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Big Game Rifles: What Happens Between Shot and Down
Categories:: Blogs • The Technical Rifleman
Wayne van Zwoll | Apr 25, 2012 | Comments 2
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This South Dakota mule deer ran off after the hit. But the hunter persevered, delivered a killing shot after trailing.
The solid “thwuck” of a bullet through front ribs is welcome music. A sharp “whock” means you struck big bone; a sodden, splashy, hollow landing means a paunch hit.
Always assume a hit. Always reload quickly. Excepting offhand shots up close in timber, I stay in shooting position for at least 10 seconds after a shot. If game appears after the shot, I make sure it is the same animal before firing again.
The author called the hit too far back and circled the cover. The deer ran and fell to a careful second shot.
Always check if you suspect a miss. First, flag your shooting spot and the place where the animal was when you fired (I carry ribbon for this purpose). Many deer are lost because hunters don’t follow up intelligently after the shot. Blood may not appear on the trail for many yards, even if the damage is lethal. I’ve found dead deer and elk many yards from where they were hit and had to back-trail to see any blood. A bullet that doesn’t pass through may cause lots of internal hemorrhage, only to have elastic hide slip over the entry hole during escape, impeding leaks.
Once, after calling a good shot at a deer in open woodland, I watched it gallop off at an even and deliberate pace. I followed the hoofprints but found no blood. Returning to the site of the hit, I got down on hands and knees, searching in circles. A tiny pink pellet with a single deer hair caught my eye. Lung.
Carefully, I worked my way along the trail again. This time I found a drop of blood. At a turn in the trail, I spied a track I’d missed before. The buck lay a few steps farther on.
Game commonly makes an abrupt turn just before collapsing. A buck I hit too far back slipped into dense willows. I followed on hands and knees as the vegetation pressed in. There was no blood; it seemed as if the earth had swallowed this deer. Then I spotted a small gap to the side of what was now just a rabbit’s path. I crawled through it – and onto the carcass of the buck.
Perseverance is an asset. You might also call it a requisite. When you fire at big game, you have the responsibility to follow up. Some years ago, guiding a mule deer hunter, I spied a buck across a draw.
My client decided to shoot. The deer ran immediately. “Aw, I probably missed,” said the man, obviously not keen to cross the rugged draw and spend time on the deer’s trail. I insisted, though, and presently we stood where the animal had. “See, no blood.”
My companion wanted to start hunting again. I left him at the site and tracked the deer into timber, where I found it dead.
Lethal hits don’t always put game down immediately. In fact, most of the animals I’ve shot have moved before dropping. Regardless of the reaction, I always check and follow. As do all sportsmen.
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About the Author: Wayne van Zwoll is a regular contributor to the Gun Digest annual, and author of the Gun Digest Book of Sporting optics. He is a nationally-recognized expert on rifles, optics and western hunting.
Even a killing shot, through the heart, may leave the target moving. In the article at http://www.rrmemphis.com/myth.pdf, the authors describe the human brain sending sending signals to the muscles for up to 10 seconds after the heart has stopped. How far can game move in 10 seconds?
I have shot numerous elk over the years, and have found that no reaction to the shot is fairly common. I shot a cow at about 80 yards a few years back, and while I was confident of the hit, she simply stood there and looked at me. I was getting ready to shoot again as she calmly walked away. About 10 paces and she just tipped over dead. The bullet, 165gr .308 partition from a 30-06, had gone between two ribs on both sides, through both lungs, and the top of the heart. I shot my first elk, a raghorn bull at about 300yd M/L at a steep uphill angle with a 375H&H. He also walked off as if I missed clean. Again,I was pretty sure of the shot, so I followed up, he walked about 50 or so yards and dropped dead. I have seen it happen many more times on deer and elk.