Watching the bullet trace I followed it into the hillside. The bullet clipped his back and plowed into the dirt. Any lower and he'd be in your freezer. Good thing is it's a survivable wound. Try again next year.
Explain This Please
- Thread starter bozoben
- Start date
Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum
longrangebob
Well-Known Member
Yup, Looks like "No Man's Land" have unfortunately put an arrow thru there on a Bull Moose {rear 1/4ing} & Bull Elk {Broadside} and after the River of Blood turned to An Intermittent Droplet on chest high Leaves 
- [spent all Morning Tracking] got to see the Moose days later in Fine Fettle [barely any sign of stiffness] - Mr. Elk, not so much as he went of to the next County after leaving a clot where he bedded - then Nary another ….. Same on a running big Dry Doe …. Knocked her over with 300 WM - as walking in she got up and boogied …. Spotted her 500 yds. Away (where I didn't have permission) …. Tiny Blood 
Spot on "Farside High Chest" ….
- [spent all Morning Tracking] got to see the Moose days later in Fine Fettle [barely any sign of stiffness] - Mr. Elk, not so much as he went of to the next County after leaving a clot where he bedded - then Nary another ….. Same on a running big Dry Doe …. Knocked her over with 300 WM - as walking in she got up and boogied …. Spotted her 500 yds. Away (where I didn't have permission) …. Tiny Blood Spot on "Farside High Chest" ….
wyogeargeek
Well-Known Member
Saw the same thing you saw. Also saw the spot on the side prior to the shot on the video.
John215
Active Member
You barely broke skin at the very top of the back. Good news is that the buck is going to survive that shot.
Well we all can agree it's one or the other. "Skimmed off or No mans land." Either way it's unfortunate. It leaves a empty feeling when it happens for sure.
John215
Active Member
Negative
longrangebob
Well-Known Member
Maybe I shudder said "Sounds Like" No Man's…. As the video was not that clear for these ole eyes …
I'm thinking that you may have grazed em… since didn't knock em over …
I'm thinking that you may have grazed em… since didn't knock em over …
Guys I've hunted lots of antelope and that is a gut shot. Too high and too far back. It hit behind the engine room. He could possibly live for days but he will be dead within a week.
I shoot the same bullet out of my 338 Lapua. I've never used it on pronghorn but wouldn't hesitate to use it for them. I've used it to kill a Coues deer which was the same size as a pronghorn. Impact velocity on coues buck would have been around 2400 FPS and the bullet performed as advertised. The big advantage of the 338 Berger is that it gets pushed less by the wind which makes it easier to calculate the most difficult factor in making a long range shot. My guess is that the coyotes have already taken care of him.
I've shot 2 mule deer with that bullet when the impact velocity was around 2200 FPS which may be close to your impact velocity. On one of them the bullet expanded as expected and the other one penciled through the buck. The pencilled through bullet hit him right behind the shoulder, skimmed the top of the heart and exited right behind the other shoulder. He still tipped over dead after about 50 yards but I've seen a 60 gr Nosler partition from a 223 in the same location kill a deer faster.
As already mentioned, cleaning out the tips will help. That is something I'm trying to make a habit of doing. If your Berger would have expanded as advertised, that pronghorn would have likely died shortly after the shot. Pronghorn can often be found in the same area. If you have time, I think you have a good chance of finding him again as long as he isn't already dead(your bullet or another hunters). If he was gut shot, the coyotes have probably already taken care of him.
I've shot 2 mule deer with that bullet when the impact velocity was around 2200 FPS which may be close to your impact velocity. On one of them the bullet expanded as expected and the other one penciled through the buck. The pencilled through bullet hit him right behind the shoulder, skimmed the top of the heart and exited right behind the other shoulder. He still tipped over dead after about 50 yards but I've seen a 60 gr Nosler partition from a 223 in the same location kill a deer faster.
As already mentioned, cleaning out the tips will help. That is something I'm trying to make a habit of doing. If your Berger would have expanded as advertised, that pronghorn would have likely died shortly after the shot. Pronghorn can often be found in the same area. If you have time, I think you have a good chance of finding him again as long as he isn't already dead(your bullet or another hunters). If he was gut shot, the coyotes have probably already taken care of him.
Last edited:
See, when I watch the video I have it a bit higher than that. I mean, it looks like nothing but hair flying. It just doesn't look like a spine hit at all, it looks way too high, antelope have very thick back hair. I think you just flat missed, gave him a buzz cut and broke a little skin.
Attachments
Last edited:
Definitely a gut shot in my opinion. Not sure what the bullet did but they don't just drop on a gut shot. He can live a few days with that wound.
I concurI'm calling that a high hit, very top of hide.
About .2 mil high
Spot on yote!
