Macchina
Member
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2006
- Messages
- 998
I lent out a few rifles this year to a friend and his son and by chance switched scopes on my 2 main deer rifles and haven't sighted them in yet. I was left with a 44 Mag 1894 and my slew of ARs. I have been hunting since the opener with my 44 Mag rifle but this weekend I took out a nice scoped 16" 5.56 AR loaded with 64gr Federal soft points.
I finally saw a shooter buck on Saturday at only 35 yards. I shot him in the lungs and he trotted about 10 yards and I shot him again in the chest. I was on the ground so I crept up about 10 yards to see if he was down and I saw him staggering so I shot him again (I don't know where this shot hit, I shot at fur at this point, most likely rump). All shots he was stationary and within 50 yards.
I didn't hear him go down so I waited a few minutes and went to look for him. He wasn't within sight and the sun was setting so I went back to the spot where I first shot him and not a speck of blood was to be found. I searched in the direction he went and never found a speck of blood. I searched for an hour and came back the next day and searched another hour. Never found blood, and I walked a grid for about 300 yards and never found anything.
I checked my rifle that night at 35 yards and I was within 1" of POA. I KNOW I hit that deer 3 times.
My first shot with any of my normal deer rifles would have planted that deer. My follow-up shots would have put him down within a hundred yards and sprayed blood everywhere. To not find a spec of blood really has soured me. I am sick and ready to rip up my tag. I have screwed up in the past when I was young and wounded deer but this was not one of those times. I had him stationary in my scope at buckshot distance and no blood was found. I am writing off .223 forever because of this. I know he was hit by how he was moving but to not bleed or drop is just crazy. I feel like I shot him with a 22 LR...
I finally saw a shooter buck on Saturday at only 35 yards. I shot him in the lungs and he trotted about 10 yards and I shot him again in the chest. I was on the ground so I crept up about 10 yards to see if he was down and I saw him staggering so I shot him again (I don't know where this shot hit, I shot at fur at this point, most likely rump). All shots he was stationary and within 50 yards.
I didn't hear him go down so I waited a few minutes and went to look for him. He wasn't within sight and the sun was setting so I went back to the spot where I first shot him and not a speck of blood was to be found. I searched in the direction he went and never found a speck of blood. I searched for an hour and came back the next day and searched another hour. Never found blood, and I walked a grid for about 300 yards and never found anything.
I checked my rifle that night at 35 yards and I was within 1" of POA. I KNOW I hit that deer 3 times.
My first shot with any of my normal deer rifles would have planted that deer. My follow-up shots would have put him down within a hundred yards and sprayed blood everywhere. To not find a spec of blood really has soured me. I am sick and ready to rip up my tag. I have screwed up in the past when I was young and wounded deer but this was not one of those times. I had him stationary in my scope at buckshot distance and no blood was found. I am writing off .223 forever because of this. I know he was hit by how he was moving but to not bleed or drop is just crazy. I feel like I shot him with a 22 LR...