Today’s blog comes from Mike Hanback of Big Deer TV. Mike has been writing about whitetails since the 1990′s and is considered by many as an expert on the subject. For more information about Mike, you can follow him on Twitter, find him on Facebook or visit his website at www.mikehanback.com
Some years ago biologists for the South Carolina DNR analyzed 493 rifle deer kills on a hunt club on the coastal plain. Here are three interesting results from the study, followed by three observations by me:
1) Hunters used more than 20 calibers, from .243 to .30-06 and larger. As to how quickly deer died or ran after the shot the researchers wrote: “There was no apparent relationship with increasing or decreasing caliber size, or the differences in velocity or energy.”
So you don’t need a moose cartridge to kill a deer!
2) Based on the study, the biologists recommended the shoulder shot. One hundred and seventy deer shot in and through the scapula ran an average of 3 yards versus an average of 50 yards for the 152 animals that were shot farther back though the lungs.
Hunters ask me all the time whether they ought to take the shoulder or lung shot. I advise that a well-executed shoulder shot will drop deer faster than a lung shot (as the South Carolina study confirms) but that a bullet through the vitals behind the shoulder is fine too. A deer so shot will run no more than 70 yards. It all depends on the situation and the exact positioning of the buck.
3) More than 350 deer shot with soft-point, fast-expanding bullets traveled an average of 27 yards; 58% of those animals dropped in their tracks. Conversely, 84 deer struck by harder, slower-expanding bullets went an average of 43 yards, with 40% going down on the spot.
Mike Hanback and a South Dakota Whitetail
While either type bullet will drop and kill a buck if you hit him right, you are just as well off buying a $20 box of standard ammo with good old soft-points rather than spending double the money for a premium loading that might work better on heavier game like elk and bears but not necessarily deer. I use the good old, time-tested Remington Core-Lokt PSP, a bullet that has felled as many a buck as any bullet ever designed.
So, with all this in mind, what is your deer caliber/load/bullet…where do you try to hit them…and how far do they usually run after the shot?
300 win mag 165 grain Barnes tsx with norma brass deer dnt leave where they last stood an I can shoot 2 full capability of my field of view
Hey Mike, That study was done here at Cedar Knoll Hunting Lodge here in the South Carolina lowcountry. And the one thing that the study doesn’t show but our trail dog does, is that shot placement matters much more than caliber.
I’ve used everything from .257 Roberts to .444 Marlin (including .270 Win, 7mm Rem Mag, .308, 30-06, and .35 Rem). If I had but one rifle, it would be the 30-06. If I know that I’ll be in the woods only, then the .35 Rem. If I know that I’ll be in mostly open country, then the .270. Favorite ammunition was Nitrex (no longer made but which I approximate with IMR powders and the Speer Grand Slam bullet).
I stopped using factory ammunition about 15 years ago and started reloading my own due to several bullet failures that left blood-shot meat and long trailing jobs. From .243, .270, and 7mm rem mag I found that hornady and speer both made several slower expanding bullets that brought down whitetail and Axis deer within 20 yards of impact (most dropped in their tracks) when hit a little behind and below the shoulder. I could not get consistent accuracy with factory ammunition. Just my own findings. SGF.
I use 130 gr ballistic tip boat tails by Hornady in my Sako .270.I prefer a head shot for doe and heart/lung for buck.Buck run 20 yards on avg.
I have shot many deer with 22 long rifle hollow point they will drop just like a 30 30 or a 30.06 I shot them for food not sport
I use a 300 Win Mag & Hornady 150 grain SST rounds. I love them! Will NOT use anything but Hornady in all my firearms. The deer I have shot with this gun, do not run. They drop straight down. I try and hit the shoulder, or just behind. I have also had some poorly placed shots & the deer still drop in their tracks.
Best performance I had for many years was .270 Winchester 130 Grain Silvertip. Never had a buck move more than 20-30 yards after being hit in the heart and several dropped on the spot. I’m hot as happy with the new Winchester 130 Grain Ballistic Tip and the bucks I’ve hit with it have traveled much beyond the 100 foot range with one exception. The old Silvertips were a great design but they’re hard to find today. As for this year, I haven’t found a buck I’ liked yet but hope everyone else has done so.
I like your blog. I hope you keep writing more blogs like this one.