Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
Articles
Latest reviews
Author list
Classifieds
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles and first posts only
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
Hunting
Elk Hunting
Why I don't shoulder shoot elk!
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Pdvdh" data-source="post: 822824" data-attributes="member: 4191"><p>When I started archery hunting deer in 1968, compound bows didn't exist. The state of the art was a Fred Bear Archery recurve bow. 'Bear' brand broadheads were the broadheads we used, and I'm not sure there were lots of other choices available. If we hit a deer in the shoulder blade, the broadhead would bend over like a banana and stop there giving a surface flesh wound, so we always aimed just behind the shoulders through the middle of the ribs. Hit a deer there with a sharp broadhead and they will often fall without ever leaving your field of vision in a wooded forest.</p><p></p><p>With respect to hitting the front leg bone on Alaska bull moose, here's a post I placed on another Thread where the OP asked about using a 7mm Rem Mag on Maine moose: <a href="http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f22/7mm-vs-moose-116296/" target="_blank">http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f22/7mm-vs-moose-116296/</a></p><p></p><p>"<em>In order to make sure I haven't misled anyone: Do NOT aim for the large front leg bone of a large bull moose.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>I have two first hand experiences with bullet hits on that bone.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>1) My hunting buddy hit a large Alaskan bull moose there with a 7mm Rem Mag using a 175 grain bullet at 175 yards. The bone deflected the bullet forward of the vitals. The bullet never exited. This bull would not have died any time soon from that hit. A second shot with a 270 grain Hornady Interlock from a .375 Weatherby Magnum to the spine was required to kill this bull.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>2) A 55" bull moose at 425 yards hit with a .375 Weatherby - 285 grain Speer Grand Slam, back when the Speer Grand Slam was a pretty tough bullet. The bullet hit directly on that leg bone a little lower than ideal. This bullet did take out the leg bone but was lodged in the rib/brisket area not too much deeper past the entry side leg bone. Had this bullet been placed 5 inches higher, it might have inflicted enough damage to vitals the other side of the leg to have killed this bull, but the bullet was severely damaged / sheared off after taking out the leg bone. It didn't have much energy / velocity left after crushing thru that bone. Two additional hits were required to bring this bull down. This was back in the days before laser range finders and all the other wonderful technology currently available for the long range hunter today.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>So when I said aim for the ribs directly behind the front shoulders, what I mostly meant to say was do NOT aim for the front leg bone. At least on adult bull moose the size of the ones we have in Alaska. The front leg bone of a Maine bull moose is likely similarly a poor aiming point.</em>" </p><p></p><p>I have never shot an elk. However my life's experience hunting all other manner of big game has led me to the same conclusions that <strong>bigngreen</strong> expresses in this Thread. The only times I've seen behind-the-shoulder lung shot animals not expire quickly and be easily recovered, <u>is when the expanding bullets being used fail to expand</u>. I'm talking about first hand experience with three animals (one black bear and two dall rams) that were all eventually recovered, and the exit holes through the hide on the far side were the same size as the entry holes on the near side. Upon field dressing and examination, there was hardly any internal damage from these hits as these bullets penciled through the rib cages much like an arrow tipped with a target-type point. I understand that non-expanding bullets have a reputation for tumbling within game animals, but these three bullets non-expanding bullets showed no evidence of tumbling.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Pdvdh, post: 822824, member: 4191"] When I started archery hunting deer in 1968, compound bows didn't exist. The state of the art was a Fred Bear Archery recurve bow. 'Bear' brand broadheads were the broadheads we used, and I'm not sure there were lots of other choices available. If we hit a deer in the shoulder blade, the broadhead would bend over like a banana and stop there giving a surface flesh wound, so we always aimed just behind the shoulders through the middle of the ribs. Hit a deer there with a sharp broadhead and they will often fall without ever leaving your field of vision in a wooded forest. With respect to hitting the front leg bone on Alaska bull moose, here's a post I placed on another Thread where the OP asked about using a 7mm Rem Mag on Maine moose: [url]http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f22/7mm-vs-moose-116296/[/url] "[I]In order to make sure I haven't misled anyone: Do NOT aim for the large front leg bone of a large bull moose. I have two first hand experiences with bullet hits on that bone. 1) My hunting buddy hit a large Alaskan bull moose there with a 7mm Rem Mag using a 175 grain bullet at 175 yards. The bone deflected the bullet forward of the vitals. The bullet never exited. This bull would not have died any time soon from that hit. A second shot with a 270 grain Hornady Interlock from a .375 Weatherby Magnum to the spine was required to kill this bull. 2) A 55" bull moose at 425 yards hit with a .375 Weatherby - 285 grain Speer Grand Slam, back when the Speer Grand Slam was a pretty tough bullet. The bullet hit directly on that leg bone a little lower than ideal. This bullet did take out the leg bone but was lodged in the rib/brisket area not too much deeper past the entry side leg bone. Had this bullet been placed 5 inches higher, it might have inflicted enough damage to vitals the other side of the leg to have killed this bull, but the bullet was severely damaged / sheared off after taking out the leg bone. It didn't have much energy / velocity left after crushing thru that bone. Two additional hits were required to bring this bull down. This was back in the days before laser range finders and all the other wonderful technology currently available for the long range hunter today. So when I said aim for the ribs directly behind the front shoulders, what I mostly meant to say was do NOT aim for the front leg bone. At least on adult bull moose the size of the ones we have in Alaska. The front leg bone of a Maine bull moose is likely similarly a poor aiming point.[/I]" I have never shot an elk. However my life's experience hunting all other manner of big game has led me to the same conclusions that [B]bigngreen[/B] expresses in this Thread. The only times I've seen behind-the-shoulder lung shot animals not expire quickly and be easily recovered, [U]is when the expanding bullets being used fail to expand[/U]. I'm talking about first hand experience with three animals (one black bear and two dall rams) that were all eventually recovered, and the exit holes through the hide on the far side were the same size as the entry holes on the near side. Upon field dressing and examination, there was hardly any internal damage from these hits as these bullets penciled through the rib cages much like an arrow tipped with a target-type point. I understand that non-expanding bullets have a reputation for tumbling within game animals, but these three bullets non-expanding bullets showed no evidence of tumbling. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
Hunting
Elk Hunting
Why I don't shoulder shoot elk!
Top