stubblejumper

When I first started hunting I used the 30-30and then the 243 with partitions for a few years.Almost all of my deer ran a fair distance sometimes 100 yards.I have taken the last 30+ deer using rapidly expanding ballistic tip bullets and cartridge with muzzle velocities of right around 3500fps.Amazingly most of these deer dropped on the spot or within a few yards and not one made 50 yards.Either the deer used to be much tougher,or the faster moving,more rapid expanding bullets do provide much quicker kills.I have always used lung shots so bullet placement is not a factor.

FL/GA Hunter

I've put a variety of shots on a variety of deer, and only three have ever dropped at the shot:

1) Extremely angled down (basically under my stand), so I clipped the spine.

2) First shot through the lungs, second shot was high and hit the spine - dropped on the second shot.

3) Double-lung shot. This one is the one I think about, and I think I caught him off guard - it was absolutely last light, and he was just strolling into a greenfield, certain that the hunters had gone home for the night. That was a great feeling.

CAMPFOURCORNERS

THE LAST 2 DEER I SHOT WITH MY 30-06 180 GR BULLETS BOTH HAD BEEN SHOT THREW THE HEART AND BOTH STILL MANAGED TO RUN ABOUT 50 YARDS. ITS AMAZING THEY CAN STILL RUN WITH A HOLE IN THERE HEARTS

dusters84

Last year I dropped my small 8 pointer with my .243, hit him right behind the shoulder.

Deerslayer_37

deer are unpredictable unless it's spine or brain. Last year, i shot a doe at 30 yards, hit her tight behind the shoulder, got both lungs and the top of the heart, sprayed blood 3 feet on both sides of the trail, but she still ran 35 yards. i had the same exact hit on my buck this year, and he ran 40 yards. i've shot some does with the same loads and most drop as if hit by lightning. i've heard in some articles about it depends on the heartbeat when you hit it, kinetic energy, fast velocity(Roy Weatherby), big calibers, everything..i just aim on the shoulder hoping to break it, but anywhere in the frontal chest cavity and that deer is gonna park himself in the near vicinity.

TXhighrack

The last 7 bucks that I've shot have all dropped in their tracks. I shoot a 243 and aim for the base of the neck right in front of the shoulder. I have hit a couple of bucks higher in the neck then I meant to, but they all dropped. I never aim behind the shoulder, I like neck shots at reasonable ranges.