This is why I don’t like chest shots.
- Thread starter Dunwaters
- Start date
Sampo
Well-Known Member
Looks like shot placements are to blame. What appear to be chest shot may not be actual chest shots owing to angle of shot, distance and timing. Also in hunting a certain level of meat loss is expected and if people are missing out on chest shots, what can you expect when they go for neck or brain shots?
deerstalker.308
Well-Known Member
So front on chest shot really, not a neck shot, almost guaranteed to write off the carcass, if it didn’t take out shoulder would likely travel through the chest, into rumen and end in a haunch?
I’m sorry but that’s not a “chest shot” that’s a cock-up!
Don't really sound like good chest shots by your guests.
Moral of the story is "Always take or have access to a dog". A torch in ground zero level Sitka will make spots of blood shine, believe me, I've used one enough. I don't have thermal, but I always have a dog and torch when in forestry. As I said to you in another post I never chest shot Sika over there which were less than 200 yds from forestry, but we were restricted to .22 calibres.
Moral of the story is "Always take or have access to a dog". A torch in ground zero level Sitka will make spots of blood shine, believe me, I've used one enough. I don't have thermal, but I always have a dog and torch when in forestry. As I said to you in another post I never chest shot Sika over there which were less than 200 yds from forestry, but we were restricted to .22 calibres.
Bavarianbrit
Well-Known Member
Many Germans only hunt sitting from high seats or standing on running boar where a wounded boar is not it appears to me a worry, just get the dog onto it. This UK common zero test is always done prone so these guests are not proving to the guide that they can use sticks IMO.
Norfolk Deer Search
Well-Known Member
I’m glad you were polite about it, my language wasn’t going to be quite a polite, but as you said it nicely i won’t say anything
deerstalker.308
Well-Known Member
Kinda feel the dog or lack thereof (whilst it could have made a difference) is not the issue here at all, but some serious misunderstanding of what is or isn’t an acceptable shot placement, just because a bullet travels through the chest as a result of a shot does not make it a chest shot, they have lost deer down to poor shooting, end of, the only comfort is from what the OP has said, they aren’t running around with a jaw missing to die a slow lingering death but have nevertheless been wasted and all for what? Just so a client could loose off a round. I wouldn’t be having said clients back, and I would be changing the way I assess someone’s abilities and the instructions I give them on what is or isn’t a good shot to take before putting them anywhere near live quarry.
Absolutely…but if I take someone out who hasn’t been before, I’ll insist of a test/zero session. At least when I hear, “the rifle must be off” after a miss, I don’t feel bad when they hear, “you couldn’t hit a bulls arse with a banjo”.
DG
Dunwaters
Well-Known Member
The rifles were fine, so was the shooting as far as I could tell, the problem was that even a short run would put the deer into very heavy cover which made recovery a lottery, a lottery we didn’t win this time.
Dunwaters
Well-Known Member
I have one thanks, but I didn’t have her along because our accommodation doesn’t cater for them.
Dunwaters
Well-Known Member
I’m not a paid guide, just did a favour.
Dunwaters
Well-Known Member
A dog isn’t always the answer, there are too many other deer about, but it definitely would have helped this time.
billy_boyle_2010
Well-Known Member
An excellent point. A 3 shot zero prone with bags etc to check actual zero, and then a 3 shot group off sticks in real world shooting conditions - say 150 yards- would prove the gun and the shooters abilities. If the groups are unacceptable- you know the shooters limit may be 75 yards and can test etc.
Dog can help fix a bad situation. But the root cause of the problem is poor bullet placement as everyone is saying.
I am grateful for honest real world examples of this though. And as others have said- if you shoot long enough this will happen to us all eventually. But this many times on one occasion is 99% preventable IMO.
So, what are you saying different to me? They were not good shots, don't take them again, common sense. Whoever they were, they always went to the target with me first. A good dog would definitely have made a difference between losing a beast and getting it.
Hook'N'Bullet
Well-Known Member
Doesn't sound like those lads were as experienced as they let on to be 
I'm a massive fan of the chest shot. Never had one run more that 20 yards. Easier than shooting at a bobbing target the size of an orange.
I'm a massive fan of the chest shot. Never had one run more that 20 yards. Easier than shooting at a bobbing target the size of an orange.
Last edited:
Hook'N'Bullet
Well-Known Member
Dunwaters
Well-Known Member
Guys, thanks for the feedback, all of it.
Just to clarify a few points, 4 of the 5 guests are experienced, competent rifle shooters, qualified, active hunters in their own countries and with quite a bit of experience, the fifth I kept under my wing.
I’m not a professional, I did this as a favour, I have a lot of experience with sika and I know the area well. I had deer located in a number of locations both open areas and in the woods and tailored the location to the guest.
There was no problem with the rifles zero, 2 of them are mine, the 2 that aren’t we test fired, the calibers were adequate for the game and ranges were what I would consider reasonable, no shot was fired at more than around 140M ( from a solid rest ) and most were around half that.
Because the guests were experienced I left shot placement up to them, they were under no pressure to neck shoot but I did ask them to pin the deer through both shoulders if possible.
They actually shot fairly well, they hit what they aimed at and animals we didn’t find seemed to be well hit, as far as I could tell. They probably didn’t go far, but we couldn’t find them, so the dog would have definitely been useful.
I don’t know if its just sika that do this but Caorach’s post would seem to indicate that I’m not the only one that finds them challenging to locate after the shot.
I posted the initially as a warts and all account of what can go wrong, even under pretty good conditions, had I been shooting myself I didn’t see a single shot fired I wouldn’t have been happy to take, but I probably wouldn’t have chest shot any of them.
My main takeaways, the dog comes along, always, you absolutely positively have to anchor sika where they stand if they’re within an asses roar of cover.
Finally shite happens, but that was way too much shite for a single long weekend.
Just to clarify a few points, 4 of the 5 guests are experienced, competent rifle shooters, qualified, active hunters in their own countries and with quite a bit of experience, the fifth I kept under my wing.
I’m not a professional, I did this as a favour, I have a lot of experience with sika and I know the area well. I had deer located in a number of locations both open areas and in the woods and tailored the location to the guest.
There was no problem with the rifles zero, 2 of them are mine, the 2 that aren’t we test fired, the calibers were adequate for the game and ranges were what I would consider reasonable, no shot was fired at more than around 140M ( from a solid rest ) and most were around half that.
Because the guests were experienced I left shot placement up to them, they were under no pressure to neck shoot but I did ask them to pin the deer through both shoulders if possible.
They actually shot fairly well, they hit what they aimed at and animals we didn’t find seemed to be well hit, as far as I could tell. They probably didn’t go far, but we couldn’t find them, so the dog would have definitely been useful.
I don’t know if its just sika that do this but Caorach’s post would seem to indicate that I’m not the only one that finds them challenging to locate after the shot.
I posted the initially as a warts and all account of what can go wrong, even under pretty good conditions, had I been shooting myself I didn’t see a single shot fired I wouldn’t have been happy to take, but I probably wouldn’t have chest shot any of them.
My main takeaways, the dog comes along, always, you absolutely positively have to anchor sika where they stand if they’re within an asses roar of cover.
Finally shite happens, but that was way too much shite for a single long weekend.
nun_hunter
Well-Known Member
Personally I dislike the term "chest shot" as much as I hate the term "head shot" because they are way to vague and encourage imprecise shot placement.
The chest is a large area and there are specific points within the chest cavity that you strive to hit but there are also area where there isn't a lot of blood vessels or nerve clusters so little damage occurs, think high lung shot.
Just in the same way the head is a reasonable target but specifically you are trying to hit the brain or top of the spinal column, not just whack it in the jaw or sinus cavity.
Shooters should be aiming for a specific point and for a specific reason, be that instant collapse, instant death, massive heamorage etc.
I know this may seem obvious or pedantic to some but there are stalkers who don't visualise this or think about what they want their bullet to achieve.
The chest is a large area and there are specific points within the chest cavity that you strive to hit but there are also area where there isn't a lot of blood vessels or nerve clusters so little damage occurs, think high lung shot.
Just in the same way the head is a reasonable target but specifically you are trying to hit the brain or top of the spinal column, not just whack it in the jaw or sinus cavity.
Shooters should be aiming for a specific point and for a specific reason, be that instant collapse, instant death, massive heamorage etc.
I know this may seem obvious or pedantic to some but there are stalkers who don't visualise this or think about what they want their bullet to achieve.
Similar threads
