Gutshot deer

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spooney

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My little brother shot a small buck, a 2X2 yesterday and we tracked it for 2 hours. Once we found it I had discovered that he had gutshot it and at that point I almost wished we had never found it...wow that smelled terrible.

No real point to this thread I just wanted to complain a little bit.
 
By the time it took me to get across the place to get to Nathan's stand he had already been pushing the deer, even after he was instructed to sit tight and let the deer calm down.:mad:

The rifle was a FAL clone with Federal 150gr softpoint. I can shoot this rifle into a little circle all day long off of a rest so I know it was not the gun that caused him to miss. I would say the biggest problems were poor shot selection, deer was still moving when he shot, and a belief in a "its ok I have another shot" type of mentality.
 
You live and you learn, just chock this one up to experiance. The reason I ask about caliber is that magnum bashers in another thread were bacically claiming that this kind of thing NEVER happens with non magnum chamberings.

Next time only let him have 3 rounds in his gun, It could change his semiautomatic state of mind for next time.
 
It happens with any chambering. I own a 7mm rem mag that I never use. I don't see the point when my .308 is so handy and kills 'em just as dead..:neener: But, I can't say the big 7 don't work. My God, I've never seen deer with a whole shoulder blow almost completely off before until I started using that thing. It vaporizes internal organs, too. But, if I ever go moose hunting or something.....:D Not too many moose in Texas. I might get a Nilgai hunt someday to use it for. Still, if you gut shot a deer with a 7mm rem mag, it's not going to be any deader than with a .243. You have to do better than that with your shot placement.

If anything, I'd think there would be more gut shot deer with beginner calibers than magnums because beginners tend to be the ones using beginner calibers, though I like beginner calibers, too.
 
One guy in our group finished one off yesterday that was, shall we say missing some of it's internalls. Guy next door shoots 3-5 rounds several times a day and hopes they die. One of the types you don't like to talk about. Once the gutting was done deer is not too bad.

I've seen a bambi shot with a 300 Weatherby mag make it 400+ yards then die with poor shot placement. I keep dreaming of a .260 rem. 'couse in my mind I could practice all day and it's big enough to work...............

Tony
 
I've never had a problem with stopping deer with a .257 Roberts. The .260 is pretty much similar ballistically, but has better sectional density in its bullets. Should be a great deer caliber. I think I'd prefer the 7-08, but there ain't a dime's difference in 'em, really. Similar ballistics. I just like 7mm for some odd reason, though that didn't deter me from getting a .308 when it came crunch time. LOL I don't know if there's a bad caliber based on the .308 cartridge. Wouldn't take the .243 elk hunting, but then, the .308 would be a little much on ground hogs.
 
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