Of course! We hunt alike!Moved spots after 4 sits with no sightings. Did see one doe this afternoon that never came my way. On the walk back in I bumped one about 20 yards from my last setup, of course.
If they're still moving, do not hesitate. Shoot them again. Ballistic tips are usually recommended for varmint hunting and on contact with bone may splatter and not finish the job on larger critters. They also may not exit and, consequently, may leave a poor blood trail.Has/does anyone used Nosler Ballistic Tips before? I loaded some 120 gr BTs for my 6.5 Grendel to try something new during deer season this year, and had an odd experience that occurred over the weekend.
On Saturday, I shot a doe at around 80 yards that was quartering towards me and dropped her in her tracks. Bullet did a complete pass-through, and upon field dressing, I could see that the heart was completely destroyed. Not much blood from the exit wound, but the bullet seemed to have done its job well.
The next morning, I shot a small-racked buck that came in nearly the same shooting lane, only he was around 50 yards away and standing broadside. I aimed behind his shoulder and he dropped instantly, but I could see that he was trying to crawl away with his front hoofs. There was brush in the way and I couldn't fire another shot, so I climbed down from my stand to try to get a better angle on him. Once I got to about 30 yards away from him, he stood up and bolted, running probably 400 yards through adjacent farmer's fields only stopping once briefly. Once he was out of my sight, I heard two close shots from that direction seconds later, so I was confident that someone else got him. I checked the area where I hit him and saw some blood on the ground. Not a lot, but a decent amount. It sucked, and I hated to see a wounded animal get away.
I shoot a lot more than I hunt, and I can confidently say that everything about the shot felt great. It's always a possibility that I somehow missed the vitals, it just seems so unlikely is all. Prior to this, I've never had a deer make it more than 30 yards after being hit with a classic cup-and-core bullet or even a slug. All I can think is the bullet didn't expand right or didn't penetrate well or something like that. I've also heard that a lack of a blood trail is common with plastic-tipped bullets. Anyway, I think this is the last time I use those bullets. Anyone have a similar experience?
And fragments in the meatIf they're still moving, do not hesitate. Shoot them again. Ballistic tips are usually recommended for varmint hunting and on contact with bone may splatter and not finish the job on larger critters. They also may not exit and, consequently, may leave a poor blood trail.
Yeah, hindsight is always 20/20. Nosler even recommends them for deer, antelope, and hogs.If they're still moving, do not hesitate. Shoot them again. Ballistic tips are usually recommended for varmint hunting and on contact with bone may splatter and not finish the job on larger critters. They also may not exit and, consequently, may leave a poor blood trail.
I did too.There are a ton of the plastic tip hunting rounds I have feeding issues with them often
Give it a rest until muzzleloader. Bucks can wander in whenever. Enjoy the time out.Tempted to toss it in for the season. Haven't seem hardly anything in person. No deer on camera for over a week. No deer in daylight for a couple weeks. Loosing motivation.
I'd say there is a 99% chance you just clipped the top of the spine-stunning him for a bit. Been there done that!Has/does anyone used Nosler Ballistic Tips before? I loaded some 120 gr BTs for my 6.5 Grendel to try something new during deer season this year, and had an odd experience that occurred over the weekend.
On Saturday, I shot a doe at around 80 yards that was quartering towards me and dropped her in her tracks. Bullet did a complete pass-through, and upon field dressing, I could see that the heart was completely destroyed. Not much blood from the exit wound, but the bullet seemed to have done its job well.
The next morning, I shot a small-racked buck that came in nearly the same shooting lane, only he was around 50 yards away and standing broadside. I aimed behind his shoulder and he dropped instantly, but I could see that he was trying to crawl away with his front hoofs. There was brush in the way and I couldn't fire another shot, so I climbed down from my stand to try to get a better angle on him. Once I got to about 30 yards away from him, he stood up and bolted, running probably 400 yards through adjacent farmer's fields only stopping once briefly. Once he was out of my sight, I heard two close shots from that direction seconds later, so I was confident that someone else got him. I checked the area where I hit him and saw some blood on the ground. Not a lot, but a decent amount. It sucked, and I hated to see a wounded animal get away.
I shoot a lot more than I hunt, and I can confidently say that everything about the shot felt great. It's always a possibility that I somehow missed the vitals, it just seems so unlikely is all. Prior to this, I've never had a deer make it more than 30 yards after being hit with a classic cup-and-core bullet or even a slug. All I can think is the bullet didn't expand right or didn't penetrate well or something like that. I've also heard that a lack of a blood trail is common with plastic-tipped bullets. Anyway, I think this is the last time I use those bullets. Anyone have a similar experience?