Use Enough Gun

[mtmuley]

Heart and lung shot critters sometimes go a long ways. mtmuley

 

[JPeters218]

I think placing more shots into an animal is a normal and ethical thing to do, in most circumstances.

The last elk I killed was shot twice in the lungs in maybe three seconds from less than a hundred yards away. I knew it was hit hard with the first shot but it was staggered, not down. After the second shot it was down.

The last mountain goat I killed many years ago got the same treatment,,come to think of it, so did the first one I shot.

As long as they are still upright, and the angle is good, there will be another shot headed their way.

This. Shoot until they drop

 

[huntin24/7]

I can’t believe I just noticed this thread.

 

[mtmuley]

I can’t believe I just noticed this thread.

You ain't payin tention. mtmuley

 

[JLS]

I agree. But if every shot taken at game was a one shot kill, people would still argue calibers.

Interesting sidebar to that, of the elk I can recall that I shot right in the middle of the 10 ring, the longest track job I shot with a 338-06 and a 185 grain Barnes bullet, the shortest track job was a 243 and an 85 grain Barnes.

 

[AndyPOW]

44 years ago as a 16 y.o. I bought a used Sako Finnbear Forester in .243 from an estate sale for $600. It was a lot of money for me, most of my summer earnings. I literally had no idea what I had. First time I shot it I put 5 shots in a quarter at 100 yards. Then I knew what I had. Over the next four decades I shot a lot of deer with that gun throughout New England. Always used 100 gr. soft points. That thing is a killer, and still in the gun cabinet. I'm in southeast Alaska now, and have shot a couple of blacktails with it, but won't expose it to the salt. I've moved to synthetic/ss .308s since there are big black bears hereabouts, and .243 is not a bear cartridge in my mind.

Yeah, I spent a lot of money on guns, fly rods and women when I was younger, and the rest of it I wasted.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Interesting sidebar to that, of the elk I can recall that I shot right in the middle of the 10 ring, the longest track job I shot with a 338-06 and a 185 grain Barnes bullet, the shortest track job was a 243 and an 85 grain Barnes.

You just never know sometimes

 

[longbow51]

Some animals are just harder to kill. I shot a whitetail at 120 yards with a .375 H&H/Nosler Partition and it went 80 yards, way more than I was used to. Lungs were jelly. No explanation.

So bigger is better to a point if you can shoot it without flinching, and practice enough to shoot well in the field, but weird things still happen.

 

[Don Fischer]

If people would focus on:

1). Being a better marksman
2). Understanding vital areas and shot angles
3). Being a better tracker

All of this would be an absolute moot point. Focus on what matters.

I think there's another point people need to focus on. There is never a shot you have to take. I read about some of the shot's people take that are actually desperation shot's the fill a tag. Every shot your willing to take, you choose to take. The now or never shot never has to be taken.

 

[Panda Bear]

I think there's another point people need to focus on. There is never a shot you have to take. I read about some of the shot's people take that are actually desperation shot's the fill a tag. Every shot your willing to take, you choose to take. The now or never shot never has to be taken.

I agree

This is one of my biggest bones of contention. "shoot, maybe you will get lucky " makes my blood boil and I always say no no no. In my humble opinion those types are not "hunters"

 

[Misguided]

After giving careful consideration to all of the posts in this thread...I believe that I agree with everyone.

 

[Don Fischer]

Heart and lung shot critters sometimes go a long ways. mtmuley

Never really paid a lot of attention but read years ago, you hit an animal in, I think it was the lungs and it goes down, it stays down. Hit the same animal in the heart and it can go down and right back up. Thinking back, most the deer I've shot were lung shot's. With heavy for cal bullet's they would almost always walk off and lay down dead but never very far. Shot one jumping a fence one time and it hit the ground on the other side running. made maybe 30yds and went down dead. Don't recall ever hitting one in the heart but as I understand it they normally get jerked down and are right back up, can't explain that! But the same author that wrote that also said heart shot deer didn't go far before going down either.

 

[ThunderNocked]

44 years ago as a 16 y.o. I bought a used Sako Finnbear Forester in .243 from an estate sale for $600. It was a lot of money for me, most of my summer earnings. I literally had no idea what I had. First time I shot it I put 5 shots in a quarter at 100 yards. Then I knew what I had. Over the next four decades I shot a lot of deer with that gun throughout New England. Always used 100 gr. soft points. That thing is a killer, and still in the gun cabinet. I'm in southeast Alaska now, and have shot a couple of blacktails with it, but won't expose it to the salt. I've moved to synthetic/ss .308s since there are big black bears hereabouts, and .243 is not a bear cartridge in my mind.

Yeah, I spent a lot of money on guns, fly rods and women when I was younger, and the rest of it I wasted.

Where at in SEAK?! My wife is from Juneau and we lived there 6 years before moving up to Fairbanks for my work. Wife misses SouthEast and I’m hoping to come down for a Shrimping/ Black Bear trip soon!

 

[AndyPOW]

Where at in SEAK?! My wife is from Juneau and we lived there 6 years before moving up to Fairbanks for my work. Wife misses SouthEast and I’m hoping to come down for a Shrimping/ Black Bear trip soon!

We are in heaven. . . err. . . Whale Pass on POW.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

I think there's another point people need to focus on. There is never a shot you have to take. I read about some of the shot's people take that are actually desperation shot's the fill a tag. Every shot your willing to take, you choose to take. The now or never shot never has to be taken.

Yep. I hate when people use the excuse of that shot across canyon on the last day at last light, to risk a poor shot.

 

[devon deer]

My preferred shot placement, broadside engine room, i.e. lungs/heart, double lung shot is perfect.
I never take a quartering shot, I know it can be an effective shot, just not for me (same as head shooting, lets not go there!)
There are variables that mean a lung/heart shot deer can run on, for example, is the deer aware of you, suspicious, I have even heard it can depend on whether it has just inhaled/exhaled, bullet etc
There is always the fluke factor as well.
75 yards or less on a good rest I will take a neck shot, but 99% of my shots are engine room.

I always go by 'if in doubt, there is no doubt, the deer walks' that also applies to a safe shot.

Cheers

Richard

 

[ThunderNocked]

We are in heaven. . . err. . . Whale Pass on POW.

Maybe I’ll come visit you one of these days!

 

[Deleted member 16014]

@SnowyMountaineer and @mtmuley seems you two are kinda at the edges of either side of the caliber question. I respect you both as ethical hunters. Your are the -30 and 30 respectively per the diagram below.

With respect to NA big game -10 to 10 likely holds .270 win to .300 win mag

I'm kinda tired of arguing about the -30 to -10 and 10 to 30.

View attachment 175598

You’re probably right, but when you talk bullets instead of headstamps I don’t think I’m too far from average. All the elk I’ve shot were with 139-155 grain bullets, same for bears other than one with 100 tsx and one with a 180 Berger. All the deer and antelope I’ve killed were 90-155 grain bullets, most were 139’s.

 

[mtmuley]

You’re probably right, but when you talk bullets instead of headstamps I don’t think I’m too far from average. All the elk I’ve shot were with 139-155 grain bullets, same for bears other than one with 100 tsx and one with a 180 Berger. All the deer and antelope I’ve killed were 90-155 grain bullets, most were 139’s.

My bullet kills range from 80 to 210 grains. mtmuley

 

[AndyPOW]

Maybe I’ll come visit you one of these days!

Be careful what you wish for! We've built a homestead out of the rainforest. . . we are liable to put you to work!