Sometimes it’s ugly

[JEL]

Simply put I made a bad shot on this guy. He came in to drink and I was in a blind. Chip shot really and I screwed it up. Low and back. Liver I think. Had eyes on him all day but he never got in a spot I felt I could get close enough for a shot without pushing him. Put him to bed and found him this morning. Salvaged the whole right side.

 

[manitou1]

This was a 120 gr NBT, 7mm-08, hard quartering at 521 yds! Stuff happens!

 

[RyGuy]

Unfortunately that’s how it goes sometimes. Good work sticking with him and not just moving on to another animal.

 

[2rocky]

My father had a "running gunfight" with his first pronghorn. He was down to his last cartridge and was contemplating if he was going to have to use a knife to finish him off. He later measured how far his scope was off and it was significant. But he was actually kinda proud he was able to "walk him down". Looking back I wish he had let the buck lie, and come gotten us. At the same time I and my uncle were on a buck a couple miles away. Antelope are pound for pound the toughest critters for soaking up lead. I'm surprised how long they keep standing after a fatal shot.

Despite the inelegant manner in which the buck died, he was not bad tasting.

 

[blueridge]

Something had a good meal.

We all have ugly stories. Sucks. And part of it.

 

[JEL]

Something had a good meal.

We all have ugly stories. Sucks. And part of

Coyotes.

 

[oldillini]

You were lucky to salvage any. Few years ago put an arrow in an antelope and like yours it wasn't a good shot. After dark we abandoned the watch. Next morning we came back in time to run off a bear that was having breakfast. There was a coyote about 30 yards away waiting its turn for a bit. There was nothing salvageable except from shoulder up. At least I got a mount.

 

[Redman]

Yep...found mine with the yote still on it. Fed it some. 45 ACP for dessert...

 

[pj2578]

I made a not so great shot with a muzzle loader a few years ago. I gave up the search at midnight and found him the next morning. The coyotes left me just enough cape to do a shoulder mount with.

 

[appaloosa]

This was a 120 gr NBT, 7mm-08, hard quartering at 521 yds! Stuff happens!

View attachment 238443

honestly dude, taking hard quartering shots at 521 yards on an antelope probably increases the chances of "stuff happening"

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

Antelope are pound for pound the toughest critters for soaking up lead. I'm surprised how long they keep standing after a fatal shot.

Maybe I shoot weak antelope, but I've always found antelope to be the daintiest animal I hunt honestly...

First one I ever shot, in the lungs, just collapse in a heap.... YMMV?

 

[2rocky]

Maybe I shoot weak antelope, but I've always found antelope to be the daintiest animal I hunt honestly...

First one I ever shot, in the lungs, just collapse in a heap.... YMMV?

I think without a CNS shock their cardio capacity is such that they can run on anaerobic better than other critters.

what I wrote in my journal on my NV antelope:

After a minute I finally located the buck 30 yards behind them quartering toward me at 311 yards. I took a rest over the rock and held the crosshairs at 7x just in front of his withers. At the shot he jumped and ran about 30 yards toward me and stopped broadside. I put the crosshairs on his neck and dropped him there. The .300 win mag 150 grain bullet had hit in front of the shoulder and exited in front of the hip. These critters are tough!

Then my WY antelope notes:

Shot distance 300-325 yards. In and out through shoulders. The bullet took off the top of the heart. Ran about 75-100 yards after the shot.

 

[manitou1]

Maybe I shoot weak antelope, but I've always found antelope to be the daintiest animal I hunt honestly...

First one I ever shot, in the lungs, just collapse in a heap.... YMMV?

Same here. Sometimes I am tempted to just yell: "Boo" to see if they drop dead!
Of all the ones I have shot, all have died where they stood sans one which made it less than 20 yards.

 

[Sasquatchewan]

I've lost two deer the same year that way. It was a tough one to swallow.

First was an archery mule deer, shot at last light. The shot wasn't optimal but I figured I'd give it the night as it was pretty cold. Found it at first light not far from where I shot him and there was nothing but some neck meat left.

Later that fall, I shot a whitetail in deep snow with my 25-06. Good double lung but absolutely no blood trail and quickly lost sight of the deer due to heavy brush. There was 2 feet of snow and the deer fell in a small depression in a meadow maybe 50 yards from where I'd shot it. I looked for that deer all day. Came back the next morning at first light and found it thanks to the ravens and magpies. The whole time I was looking for it I had nothing but a couple drops of blood to go with. All day I was focusing on the dense brushy areas and would only visually look at the meadow from a distance thinking it was flat and I could see everything... Well I couldn't, the deer was perfectly hidden in the snow. I walked passed it no more than 10 yards away several times but you couldn't see it until you were pretty much on top of it. The coyotes had left me less than half of it. It took me a while to get over those deer...

As for antelopes, I've shot 3 which fell in their tracks and one which took three rounds in the boiler room and just kept walking it off...

 

[mtmuley]

Same here. Sometimes I am tempted to just yell: "Boo" to see if they drop dead!
Of all the ones I have shot, all have died where they stood sans one which made it less than 20 yards.

Hit well, yep they die quick. I've seen rodeos where a leg or even two knocked off be a problem. We have finished a few hit by flock shooters that didn't drop dead. mtmuley