HuntingNet.com Forums - Lehigh .458/275 - Deer Down

Lehigh .458/275 - Deed Done

This happened Thursday but was unable to post for the last few days as my Internet Security Software - was picking up a Virus on this site and I just did not want to chance it.... but seems clear today...

Anyway, Thursday I decided to run out to another one of my favorite whitetails spots to see if anything was stirring.

I am working on two different goals… it is our rifle season at the moment and runs to Dec. 1. I am using a ML as normal, but I and my hunting buddy have imposed a restriction which is one of the two goals. 1) We are buck hunting and I am trying to stay with that goal as I have passed up several opportunities so far. 2) I am using a Lehigh .458/275 for my projectile. I want to test it before I try it on an elk. I personally think it is too big and heavy for our skinny whitetail. I really think it will pass right through. I have emailed Lehigh Dave about this a couple of times and he keeps telling me over and over it will work just fine… it only needs 2” to work. Well our whitetail are small but not that small, but I still have some worries.

I decided to get up LP draw to the top sit above the saddle for a couple of hours and wait to ambush something passing by. I no more got to the top of the draw and coming down the other side was a whitetail doe. She had no idea that I was there even though I was moving. She was moving fairly fast herself coming right at me. I tucked my self down in the tall grass and decided to watch her cross and then hope that it was a buck that was causing her hurry across the draw. She got within 20 yards of me then figured out – there might be a problem. I had the scope on her and I gotta tell you she was a really nice doe, but I held firm and let her walk by. I gave her a PASS – a pass I hoped I would not regret. I then waited for the buck. I got set up behind a stump in the draw and waited…. Did I mention I waited… No buck – but another doe! I worked the doe bleat and rattled for awhile – nothing… But I made myself feel good – I held to our standards – my hunting buddy would be proud… I was a bit mad.
This is a pic of the first set in LP draw - Deer normally come fron the west in fron of the barrel or the north thru the saddle...

Two hours later I had enough and decided to go hunt the old fashioned way – hoped I would stumble on to one – a buck. Got up and went over the top into another large draw, we call it 458 tag draw. Watched from the top for a bit then started down to 4 corner landing. Really an uneventful walk until I was about 75 yards from the landing. I’ll be darned there below right in the middle of the landing was a deer, but the view was terrible – lots of brush and limbs between me and him. I couldn’t to a rest or even down to get a steady shot. I scoped him saw that the was some sort of horns on his head – at least outside his ears – then moved to the body – I could see the outline but I saw more branches and brush than I did animal. I then went back towards the head – busted! He was looking right at me! As I had scanned from the left shoulder to the head I remember passing a small hole (window) in the brush ahead of me – it was going to have to be a neck shot. Back down to the neck – I just knew he was going to jump before the shot… Got on the neck and pulled. Boom! Smoke – nothing no sign of the animal no noise nothing… I was ticked… Brought out the speed loader and started reloading – thinking the whole time you should have passed – it was not the shot you wanted anyway. I wanted to put the Lehigh in just behind the shoulder so I could check the ‘hydrostatic shock’ of the bullet. When it sheds its petals – it becomes almost like a ‘Keith Nose’ projectile which really creates havoc with organs – whether it contacts them or not. Plus the action of the petals should perforate organs in the area. Well, that experiment was out the door and I was still upset. Got the Knight reloaded and started working my way down to the landing. It was eerie quiet – I kept hoping for some movement below the landing – nothing… Eventually – I made my way to the haul road going back to the landing. Thought I had better walk out there next and check for blood – all the time thinking – I no it was a good site picture that animal should be here. Turned the corner where I could see the landing – I’ll be darned! Right where I shot him he laid – he had not moved a step.

I was sure I must have broken his neck – I checked as soon as I got there. The entrance hole was a bit higher and to the right of where I expected it. It was over the top of the neck bones – so the neck was intact – the wind pipe had not been punctured. I could not figure out why that animal went done that hard. There was a very large pool of blood under the neck and right shoulder. Rolled him over the bullet had exited – it came out high in the body over the right shoulder which would be the angle that shot was taken. Checked the right shoulder nothing broken in there either. Well enough looking and wondering – but as I was cleaning I kept thinking why? Why would he go down like a ton of bricks just because I popped an artery + he knew something was not right when he was looking at me?
Nothing eventful in the clean-out – went back to the truck and got the 4 wheeler picked him up and headed home still wondering….

Here is the animal.... When i ran the range finder it was 77 yards...

This is the blood pool - i was talking about - had to hit and artery....

Loaded up and headed out...

Hoisting the deer from the 4 wheeler on our home made animal ceiling hoist...

Might be a decent winter here - he had a bunch of fat stored up...

Done and hanging...

Here is the exit hole - remember this bullet sheds its petals and them becomes bullet size... BUT, this picture really does not show the damage under the hole. I could put my whole hand up under the surface muscle and flop it around.... I scooped out a bunch of jello and one brass petal.

Now pseaking of petal(s) conjecture on my part I think I can answer the why now.... One of those fractured petals must have punched the spinal cord that is the only good reason that buck did not run.... It was dead but it should have bolted.

That's my story and I am sticking to it....