Deer Tough

[CarJunkieLS1]

IME and several friends that have killed more deer than I can even dream about, all experience with double lung/ heart shot deer is that they will go 25-75 yards no matter what you hit them with.

For a DRT the highest percentage shot is the high shoulder shot. Hit them in the high shoulder and get your knife. No tracking is necessary

 

[der Teufel]

A couple of times I've shot hogs through the heart. They typically run about 250 yards. Even when the heart stops, the brain still has about 15 seconds of oxygen left before things shut down.

 

[Charliefrank]

On white tail deer, I prefer the neck shot if presented. They drop on the spot.
I can also attest to the tuffness of game animals. I once shot an 80lb coyote broadside at 30 yards with a 270 130gr at 3000fps. He took off so hard and fast I thought somehow I surely missed. Walking up to the spot of the hit I could see blood and tissue sprayed about 12 feet up a tree that was behind him. I tracked him about 50 yards and found him at the opening of his den. Upon inspection I discovered he had no heart left at all. Critters are tough.

 

[jmr40]

With animals or humans sometimes they just don't want to die. Hit either with a shot in the heart/lung area and they have 15-30 seconds to live. It is what they choose to do during that last few seconds that matters. Some lie down and die, others make a mad dash. Most animals can cover a lot more ground in 15-30 seconds than humans.

I do believe that there are some cartridges and bullet combo's that are more likely to cause the animal to just lie down rather than run. But that is another discussion.

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

On average the deer I have shot with a bow have ran no farther than deer shot with a gun, spine shots excluded.
During the rut I have had bucks run a short distance then come back like they want to fight another buck that attacked them.
I'm sure part of the reason is more hunting pressure during the gun season.

 

[Paul7]

Shotgun slugs are slower killers if you just hit the lungs as they do less tissue damage and bleed slower, but on the other hand, a big doe I shot in the heart with a slug went down right there. It sure is interesting and unpredictable.

I've heard a theory that an animal will go right down if shot in the heart and the heart happens to be totally full of blood at that instant, it forces blood very hard throughout the system and is like turning off a switch.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Maybe, Paul7

Shot a deer double lung last Wed am with a Federal 7/8oz 20ga Sabot slug at about 100yds. Lost blood trail after ~150yds. Watched deer run out of sight with tail tucked, obviously hit. Looked for deer fo several hours. No joy.
Two days later returned to area. Vultures had found deer. 250yds from where I lost blood trail, 180deg from last direction seen running. Examining carcass, shot transited the chest 3" above and behind heart. Total distance ran was close to 1/3mile. That with a 1/2" hole on both sides of chest... Three days later, I get a bang-flop, with frontal shot that enters front of chest, takes out a lung, parts of intestines, liver, lodges in left flank in the hide. Could eat up to 1/2" hole...little blood loss.Slug is expanded to 7/8" diameter, still weighs 7/8oz (375gr). 20"+ penetration.
Sometimes, you just don't know. That's why it's called hunting and not collecting.

 

[FL-NC]

The only deer I ever lost was shot at about 20 yards with a 150 grain Hornady spire point 308- perfect shot placement, BTW. Saw fur fly, but no blood or blood trail. Came across it a day or 2 later on my way to another stand after the coyotes had wrecked it.

 

[GAF]

The Saturday was Wisconsin`s gun/deer opening weekend. On Saturday I shot a young buck at about 75 years. I was aiming for a heart/lung shot. When I pulled the trigger the buck reared up like the Colt pony so I knew I hit it. As it came back down it started to run so I shot it again and it just kept running so I shot a third time. That deer ran about 60 yards with both lungs shot to pieces and its heart completely shot free of any connections inside the chest. One of the shot exited the the center of the shoulder breaking it to pieces inside. It was kind of crunchy sounding. Was using Remington Core lotk 180 grain in .308. They are tough.

 

[FL-NC]

3 of the last 4 deer I've killed were bang-flops. 2 of those were with 223, 1 with 243. The one that ran was 223, ran 50 yards and laid down. You never know.

 

[Poper]

Some 15 or so years ago I was hunting in a wide open alfalfa field that deer liked to frequent close to sundown. I had an "any deer" tag plus 2 antlerless tags in my pocket. I decided to fill one of the doe tags and shot a doe at 125 yards with my .300 WSM and 180 grain Sierra Pro Hunter at 2900 fps. When the gun came back down from the recoil, the doe was still there in my scope so I let her have another one. Bang! THUHWOPPP!!! (First time I had ever heard a bullet strike a deer.) She spun a 360 and dropped on the spot. I walked over to her and had to tag two deer. The first doe had dropped where she had stood and the second doe had stood up when the first one dropped. Both were mid-kill zone hits with a 30 caliber hole going in and a 1-1/2" hole going out. Both bullets had hit ribs, too.

On the other hand, I shot a doe one year head-on and dead-center in the chest at 60 yards with a 165 grain Hornady Interlock from a .308 Win. She ran about 150 yards uphill before she piled in. When we dressed her, there wasn't a piece of her heart larger than the end of my thumb. The slug was found under the hide of the right hip.
I am amazed an animal can run so far with absolutely no blood pressure!