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How to "drop" a deer

Weldabeast

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
May 23, 2019
Messages
12,363
Location
Northeast Florida
I don't want to take away from nutters great post on taxes so I start a new 1.....

I have only ever shot 1 deer with a rifle and I didn't recover because it made it to the property line 250yds. I've watched the utubes and u see neck shots and high shoulder drop dead in thier tracks. I know a buck that I could possibly kill but he's right on the boundary and if I was presented a shot I don't.want him going anywhere. It's not a far shot 100yds. I'm pretty good marksman and am confident I could make the shot accuracy wise but where should I be aiming? There is a good chance the deer could be laying down also

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Yeah 30-30 is fine. Just make sure you feed the rifle a buffet so you know what it likes to eat. My pop had a .444 Marlin that would only chew Remington everything else shot like crap.
 
With A2 you're trying to get the spine and you may also get jugular. The hydrostatic shock of a good expanding .30cal bullet in this location will fry the central nervous system and immobilize the deer. When I have connected with the spine, I've never had the deer do anything but drop in place. Your C4 shot is excellent placement to connect with vital organs, but it doesn't immobilize the animal - but you know that from your experience. I'd be wary of 30/30 if it's a lever action rifle ... in my experience they aren't capable of the accuracy needed to ensure proper bullet placement to confidently take a neck shot at 100 yards. If you don't have an accurate .30cal bolt rifle, maybe you can borrow one from a friend for a couple of weeks if you get drawn for the WMA you're eyeing.
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Yes - and proper placement breaks the structure, obliterates the spinal chord, and makes jelly of the jugular! As long as you're not planning to have a taxidermist mount your trophy buck, the neck shot is your best guarantee against escape over the border to private land.
 
The deer I shot that ran 250yds was sub 30yds off the ground and I shot c4

What were you shooting for a gun? Scope? Open sights? Most guns with scopes will be shooting low at 30 yards. If you were shooting at c4 with a scoped gun you could have easily hit a bit too low.


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I have shot a number with a rifle in my younger hunting years. I still occasionally take it out if I am feeling it, or if I am going somewhere I know my shot opportunities will be longer. I have shot deer in the vitals with my Browning X-Bolt .308 using Hornady American Whitetail ammo, and the energy through the body destroyed the lungs and heart...they all dropped. I have also shot one with a 300WSM and that was a neck shot, that seemingly snapped the deer's neck, it destroyed the neck completely and it also dropped. Now, I do not think I would shoot a deer with that 300 WSM in the vitals, it just destroys so much tissue. Its overkill, I say if you can confidently make a neck shot it will get the job done 100% of the time. But you are limiting yourself in regards to any room for error.
 
What were you shooting for a gun? Scope? Open sights? Most guns with scopes will be shooting low at 30 yards. If you were shooting at c4 with a scoped gun you could have easily hit a bit too low.


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Iron sights
 
B 3.5 high shoulder will catch both lungs and the hydro shock will zap the spine...famous writes such as Ron Spomer and Craig Boddington often promotes it...and so do I at least once a year the needed Dead Right There effect downside is meat lose

also it allows the most wiggle room
 
If you want to pin them B3 or C3. Aim right at the line where they touch. If your a tad high instant death. Tad low he will go 20-30 yards with a blown heart. In the summer with crop damage tags that is my exact aim point. 6.5 prc put in that spot and they don't even flinch. If you can pin them the other deer don't run away and you get to have more fun.
 
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