rockport

How do folks possibly manage to bow hunt?

rockport

Sometimes I shoot shoulder here if I need to just like I would anywhere but it doesn't change what I prefer.

Doesn't matter where I'm at, I want to eat the front shoulders if possible but will and do adjust if I need to.

C. Davis

I try to put it right behind the shoulder and in front of the diaphragm. I want two holes and a lot of blood.
The hydrostatic shock is still there on a pass through. I believe that hydrostatic shock is more potent than dumping all the bullet energy.
The term "knock down power" is a misnomer.

I've shot deer right before dark and tried to anchor them by taking ought their shoulders, but it is nice to have fully intact shoulders when I can.

C. Davis

super_hunt54

I switched to the Interlocks and Interbonds a good while back. With the Interlocks especially, I get very little meat damage from my 7mm.08 with the 139gr. With my .30-06, using the 180gr Interlock I can dang near eat right up to the hole on the entrance. The exit on the other hand, well, grenade anyone The Interbonds perform better than the SST's as far as holding together but are a bit more "explosive" damage wise than the Interlocks.

Rock, as far as your question about Bowhunting down South, it can indeed become quite difficult in the swamp areas and such. But your thick brushy areas are an actual aid as long as you got a good pass through on a clean lung shot. Blood high up on the leaves makes for an easy trail to follow.

BarnesX.308

Bullets that "expend all of their energy in the animal" do so because they run out of steam before they exit. Bullets that penetrate expend plenty of energy in the animal, they just have enough left over to exit.

Say you have a bullet that hits with 2000 ft/lbs of energy but doesn't penetrate. You would say that it expends all of it's energy in the animal. And you would be right. But, you could also have a bullet that hits with 4000 ft/lbs of energy. Maybe that expends 3000 ft/lbs in the animal and has an extra 1000 to penetrate and leave an exit wound. I would prefer that.

alleyyooper

Studies aside you should do what works for you to get a quick clean kill.


I like one hole just behind the shoulder mangle the lungs and with the shot gun usually the heart is damaged some.

Did a lot of bullet research years ago and picked my bullets so I do not ruin much meat and the deer mostly are bang flops if I do what I am supposed to do.


Al

Bocajnala

I have shot deer with multiple calibers and grains from 80- 260. They all killed deer pretty well.... The most "bang flops" I've had though have been with remington accutip slugs... None have exited the deer, and all the deer either flopped over or took one or two more jumps and dropped over. I personally typically aim for a double lung. But on a few certain properties in urban areas that I've hunted in the past, I aim for a shoulder shot to drop them. Just depends on the situation. I don't know which is better. A complete pass through typically gives you a better blood trail though. And being able to track a hit deer is important.
-Jake

Oldtimr

I don't even know how many deer I have taken with my .308 and 150 grn corelochts, but it was a lot. I always aim for the crease behind the shoulder most of them went right down, the ones that didn't didn't go more than 25 yards or so and left a blood trail like an open fire hose. Except for one brisket shot and one head shot the behind the shoulder is where I aim. Believe it or not the brisket shot deer went right down and blew lung pieces out onto the ground, The bullet was found under the hide back at the hind quarters. That was the only bullet I fired into a deer that wasn't a pass through. The only other rifle I use or have for big game is a 45-70, I have taken 4 deer with it and use the same aim point. I use Hornady 325 grn Leverevolution rounds. Funny thing is they take a few steps before they go down with a totally destroyed boiler room. As others have said, I would rather a through and through than a round that stops inside. Both the rounds I use have the smoke to up end a deer.

BrushyPines

A lot of sweat and skeeters, Rock. It's very common here, during the month of October (bow season), for the high to be in the high 70's to low 80's. I'll usually hunt opening weekend then either wait till a cold front moves in or gun season starts. Doesn't make any sense to be sweating constantly and fighting skeeters up in a tree IMO.

BarnesX.308

A complete pass-through is also a longer wound channel.