Always check if you think you've missed

[mike308]

This morning I had a stag broadside on 250 yards uphill. I took the shot for a heart shot absolutely no reaction to the shot and the stag calmly walked off over the crest and out of sight. I thought I had missed. I didn't hear a solid strike.
I climbed up the hill, some parts on my hands and knees, I sent the dog over the top and as I came over she was sitting next to the stag, perfect heart shot.
150 grain Fox classic hunter.

 

[Norfolk Horn]

Well done for following up and you can't beat a good dog.
What sortbof damage had the bullet done?

 

[Border]

Be interested to see skinned carcase re bullet placement. Did you recover the bullet?

 

[Sampo]

stag calmly walked off over the crest

Surprised at that behaviour if its a heart shot. Is it to be expected or is there any logic as to why the stag was able to walk off?

 

[mike308]

Very little damage penciled through. I don't have the bullet. He following two hinds, perhaps adrenaline.

 

[Buchan]

I'l await thems what knows better, but if it's pencilled through, it's not expanded and just put a hole through the heart. The deer will walk off thinking, "Hey, that smarted a bit" before its heart pumps out enough blood for it to collapse

 

[Woodsy]

I’ve been using fox 130 grain (7mm08) for a couple of years now and have noticed shot reaction is often (not always) very different with heart/long shots compared to when shot with same placement with lead. Quite often no sound of bullet strike and they don’t usually jump up/kick out as with lead. Often appear not to have been hit at all, walking or running off a little way before collapsing. Despite the lack of strike indication the bullets certainly do the job. Bringing shot placement a little higher and further forward is better with these bullets I have found.

 

[Bugsy]

I often get no reaction on bigger deer out 250+ , usually find the coppers not hit anything hard and pencilled through , this picture was something similar to your description except 290 m .

 

[User00040]

Surprised at that behaviour if its a heart shot. Is it to be expected or is there any logic as to why the stag was able to walk off?

Copper bullet

 

[mike308]

Good morning Busy looks the same bullet Chanel but mine was through the heart, just below centre, came in between the ribs and caught a rib on exit.

I often get no reaction on bigger deer out 250+ , usually find the coppers not hit anything hard and pencilled through , this picture was something similar to your description except 290 m .

The stag walked about 20 yards then dropped.

 

[Ratel]

Remember the same thing 30 years ago with a Hornady lead bullet. Shot a stag which ran over a rise. No blood and unfortunately no dog. Went over rise 100+ deer moving off, watched for a while but no sign of an injured deer. We did a search but with no result. In the Spring one of the lads was out collecting cast antlers and spotted a bit sticking out of the heather. The stag had fallen into one of those bloody peat runnels I usually vanish into. Fairly well preserved, that bullet had pencilled through. My wife shot a stag the next day and I saw the strike, perfect. We watched it for over a mile and never retrieved it, same 7x57 rifle and load. It transpired that the bullets were a bad batch and were all recalled as they weren't expanding. This it what worries me about copper as well as the ricochets.

 

[StephenToast]

Copper bullet

Bollocks as usual.

 

[r judd]

Shot copper for last 10 years. Everything from muntjac to reds. Ranges from 20 to 300 yards. Never had a bullet pencil through, never retrieved a bullet and never had to walk more than 20 yards from where the animal was hit.
Copper works.

 

[mike308]

I didn't start this post to knock copper bullets. I have shot over 200 deer with copper and I'm happy with the results. Before copper I used lead and have had runners with them.
The point I was making is to follow up every shot even if you think you have missed.

 

[User00040]

Shot copper for last 10 years. Everything from muntjac to reds. Ranges from 20 to 300 yards. Never had a bullet pencil through, never retrieved a bullet and never had to walk more than 20 yards from where the animal was hit.
Copper works.

How many deer you shot in that time frame?

5, 50, 500, 5000+?

 

[Namman]

This morning I had a stag broadside on 250 yards uphill. I took the shot for a heart shot absolutely no reaction to the shot and the stag calmly walked off over the crest and out of sight. I thought I had missed. I didn't hear a solid strike.
I climbed up the hill, some parts on my hands and knees, I sent the dog over the top and as I came over she was sitting next to the stag, perfect heart shot.
150 grain Fox classic hunter.

Yes, well done. You should never assume a clean miss.
Deer don't always react to a shot, no matter the calibre or bullet.

 

[needsy]

I Shot a fox the other night at 165m with a .243 58g v-max, no obvious sound of a bullet strike. Immediate scan with the thermal nothing. Walked down to check the area & there she was dead on the spot but was laying in a scrape. Always pays to check especially if the shot felt good. Well done for checking

 

[rem284]

Always trust the dog. I still get the odd beast where I think I have missed and the dog proves otherwise. Likewise I get the odd situation where I am conviced the beast has drop dead on the spot only for the dog to tell me otherwise.

 

[r judd]

How many deer you shot in that time frame?

5, 50, 500, 5000+?

I have averaged 50 deer per year over that time. Not massive numbers but more than enough yo know if something works. However i know this will be nowhere near the all seeing all knowing caberslash’s tally.

 

[Dunwaters]

Surprised at that behaviour if its a heart shot. Is it to be expected or is there any logic as to why the stag was able to walk off?

It takes a while for the blood pressure to drop off and trigger unconsciousness, especially during the rut when Adrenalin levels are likely to be high.