Hunting & Fishing Question about my Whitetail shot

[Maestro]

Hello,

I went up and successfully bagged a pretty nice 8 point buck with my Remington 700 .270. I am shooting factory loads, 140 GR SST Superformance. I zeroed her at 50 due to ballistic programs showing it staying within a 3" kill zone to about 200 yards or a bit more. Anyways, my buck came out at a measured 179 yards. I didn't waste any time, I got on target, held dead on (drop should have been about .8"), and squeezed off the shot. The buck dropped where it stood. My buddy that was sitting in a blind about a ways off, immediately started coming towards the deer, so I ended up going up to the deer a lot sooner than I normally would have (Within 5 minutes of shooting him). He appeared to be breathing (Hardly) and he was grinding his antlers into the ground ever 20 seconds. I put another shot into him with my .45 in his vitals and he stopped breathing/moving immediately. My "buddy" was convinced I had made a bad shot. And I kind of wondered too, how a DRT shot would cause the deer to still be alive 5-10 minutes later. I don't think the bullet exited, there was no exit hole out the back like I got with my 130 GR CoreLokts on my 6 point last year (You know, the "Junk" ammo). And I couldn't tell what bullet did what, as far as my .270 shot or my .45. His lungs were completely gone though. As soon as I opened up the upper cavity it was red hot blood all over. My shot looked like it came in at the mid point of his shoulder (Left and high of where I wanted, could have been a combination of junk scope, a breeze, and just accuracy of a stock 700 (I'd expect 2 MOA or worse with the scope/rings it has)).

Anyways, any ideas of what happened? Would he have been dead if we had waited the proper 30+ minutes before we got to him? I was wondering if my shot deflected and took out upper vertebrae and paralyzed him and the lung damage was a result of the .45? Again, when I saw he was dead in his tracks at that range, I felt good. But now I'm kind of wondering how clean the kill was.

Do you think it's related to the ammo? I think I'll shoot up the rest of this SST when I get my Leupold and then try a Federal or something next time.

 

[big_matt_duq]

I don't wait at all after shooting one with the rifle. It does sound like you hit him high and forward. Probably took out some spine and maybe just clipped one lung. If you shoot enough deer, eventually you will have some not so clean kills in my opinion. It isn't hard to misjudge distance, angle of animal, etc. I spined one with the muzzleloader last year and it wasn't pretty. Just try to fix it as humanely as possible. As for ammo, all I ever used out of my 270 was 130 corelocks and they killed deer just fine. My dad still uses 150s in his 06.

 

[kurt]

Hit high and forward. Shit happens. my kid just shot this deer with 95 grn sst at 175 yards and it was dead in a few steps.

 

[coldboremiracle]

Do you think it's related to the ammo?

Maybe

(Left and high of where I wanted, could have been a combination of junk scope, a breeze, and just accuracy of a stock 700 (I'd expect 2 MOA or worse with the scope/rings it has)).

^There is your problem.

 

[Maestro]

Thanks guys. Glad I got up to him quickly then and had my .45. Getting a new stock/scope/rings and action work before next November.

 

[Torian13]

Animals are just different man. I have made perfect shots on deer/bear/coyotes etc. Some run, some drop. Some last longer than others. It’s just how it is. Best you can do is ensure your shot placement. And keep hunting.

And tell your buddy to keep his ass on stand. He coulda jumped it and lost it for you.

 

[WeiserBucks]

No animal on earth will survive a quality bullet through the lungs. That is my goal when taking shots regardless of the weapon used .

 

[stwcattle]

Thanks guys. Glad I got up to him quickly then and had my .45. Getting a new stock/scope/rings and action work before next November.

"2 MOA or worse" Perhaps a new rifle is the answer.

Keep a eye out in the rifles for same section. Sometimes some nice rifles in calibers like 6.5 creedmoor that would make nice hunting rifle.

 

[MtnCreek]

It sounds like you may have broke his shoulder. The lung damage you saw was almost certainly from the rifle.

A friend has shot two bucks this year with a 270 factory ballistic silvertips with similar results. Liquefied heart / lungs and no exit. Other than maybe a rib, he's not hit bone to get that kind of fragmentation.

 

[Maestro]

"2 MOA or worse" Perhaps a new rifle is the answer.

Keep a eye out in the rifles for same section. Sometimes some nice rifles in calibers like 6.5 creedmoor that would make nice hunting rifle.

Yeah I’m thinking of a T3X CTR or Varmint to fulfill my blind hunting and range days. 6.5 CReedmore interests me but I’m not sold on it’s killing power, is it a viable competitor of a 270 in killing energy? I know it’s got stunning ballistics and inherent accuracy.

 

[TimeWillTell]

Killed a crap ton of deer growing up with a 243. A shit ton are killed with 243 every year. Killed a bunch with 6.5 Creedmoor over last 5 years. A 6.5 Creedmoor will kill anything you're hunting as far as you're able to put it on target. You don't need a heavy recoil "bigger hole" cartridge to hunt. You need something you can shoot that's affordable and enjoyable and you can get proficient with. Check out Pat Sinclair sometime, he's killed every animal there is in North America with a 260 rem (basically a ballistic twin of the 6.5 Creedmoor).

 

[Mullhead]

6.5 will flat out hammer a deer. Lots of bullet choices. Sale the 270 get the Tikka and enjoy.

 

[gopherslayer]

Don’t zero at 50 yards would be a good start. That’s just a distance to get on paper in my book. My muzzle loader was dead on at 50, moved to 100 and I was right by over an inch. Multiply that out and you’re right by 2” at your distance. I’ve been high also at 100 after a 50 yard shot on paper. I like to sight in at least at 150 yards and go from there.

not sure where the proper 30 minutes comes from but I go in immediately no matter what the shot is. Of course I hunt Wisconsin and there’s a lot property lines where I hunt so the less running the less headaches of making phone calls for permission.

 

[Maestro]

Don’t zero at 50 yards would be a good start. That’s just a distance to get on paper in my book. My muzzle loader was dead on at 50, moved to 100 and I was right by over an inch. Multiply that out and you’re right by 2” at your distance. I’ve been high also at 100 after a 50 yard shot on paper. I like to sight in at least at 150 yards and go from there.

not sure where the proper 30 minutes comes from but I go in immediately no matter what the shot is. Of course I hunt Wisconsin and there’s a lot property lines where I hunt so the less running the less headaches of making phone calls for permission.

I see where your coming from, I have shot the rifle at 150 and it was accurate, not necessarily match precise though.

As far as waiting, that’s something I heard years ago in hunter safety and from other hunters. I guess it’s meant to give the deer a chance to die. Coming up on a dying deer can make it run and you may never see it.

 

[stwcattle]

Yeah I’m thinking of a T3X CTR or Varmint to fulfill my blind hunting and range days. 6.5 CReedmore interests me but I’m not sold on it’s killing power, is it a viable competitor of a 270 in killing energy? I know it’s got stunning ballistics and inherent accuracy.

Last week I dropped a cow elk in her tracks with a 6.5 creedmoor at 340 yards using factory Hornady 143gr ELD-X so I reckon with good shot placement you will be fine on deer.

 

[big_matt_duq]

I Let them lay 30 min with the bow but with a rifle, if they are still moving, I put another one in them. Our rifle season tends to get crowded and add in property lines... Arguments can definitely come up. I'm not into arguing over a dead deer.