 rifles with similar results. The only bang-flops I've had is when I've accidentially hit the spine (yes, it does happen once in awhile). As an aside, my buddy just got married and his new wife likes to hunt. So, he built her an elevated wooden box stand, where she hunts over the only wide open area near their home, that overlooks a huge food plot. She has used a 243 to harvest all her deer, which almost never travel more than 10-20 yards with alot of them DRT. However, she is picky about her shots and only shoot at deer that are broadside and no more than 50 yards away. I have thought about sneaking into her stand to hunt when she's away but I'm afraid of knocking over the microwave and color TV (just kidding).

[buck460XVR]

Has never really mattered to me over the years as long as it ends up with a dead deer. Being a bowhunter most of my life, I often wonder why it is that so many on these forums have a problem with following a blood trail. Is it cause they're lazy or is it because they don't have the woodsmanship to follow obvious sign? Sure, half of the animals I've had to bloodtrail ran in the opposite direction of the truck, but then again, the other half ran towards it. Either way, most of the time, it's at least a 1/4 mile drag to get to a road.

[243dave]

The reason why people want to drop a deer in thier tracks isn't always for bragging rights. Some people hunt small tracts of land where the neighbors land is posted. Others hunt places that are extremely steep and/or covered with thickets. Where I hunt in WV, steep and covered with thickets describe it very well. For years I would never use anything but a behind the should shot and when I did guess where they would run ? Thats right, over the steepest side of the ridge and down in the bottom full of mountain laurel and neither one is easy to walk thru/up much less drag a deer behind you. So many of my shots are to break-em down, it saves a lot of time and even more sweat.    Dave

[FourBee]

by buck460XVR: often wonder why it is that so many on these forums have a problem with following a blood trail

Don't know about all the others, but I'm colorblind.  I can't see a blood trail for nothing.  It just makes the grass and brush look a little wet with dew.   As far as deer running after being shot.  If they can they will.

[GRIMJIM]

Amen to that. Sometimes even if they can't they still do.

[Blue Duck]

I believe its more a matter of where you hit them then what you hit them with.  If they drop in their tracks you hit bone.  If you hit bone be prepared for a lot of blood shot meat.  Just an inch or two back of the shoulder bone and you catch the lungs and maybe the heart if its low enough.  Ya, they will run a ways but they are dead and don't know it.   Much less blood shot meat.

[Land_Owner]

Anybody who tells you all their deer drop on the spot is lying.

I'm telling you that every deer I shot dropped on the spot.............where they died of course.  I ain't lying either.  They did!  It's a fact.  Can't be no other way about it.  Just kidding...just kidding.

Grimjim, you, nw_hunter, and SHOOTALL are killing me:

  some limped a few yards maybe more.

Amen to that. Sometimes even if they can't they still do.

I find this to be true.........I've shot the tail off several, and never did find the rascal!

[Skunk]

Actually, mine normally run before the shot.

[jandbn]

I watch a lot of hunting TV programs.  Nearly every rifle shot on a whitetail results in a tracking job.  Now I am no expert but I've taken nearly 200 whitetails in NC in 40+ years (we no longer have a limit on doe deer), and the deer I shoot with a rifle do not usually take a step.  Maybe one in twenty of my deer run out of sight.  On the TV shows, about 19 of 20 deer run away.

Why do you think the TV deer run after the shot?  Ramge is not normally a factor.  Granted a lot of the deer I shoot are does, but I've taken my share of bucks in NC and in other states.  I just don't see why the TV hunter's deer nearly always run out of camera sight.

Do the TV hunters normally shoot too far back on their deer? 

What is your experiance?

My ejjumacated guess is shot placement and bullet used. The bullets that the TV types use are more than likely the premium-controlled expansion type that didn't affect the CNS much if any.

For those with inquiring minds and may want a Mechanical Engineer's perspective (who is a hunter/shooter) of DRT or run, check out this this website: http://www.rathcoombe.net/sci-tech/ballistics/wounding.html#introduction. I believe I was directed to this website from another post on GBO. Some of it gets technical, but the whole concept is there. Tell us all what ya think!

[castman]

I have shot deer who dropped and some that ran shooting behind the shoulder for the vitals. Those were mostly with a 308 and a 7mm.

I have a couple questions.
My brother runs a charity farm on which deer have eaten a half acre of cucumbers. Subsequently he has a kill permit for 5 deer.
He doesnt have a gun and all I have is a 45/70. Ive never shot anything but paper with the 45/70.
I need the deer to die on impact as its 95 degrees here in va this time of year and every minute counts in getting them to the hunters for the hungry processor. Not to mention the fields are surrounded by the nastiest gnarliest brush you can imagine.

I shoot 525gr hand cast at ~1200fps out of a 1895 marlin. What should I expect the bullet to do? I know it will punch thru but do I need to hit bone to drop the deer? Brains shots will be tough with open sights so Im ruling them out. Any ideas and advise is greatly appreciated.

Also, what is a texas heart shot?

Edited to add:
I found the answer here on the board http://www.gboreloaded.com/forums/index.php/topic,174320.0.html

I guess I will have to try and break the front shoulders/legs.

I also read from Veral that meplat(.344)*velocity(1200fps)/4=103(should be between 100 and 135)
I should be good there.