1st rifle kill

[NoName011]

I have hunted with shotguns for years but being new to Pa I took my first deer with a rifle.. A doe at about 200 yds.. However I almost didnt find the deer.. It was in the middle of the field broad side.. I saw it go down but when I started tracking it was gone. Me and two guys combed the field but we couldnt find any blood. Finally about to give up thinking I missed I did one last pass along the edge of some scrub..I found a few drops of blood and a trail into the brush.. I thought oh no I wounded it.. I crawled into the brush and there was the deer 10 feet in.. However there was only a few drops of blood and the deer went 200 yards.. Now it wasnt the best shot It went into the back of one lung and out through the liver. But I have never seen such a lousy blood trail from a gunshot deer. What was I using? 30-06 150 grain rem core lokt bullet.. Any thoughts..

[Lycanthrope]

I like Care Lokt's. They usually do well.

Try a Ballistic Tip.....or a Hornady spire point. Anything from six inches behind the front shoulder to the brisket and they usually fold immediately. The problem with "premium Bullets" that the gun rags push is that they tend to poke small holes and the deer run for 25-50 yards.....or more.

LycanIlikedeerDRNthrope

[Coop650]

A 200 yard shot is a long shot. But then again a 200 yard tracking job isn't short. I have never even had a bow hit deer go half that far. I have had good success with core lokts, but have also been impressed by ballistic tips. A few years ago I hit a walking deer with a .270 and a ballistic tip at 75 yards and it went straight down. Turned out to be a very similar hit as you described. I only bowhunt now days, but those results are hard to argue with.

[fingers80002]

I have used an '06 the past couple yrs. Today a friend let me try a .338WM. I traded my ruger super redhawk for it today.

[andrewmyers]

deer are just tough animals. for one. secondly core lokts usually mushroom very well, maybe at the distance though the velocity was just low enough that it didnt open completely and looked more like a nosler partition when it came back out. i had a situation where i was hunting over a field with a .270 using 130 grain sierra pointed soft points.. and shot a nice buck at about 140 yards or so, at the hit he just stood there, then walked a few feet. i thought i missed so i shoot again and that time he jumped straight up and went into a death run of about 30 yards. but being young i figured i missed again. so i go down to where i saw him and theres blood everywhere and sure enough he had just slipped into the woods and fell into a dry stream bed. the results..a gut shot on the first shot..the second shot blew his heart literally completely out of his chest, the hole was big enough to put my fist into.. and yet he still mustered the strength to run off and out of site. deer are just tough.

[NoName011]

I agree that deer are very tough... My dilema is the lack of a blood trail.. If that is the kind of performance I will get from these shells than I need to look for something better.. I am very thorough about searching for a wounded animal but when there is no blood in 150 yards of the trail it makes me think I missed.. I hope it was a fluke but at the smae time I dont like to take risks...

[ar15jules]

I posted this elsewhere, but will do it again here. I had a weird thing happen this year. I use a 7mm Rem Mag. I have had only one deer physically move in a forward direction after hitting it, and that was this year. I had a slight quartering to shot and hit lung. Jellied it by the way, but hit between the ribs and exited between the ribs. Tiny spots of blood on wet leaves was a real bitch to say the least. The deer bled all internally. Usually, I have the spray paint blood at the sight of the shot and extreme blood from the mouth and nose. Nothing this time. Had I hit a rib, the results would have been much differnt. I use Winchester Ballistic Silver Tips. I used to actually aim at the shoulder, but ruined too much flesh.
Jules

[mjd932]

I like Care Lokt's. They usually do well.

LycanIlikedeerDRNthrope

"Care Lokt's, for the kind hunter..."

Just kick me because I'm an ass.

[ar15jules]

"Care Lokt's, for the kind hunter..."

Just kick me because I'm an ass.

What does this mean. I use core lokts in a 30 30 and have dropped deer in their tracks. Are they sexy? No. Are they expensive? No. Do they shoot reasonable groups for hunting and taking game? YEP.
Jules

[Lycanthrope]

"Care Lokt's, for the kind hunter..."

Just kick me because I'm an ass.

Well DRN.....does mean "dead right now"


Lycanhmmthrope