Went for a shotgun deer hunt today. I had a doe come in on me at about 15 yards. Let loose as she caught sight of me and started to run. Perfect broadside chest shot with Remington 2 3/4" 000 buck. She kicked her back legs out hard and ran at full tilt about 30 yards over a rise and out of sight. I was sure I would find her piled up a short ways away, but after hours of searching, I never did recover her. I never found any hair or blood and I got to thinking about the shot and replaying it over and over in my mind. I do not remember feeling any recoil, though not completely uncommon when I fire at game. I remember hearing the shot, though not deafeningly loud, again not completely uncommon when hunting. I saw the impacts from the .30 cal pellets but I want to say the spread was quite wide for the range of the encounter, I am not sure if something like that could happen at a lower velocity. I shoot a 870 super mag 28"bbl mod choke.
So here is where I am starting to wonder about the integrity of those shells. They have been loaded and unloaded in my gun on numerous trips. I live in BC and hunt hard when it rains, at times they were probably left in my pack overnight while it dried out. I have not shot any deer since 2010 with my 12 gauge and these shells have been with me on every trip for the past 3 years. Sometimes chambered, or in the mag tube, sometimes on the butt stock shell holder, exposed to the rain, always case mouth down.
So.........does anyone know if this could have affected my shells? I cannot believe that a deer hit in the vitals with that load and at that range could have gotten that far, or without leaving a blood trail. I have used that load at ranges further and dropped them on the spot or at most had them go 40 yards.
Thanks
Mike
So here is where I am starting to wonder about the integrity of those shells. They have been loaded and unloaded in my gun on numerous trips. I live in BC and hunt hard when it rains, at times they were probably left in my pack overnight while it dried out. I have not shot any deer since 2010 with my 12 gauge and these shells have been with me on every trip for the past 3 years. Sometimes chambered, or in the mag tube, sometimes on the butt stock shell holder, exposed to the rain, always case mouth down.
So.........does anyone know if this could have affected my shells? I cannot believe that a deer hit in the vitals with that load and at that range could have gotten that far, or without leaving a blood trail. I have used that load at ranges further and dropped them on the spot or at most had them go 40 yards.
Thanks
Mike
