Put it in the boiler room and save the meat. You'll recover the deer within 50yrds almost everytime...

Any deer ive shot with my 270 and had it dropwas right through the front legs or in the neck....A high shot towards the spine can drop em quick too, but y hurt those backstraps? My 12gauge slug gun will put em down in a hurry as well, but it is a much more crude form of hunting than using amuch more preciserifle.

Last year i shot my 8pt and it ran probaly 75 yrds before i found it. He mainly fell downhill....It was a good shot with little meat wasted. I shot a doe the following morning and dropped herwhere she stood. Right through the front shoulders she was not even 100lbs, and the majority of the shoulders had liquidfied from the impact and had burns on it as well...Needless to say i was able to save some of the front shoulder that was already small to begin with.

If i had my choice id shoot all the big bucks in the lungs wasting no meat and all the does in the neck dropping them in their tracks, but as long as i can hunt and claim an animal from time to time, i am happy.

You normally get the drops when they get spined, shoulder, neck, or head shot. It doesn't happen too much on good ole lung and heart shots. As long as you're still killing them with it, and with good shots, then why switch?

It ain't the bullet, it's where you put it...

If you want them to drop, put it through the shoulder blades or at the base of the neck...

I use a 30-06 with 180gr.core-lokt psp. And I have already shot a buckand blew half of his heart away and he still ran 60yds. Go figure

I have shot all my deer with either a 7mmRemMag. or a 308 win. Most hit the dirt with a heart/lung shot. A few still run, but still die. Dont worry about dropping them. If you were losing deer, that would be another issue. Dont get hung up on the 'Drop Shot' Or, if you really want, get more gun, but that doesn't ensure the "DROP"

i dont mind trakin one in open hard woods but i hunt a good bit of thick undergrowth in pines and it is extreamly hard to trak and recover the deer. oh i just remembered of one deer ive ever droped but it was w/ my 50 cal muzzelloader and that was a shot about a quarter in above the but hole and somehow didnt hurt a bit of meat

I'm a big fan of Federal Premium Ammo, I'd recommend one of the following for .243

Nosler® Partition®







The Nosler Partition was one of the original Premium® big game bullets and it continues to be a standard for consistency. Designed for medium to large game animals, the partitioned copper jacket allows the top half of the bullet to mushroom, while the bottom half remains in tact. This design provides deep penetration and ultimate stopping power

or the





Barnes® Triple-Shock® X-Bullet







This non-lead performer is designed for improved expansion and deep penetration. It reduces pressure and barrel fouling while increasing accuracy and features all-copper construction for high weight retention to bring game down hard.

I wouldnt worry about dropping them on the spot. I shoot a .300WSM and that packs a hell of wallop and it still doesnt drop all of them in there tracks with a perfect shot. Sure some face plant on the spot with out a twitch and otherswill run 40yards and then decide to face plant. Either way you hit em in the boiler room there going to fall within sight of where you shot them.

Yep.... shot placement is the critical key. Personally, I'd rather just put one through the lungs, it's your highest-percentage shot, and the blood trail wouldn't give Helen Keller any trouble.

i agree with most of the others with the shoulder shots and all... but personally i love tracking my deer, it adds to the challange.