Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: sleek on November 25, 2019, 10:14:02 pm
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With archery, blood tracking is a big part of recovery, and hunting in the rain is a terrible idea for most. But what about gun hunting? I ask because it's supposed to rain my entire Thanksgiving break and I havent got a deer yet. I'm in thick woods, 100 yards is a long shot and using a .44 mag lever and scope. I have taken only one deer with a gun before, and she dropped inside of 20 yards, no tracking needed. Yall more experienced types have any reservations about gun hunting in weather?
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Well, a good heart lung shot with a .44 mag "should" drop a deer "in it's tracks" IF it is standing broadside! However, I shot a mule deer doe at 15 yards with a .58 cal and round ball, hit a rib going in and exited between 2 ribs and she ran 75 yards before she fell! On the other hand, we searched for over 6 hours in the rain for one my granddaughter thought she hit and never found a blood sign. If you can get out between showers you may be all right. Good luck and shoot straight!
Hawkdancer
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Most gun shot deer wont die much quicker than a well placed arrow. In the end? A blood trail in the rain is all the same regardless of the weapon used. If you go, I would be 110% certain of my shot and make a 110% perfect shot. The closer a deer is when you shoot the better the chances you watch it fall over.
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I agree with Pearl. I've seen lots of deer shot with 12 gauge slug from selfbow range run like they weren't even hit. Seen them run a 100+ yards with their heart blown to pieces. I'm sure every year people think they missed when they fatally shoot them. Always remember exactly where they were when you shot. Exactly where they went after you shot. Look for other sign to. Not Just blood. Tracks swirls in mud puddles. Likely places they would go.
Like pearl said make a good shot. It's just as important with a gun as it is with a selfbow. Maybe even more so. A bad shot with a selfbow might survive. With a gun it's pretty sad.
Bjrogg
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I have shot a lot of deer with my lever .44 mag and nearly all went down on the spot. The ones that didn't went less than 40 yards. I have to say though that I used a hard cast bullet with gas check on all the animals I shot with my .44 mag, both deer and bear, with complete pass through.
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I only hunt in the rain because I have some nice hunting shacks to do it from. I reload my own shells and use Nosler ballistic tip bullets in all the loads including the 223 round that two of my grandkids use. A good round and a well place shot will down a deer in quick fashion.
If you are a good shot, shoot them in the head. They will travel about 4 feet.
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I live in shotgun only zone. Never used a 44 or .223 for deer have for fox and coyote.
A 12 gauge slug make a pretty good hole. I've seen with my own eyes a buck shot from about ten yards through the heart run over 100 yards like nothing happened. Until he did a hi ho silver on his rear legs and flipped over stone cold dead.
I've seen people empty their guns on deer as they ran away and watched them fall over dead. The only shot that hit was the first. I've seen them drop like a stone to, but you just never know for sure. Sometimes their dead and their brain just doesn't know it.
Bjrogg
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With a rifle, I like to break the neck, no tracking and nice clean piece of meat
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would you shoot it in the neck?
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would you shoot it in the neck?
The white patch under his chin is a good target also butt of the ear. But yes I’d shoot it in the neck.
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Thanks for the replies, guess I will just go and see what's offered to me for a shot.
I like using the neck meat in stews and pressure cooker. Think I will keep my shots aft of the shoulder.
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Good luck!
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I have never been able to figure it out, I can drop one deer in its tracks and hit the next one in the same place and off it goes. I think it is the adrenaline thing, a calm der is more likely to go down than one that is one alert.
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I have never been able to figure it out, I can drop one deer in its tracks and hit the next one in the same place and off it goes. I think it is the adrenaline thing, a calm der is more likely to go down than one that is one alert.
I agree Eric.
Sleek if you hit em good you should be able to find em. If your in brush they probably won't go far. Look for blood on brush to. Not just the ground. Good Luck. Hope you fill your tag.
Bjrogg
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On a broadside shot you could aim for the upper shoulder about 2/5 down, 3/5 up. Essentially just above centerline squarely where you don’t want an arrow. A heavy 44 mag bullet will go right on through but breaking both shoulderblades and likely the spine on its way through while punching holes through the top of each lung. Atleast shocking it enough to make its legs fail if the spine isn’t hit directly. So most of the time will drop on the spot. If not, they won’t go far with both shoulders broke. It’s a shot placement for larger heavier cartridges and bullet. Which a 44 mag will do fine. Since that’s a lot of solid matter to go through. I like Ed Brooks train of thought too for the rainy days. Plus you don’t blow up the heart, which to me it one of the better eating parts.
Kyle
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How much meat will that ruin?
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You’ll definitely lose a few pounds of meat. But in my mind, a few pounds of meat loss is better than the chance of losing the entire animal if the blood trail can Get washed away.
Kyle
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I guess I always go for the broiler room.
Bjrogg
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I shot a buck just like that last year with my Hawken. I broke both shoulders and he snow plowed over the hilltop. I had a time running him down, he was never far out of sight and I could jump him up. He would jump up and go 50 yards on his back legs. I shot him two more times before I finally put him down.
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I shot a buck just like that last year with my Hawken. I broke both shoulders and he snow plowed over the hilltop. I had a time running him down, he was never far out of sight and I could jump him up. He would jump up and go 50 yards on his back legs. I shot him two more times before I finally put him down.
I agree Eric. They can go a long ways on three or even two legs. Seen them run with one leg shot off almost like they weren't even hurt. Hardly slowed them down.
Bjrogg
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I've always shoot them in the lung area. Big target and doesn't ruin any meat.
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I hunt deer with a .270. Shots around here are usually 100-300 yards. The only one I've ever had to track was hit very, very badly--I misjudged the distance and broke his lower leg. Any chest/shoulder hits go do down on the spot, three jumps at the most. I have gut-shot a couple over the years, and even they tend not to go far before they lie down. Whole different game than archery.
Never tried a 44 mag lever; I'd guess it's shorter range but hits hard. I can't think they'd go too far.
The bigger issue to me is keeping my scope lenses dry. Trying to shoot through a wet scope is no fun. Anyway, I guess you'll have had your hunt by the time you read this, so I'll just wish you good luck and happy TG!
Thomas
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I got lucky last night and dropped the tiniest little spike you ever saw, but it wasnt raining yet. Got both lungs and blew his heart completely in two. He still managed to go 50 yards with a broke left leg from the exit.
This was my friends .308 as the 250 yard shot was too much for my lever. I may rain hunt tomorrow though.
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That'll work. ;)
Bjrogg
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May not fill the freezer, but he ought to taste good! (=) -C-
Hawkdancer
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With archery, blood tracking is a big part of recovery, and hunting in the rain is a terrible idea for most. But what about gun hunting? I ask because it's supposed to rain my entire Thanksgiving break and I havent got a deer yet. I'm in thick woods, 100 yards is a long shot and using a .44 mag lever and scope. I have taken only one deer with a gun before, and she dropped inside of 20 yards, no tracking needed. Yall more experienced types have any reservations about gun hunting in weather?
If you ever hunt blacktail deer, and your guide is saying it should be a "hot" day and it's not raining, you best get another guide. I just about exclusively hunt during the rain, most hunters in the know do the same here. Always found it weird when I first started seeing whitetail hunters throwing in the towel (on TV) in the rain.
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I have never been able to figure it out, I can drop one deer in its tracks and hit the next one in the same place and off it goes. I think it is the adrenaline thing, a calm der is more likely to go down than one that is one alert.
I am a lucky so-n-so because I have never had to learn much about blood trailing. Most all of the deer I have shot have been with a .50 cal flintlock with a 70 grain load of 2F powder. My buddy is one of those "biggerer betterer bestest" sorta guys and shoots a .54 with 120 grains of powder and every deer he shoots runs into the adjoining county, no matter how well he hits it. I wish I knew the magic answer on this one. Maybe because I have no faith in my shooting ability and I wait for easy-peasy standing shots where the deer has no idea I even got out of bed that day...
Good luck to you, Sleek. I know you have too much respect for the game to risk bad shots or losing an animal.
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I have never been able to figure it out, I can drop one deer in its tracks and hit the next one in the same place and off it goes. I think it is the adrenaline thing, a calm der is more likely to go down than one that is one alert.
I am a lucky so-n-so because I have never had to learn much about blood trailing. Most all of the deer I have shot have been with a .50 cal flintlock with a 70 grain load of 2F powder. My buddy is one of those "biggerer betterer bestest" sorta guys and shoots a .54 with 120 grains of powder and every deer he shoots runs into the adjoining county, no matter how well he hits it. I wish I knew the magic answer on this one. Maybe because I have no faith in my shooting ability and I wait for easy-peasy standing shots where the deer has no idea I even got out of bed that day...
Good luck to you, Sleek. I know you have too much respect for the game to risk bad shots or losing an animal.
Thanks JW. That's exactly why I'm asking these fact finding questions. Unfortunately, yesterday I found how how efficient a pack of coyotes are against a downed doe inside of 30 minutes. And today, I went to gather my skin from my buck I shot a few days ago. It was sitting outside drying, not a speck of meat on it and not a knife nick either. Pristine white skin. Left it sit in the sun and came back and it's gone. I need a night vision scope and a 223. Gonna eliminate some varmints.
All the good shooting and tracking skills in the world dont mean jack when darn yotes beat you to dinner. Around here, the sound of gunshot is their come to dinner bell.