Average distance a well hit deer will run

[blitzen]

Don't worry much about what you can't control. Well hit deer can and will do the strangest things. Always use good tools, ie, your 30-30 and core-lokts, make good boiler room hits the the recovery will not be far off.

 

[huntinggamo]

I dont know where you are located but here in colorado i had the same question, i asked a DOW officer and this is the response i got...
Q: If i shoot a deer or elk on public land and it runs onto private land what do i do?
A: Call the local sheriffs office, they will attempt to contact the land owner and or escort you onto the property to recover the animal. if the landowner refuses access the sheriff will notify a DOW Officer and he will recover the animal, field dress it and bring it out to you.

The part i had a hard time believing is that a dow officer is going to gut my animal out for me...lol

Please let me know if you have heard the same or know different than what i was told

 

[TNboy]

If you are using a 30-30 give the Hornady Leverlution bullets a try, first ballistic tip made for a 3-30. I've dropped 3/4 of deer I've killed in their tracks and I've never aimed for the shoulder, I see no point in wasting that meat, I always shoot just behind the shoulder, has worked great for me so far.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

The part i had a hard time believing is that a dow officer is going to gut my animal out for me...lol

That would be tax dollars well spent!

 

[wombat13]

I dont know where you are located but here in colorado i had the same question, i asked a DOW officer and this is the response i got...
Q: If i shoot a deer or elk on public land and it runs onto private land what do i do?
A: Call the local sheriffs office, they will attempt to contact the land owner and or escort you onto the property to recover the animal. if the landowner refuses access the sheriff will notify a DOW Officer and he will recover the animal, field dress it and bring it out to you.

The part i had a hard time believing is that a dow officer is going to gut my animal out for me...lol

Please let me know if you have heard the same or know different than what i was told

If that's true I would hunt close to a property line and hope the deer ran onto the neighbor's property every time. J/K

 

[ranger335v]

"Average distance a well hit deer will run"

Average? Well, lessee. I've had a few drop in their tracks. About the same number have run maybe 150 yards. So ... average of 75 yds.? Typically, with a double lung hit, they will run 30-50 yards before passing out on their feet in a few seconds no matter what I hit 'em with; arrow or .243 or .35 Rem or 7 mag or .30-06.

 

[H&Hhunter]

Average distance a well hit deer will run

Between 0 and 500 yards. I am not being sarcastic here I've seen perfectly hit deer go a LONG way before dying.

 

[Yarddog]

As stated by a few, The shots I have taken in the last 20/25 deer were Neck shots, No farther than 100yds & they Drop like a sack of potatoes ; )
Y/D

 

[joshk-k]

It seems like it would be really hard for something to run with its scapula blown apart. I understand that that creates more wasted meat than a shot behind the shoulder, but they almost certainly won't run as far.

JOsh

 

[bang_bang]

I've taken quite a few deer, and most of the time *if* they run it's no more than 50 yards. If I can (the deer must be completely broadside before I will do this) I try to shoot them through the shoulders. Not only does this "flatten it's tires," but takes out the lungs and heart.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

. Not only does this "flatten it's tires," but takes out the lungs and heart.

It also destroys a lot of good meat.

 

[CoRoMo]

My averages are short distances. Most have dropped in their tracks like a sack of pudding. Others have made it 10 yards, 20 yards, 30 yards, etc. Then there was that one cow elk. I hit her good, square, and solid through the shoulders. She piled up a couple hundred yards from where she got hit.

 

[wildman6809]

the only deer that i have had to track were the ones that knew where i was. most just run about 10 yards and fall over.

 

[bang_bang]

It also destroys a lot of good meat.

There isn't enough meat on the shoulders for me to mess with, unless I want to roast a whole shoulder. If I do want the shoulders, a <100 yard headshot will save that said meat.

I often hunt a long ways from the house, with no 4-wheeler or truck to haul the deer out with. If I shoot a large deer that will be a pain to drag, I'll quarter it up in the field, pack the meat in my backpack, then drag the deer into a thicket out of the field. I always carry a trash-bag or two and a hatchet in my backpack just in case.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

There isn't enough meat on the shoulders for me to mess with

Wow,you must have very small deer. Our does have small shoulders but there is quite a lot of good venison on a buck's shoilders,even a young one.

 

[EmbarkChief]

I'm with Daniel Boone on this one. If my deer does anything more than a bang/flop I'm mad. Now, I did have a doe a few years back run about 35 yards after I shot her in the back of the head. That's right, the back of the head with a .280 ballistic silvertip at about 100 yards. When I found her the ammount of brain matter in what was left of her skull was about the size of a pecan. Go figure. Shoot them in the neck or the head, do your part and the vast majority of the time they aren't going anywhere.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

I'm seriously considering using my Stevens Model 200 in .223 with 75gr. hollow point match ammo and taking head shots only.

 

[336A]

As the others here have stated most of the time you can expect them to travel up to 50 yards, while some may make it 100yards. Of course if you can attain a CNS hit they will drop on the spot. However with that being said, the most consistent drop em' in their tracks instantaneous dirt nap pill I've ever used or seen is the shotgun slug12 or 20 GA. Not even my 7mm Rem Mag drops deer as fast or with as much consistency as a shotgun slug, there is a lot to be said for a large heavy piece of lead.

I don't go for neck or head shots always behind the shoulder or on the shoulder. Several of the deer dropped to the ground before I was able to recover from the recoil and rack another round in the chamber, causing to think I missed the deer. When I was growing up in the Southern Tier region of NY we were mandated to use shotguns with slugs only.

I still remember my very first deer I shot. It was a doe and she was only about 40 yards away. I was using what was at the time the new state of the art wasp wasted Win Supreme 3" sabot slugs. I saw the reaction of this deer when the slug hit her and I couldn't believe my eyes. She hit the ground hard and quicker than double greased lightning, she just laid there as though she was bedded down.To say that I was awe struck would be an understatement.

I asked my BIL who has shot more deer than anyone I know personally about his experience on this subject as well. Even though most of the counties down there have now allowed the use of rifles my BIL still uses his trusty ol' Ithaca M37 12GA Deer Slayer. He stated to me that in his experience as long as he put the slug in the vitals it was instant dirt nap time for the deer. If he made a bad shot well then he may end up doing a lot of tracking same as with a rifle.

I asked my BIL why he never went to using his Marlin .35 Rem now that they can use rifles. He stated that he likes how the ol' Deer Slayer lays em' down and that he don't have to do any tracking. I can't really argue with his logic or reasoning as he has about 20 years on me and put a lot more deer in the freezer than I have.

 

[AKElroy]

It seems like it would be really hard for something to run with its scapula blown apart. I understand that that creates more wasted meat than a shot behind the shoulder, but they almost certainly won't run as far.

If you center punch the shoulder, they are not taking a step. I shot one through the shoulder two weeks ago, (I was aiming for the boiler room, just pulled it or he moved a little) and he jumped from his hind legs over the pen fence & did a header into the dirt because the joint was gone & it could take no weight. That's the only one I've seen jump; most just flop. It does ruin a good 4th of the deer, though.

 

[IndispensableDestiny]

When hunting in my woods, if a deer runs, it runs as far as the swamp. Then it dies. They know how much trouble it is to drag them out of the swamp.

 

[unwise11]

If your not going to mount it just shoot the head? makes enough sence?

 

[336A]

If your not going to mount it just shoot the head? makes enough sence?

Young man I suggest that you actually get off of the computer, couch, or play station and do some actual hunting. You need a serious wake up call, hunting big game is not Sniping, and head shooting big game animals is far from being ethical. As a matter of fact aiming for the head is the worst shot to take as it is a small target and in constant motion.

One slip or if the animal moves slightly and the next thing you have on your hands is a wounded animal, yeah smart move there wise guy. Deer and most other herbavoirs are very weary and alert animals they're heads are almost always in constant motion. Head shooting deer is just asking for trouble.

Furthermore head shots in actual combat situations is not even preferred, due to the high probability of a miss we always aim COM and if hunting one should always aim for the vitals. Unlike you I have been to and graduated from the school and spent many hours behind the scope in a hostile combat environment. Heck I've been in the Army longer than you been on this earth. I have almost 20yrs of actual hunting experience and more than 3yrs spent deployed, so yes I've got actual experience under my belt. Stop pretending to be something that your not and offering advice on a topic you have no knowledge about.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

If your not going to mount it just shoot the head?

This is a very reasonable question that deserves a serious answer. A head shot is a VERY dangerous shot. There is TOO much at stake if the shot is off by even an inch or two. A deer with it's lower jaw shot away is likely to die a slow death by starvation. A deer's head,even a large deer,is a fairly small target and easy to miss. No doubt,a good brain shot is the only certain DRT shot,it isn't worth the risk. I jokingly said I might use my .223 for head shots but I would never SERIOUSLY consider that as a hunting method.

 

[03Shadowbob]

My deer have mostly been DRT with high lung and spine/neck shots. I posted a pic up not long ago of a cowhorn buck I killed where he had the froth coming from his nose and was dropped right where I shot him which was in between the spine and lung. I figure the shockwave did quite a bit of the damage to both the spine and lungs.
The only deer I have had to track were the ones with chest/lung/heart shots. I prefer not to track deer so I make sure I have a good scope and am dead on with the ammo I use. IME, it doesn't matter whether it is a 30-06 or a 223 round.

 

[countertop]

I've hit dead on a deers heart with my .280 Remington, blowing the heart - in pieces - out of a softball sized hole on the other side of the deer. Even that deer ran a good 45 yards.

I've had double lung shots run 100 yards, and had them dead right there.

I do agree though that a shoulder shot - or a high neck shot - will send the deer down right away.