To Hunter 5325,

I have been hunting white tails with high velocity center-fire since 1964. I don't keep count, but I'd say I have put 600+ deer in my freezer (or someone else's) ... Sorry to say, but I have made some poor shot placements in my time. Missed a few cleanly, but failed to recover 3 ... and I recall every detail about every one of those because I wounded an animal. Not making a clean kill bothers the heck out of me, and it should. When it does not, I'll quit.

When I say seldom farther than 250 yards, I am being truthful about the "less than" ideal shot placements that were not the fault of the equipment that I was using, but the user .. me ! Shots that kill but catch very little lung, or liver, or are too far forward of the heart, or the dreaded gut shot ... these will die and I have recovered practically everyone of these. Often with the help of my tracking dogs, but recovered non the less. Some of these have gone in excess of half a mile. I had one tho this day I have no clue how it went as far as it did - double lunged with a 2" exit wound. that buck went nearly 1/4 mile before piling up in a creek.

Perfect shot placement is everybody's goal for sure, but it is not always the case. Field conditions can be tough. I have killed deer under the wide variety of field conditions from driving rain storms or 30 mph cross winds, or near 0F, or blowing snow, or 95F high humidity, low light for sure, or heavy timber, etc. and such "not perfect shot" experiences will be had as well.

I will say this, that in every case when I have placed the shot where I intended to "aim", i.e. the so called "boiler room" the game (mule deer, white tail, wild pig) has gone for all practical purposes no where. Maybe 50-100 yards max. Most have fallen within 0 - 50 yards for sure. I'd say 75%. For some deer hunters, even 100 yards may sound excessive. I beg to differ. I have had a bunch go that far. A deer in full panic flight can easily cover 100 - 150 yards in 5-6-7 seconds. So if it can stay up for that long, running wide open, it'll go that far !!! A "dead deer running", but nonetheless, covering 100+ yards before piling up.