Is it inevitable that a lung shot deer will run?

private fraser

Well-Known Member
I took a roe y'day,shot was fine or so I thought but it ran about 60 yards back into the woods.
It took a while to find as it was about 50 yards in and the light was failing.
I found shot was fine,and the lungs were mush,the heart was missed. I was happy except that it had run so far. I'm pretty sure it hadn't seen me before the shot.
I did notice that there wasn't a great exit wound though so am beginning to question my .308 150 grain Federal choice. The rifle loves the ammo and I know if it doesn't put shots through the same hole at 100 then it's my fault...I have confidence in it and haven't had any problems before. I'm wondering now though if the 150 doesn't have a decent chance to expand in a roe.
I have some 123 Sako which groups fine and,handily,to the same point of impact but I have yet to take a deer with it.
I'm wondering what others experience is with this combo on Roe ?.

ps... no I'm not going to sell it and buy a .243 :)
pps...on an evening stalk Don't forget your great petzl torch and have to rely on your £2.99 b & q back up torch :oops:
 
hi in my 40 years experiance yearlings usualy drop where they are if its a mature deer ive seen them go 200 yards 222x223x243 x22.250 i have found the smaller faster rounds to be better regards robert
 
i wouldnt worrie about it pf, i take it you have used these federal bullets on roe before and they have been fine so why change now on the reaction of just one deer as we all know no two deer react the same when hit and no two bullets do the same thing this was just how this buck reacted and i wouldnt worrie to much
 
Yes it was a mature deer..I suppose they have more resilience than a yearling?
And yes had good results before. It wasn't a good experience though esp re the torch,my stupidity. It hangs on my bits'n'pieces bag now.
Thanks for info.
 
With150gr in .308 and perfect chest shots, I've had them fold up on the spot; stumble 10 yards; run flat out for anywhere between 10 and 80 yards; run in circles; and leap in the air before tumbling over.

I don't thing a single animal tells you anything.
 
With150gr in .308 and perfect chest shots, I've had them fold up on the spot; stumble 10 yards; run flat out for anywhere between 10 and 80 yards; run in circles; and leap in the air before tumbling over.

I don't thing a single animal tells you anything.

+1
 
Have you checked the carcass to see if you had one of those lucky pass through's that never really touched bone.
 
Was the deer aware that you were there? Another thing that no-one ever seems to consider with lung shots; was it breathing in or out? Who knows but, imagine you are going to stab a balloon with a pencil, if the balloon is inflated you are likely to get a fairly dramatic result, if it is almost completely deflated then you are likely to get a much less dramatic effect.

As the other guys have said, I wouldn't draw any conclusions from one shot. The 150grn soft point in the .308 is a classic combination. 123/125grn is good too.
 
I use the exact same bullet and I have to say the results are excellent. No runners at all. I have shot roe and fallow with it. I did have a fox run for 30-40 yards after I shot it, but as you would expect I did not open her up to see where the bullet went. I was just happy to see it fall after it run a bit.
 
I had the exact same .270 130gr federal passed throw 2 ribs and penciled the lungs run 50 yrds to cover had to get the dog to find it. Good blood trail but still run a fair distance.first I've ever had anything run if it don't hit bone it don't do damage.
 
"I found shot was fine,and the lungs were mush,the heart was missed. I was happy except that it had run so far. I'm pretty sure it hadn't seen me before the shot."

I'd say no problem, I've had the same thing with sako 150 grain - it went between the ribs, so minimal expansion, ran about 60 years. (just seen my typo!)

Without wishing to lecture…. consider what has to happen to make deer drop on the spot. This is either concussion, high
spinal fracture or massive blood pressure loss. (Most of us have experienced the latter with the "getting up too fast after slouching on the couch with too many beers/red wine). To get the blood pressure drop, you have to damage the the top of the heart where the main arteries run up to the brain. Your shot may have mushed the lungs, but it will have missed the major vessels and there is sufficient oxygen in the muscles to take the animal quite some distance before they've bled enough to collapse. It is thought most 100m sprinters don't breathe and just now (in the interests of pure science) I've run 60m whilst holding my breath. I suspect a deer could run much further, except that unconsciousness intervenes. I saw a great example of this with a perfect heart shot through both ventricles, but it was a neat hole and the beast ran a long way - probably because it could still get more blood to the brain than it lost through the holes.
 
The bullet clipped and chipped a rib on entry and broke a rib on exit.
Probably the main factor was that he was a big lad,probably quite strong.I had to struggle to get the gambrel up to the hook in the chiller.
I've probably been lucky before. Not panicking just wanted some more info.
Not sure if I could run 60m breathing or not :)
 
All I can add is that deer are predictably unpredictable!

As many have experienced, I have hit deer with 150grainers from a .30-06, .308 and .300WM and had them drop on the spot, some stagger 10 yards then fall, others leap forward and run 30yrds before collapsing in a heap and a very memorable sika ran the best part of 300m back into a thick wood with a blood trail that would do Sam Peckinpah proud before folding! On the gralloch the heart was gone but full of testosterone and adrenalin it managed to run the width of a field, clear a 4 foot fence and stumble into a tangle of rhododenrons beyond.
I would suggest that it depends on the beat of the heart...If its just pumped a full load of oxygenated blood out into the muscles....it will run....Hit it whilst its full of blood from the lungs and often it will fold where it stands.

As I said the only thing you can say for sure is that they are predictably unpredictable!
 
Can't speak for 150 grain bullets out of a 308, but have shot plenty with 139gn and 173gn 7mm bullets with similar results. I simply go up the back of the near side leg, and then a bit over a third of the way up the body and squeeze the trigger. My only real observation is if they are totally relaxed, haven't a clue that you are there etc at the shot they will generally stagger and fall over. If they are at all aware of your presence they will run.

I have put the bullet through both shoulders breaking the shoulder joint and they can still get 30 to 50 yards. If they run they actually die much more quickly - they head long rush and then drop dead. One that is knocked over at the shot will kick for a noticeable length of time - a minute or two.

If you take a high body shot - a bit over half way up, you will get a drop to the spot as you will cause massive shock to the central nervous system. Downside of such a shot is the risk of damaging the loin which is the most valuable part of the carcass.

The only way of guaranteeing a drop to the spot type kill is to destroy the Central Nervous System with a bullet that destroys the base of the brain. But this a small target, that is moving around and often not safe - much higher off the ground than the body, and thus more difficult for a safe backdrop, and with a very low margin for error.

All things being equal the heart lung is by far the best even if they do run.
 
get a .222!

have shot all but one through the chest (one neck face on)
only two hit the heart properly
three or four shots went through one shoulder quartering
all the rest shot all just behind elbow
ranges from 20yds to 185yds
80% unaware, 20% looking at me
60gr Soft Point doing circa 2900-3000fps MV
all shots exited

Not one ever ran......:stir:
one stepped about 5yds and keeled over
 
I took a roe y'day,shot was fine or so I thought but it ran about 60 yards back into the woods.
It took a while to find as it was about 50 yards in and the light was failing.
I found shot was fine,and the lungs were mush,the heart was missed. I was happy except that it had run so far. I'm pretty sure it hadn't seen me before the shot.
I did notice that there wasn't a great exit wound though so am beginning to question my .308 150 grain Federal choice. The rifle loves the ammo and I know if it doesn't put shots through the same hole at 100 then it's my fault...I have confidence in it and haven't had any problems before. I'm wondering now though if the 150 doesn't have a decent chance to expand in a roe.
I have some 123 Sako which groups fine and,handily,to the same point of impact but I have yet to take a deer with it.
I'm wondering what others experience is with this combo on Roe ?.

ps... no I'm not going to sell it and buy a .243 :)
pps...on an evening stalk Don't forget your great petzl torch and have to rely on your £2.99 b & q back up torch :oops:


The furthest Roe buck I had run on me was shot with my 30-06 150gn Sako Super Hammerhead it went in excess of 250yds before collapsing. When I Grallached it the Heart was cut in two. It ended up a bitch of a drag out due to the terrain. Yet with my .222 all but one Roe have dropped on the spot using home loaded 55gn Sierra Game Kings.

Jimbo
 
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