Posted: 11/29/2007 4:58:31 PM EDT
| basically i shot a very nice buck at 10 yards with my .357 this year, it ran off and couldnt find it. i used federal fusion ammo shot him just in front of the shoulder while he was quartering towards me. i am very dissapointed and i am not sure if i will hunt with a handgun for deer again. is a .357 handgun enough for deer realistically? what about a .44 magnum rifle? i have one but not so sure if i should use it now? |
A 357 is ample to kill a whitetail deer at close range, for me thats 50 yards or less. Your deer is most likely dead somewhere. The shot angle described could and probably resulted in no exit hole and brisket shots are famous for closing up fast leaving little to no blood trail. If you had a direct broadside shot the bullet would have most likely exited and left a better trail. This is my opinion. YMMV |
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I've always used my S&W 586 for hunting whitetails. Especially because I have some relly good private land to hunt and it let's you still have a challenge during the busiest time in the woods. I took two deer with it this season and both dropped in thier tracks with standard loads. These shots were at 30 and 35 yds. It's just one of those things, I've shot 100 lb does that ran like hell after a slug from the 300 mag.  How? I have no idea, but I've now taken 6 with the pistol in .357 and it's worked like a charm every time.
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If you do find him he will be full of green shit. Quartering towards is always bad. Just ask me. I've thrown out alot of tenderloins that were soaked in stomach juice. He is most likely dead. gotta give them some time as they will lay down right away when gut shot. If you look for them right away, you will just push them. Sucks wounding deer but if you haven't had it happen, then you haven't hunted very long. The .357 will do the job if my bow that does 250 fps does! And it does 2-3 times a year! |
Definitely shot placement and not caliber issue...... it happens..... No matter what angle, you have to be conscious of where the vitals are and aim for them. A deer can go a long way with a high lung wound..... |
It really should not matter much high or low lung, high lung will result in less blood trail till the lungs fill up. |
And you can't track the deer..... If you are relying on killing the deer by only damaging the lungs, you are going to loose more deer than taking out other vitals also. You have to shut down the CNS to kill any animal. |
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Quoted: Quoted: basically i shot a very nice buck at 10 yards with my .357 this year, it ran off and couldnt find it. i used federal fusion ammo shot him just in front of the shoulder while he was quartering towards me. i am very dissapointed and i am not sure if i will hunt with a handgun for deer again. is a .357 handgun enough for deer realistically? what about a .44 magnum rifle? i have one but not so sure if i should use it now? Definitely shot placement and not caliber issue...... it happens..... No matter what angle, you have to be conscious of where the vitals are and aim for them. A deer can go a long way with a high lung wound.....
OK, a couple things. First, if you take out the lungs, you have a dead deer. No question in my mind. Very seldom do they travel over 100 yards. My son's first buck was shot this year, high lung and traveled 75 yards tops. Easy to find,,, NO,,,very, very little blood. Second, not sure what you mean by "shut down the CNS to kill any animal." Typically that type of statement would mean brain or spine. If that is what you are saying I would disagree. If you are saying shut down by loss of blood and oxygen to the system, well then I'll agree. This is not anything personal Interceptor_Knight, just making a couple of points IMHO.  Edit to add; A brain or spine is a DRT deal. Not arguing that part. |
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I shot a doe this year with my Desert Eagle .44 Magnum at 60 yards. I used Hornady 240 gr JHP XTP and dropped her on the spot. I think that a .357 should be enough gun especially at 10 yards. As always, shot placement is key. I will tell you though that I hunt in shotgun only territory so that .44 Magnum bullet seems tiny compared to a shotgun slug. It made me a little concerned, but I got over it very quickly.
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A bad lung shot is not "taking out the lungs". Shooting the lungs is not "taking out the lungs". Both lungs collapsed will cease breathing. A hole through one or both lungs will not necessarly "take them out". I have seen deer with large holes in them live for several hours.... I have tracked other people's deer only to find them hours later still breathing although in no condition to continue running. These were rifle shots...... If the heart continues beating and the blood continues to flow and the deer continues to breathe, it will continue to live. Stop one of these things or mess up the spine or brain and you will have a dead deer. "Take out" the shoulders and an animal can not continue to run, whether or not it will continue to live....... |
OK, my last post on this. 99% of deer shot in even 1 lung are going to be dead in short order. Seconds in most circumstances. I am talking a hole thru the lung, not a nick. A high lung hit is just as effective as a low lung hit, maybe more so as the lungs will fill with blood and cause suffocation, but they can be harder to trail because the blood has to rise to a level above the hole. The heart will continue to pump blood till it has no blood to pump. A wound in the lungs will bleed heavily internally if shot placement is high. I agree Well Interceptor_Knight, These are my feelings on the matter, if agree or disagree really does not matter to me, I won't take any offense. I think we agree on more points than not, otherwise we can agree to disagree. So I'll leave it alone now and go deer hunting. gunguyr |