Explain This Please

[Calvin45]

I'm not sure. You're not that far north of me. I'm in South Dakota. This is a land of 250-300lb mule deer as well. Plenty cold here and they've got plenty of fur by deer season. I remember back in 2012 punching 3 separate 338LM holes through a mule deer that is now on my wall. Two shots landed within an inch of its heart at 945yds... The 3rd shot finally dropped it in its tracks. That was when I gave up on 30 and 338cal for deer. Been light-switching animals with 7mm ever since and I'm one happy dude.

You can kill deer with a 22lr. You can kill deer with a 460 weatherby magnum. However, I do tend to think there are "right" tools for each job.

Hey good points here…I didn't realize you were from South Dakota, not so far away (though far enough to make a difference no doubt).

I'm feeling a tad silly, I realize there's one other important difference in our experience and it's almost certainly the explanation here: long range! I enjoy long range shooting and seek to get better at it, but where I live there's a fair bit of bush, not just open fields like the southern half of the province, and I've honestly never needed to take a shot at a deer beyond 400-500 yards or so. It's not that I'd be unwilling to, I've truly just never needed to.

I can totally see how at real long range like the 945 yards your talking about the smaller bores might perform better if for no other reason than that they can be made to stay above 2000 FPS impact velocity and actually perform as designed to on game. Some days I'm just a little slow on the draw mentally haha, I'll consider this cleared up!

 

[59FLH]

This was where the bullet impacted the animal. This to me definitely looks like it's below the spine.

To my eyes it looks like the trajectory during impact is dang near straight down, and I don't see how on this animal white fur flying can indicate a high hit. The white fur I see flying looks to be from the off side belly. If the hole your circling is indeed the entry, the bullet entered low and exited lower (classic gut shot). Honestly it looks like the bullet fell out of the sky and skimmed the fat belly on the off side, and that could explain the white fur flying and blood you saw on the off side, with a traditional gut shot I would have expected that animal to have died over night heading for or near water.

What does the hole in paper look like at that distance?

 

[Ga6570]

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.

Hit high. Just knicked his back and a small puff of hair was all that popped up.

"Just a flesh wound" - he'll live on for another day.

 

[cohunt]

Down at the bottom of the video the gear icon -- click on it-- you can choose .25 speed ( slowmo) and 1080p video quality

 

[one3]

What are people boing, hunting or shooting. That is not a target it is a animal. Serves you right for shooting so far away. Did you learn any thing.

 

[cantfixstupid]

You nicked him, probably ricocheted, had the same thing happen with a black buck some years ago. I hunt the same ranch all the time and a buddy of mine shot the same black buck the following year, it had a 1 inch wide x 2" long hairless place across his spine, 1/2 inch lower and he would have went down.

 

[JAYgs8163]

What are people boing, hunting or shooting. That is not a target it is a animal. Serves you right for shooting so far away. Did you learn any thing.

Well friend this is the "long range hunting" forum.

 

[Remhunter]

Looks like what I call a "dead zone" hit. I've hit a couple of deer there with arrows and never found them. Like another member said, it is an area just above the vitals with really nothing important to hit. I always say, that if I miss my aim point, I'd rather it be low and hit the heart than high.

 

[The Oregonian]

Yes. That is what you are seeing there, confirmed by a better resolution video than you are able to see through the upload.

I see the bullet clearly hitting the top of the animal. White fur, animal dropping, and vapor trail all confirm to me and it is pretty easy to see.

I also see confirmation bias as OP is agreeing with posts that point to an impact near the tan/white fur line. You asked for help, in my mind you should be more open to what other people are telling you.

Either way, it hit no man's land or high on the back, and both are from poor shot placement, so the takeaway is the same either way.

 

[skipglo]

In my mind this makes the most sense.

Probably just a GHOSTALOPE! Came back from the dead to haunt hunters dreams....happens all the time!

 

[orkan]

What are people boing, hunting or shooting. That is not a target it is a animal. Serves you right for shooting so far away. Did you learn any thing.

You'd do well to consult Mathew 7, good sir. I need a reminder on it from time to time as well.

 

[Allen Kitts]

Looks like you just skimmed the top of his back.

 

[sp6x6]

@sp6x6 That is a cool experiment. It punched clean thru the big ball joint but shattered the backside and entire femur? 338 packs a wallop!! Impressive.

The whole works wired to a backstop of 1/2 OSB,and it blew a 1 foot whole threw the backstop at 300 yrds,and bone broke in center also.

 

[smokehanger]

I shot a big whitetail buck several years ago and hit him just above the spine. Dropped him like a rock, bolted another round in the chamber and my son goes to yelling hit him again. Tracked him for about 150 yards, found a huge spot of blood splattered across about 6 ft., then nothing. That was on a Monday mid day and did not find him again until Thursday afternoon when my son and I jumped him and I was able to shoot him at about 100 yds. Upon inspection he had a piece of hide missing about a foot in diameter across the top of his back ,you could actually see part of the vertebrae. He was still very healthy looking and acting. Don't know if he would have made it through the winter? Sure glad that I did find him though!