Mike Islander
WKR
147gr ELD-M. Slightly poor shot placement or rare poor bullet performance? Probably both.
Directly broadside. 8" behind the crease, vertically midline up the body entry, 4" lower exit (see drawings). 160 yards, ~2450 fps.
Shot a large doe on a powerline . Only blood was at the POI on the ground. Tiny entry wound and quarter-sized exit. Shot from a tall stand, so exit a little lower than entry.
I searched for about 30 minutes after dark and then was joined by some excellent blood trackers from the club with younger eyes. They found a tiny blood drop about 20 yards away across the street indicating she went into the woods on that side.
We searched for about another hour or so. Attached is the GPS track recording that I started after about an hour or more in. The line shows the last 30 minutes of us tracking blood like bushmen in very scrubby woods. I blazed saplings as we went along to prevent doubling back or repeating trails. She sure took us through the thickest, thorniest Southern coastal scrub.
It was amazing how we would find one tiny drop, smaller than a pencil eraser, then 15-20 feet away we would find what looked like a murder scene. Thankfully she brushed against a lot of smooth saplings, leaving blood marks about 2 feet above the ground. Again, I started the recording well into the search, and that 30-minute portion alone measures 0.8 miles that she wandered around. The doe was shot slightly back and slightly high, hitting both lungs but in the back. Did not hit the heart. Amazing how long they can live with limited lung function.
Based on two deer I shot last year with the same rifle and load, I was surprised by how little damage the 147gr ELD-M did. I expected a lot more, shrapnel and damage.
Sorry, no photos but POI shown in the drawings.
Directly broadside. 8" behind the crease, vertically midline up the body entry, 4" lower exit (see drawings). 160 yards, ~2450 fps.
Shot a large doe on a powerline . Only blood was at the POI on the ground. Tiny entry wound and quarter-sized exit. Shot from a tall stand, so exit a little lower than entry.
I searched for about 30 minutes after dark and then was joined by some excellent blood trackers from the club with younger eyes. They found a tiny blood drop about 20 yards away across the street indicating she went into the woods on that side.
We searched for about another hour or so. Attached is the GPS track recording that I started after about an hour or more in. The line shows the last 30 minutes of us tracking blood like bushmen in very scrubby woods. I blazed saplings as we went along to prevent doubling back or repeating trails. She sure took us through the thickest, thorniest Southern coastal scrub.
It was amazing how we would find one tiny drop, smaller than a pencil eraser, then 15-20 feet away we would find what looked like a murder scene. Thankfully she brushed against a lot of smooth saplings, leaving blood marks about 2 feet above the ground. Again, I started the recording well into the search, and that 30-minute portion alone measures 0.8 miles that she wandered around. The doe was shot slightly back and slightly high, hitting both lungs but in the back. Did not hit the heart. Amazing how long they can live with limited lung function.
Based on two deer I shot last year with the same rifle and load, I was surprised by how little damage the 147gr ELD-M did. I expected a lot more, shrapnel and damage.
Sorry, no photos but POI shown in the drawings.
Last edited:
