I think there is passion in Clem's post the same that is in 7.62 Gunners post. But I don't see how Clem is forcing their ethics on the OP. If the OP doesn't like what is being said they can skip reading any post.
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Neck Shot Disappointment
- Thread starter cantfixstupid
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Buck1970
Well-Known Member
I don't post often.
But I feel your pain. I hit a large WT 11 pt Sunday evening around 5:30. Was walking at 150 yards from me right to left. Aiming behind the left shoulder, I heard the SMACK of the bullet. ZERO BLOOD. 6.5 Creed 140 grain.
I'll admit, I rushed the shot and then I rushed him.
Jumped him as it got dark and he went into a thicket. Went back yesterday morning and found blood but can't find the deer anywhere. Looked all day.
I hope I didn't gut shoot him. Who knows.
As for you, I know axis and WT are extremely hardy with a strong will to survive.
They aren't like domestic sheep which lay down and suffer when injured.
My dad was a neck shot guy. Said he didn't want to waste any meat so I understand it.
I feel you hit above the vertebrae. I'm not sure about axis rut, but WT bucks necks swell tremendously during RUT, but it's only flesh.
If his head was up when you shot and you were aiming at the base of the skull, you may of inched back just enough to clip meat and hide and not really send the necessary shock needed to kill him.
It still hurt like hell and caused him to stumble, but hopefully you will see him again, with a sore neck.
And remember, when you chose to vent on the internet, others are going to do the same.
I know you are upset about it, i hate to loose a buck also, and not knowing if he survived or not is the worst part.
Good hunting and go after another. We both need to aim carefully. HA!
But I feel your pain. I hit a large WT 11 pt Sunday evening around 5:30. Was walking at 150 yards from me right to left. Aiming behind the left shoulder, I heard the SMACK of the bullet. ZERO BLOOD. 6.5 Creed 140 grain.
I'll admit, I rushed the shot and then I rushed him.
Jumped him as it got dark and he went into a thicket. Went back yesterday morning and found blood but can't find the deer anywhere. Looked all day.
I hope I didn't gut shoot him. Who knows.
As for you, I know axis and WT are extremely hardy with a strong will to survive.
They aren't like domestic sheep which lay down and suffer when injured.
My dad was a neck shot guy. Said he didn't want to waste any meat so I understand it.
I feel you hit above the vertebrae. I'm not sure about axis rut, but WT bucks necks swell tremendously during RUT, but it's only flesh.
If his head was up when you shot and you were aiming at the base of the skull, you may of inched back just enough to clip meat and hide and not really send the necessary shock needed to kill him.
It still hurt like hell and caused him to stumble, but hopefully you will see him again, with a sore neck.
And remember, when you chose to vent on the internet, others are going to do the same.
I know you are upset about it, i hate to loose a buck also, and not knowing if he survived or not is the worst part.
Good hunting and go after another. We both need to aim carefully. HA!
If you shoot them in the heart, they always die, and quickly. Either DRT or a few steps. Neck shots and head shots are always iffy and inhumane. No need to shoot shoulders either. I have killed dozens of deer.
I also think that some people are not as good a shot as they think they are on live game. There could be factors like misjudged distance, a small branch or brush in the way as well. Or just excitement.
I don't think it is ok to take iffy shots. The critters deserve better.
I also think that some people are not as good a shot as they think they are on live game. There could be factors like misjudged distance, a small branch or brush in the way as well. Or just excitement.
I don't think it is ok to take iffy shots. The critters deserve better.
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If a bullet strikes the brain or spinal cord, animal dies.
But there are larger vital organs to target. The lungs and liver being the largest. Target those, if you wanna minimize these poor consequences. Lungs first and foremost.
Shoot broadside, mid-height, just behind the shoulders. Dealer than dead. As long as the bullet expands upon impact.
But there are larger vital organs to target. The lungs and liver being the largest. Target those, if you wanna minimize these poor consequences. Lungs first and foremost.
Shoot broadside, mid-height, just behind the shoulders. Dealer than dead. As long as the bullet expands upon impact.
Had a ruttin buck run all of 200 yd on a through-the-brisket heart shot from a 30/06 years back... Nothin is set in stone with wild critters. Sometimes they rewrite the rules.
The obvious is that the bullet didn't hit the spine. If it had, DRT. Lots of questions and possibilities. I believe you that the gun is a .4 moa gun, so that means the probability is that you made a bad shot. Nerves, overconfidence, deer moved a small amount--something put the bullet somewhere that it couldn't kill the deer. The smaller the kill zone, naturally there are smaller margin for errors. Just like we have to own the lower confidence of long range shots. We all have to own the shots.
Bottom line is that we all play the odds. You lost with this one. No one is perfect.
Bottom line is that we all play the odds. You lost with this one. No one is perfect.
Id bet you clipped his horn and rung his bell
Big difference in what you are shooting and a grendel even with an eld.
Gotta have the velocity to get expansion. I don't think that would be a problem at the yardage even with a Grendel. ELD start expansion faster than VLDH at the same impact velocity. If the bullet was over 2200, which it should be, it wasn't the bullet.
I love and only shoot VLDH, specifically the 180 7mm and it never fails to devastate the lungs when shot behind the shoulder and I don't lose meat other than some ribs. Never lost an animal either. A lung shot will kill every time. And, all but one animal stood there and maybe walked 10 yards before tipping over. Including elk, caribou, and deer. All I was able to put in a second or third bullet while they stood there. If you don't hit a major muscle group, the animals have humped up when I shot them. Only runners have been hit in a shoulder or hind quarter on a hard quarter to shot.
The problem here is the neck is small and so there is less margin of error. He already killed regularly with neck shots, the most likely is that he just missed the kill zone. It isn't failure to expand with an ELD, imo.
I have seen the same thing.Had a ruttin buck run all of 200 yd on a through-the-brisket heart shot from a 30/06 years back... Nothin is set in stone with wild critters. Sometimes they rewrite the rules.
He wasnt shooting an eld. The point is a 180 gr bullet going 2800 fps is a bit different than a 120 gr bullet going 2450 fps. Not a fan of neck shots especially with a small diameter bullet at low velocity.
2450 fps for any bullet like a Berger or ELD that is well constructed is plenty to open. They have been tested in game and open as low as 1800 fps reliably. Admittedly, I thought he was using an ELD but I skimmed some of the pages…
As for size of bullet, it doesn't matter as much as proposed. A tipped Sierra Matchking or ELDm or Amax in 223 will kill just as well as a bigger bullet if impact velocity is the same.
It's not about opening velocity. It's about wound channel and trauma. And no I do believe size matters. A 223 will not kill as effectively as a larger diameter higher velocity bullet. Even at the same velocity a 75 gr 223 does not have as much killing power as a 180 gr 7mm.
