Lost deer...slug problems?

[wilcam47]

like stated above...Deer are tough animals...

I was watching a hunting show and they shot a deer..it fell right there...well by the time they got to where it should have been (around 140yds) it was gone...it had jumped up and took off. they looked for hours and 100's of yards...well later a neighboring farm 1 mile or so down the road and couple weeks later shot and killed the buck...they knew it was the one they shot at because of the antlers and the healed bullet hole...it was crazy..

 

[Reaper812]

I've been using the SST's all gun season, 2 deer dropped in there tracks the other one ran 30 yards, I'm impressed with the slugs. I was using Remington sabots copper before and there allover the place.

 

[fabsroman]

Sometimes, crap happens. I'm with the other betting that the deer is down somewhere. However, it sure would be nice to see how much blood there was on both sides for 300 yards. I mean, 300 yards of good blood means the deer might have well bled everything out. If it was hauling, it would still be able to go a little ways before dropping dead.

Was hoping to see a post from the OP saying he found the deer, but no such luck.

I have not deer hunted in several years, but when I did everything I used was Barnes bullets. Rifle used Barnes X Bullets and the shotgun and muzzleloader used Barnes Expander sabots. If I did my part they did their part extremely well. However, no bullet can compensate for a crappy shot.

However, as I said earlier, crap happens. Read a sniper book a couple years ago where the marine sniper shot a guy center mass in Iraq. The sniper saw the guy roll over and lay flat in the street. Later that day, he saw him in camp as a POW and could not believe his eyes. The guy had been patched up by a medic and was actually still alive. No doubt the bullet went through his chest. Sometimes, things just cannot be explained.

 

[redeye505]

Deer are tough S.O.B! Friend of mine shot a deer once with a frontal shot. We tracked the deer for ove 500 yards and the whole time we were finding large amounts of blood. When the blood trail ran dry we started to finding pieces of its intestines for the last 100 yards. When we finally found the deer the only thing left in him was his heat and lungs, everything else had been pulled out by brush as he ran through it. The bullet split him open from his chest to half way down his belly. Really no need to field dress him out cause there was nothing in him.

I guess he did not know when to quit. That is amazing.

 

[RAF]

I've been using the SSTs for several years & won't use anything else. The deer I've shot either dropped in their tracks or went maybe 50 yards if that. Just about everyone in our group uses them.

 

[Jerry M]

Find someone with a dog. My guess the deer is dead and recoverable. Especially in this weather.

Good Luck

Jerry

 

[Baccusboy]

Interesting... this thread caught my eye because there were complaints about these same Hornady rounds with dead primers just a few days ago. It was on an Iowa site:

http://www.iowasportsman.com/forum/viewtopic.php?forum=4&showtopic=891727

 

[MeatGrinder]

Like others have said, weird things happen. It sounds like you made a good faith effort and did all you could. The only advice I have is to see if the birds (buzzards and crows) have found it and to bring a buddy. A fresh set of eyes might catch something you are overlooking.

 

[Erno86]

I personally prefer Barnes bullets with Harvester sabots.

If the shot went high {below the spine-above the lungs}, it's quite possible that the deer survived the hit...unless gangrene sets in.

 

[iH8DemLibz]

The Harvester sabots are the best I've ever used. I've found that my rifle likes the "crush rib" design a bit better. They are a bit more pliable and load easier.

For those who want a fun project, Take an NEF/H&R single shot rifle in 45-70 and machine/thread the chamber for a screw-in black powder plug with a 209 primer pocket.

I shoot 45 caliber Harvester sabots and 10mm/40 caliber Hornady 180 grain XTP bullets out of mine.

A double lung pass through will either drop them in their tracks or allow them to run 30-40 yards then fall over dead.

 

[IndispensableDestiny]

I personally prefer Barnes bullets with Harvester sabots.

I shoot Barnes Originals (300 grain) with the orange MMP sabot. I do not know how well they expand or mushroom, I have never recovered one. I also have never lost a deer with them. I did lose one that I hit high with a Lightfield 20 guage slug. It laid on the ground for a while, dragged itself a ways, then got up and ran.

 

[Pstango]

Another story about tough deer. Mercy shot a nice 7 point mountain buck a few days ago in the catoctins. Someone had shot him through his left shoulder blade, shattering it and the "boolit" exited through the deer's rib cage. An inch higher and it would have been a perfect shot. As it was, the deer's rib cage was a shattered mess as well, but the parietal? membrane inside the ribcage was still mostly intact. After I shot him, I flipped him over to see how bad he was and based on the condition of his wound, and the amount of puss coming out of his chest, I figured he had to have been lying there for at least a couple of days. Very sad.

 

[fabsroman]

I shoot Barnes Originals (300 grain) with the orange MMP sabot. I do not know how well they expand or mushroom, I have never recovered one. I also have never lost a deer with them. I did lose one that I hit high with a Lightfield 20 guage slug. It laid on the ground for a while, dragged itself a ways, then got up and ran.

I was able to recover a Barnes Expander sabot bullet from one of the deer I killed. Shot the medium sized doe quartering away from me. The sabot went in just in front of the right rear hip and it was lodged in the left front shoulder.

 

[bbarrows32]

Hey guys just to give an update I did locate the deer...another hunter saw it drop on his property and he took it after I didn't show up for an hour. I know the guy and he has good intentions. It was 150 yards away from last blood so I probably wouldn't have located anyway. Thanks for the replies and happy hunting!

 

[mark71211]

So I guess the Slug did do the job but not fast enough. Atleast the deer did not go to waste

 

[IndispensableDestiny]

I was able to recover a Barnes Expander sabot bullet from one of the deer I killed. Shot the medium sized doe quartering away from me. The sabot went in just in front of the right rear hip and it was lodged in the left front shoulder.

Not the Barnes Expander, the Barnes Original:

 

[marko]

Hey guys just to give an update I did locate the deer...another hunter saw it drop on his property and he took it

Well that's ok, if I had been the 'finder' I would have gutted it, washed it out, and depending on temp - hang it or butcher it - so I could split it with the hunter.

Good thing it did not go to waste.

 

[marko]

edit Foxtrapper said along time ago - 'don't let a deer lie there long'....
the warmness damages the tenderloins, then the inside of the back legs, then the rest.
If you don't gut your deer within "X" timeframe, I THOUGHT the whole deer will spoil.
if you gut and want to hang your deer there is a rule of thumb to temperature and time.
Would you gut and eat a deer you found - the day after you shot it ?

 

[GUNSnROTORS]

I will. Actually, I have. Double-lung bow kill, deer bled out and kept trucking - very similar to this story. Searched during the afternoon and into the night. Found the deer the next morning, 600 yards from the shot. The meat was fine.

 

[inkd]

Interesting... this thread caught my eye because there were complaints about these same Hornady rounds with dead primers just a few days ago. It was on an Iowa site:

http://www.iowasportsman.com/forum/viewtopic.php?forum=4&showtopic=891727

I had a problem with Hornady Leverolution ammo in .35 Rem. I bought a few boxes to sight in and practice for a bear hunt. I had 5 misfires in one box.

I emailed Hornady and they called the next day to ask me the lot number. Turns out they had a run of ammo with the primers set to deep. They paid for shipping them back to them and sent me four new boxes of ammo. I went with Remington Core-Lokts though, once my confidence was shaken, I couldn't bring myself to use them.