Exit wound or No exit wound

[skoutfitter]

I was wondering what the consensus was regarding exit wounds.  Do you think it is better for a bullet to pass through the deer or to remain in the animal.  I know there are differing opinions and I was curious what others had experienced.

[jhm]

I like a exit wound so there is a good blood trail, years ago I was one of the people who was in the belief that no exit ment all the energy was expelled into the animal, over the years I have changed my thinking, dont know if either is the correct answer but I do prefere a exit wound.    JIM

[GBO MGMT]

I'll take an exit hole every time.

GB

[Kragman71]

Skoutfitter,
I try to kill the Deer as quickly and humanely as possible.The last thing that I will ever do is use a bullet that is guarenteed to exit the Deer at any angle.
A cartridge with power to spare,will always have the bullet exit,with broadside boilerroom shots.That is what I want.If the proper bullet is used,it will open up and expend most of it's energy inside the Deer,before exiting.
In my opinion,a bullet that will exit the Deer's chest from a"Texas Heart Shot" cannot possibly open up on a broadside lung shot.These bullets are better suited for heavier animals like Elk or Moose.
Frank

[Redhawk1]

I myself like an exit wound, for the same reasons stated above by others, a good blood trail. But I also want my bullet to expend its energy and expand to it full potential in the vital zone. Proper bullet choice will give you what you are looking for. The size of the animal and hide and bone toughness will be the deciding factor in my bullet selection. Even then there are no guarantees. What works at 100 yards wont work as well at 25 yards.

[Double D]

I'll take an exit wound and for that reason I don't have an interest in the Remingchester UltraLongShortMagnums.  Huh?

It's not too often that I shoot something beyond 100 Yards. Even on Montana's wide open prairies 300 yard shots are rare or don't have to be taken. The belted Mags will shoot through most animals, but they also damage a great deal of the meat on the way through, especially at the more common shorter ranges.

I have found that the slower velocities work well at both close and far ranges with the right bullets.  I use the Nosler ballistic tips in my 338/06 AI and 338-308. I use the 180's in the 338/06AI and the 200's in the 338-308.  Velocities are under 2600 fps.  The 180 have punched through a deer side to side at 435 laser ranged yards. The meat damage was minimal.  The exit wound was at least an inch in diameter and there was blood all over the ground.  When dressing out there was very little blood in the chest cavity.  It all drained out through the bullet hole.    

Another deer a big mule deer was shot with the 200's at about 40 yards as it jump up and ran.  Deer was shot just below the root of the tail. The bullet hit the ball of the right rear leg bone passed all the way through the 200 lb animal and exited the left front chest. Complete through and through length wise. The liver, both lungs and some arteries over the heart were all hit. The exit hole again was about an inch in diameter.  The deer went on its nose at the shot.  

On both animals “you could eat right up to the hole”

All too often, before I went to the heavier slower bullets, with the lighter faster bullets I would have heavy meat damage, no through and through and a tracking job.

I have only had one deer that didn’t drop at the shot since I went to heavier slower bullets.  I shot a small white tail buck with my 404 Express and 300 gr Barnes bullets, the bullet went through the liver and the deer  walked, not ran,  about 50 yards and keeled over.  The blood trail could be seen 100 yards away in the snow.  It looked like someone drug a garden hose pumping blood in the snow.

I like heavier slower bullets that leave an exit wound

[newfalguy101]

Exit holes bleed!  

Entries generally do not.

I have had exactly ONE animal drop in its tracks, all the others have run 25 to 50 yards after the hit.  Including one doe that was hit THROUGH the heart (totally destroying it) at less than 30 yards with a .308.

One of the first deer I shot using factory ammo in my .44 destroyed the close side shoulder and broke the OFF shoulder but didnt exit. NO BLOOD TRAIL at all!!!!! fortunatly he only went about 50 yrds and dropped like a rock when hit with my SKS as a finisher ( after "walking it up" ).

I exclussivly use 240 hardcast now, exits every time on shoulder/broadside hits

So yea, I like an exit hole.

[huntsman]

An exit hole gives you several critical advantages if your quarry runs upon being hit. If you are of the notion that no deer will ever run after the hit because of your _______ caliber/bullet/construction, etc., then you haven't killed many deer. First, there is the desirable blood trail discussed above. Also, there is indication at the hit site of what kind of hit you may have gotten (pink or red blood, pieces of organs, hair type). This could tell you whether to follow your deer slowly or pursue quickly in hopes of a second shot. Third, if there is no sign of a hit, you can be fairly sure you missed. Not so on a bullet that stays in the animal.

[Chuck White]

We all like to recover a bullet from our deer, because it gives us something to look at and talk about for years to come!  I have (I'd guess) about 25-30 recovered bullets and can pretty much tell you the stories involved with each!

BUT, I prefer my bullets to exit the other side for the same reason I want my arrow to exit during archery season!  It's a good indicator of a HIT or MISS and you also have a good blood trail!

[Graybeard]

We all like to recover a bullet from our deer

NOT me. I hate to recover a bullet especially from a deer. I have perhaps less than 1/2 dozen from over 40 years of big game hunting. I want mine to exit and so use bullets and cartridges that almost assure that result. I want that exit hole not a bullet to look at and think about. But you're right, many do want one.

GB

[coboconk]

I agree with the others exit hole = good blood trail = recovered deer

[onesonek]

I play around with light bullets sometimes, but for hunting big game, I prefer heavier. The problem with light bullets, one never knows if they may need to take an angled shot. Requiring more penetration, than a desired broadside shot. I'm kinda "old school" yet, and still believe in momentum, rather than "energy dump". There's a saying, energy expands the bullet, penetration kills the animal. I believe one only needs a small degree of meplat upset to impart "hydraulic shock", but momentum imparts more damage to the CNS.
Enough rambling, ya I like exit wounds.

[Dutch/AL]

I've never killed a deer with a gun. All my kills have been with a bow but I definitely prefer the exit hole, because I need a blood trail to follow unless I get lucky and spine shoot a deer and drop em' on the spot.

Not only does the deer bleed better, but I feel that complete pass throughs do not spook them as bad and they don't run as hard. Another advantage is that I always get my arrow and broadhead back with a passthrough. When the deer runs off with your arrow in them, sometimes they break them off on trees, and the arrow and/or broadhead can be difficult to find.

[longwinters]

Always would take an exit hole.  No need to repeat all the reasons everyone else gave.

long

[Siskiyou]

Years ago I switched over to using 150 and 140 bullets for deer in the .270.  In the '06 I went to the 165 grain bullet.  The 140 grain bullet in the 6.5.  I went for the havier bullets because I want that exit hole.  I have had deer go a short distance after being hit behind the shoulder.  I want that blood trail.

[MarkJ_Thompson]

I really like to the bullet to make into the vital areas of the animal after that I could care less. I have only had one animal travel after shooting it and that was my fault not the bullet.

It was the 2nd largest elk I have ever taken and he was traveling straight to me and less than 30 feet when I took the shot. (Not a shot I like to take.) He only went about 30yrds and stood broadside for me to finish him.

Both .308WIN shots passed through him. (Did recover 2 muzzleloader slugs from his neck when we butchered him.)

[High Brass]

Yes, definately prefer an exit wound.

[Lawdog]

Exit wound every time.  Using bullets that fragment(like Ballistic Tips, SST's, etc.) and do not exit the deer do not leave a blood trail that anything but a hound can follow.  Even an entrance wound from a .45 caliber will close up to where finding any blood is next to impossible.  It is for this reason I use Nosler Partitions and now trying the Barnes line of bullets.  Lawdog
 

[SingleShotShorty]

I shoot both Nosler Partitions and Ballistic tips depending on the game and the rifle. I'm like most in that I prefer a exit wound but when it gets right down to it I belive with good shot placement it does not matter one way or the other. The only animal I have not been able to recover was one shot quartering to me with my Bow.