Zingnut

Shot this buck with my T/C Omega .50, packed with 250gn Shockwave and 150gn 777 pellets. It was my first season in IL for Firearms, and my first ever shot at a deer with my Omega. It was my first buck in IL and it scored out at 130 1/8. Not to shabby for public land.

Primitive Weapon

Congrats on a nice buck!!

cayugad

very nice buck.. congratulations

how far away was it, and what kind of damage did the Shockwave do?

OhioHunter222

looks like it did plenty of damage lol

Zingnut

Amazing enough the shot was through both lungs and right above the heart. I was very upset with the damage from the shockwave. The shot was 73 yards and it left a hole the size of a Sharpie marker in the entrance wound and the exit was able to be completely covers with a quarter. Hardly any blood so I am glad he dropped within site. I am thinking of going to a hollow point style bullet next season but the range will dictate that change.

MLKeith

I have found that relatively high lung shots will not usually result in much blood for a time as the cavity has to fill up. I shot an elk and clipped part of the liver which should have made a lot of blood but the trail was only drops for the first 100 yards and then started heavier.

cayugad

Zingnut.. interesting information.. Like MLKeith said, high lung shots donot always bleed because it takes so long for the body cavity to fill before getting to the holes is what I was told. Whether that is true who knows. At least the critter did not get to far from the sound of it, since you saw him drop.

I shot one many years ago in about the same place you're describing. Never actually hit the heart but took the lungs out. That was with a roundball. I'll tell you, I looked for blood and sign, I almost thought I missed the deer. Unfortunately, where I hunt, if they run off 15 yards, you seldom see them anymore. I cut me a tracking stick and started tracking that rascal and finally got a smear of blood on a bush leaf. It was not much further then that and finally some blood was showing up on the bushes, not so much on the ground. The deer actually only made about 40-45 yards on me from the point of hit, but when they run into the thick stuff, they can disappear in a blink of an eye.

Glad you found it. Sure is a pretty buck. I also have been shooting the XTP's lately only because the rifle I was hunting with likes them or the Barnes Expanders. Barnes Expanders are over a $1.00 each. XTP's are cheap in comparison and shoot very well out to 100 yards for me.

Better luck next year with a giant one. Today, I had to run into town. A monster 8 point crossed the road right in front of the old truck. Still had his rack and everything. He sure was a proud looking devil, figuring he made it through another season I guess...