5-7 shots to be ready to kill game at 400 yards?

The slap of the round is a good indication with the animal reacting to the shot placment . i.e. gut shot animals compared to heart and lung shot.. 1 deer will slouch, the other will kick ..
Moose .elk . Deer all act different when shot

I know what you mean but man, it seems pretty inconsistent to me. A not mortally wounded deer can react pretty theatrically and one with no heart or lungs can run off with a full head of steam. In what I've seen anyway. Hard to make a call on.

Have really started liking braked rifles to stay on target and really see the impact placement and effect through the scope though, thats cool. But with moose, if I can I just shoot again.
 
I know what you mean but man, it seems pretty inconsistent to me. A not mortally wounded deer can react pretty theatrically and one with no heart or lungs can run off with a full head of steam. In what I've seen anyway. Hard to make a call on.

Have really started liking braked rifles to stay on target and really see the impact placement and effect through the scope though, thats cool. But with moose, if I can I just shoot again.
Just giving the o.p. some idea's on resction of animals as a quew. Agreed , ever animal acts different. Like shots to crack when that deer is about to feed.
Head going down to chew grass.
400 yards is far.
1 step forward is not ideal that far away.
 
I will never understand (I don't think) the "Slap" of a round hitting an animal.
I have shot a great many animals over my career and I cant say that I was ever in a state to hear a "Slap" or a "thud" for that matter.
IF I'm wearing ear pro (Which I have been doing now for a few years) then there's no way and if not, there has just been a violent and extremely loud explosion inches from my face and it's echoes are ringing off of the trees, rock, and other scenery for many seconds.

IS this really a thing?
Is it maybe lightly haired animals in open country?

My rifles are set up so I can "See my impacts" through my scope in most circumstances and even when I see the hide ripple or what have you, I have never aligned that to a "Slap" sound.
 
I will never understand (I don't think) the "Slap" of a round hitting an animal.
I have shot a great many animals over my career and I cant say that I was ever in a state to hear a "Slap" or a "thud" for that matter.
IF I'm wearing ear pro (Which I have been doing now for a few years) then there's no way and if not, there has just been a violent and extremely loud explosion inches from my face and it's echoes are ringing off of the trees, rock, and other scenery for many seconds.

IS this really a thing?
Is it maybe lightly haired animals in open country?

My rifles are set up so I can "See my impacts" through my scope in most circumstances and even when I see the hide ripple or what have you, I have never aligned that to a "Slap" sound.

Moose in a clear cut perhaps, but I wasn't the shooter so it was a bit easier.
 
Last edited:
I will never understand (I don't think) the "Slap" of a round hitting an animal.
I have shot a great many animals over my career and I cant say that I was ever in a state to hear a "Slap" or a "thud" for that matter.
IF I'm wearing ear pro (Which I have been doing now for a few years) then there's no way and if not, there has just been a violent and extremely loud explosion inches from my face and it's echoes are ringing off of the trees, rock, and other scenery for many seconds.

IS this really a thing?
Is it maybe lightly haired animals in open country?

My rifles are set up so I can "See my impacts" through my scope in most circumstances and even when I see the hide ripple or what have you, I have never aligned that to a "Slap" sound.
I have heard the "slap" noise on ground hogs with 22 250 and other varmint with 22lr. once out of 4 times on deer with a 12ga sabot slug.

I think it has to be in a sweet spot for environment and distance. most times I heard it was without ear-pro. I don't think it's realistically repeatable on game. At any distance you hear the impact on a water bottle it will probably have potential produce the same noise from a creature.

You aren't missing anything. I don't think it is a remotely reliable indicator for how well you hit medium or large game. And any time I heard it on small game there were strong visual indicators that the shot was a good hit.
 
I will never understand (I don't think) the "Slap" of a round hitting an animal.
I have shot a great many animals over my career and I cant say that I was ever in a state to hear a "Slap" or a "thud" for that matter.
IF I'm wearing ear pro (Which I have been doing now for a few years) then there's no way and if not, there has just been a violent and extremely loud explosion inches from my face and it's echoes are ringing off of the trees, rock, and other scenery for many seconds.

IS this really a thing?
Is it maybe lightly haired animals in open country?

My rifles are set up so I can "See my impacts" through my scope in most circumstances and even when I see the hide ripple or what have you, I have never aligned that to a "Slap" sound.
Yes it is. I've clearly heard it on moose, deer, and squirrels.
 
I like Chuck's method of doing things, he checks it out in the situation he'll be using it in and gets to know his loads and guns. I've done the same thing on a few guns too. Just a matter of proving things out, insures faith in the load and yourself.
 
I've never heard that "thud" whenever I shot a big game animal, not even the report and recoil of the rifle. However, I heard the thud a few times, under a mile away, when my son made a kill. Other than that, the steel gong at 300 yards.
 
I have heard my bullet hit an animal on occasion , but not every time and it seems that the distance doesn't have a part in it.
I do agree though, how an animal reacts and hearing the bullet hit are not 100% reliable on determining if and where a big game animal is hit.
Cat
 
Last edited:
I will never understand (I don't think) the "Slap" of a round hitting an animal.
I have shot a great many animals over my career and I cant say that I was ever in a state to hear a "Slap" or a "thud" for that matter.
IF I'm wearing ear pro (Which I have been doing now for a few years) then there's no way and if not, there has just been a violent and extremely loud explosion inches from my face and it's echoes are ringing off of the trees, rock, and other scenery for many seconds.

IS this really a thing?
Is it maybe lightly haired animals in open country?

My rifles are set up so I can "See my impacts" through my scope in most circumstances and even when I see the hide ripple or what have you, I have never aligned that to a "Slap" sound.
Thats something to do with your hearing or concentration then most likely, not if it actually occurs.
By far the vast majority of animals I have stuck projectiles into I have heard the impact, be it a whop/whump/thump/crack depending on where they were hit. The only ones that I can remember for sure not hearing impacts are elk at less than 20-ish yards.
 
Thats something to do with your hearing or concentration then most likely, not if it actually occurs.
By far the vast majority of animals I have stuck projectiles into I have heard the impact, be it a whop/whump/thump/crack depending on where they were hit. The only ones that I can remember for sure not hearing impacts are elk at less than 20-ish yards.

Was thinking the same. It often seems like hunters are under a comparable amount of adrenaline as a fight or flight incident lol. "I don't feel recoil" and "I don't hear the shot"...physiological effects like auditory exclusion, etc

Not the best conditions to hear your bullet hit anything, certainly not like shooting a 2 liter bottle at the range and hearing that "whop!". You probably feel the kick then lol.
 
Regarding hearing your bullet hit on game animals, I think it is easier for me to hear it if I’m not the shooter, if I’m the shooter I find the further they are the easier it is to hear the hit( to a certain distance anyway, like over 150m compare to under 100m)
 
Back
Top Bottom