Explain This Please

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bozoben

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This is an antelope that I shot at the other day. The shot was 800 yards on the button. I am shooting a 338 rum pushing 300 grain Berger EH's. This is the first antelope I have shot at with this setup. I was expecting different results to say the least.

I made the shot and he took off. Initially I thought I missed. After reviewing the video I realized I put a pretty decent hit on him. He ran over the back side of the ridge so I figured he would be toast just out of sight. I walked over to retrieve him and as I crested the ridge he was on, I saw him on the next ridge back, over 1k yards away, with the same 3 does. I got a look at the exit side and there was a good stream of blood all down his Left side to confirm the hit and placement. He went up and over and I figured I would leave him for the night.

The next morning at daylight i was back with a buddy to recover him, as I was sure he would be toast. After a bit of hiking around sure enough there he was, running down a ridge a couple hundred yards away. Into a draw and up and over another ridge. Then up and over another. I could see blood stains all down his entry side which confirmed he was the same one.
I did not get an opportunity for another shot. I continued hiking in the direction he went and hiked and glasses for the next couple hours with no luck finding him. At that point he was alive and appeared to be doing just fine. Neither one of us were able to locate him again.

I have attached a link to a video as well as a screenshot of the impact frame.



From the more experienced guys, whats the consensus here? Too far back? Too high? Bullet did not perform properly? Antelope did not have enough mass to instigate terminal performance? Ex-con goat who was just downright tough as nails?

I must say I was expecting more of a bang flop type of scenario on an antelope with this rifle.

I would like to know where I went wrong.
 
Well that was my first impression too and the video quality went to crap when I uploaded it but it was definitely below the spine.
The dark spot just above the white/tan line behind the shoulder is where he bullet entered the animal. It's a screen shot from the video at the moment the bullet impacted. Verified by blood streams later.
 
bozoben said:
View attachment 303682This is an antelope that I shot at the other day. The shot was 800 yards on the button. I am shooting a 338 rum pushing 300 grain Berger EH's. This is the first antelope I have shot at with this setup. I was expecting different results to say the least.

I made the shot and he took off. Initially I thought I missed. After reviewing the video I realized I put a pretty decent hit on him. He ran over the back side of the ridge so I figured he would be toast just out of sight. I walked over to retrieve him and as I crested the ridge he was on, I saw him on the next ridge back, over 1k yards away, with the same 3 does. I got a look at the exit side and there was a good stream of blood all down his Left side to confirm the hit and placement. He went up and over and I figured I would leave him for the night.

The next morning at daylight i was back with a buddy to recover him, as I was sure he would be toast. After a bit of hiking around sure enough there he was, running down a ridge a couple hundred yards away. Into a draw and up and over another ridge. Then up and over another. I could see blood stains all down his entry side which confirmed he was the same one.
I did not get an opportunity for another shot. I continued hiking in the direction he went and hiked and glasses for the next couple hours with no luck finding him. At that point he was alive and appeared to be doing just fine. Neither one of us were able to locate him again.

I have attached a link to a video as well as a screenshot of the impact frame.



From the more experienced guys, whats the consensus here? Too far back? Too high? Bullet did not perform properly? Antelope did not have enough mass to instigate terminal performance? Ex-con goat who was just downright tough as nails?

I must say I was expecting more of a bang flop type of scenario on an antelope with this rifle.

I would like to know where I went wrong.
Click to expand...

The bullet traced and dropped right at the top middle of the back just missing the spine. Probably just under the skin and between the vertebrate An inch or 2 lower and would have broke his back and dropped him right there
 
Coyote Shadow Tracker said:
The bullet traced and dropped right at the top middle of the back just missing the spine. Probably just under the skin and between the vertebrate An inch or 2 lower and would have broke his back and dropped him right there
Click to expand...
This was where the bullet impacted the animal. This to me definitely looks like it's below the spine.
 

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At first glance, I'd call buzz cut on hide. At second look and reviewing the video in slow mo, there's evidence of hydrostatic shock around the thorax tissue, and hair in the wind upon bullet exit.

However, a spine shot would 100% lead to some type of CNS disruption. So it would appear the bullet entered just below the spine in the rib area, and exited through the adjacent rib side. Perhaps the hole clots and the animals lives, or at worst the animal has a tension pneumothorax and needs a 9 lined called up and to be medevac'd to a echelon 3 medical facility for a chest tube and antibiotics…
 
Last edited:
bozoben said:
This was where the bullet impacted the animal. This to me definitely looks like it's below the spine.
Click to expand...
You hit him in what is called no man's land above the lungs there is no vitals you basically poked a hole through and through bullet didn't expand he may or may not survive I'm sure this happens with bow hunters more than rifle hunters
 
There is a spot behind the shoulder, below the spine, above heart and lungs on every ungulate that a bullet can pass thru and damage nothing vital. Did it once with an elk cow at 505yds and was sure I missed as the 5 of them turned around and started back up the hill they just came down. 2nd shot I held 6" lower and drt. During cleaning and skinning we found a completely clean pass thru wound with a small stream of blood down her exit wound side. This was with a 340 wby and 200 gr interbond. Probably a near impossible shot to make on purpose, but much like the fact that there are lots of spots in the necks of the deer and antelope families that a bullet can pass thru leaving the animal alive and well and us shaking our heads. Good reason to not take neck shots unless you know your quarry anatomy well. A good friend shot a cow elk in the neck at 60yds w 300wby 180gr and all we found was 3 drops of blood and one of those was found by a blood dog.
 

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