OK - Seasons over - time for shot analysis

Well lets see, using a 300WM

200m (distance confirmed after the shot) Moose, broad side, shot high in the lungs, centered under the hump. 180grn Winchester factory :redface: load passed thru braking 1 rib on entry, moose jumped and went about 10 yds, dead when I arrived no second shot required.


25m (estimate) Deer (yearling) head shot, instantly dead :)

150m (estimate, abandoned site measuers 400x300 and it was in the middle) (yearling) hit it midline but a little too far back and it was not standing exactly broadside, more like quartering away,it was also almost last light as well, guts ruptured from bullet shock :( deer ran all the way across the site and into the tree line about 10m :( deer dead when I arrived. Had the Warden show up when I was in the middle of gutting this one. :eek: well hello :) but thats another story :D

and finally my last tag deer tag and using my trusty 25-06 loaded with 120g noslers, another 25m head shot yearling, but this little bugger didn't know it was dead and floped around for about 2 min after I slit its throat. I would have given it a finishing shot to the head but its brains were allready scrambled by the first bullet. I still can't figure this one out, little bugger should of been dead.
 
4 shots for me this year

Forkhorn muley- 1 to the back of the head, exiting the forehead. It didn't even kick, just twitched a little.

Bull moose- 2 shots through the boiler room. Looking back I shouldn't have shot a second time. Went 25 yds from the first shot.

Whitetail buck- 1 entered the chest cavity at the diaphram and stopped 10 inches behind the head in the spine. Recovered the bullet when I split the halves. Went down at the shot and spun 180 degrees.
 
I had a buggered up back and was lucky to get out at all this season.

I bolted from work at 3:30 in the afternoon, was parked just off a major pipeline cut by 10 after four, and was looking at a doe from about 80 yards or a bit less ten minutes later.
I had walked up a "road" from where I had parked to where I was going to sit, and as I came to the end of it, a doe popped her head up and looked at me.
Not one to look too hard at an opportunity, she dropped in her tracks, from a 180 grain winchester bulk bullet outta my 308, loaded to more or less match the specs of Federal factory ammo.
It went in through her front shoulder, breaking the leg on the way in, cutting the top off the heart, and taking out a couple ribs on the way out the other side. No complaints at all with the performance, and she was done twitching by the time I reloaded.

I didn't even have to drag her out as a couple guys hunting a way up the cut came driving out at the time I was done the cleanup, and gave me a lift back to my wheels.

If I had known they were in there I would have gone to another site, but I am still pretty pleased to have some meat in the freezer. :)))

I took the heads off a couple grouse with the same loads fron 40 -70 yard ranges, earlier in the year, so I knew the gun was shooting OK.


Cheers
Trev
 
I missed a whitetail doe at 65 yard with a T/C hawkens in 54 cal . but she didnt give me much to shoot at just her shoulder sticking above the bedrock I shot over her. That was the last real miss the other 2 I just thought I missed. I hit a 4point buck at a paced off 155 yards.I played peekabo through the trees for a couple minutes and had to move while his head was down eating once to get a shot . I finally got a poke through the trees. squeeze one off and he just calmly walks off. I figure I missed . My hunting partner who can see me but not the deer comes over , he has been much amused by my antics trying to get a clear shot. I tell him I think I missed, we go to check where I think he was standing to make sure I missed,check for blood, hair or any other sign I hit him , nothing no blood , no hair , but 20 yards away one dead deer . Mark back tracks to where the deer was actually standing , still nothing no blood trail at all. We looked around for about 5 min no sign of the deer being hit at all. but we have a deer to clean so we don't waist anymore time playing CSI. I hit him through the lung just behind the leg and exited through the ribs caught a little piece of the stomach , the stomach goo plugged the exit so that explains half the lack of blood trail. He was standing with his front leg far back on the body I actually caught a bit of the meat on the front leg , so the hole in the skin didn't line up with the hole in the ribs, this explains the lack of blood from the entrance wound. I was pretty happy with the shot , that is the longest shot on game for me to date,
The second deer was a little button buck. seen him on a real foggy morning at what I thought was 60 yards . there was actually 2 deer one in front of the other . I consider trying the 2 for 1 deal for a moment but if they weren't lined up as good as they looked in the fog that could have gone real bad. so I wait for them to sepperate , of course the nice large doe moves off leaving me the little guy , oh well he's broadside so i shoot him , but in the fog I don't see him after the shot. I wait fire up the GPS and walk to where I thought he was standing. Again no bloodtrail , not again, so I start working down a couple likely escape routes looking for blood ,still nothing I start working back to where I thought I hit him because I am sure the shot was good but with no bloodtrail I am starting to wonder if I missed then I see him. He was 85 yards out and it was a bang flop but he slid down a little 2 foot rock face just enough to hide him from the original point I started searching from. hit him through the shoulder through the top of the heart catching a bit of the offside lung on the way out , no bloodtrail but a fair puddle. both deer were taken with a 300 Gr Barnes Originals from my .444 marlin .
 
First season using a .257 Weatherby shooting 100 grain Partitions @ 3600 fps.

1) Buck pronghorn antelope @ 310 yards -- shot through the lungs/heart, but stood there just long enough to get a second one through the rear portion of the lungs for good measure. In retrospect it wasn't necessary -- first shot was devastating. Just one of those weird things that it didn't fall over immediately when hit the first time.

2) One 20-30 second fusilade of 4 shots in the opening minute of legal shooting light. Three dead whitetails @ 250 yards (small 4-point buck and two does), all shot through the chest. And yes, I did miss once :redface: Truly one of my stranger whitetail episodes. It was in some rolling hills that must have resulted in some weird echoes, making it tough for the deer to determine the direction from which the noise was coming. Had I not run out of tags (and freezer space!), there was ample opportunity to take a few more.

Overall, I was really impressed with the cartridge. It really does make longer shooting very easy with respect to trajectory management. Sighted 3" high at 100 yards, I was only down about 1" at 300. It almost seemed like cheating!
 
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Well 2 shots on monday for the shotgun hunt. First through the heart at 60 yards or so the second in the neck, challenger slugs button buck, my first gun deer. We had 5 guys for the controlled hunt and 4 tags, got 3 in 15 minutes at about 3pm on monday afternoon, 2 does and my button buck.
 
Well, I took out an old bubba'd Enfield #4 Mk1 this year that I picked up ages ago for cheeeeep. At the range, the old 2-groove tube put 5 factory Win 180grn pills into about 1-3/4" with the 2 position battle sight on 200 yds, so I just had to try it. Gotta say that with the cold and monsoon rains we had that weekend, it was nice not having to worry about a scope fogging from breath or water on the lenses. Managed to take 1 and 1/2 blacktails (I'll explain later :D )with the old girl.

First was a little 2 point. He stepped out onto an old skid road at about 40yds, and just as I squeezed the trigger he took a hop which caused my shot to hit a little far back and a little high. Still a bang-flop though! It took out most of the liver and part of the spine. When I boned it out I saw just how much spine it took out. This pic is hanging in the garage with the backstraps removed:

im000313oy7.jpg


Now the 1/2 a deer. The next morning I spotted a nice doe feeding her way behind a clump of brush. there was a small gap about 15' to the left of where she dissapeared so I aimed there and waited. I saw a head, a leg and boom! The deer went down, and at the same time it came back out from the side it went in?!? Uh-oh. I walked up to see the worst case of ground shrink ever! Turned out to be a itty bitty button that I hadn't seen just ahead of the doe. Oops. Was a nice shot though! Entered just behind the leg breaking one rib, turned the lungs into pink jello, and clipped the point of the offside shoulder blade on it's way out. Oh well, it was easy to get back to camp. I just tied all 4 hooves together and carried it like a suitcase! :D:D It was very tender! Mmmmmm, deer veal! :D
 
Neo said:
First season using a .257 Weatherby shooting 100 grain Partitions @ 3600 fps.

2) One 20-30 second fusilade of 4 shots in the opening minute of legal shooting light. Three dead whitetails @ 250 yards (small 4-point buck and two does), all shot through the chest. And yes, I did miss once :redface: Truly one of my stranger whitetail episodes. It was in some rolling hills that must have resulted in some weird echoes, making it tough for the deer to determine the direction from which the noise was coming. Had I not run out of tags (and freezer space!), there was ample opportunity to take a few more.


:eek: now I thought I was doing good filling my 3 whitetail tags in 2 days :D


257 weatherby Hmmmm thats significantly faster then my 25-06 but the effect on deer seem to be about the same, I prefer the 120grn bullets.
 
I've shot two mulie does at approx 275 yds (kneeling )

One was a bang flop and the other needed a second shot, both broadside.

One bull moose at approx 300yds ( free standing)

One shot broadside in the heart

One whitetail buck at 150yds (standing with a rest)

One quartering shot off the shoulder into the spine, flump.


Had a hell of a time adjusting my brain to not aim high while I was shooting at that white tail buck. I missed two other bucks the weekend before and I was shooting over them everytime.

More time at the range I guess:D :dancingbanana:

Oh ya, all with my .308 165 Interbonds with 39 grains of 3031
 
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woodchopper said:
:eek: now I thought I was doing good filling my 3 whitetail tags in 2 days :D


257 weatherby Hmmmm thats significantly faster then my 25-06 but the effect on deer seem to be about the same, I prefer the 120grn bullets.

Well, I think you played it smarter than I did. As my hunting partner walked up to survey the carnage, a big grin worked across his face as he said "Since we're only a couple minutes into the weekend and you're now out of tags, why don't you get those three to the truck and hurry back so you can start pushing bush for me..." :rolleyes:
 
Let's see:
Deer #1 a nice full sized whitetail doe at 150 yds. a single shot from the Model 88 in 308 sending a Hornady BTSP 165gr. at 2650fps into her spine, and instantanious bang wop flop.
Deer #2 My whitetail buck from the other post maybe 85yds and almost tottally arse on, slid a 100gr. TSX from the 25'06 into the area of the last rib bullet traversed the chest cavity doing a marvelous job of mushing up both lungs and cutting the Aeorta. Deer went about 120yds before dropping dead in his tracks. bullet was found in the neck after deflecting off the far side shoulder, retained weight was 99.5grs.
Deer#3 a nice sized mulie doe at an awe inspiring distance of maybe 40 yds. I took her in the left eye with a 170gr. Speer Flat point out of my 336 Marlin with a Williams peep site, bullet exited just behind the right ear, does the term baby rattle mean anything.
My Mrs.
Deer #1 a nice this years model whitetail doe. at 65 yds, she slid the 100gr. Barnes X from her 270Win into the lungs and caught a bit of the far side leg meat, deer went maybe 30 yds before dropping dead.
Deer #2 a nice little basket racked 9pt (if your from Texas) she nailed him at 150yds going flat out broadside. bullet entered maybe 8 " back from a perfect high lung position, he dropped like a sack of hammers. her first running shot.
Mrs.jpg
 
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Well I took four deer thisbyear first with my bow and it was a perfect haert and lungs shot. second was a nice doe which again was a good clean kill. Then I was invited to Saskatchewan so I zeroed my gun at 300 yards when we got there it was blowing and was on average -45. My first buck was running away at about 150 yards I didn't want to gut shoot it so I amed at the base of the neck. 1st forgetting I will be shooting high and second with it running the head was bobbing I managed to shoot it between the earns and shattered it's antlers. My next animal was another decent buck which I shot through the lungs at about 250 yards!!!!!!
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7mm (Rem Mag)

1 - 90 yds....mature buck in the chest. Bullet recovered in paunch.

2 - 45 yds....immature doe in the chest. Bullet recovered from inside of left hip.
 
Opening day, 1 mulie doe with .270WSM, 140 gr Hornady shot a bit high and took out spine.

2 days later, 1 WT buck with 7mm-08, 120 gr Barnes TSX, again shot a bit high, thru throat and out spine.

towards end of season, 1 WT doe with 7mm-08, 120 gr Barnes TSX, again shot a bit high, clipped both lungs.

day before end of season, 1 cow elk with .338WM, 225 gr Accubond at 40 yards.

Weird kinda of a year as I didn't recover a single bullet. My daughter shot a WT doe with her 7-08 at 320 yds and she didn't recover the bullet either, matter of fact I saw it punch right through and kick up some snow right behind her. Anyhow, we recovered all the meat with minimum bruising, so that end of it is good.
 
I made a two good shots with my X-bow one at 55 yards (buck) and one at 9yards (doe)... they were both equally as difficult. I made a nice shot at long range with my sluggun 175 yards on a huge doe... then missed another cleanly while it ran.
But I hit a nice eight point running away and although it likely would have been a killing shot my good pal Chilly Willy saved us a possible lost deer. It was raining hard and he heard me shooting and saw the deer running hard up past his stand... so he dropped it with his second try and then head shot it to keep it from getting into the bush. Not my best performance by a long shot. It pays to have friends who can back you up when you can't get the job done.
 
Interesting variations of different hunting experiences - when I first started this thread I thought that I would ONLY hear about the success stories - You know those one shot kills at impossible ranges :rolleyes: but am pleased to see that hunters responded with the good shots as well as the not so good shots. We can all learn from someone else's experience and am pleased to see that there seemed to be honest feedback and no one ragged on anybody for blowing a shot because we've all been there. I'm going to do this thread again next year near the end of hunting season.:)
 
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