6.5 creedmoor blood trails

[Donjuan]

I’ve never heard of poor blood trails with a 6.5 creed. Anyone else?

Stumbled on this article:

Podcast: Are You Getting Bad Blood Trails with the 6.5 Creedmoor? This Is Why

When it comes to hunting deer with the 6.5 Creedmoor, you can make lethal shots all day — but sometimes you won't find blood. Here's why.

www.outdoorlife.com

What do you all think?

 

[Tbone26]

What bullets are you using that give consistent blood trails?

 

[Donjuan]

What bullets are you using that give consistent blood trails?

Good old Hornady interlock

 

[grfox92]

I cant say I've ever had to blood trail anything I have ever shot with a rifle.

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[Tbone26]

Good old Hornady interlock

Interesting, since I moved to eldm and eldx bullets, I don’t see many blood trails/exits but I haven’t seen the need for them either since they typically expire very quickly.

 

[North of 60]

Not a 6.5CM specific response - In my experience the need for a blood trail is very much terrain/vegetation dependent.

The more open the terrain with less vegetation, the lower the need for a blood trail...the inverse is equally true.

 

[Donjuan]

Interesting, since I moved to eldm and eldx bullets, I don’t see many blood trails/exits but I haven’t seen the need for them either since they typically expire very quickly.

Everyone has their opinion but I really like the performance of them. Still get a pass through but more expansion than a monolith. Not as much meat wasted if you hit the shoulder like an eldm. Just my preference

 

[Tbone26]

Not a 6.5CM specific response - In my experience the need for a blood trail is very much terrain/vegetation dependent.

The more open the terrain with less vegetation, the lower the need for a blood trail...the inverse is equally true.

Agreed, last week I shot a blacktail on Kodiak with the 147 eldm and he was DRT but no exit. However a buddy also used my rifle and shot a buck too far back and hit guts/liver. Luckily he had an exit because trailing in that country without blood would’ve been nearly impossible. This was an 18” PRC so velocities are still basically a creedmoor.

 

[General RE LEE]

I cant say I've ever had to blood trail anything I have ever shot with a rifle.

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How long have you been hunting? I find that pretty impressive.

 

[grfox92]

How long have you been hunting? I find that pretty impressive.

26 years. The first 22 were all archery on the east coast. Lots of blood trails to follow.

The last 5 years is when I started hunting in Wyoming. Pretty open country and I have yet to shoot anything myself that hasent died within seconds or been with someone who has shot anything that hadent died the same way.

Small sample size for my rifle experience and I'm sure it has a lot to do with the terrain.

I wasn't insinuating blood trailing wasn't a thing with rifles. I have just yet to see the need for it.

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[General RE LEE]

26 years. The first 22 were all archery on the east coast. Lots of blood trails to follow.

The last 5 years is when I started hunting in Wyoming. Pretty open country and I have yet to shoot anything myself that hasent died within seconds or been with someone who has shot anything that hadent died the same way.

Small sample size for my rifle experience and I'm sure it has a lot to do with the terrain.

I wasn't insinuating blood trailing wasn't a thing with rifles. I have just yet to see the need for it.

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The only thing I could think where blood trailing wouldn’t be needed would have to be open country. I’ve had to blood trail deer that had lethal hits but ran into the woods at dusk.

 

[Steve300xcw]

The only thing I could think where blood trailing wouldn’t be needed would have to be open country.

I dont hunt open country all that much. I have wanted a blood trail once. And I didnt get it, nevermind the bigass hole in its chest Everything else has tipped over pretty quick. Perks of not shooting for lungs at 1/2 mile i suppose.

 

[Valumpessa]

No experience with a 6.5 but a blood trail is highly desired hunting in the brush. This buck only went 50 yds before dropping, but it took me 45 minutes of gridding to find him with only a couple drops of blood to work with. 270 win shooting 130gr ttsx.

 

[freezerfull]

I have seen 2 exits out of roughly 30 shots (myself and first hand observation) on deer with a 6.5CM with a 140 H-VLD. Blood trails are nonexistent on the deer without exits except whatever gets coughed out the mouth and nose. That said they do the job well, though somewhat shallower wounds than other Berger VLD’s of other diameters and weights.

In country that I likely won’t get follow-ups or visibility after the first shot, like the western Washington jungle, I opt for different bullets or bullets with more mass. You could do this with a creed just fine, mine just love the 140 VLD load so much I only use them on hunts in more open terrain. I stick with the big boy Bergers (210 or 215), .308 dia. AB’s or if I want something light and compact .243 with interlocks or AB’s for more likely exits in the steep and nasty.

 

[Long Cut]

Shot Placement & Bullet Selection trump caliber every time.

 

[Truck24hr]

Caliber determines blood trail? That's news.

I always thought it was bullet design and shot placement.

 

[112Savage]

What deer look like when not using a 6.5 creedmoor.

What outdoor life wants you to believe they look like when you shoot them with a 6.5 creedmoor.

This whole post from OL is just click and comment bait. Bad shots, bad bullets, poor understanding of vital location, extreme ranges (too close or too far), poor understanding of how bullets work. This is what causes unexpected outcomes. I have multiple 6.5 creedmoor rifles and have exits on game way more often than not.

 

[coyotekilla]

135gr berger hybrid hunter 200yd shot, mild loaded 6.5 prc, load clocks at 2725, so not even a hot creed load. But the blood trail was a painted path. Very pleased with berger on deer. Too hard for coyote, but accurate as all get out.

 

[DLIP]

Just got my 6.5 and haven’t needed to actually trail the deer because both bucks died within 50 yards of the shot but there was more than adequate blood with 140 gr ELD-M.

 

[streamerfish]

Blood trails seem like a pretty big crapshoot to me.....I've seen plenty of pass throughs with little or no blood. I've seen a few with what seemed to be like gallons of blood.

I've tracked a few elk that others have shot, mostly either gut shot or small hole with little to no blood.

Personally every animal I have shot have either dropped within site or extremely close to where it was just stepping to the edge of the draw or something and seeing the animal dead right there.(dark timber elk, open country deer).

Honestly, its just not something I worry about, because its just not something I can control.