.223, 6mm, and 6.5 failures on big game

[fj40rob]

I don't have a picture, but I might be able to dig through a freezer to find the scapula...this is a story of an unknown but too small bullet for a long range shot with Barnes ttsx. We harvested a bear last spring (2024) that had a slight limp. When I deboned the scapula, I was surprised to see a weird scar/heal mark on the scapula and a blue tip in the joint just below. The bullet damaged but clearly didn't penetrate the scapula. We never found that bullet. ADFG had a report of a hunter wounded bear in 2023 to a similar size/color bear that was not recovered (too far of a shot). I wish I knew how far the 2023 shot was and the caliber, but something happened to that bullet.