1 shot kill?

i lost one buck i think now 20 years later that i could of done a better shot to the vitals, he was so still i thought a neck shot, i looked for two days, never found him, i only shoot to the heart and lungs since, it works, mostly one shot, sometimes they run a little, mostly just drop ,, wade
 
I've had plenty of bang-flops (gotta love that great wording) and just as many where a solid killing hit led to a 50 or even 100 yard dash. One really memorable instance, my only spine shot, where the buck just stiffened up every muscle and fell over like a decoy in the wind.

I remember reading an article in an old Outdoor Life/Field and Stream type magazine where the author claimed that a bang-flop resulted from hitting the critter at the end of an exhale, so that the lungs were empty when the bullet struck. Supposedly, hitting an animal who had full lungs, at the end of the inhalation, increased the odds of it running a ways. Ideas?

John
 
CAC said:
Here is a quote from an article regarding drop at the shot kills. Interesting read.
"Predictably, some of the buffalo dropped where they were shot and some didn’t, even though all received near-identical hits in the vital heart-lung area. When the brains of all the buffalo were removed, the researchers discovered that those that had been knocked down instantly had suffered massive rupturing of blood vessels in the brain. The brains of animals that hadn’t fallen instantly showed no such damage. So what is the connection?

Their conclusion was that the bullets that killed instantly had struck just at the moment of the animal’s heartbeat! The arteries to the brain, already carrying a full surge of blood pressure, received a mega-dose of additional pressure from the bullet’s impact, thus creating a blood pressure overload and rupturing the vessels. "

From this link http://www.outdoorlife.com/outdoor/gear/gunvault/article/0,19912,467122-1,00.html

Ah-HAH! The big and slow theory finally explained! The bullet is moving so slow, the animals have time to tense up before the bullets get there......:D
 
good read but..... To all those that adhere to the shoot once and then gawk school of thought, never book a hunt to Africa. That is if you can find a PH that will take you on. I think we owe it to the animals for as clean and quick a kill as possible. That translates into shooting until the animal is down. I would bet a lot less wounded/lost game by following that rule. Just my thoughts.
 
I've got no problem taking another shot- even if it isn't actually necessary.

In fact, most of the time when I shoot animal, I will shoot, then reload without taking the rifle from my shoulder, get back on target and try to poke another one in there if I can.

As stated above, Afican PH's don't want you to sit around "admiring the shot" as they call it. They want you to shoot, reload, get back on target and if the animal isn't down, to make another accurate shot.

I've also got no problem with taking out one or both shoulders, if I can. Busting both shoudlers puts them down pretty quick.
 
Yeah, admiring the shot is great after the animal is down. Adrenaline is a response to shock and has nothing to do with how many times you shoot them.
I think anyone who does not shoot again on a standing, walking or running animal is pretty foolish.
 
BIGREDD said:
Yeah, admiring the shot is great after the animal is down. Adrenaline is a response to shock and has nothing to do with how many times you shoot them.
I think anyone who does not shoot again on a standing, walking or running animal is pretty foolish.

I have on occasion shot once & waited till the animal fell over when circumstances allowed it but if it shows any sign of putting one foot in front of the other "pow"
Almost completely throws out the usefullness of a Single Shot for hunting now doesn't it :D :D Or at least makes there usefullness limited to large open areas with very easy shots! Course there are still some SSrs on here that I'm sure have never required a second shot:) maybe never actually shot much game either ;)

Well I'm off to the camp in a couple hrs:dancingbanana:

:) IBTL...:D :D
 
senior said:
Almost completely throws out the usefullness of a Single Shot for hunting now doesn't it :D :D Or at least makes there usefullness limited to large open areas with very easy shots! Course there are still some SSrs on here that I'm sure have never required a second shot:) maybe never actually shot much game either ;)

Well I'm off to the camp in a couple hrs:dancingbanana:

:) IBTL...:D :D


yes. you are correct. again your wisdom and sage advice astounds. enjoy machine gunning your fawn at deer camp. I'm going to go look at some Ruger #1's.....
 
Gatehouse said:
I've got no problem taking another shot- even if it isn't actually necessary.

In fact, most of the time when I shoot animal, I will shoot, then reload without taking the rifle from my shoulder, get back on target and try to poke another one in there if I can.

As stated above, Afican PH's don't want you to sit around "admiring the shot" as they call it. They want you to shoot, reload, get back on target and if the animal isn't down, to make another accurate shot.

I've also got no problem with taking out one or both shoulders, if I can. Busting both shoudlers puts them down pretty quick.
Yeah, because it's all about talking the animal down as cleanly and humanly as possible and if a follow up shot is what it takes, then so it is.
 
senior said:
Almost completely throws out the usefullness of a Single Shot for hunting now doesn't it :D :D Or at least makes there usefullness limited to large open areas with very easy shots! Course there are still some SSrs on here that I'm sure have never required a second shot:) maybe never actually shot much game either ;)

and thats why you will never be a bowhunter; old man..enjoy running your deer half to death and then bragging about the fawn you shot as it was panting:confused: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
:dancingbanana: :dancingbanana: :dancingbanana:
 
BIGREDD said:
I think anyone who does not shoot again on a standing, walking or running animal is pretty foolish.
I thought I read someplace that you were also a BP hunter....you must be a helluva fast reloader...or do you hunt with a double barrel ?
 
one shot kill

I have made many one shot kills, I have on occasion had to shoot a second to make sure the game is down. We owe it to the critters we harvest to take them as fast as possible.
 
This fall I double-lunged a fair-sized buck...unaware, from 20 yards . He took off like a scalded cat . Even though I was busily trying to reload my 50 cal. Hatfield percussion , I could see two solid jets of blood arcing from his rib cage onto the snow . After about 80 yds. he wobbled to a stop , stood there, spraddle-legged, for a couple of minutes with his head hanging and his mouth open, then fell over . He crawled/kicked/rolled his way, another 8 feet into a slight runoff/ditch , then lay still .
Just before he fell over I was on my way towards him with my finally reloaded rifle . Although I knew him to be on his last legs , I didn't wish him to needlessly suffer, so was gonna give him the 'coup de grace', but it was unnecessary because he quit moving just after I got there .
I have shot a lot of deer and moose but not very many have "bang-flopped" when shot in the chest . One exception that I recall was a big 10-pointer (scored 159 7/8) shot 100 yds. broadside in the chest (30-06 180 grain silver-tip reloads). Part of the bullet casing, or piece of the rib blew upwards and severed his spinal column .
Two years ago I shot a buck trotting across a field, heading for some does . At the shot he ran faster, so I put another one into him...no effect... so even though I was starting to get shakey I got another 140 grain .280 slug into his chest before he finally fell down . Each one of those three chest wounds were fatal ...he just kept going (had ladies on his mind ,I guess). I didn't need the two extra shots ....wasted a lot of meat ...had to throw away the whole off side shoulder....and forget about barbecued ribs .
Most of the 'bang flops" that I've had were caused by bullets at or near the brain cavity or in the upper spinal column .

Oops! checking my notes, I find that the buck that I shot at three times (4th paragragh) I missed the 2nd shot....ass-over-tea-kettle 3rd shot .
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom