Heart shots drop deer instantly?

[Huntnnw]

I shot a whitetail once with a bow on level ground broadside where the arrow took the top of the heart and both lungs out. It was the fastest I have seen a deer go down other than spine shot. took maybe a step and collapsed

 

[Schnee]

Another data point. Whitetail doe and a 12ga slug at 50 yards. She still ran about 30 yards before piling up.

 

[Hunter609]

This buck ran about 125 yards

 

[ianpadron]

High shoulder and low neck shots that don't directly hit the spine are basically guaranteed to cause the DRT situation you're referring to.

If fast cup n core bullets (like Bergers) are used, the hydrostatic shock will rupture the spinal cord in addition to the severe blood loss caused by the bullet fragmenting.

2 of the last 3 deer I've killed have been neck/shoulder shots and they didn't even twitch.

 

[Clarktar]

High shoulder and low neck shots that don't directly hit the spine are basically guaranteed to cause the DRT situation you're referring to.

If fast cup n core bullets (like Bergers) are used, the hydrostatic shock will rupture the spinal cord in addition to the severe blood loss caused by the bullet fragmenting.

2 of the last 3 deer I've killed have been neck/shoulder shots and they didn't even twitch.

I tried this approach on a goat. One high shoulder, two neck. That nasty Billy goat jumped and ran right up through a notch in the ridge. Tough SoBs.

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[hunterjmj]

I've killed several cow elk with a high shoulder shot from a 300WM that folded up and were dead before hitting the ground.

 

[Jermh]

Shot a doe with my bow two weeks ago. She was quartering away. Arrow I'm assuming went through heart (did gutless so can't confirm 100%) and then buried into the knuckle on opposite side leg. She didn't even take a step, just dropped and took one large breath and it was over. Never had one drop like that with a bow, I couldn't believe it.

 

[ianpadron]

I tried this approach on a goat. One high shoulder, two neck. That nasty Billy goat jumped and ran right up through a notch in the ridge. Tough SoBs.

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What kind of bullet and how fast?

 

[Clarktar]

What kind of bullet and how fast?

180 gr accubonds at 2640 fps. Recovered all bullets and they weighted 160 gr (,+/- 2 gr). Ranges 260, 310, 310, 100(?).

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[ianpadron]

180 gr accubonds at 2640 fps. Recovered all bullets and they weighted 160 gr (,+/- 2 gr). Ranges 260, 310, 310, 100(?).

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Bout what I'd expect from a slow moving bonded or mono bullet.

My experience has been with Bergers leaving the muzzle in the 3350 fps range. They sure don't maintain weight like your Accubond but they turn the light switch off instantly.

 

[SCHUNTER73]

High shoulder shot is always a winner for me.

 

[Dan Carey]

I've killed more than a few with a 25-06 using a 100 grain bullet that DRT when hit in the lungs.

 

[Jump-High-235]

Killed a nice mule deer this year. 420 yards with 6.5 PRC 143 ELD-X. Total passthrough. Heart and lung, but no bone. Still managed to walk about 10 yards, but no big deal. I agree with many that neck and shoulder shots seems to be what drops them in their tracks..

 

[jimh406]

I shot a doe on a doe hunt in TN once and hit the top of the heart. It ran farther than any other deer I've shot before or since. It's been my experience that heart shot animals run the furthest.

I don't think there are any guarantees. If you aim for the vitals, and hit them, you will probably be ok. There is also a bigger room for error.

I don't believe there is a caliber that will always cause DRT. Fwiw, I've had a lot of shots that were DRT just through the lungs, but at the end of the day if they don't run very far, it works out.

 

[PLhunter]

Found this thread after searching for shared information about an unusual occurrence this year. I have heart shot several deer and have had some bang flops but mostly they rear up and run on their back legs for a bit before tumbling. I have had one odd outcome many years ago where a young buck went back to feeding before tipping over.

This year I shot a doe whitetail on a depredation tag. Absolutely no reaction. Everyone with me was calling it a clean miss and to shoot again. I just couldn't imagine missing from 160 yards... The doe was in a large herd and simply turned and slowly walked straight away from us. Even stopped looked around like everything was fine. Then when the herd grouped up to take off she trotted over and joined them but tipped over just as they were about to take off. I didn't blow up the heart but there was a solid chunk taken out of the top of the heart. I would say the time between going down to shot was close to 2 minutes. It was wild. So yeah, in short I would say the only sure bang flop is a CNS shot.

 

[long hunter]

Some do but then some run a bit. Shot a 5 pt. this past muzzleloader season he took the traditional straight up jump and took off went perhaps 50 yards, when I gutted him there wasn't enough hart left to make a sandwich. Deer are a resilient animal and can soak up a good shot and keep on going for a way, before they know there dead.

 

[LookinforDirt]

Last two deer I’ve seen heart shot ran 40 and 50 yards. Dead on their feet but running. The last one it looked like a horror movie while tracking it. I’ve never seen so much blood and even extremely heavy blood sign as far as 10 yards from where the deer was at while it ran. That one, a doe, ran 40 yards before falling. Shoulders and spines with the right bullet will drop them in my experience. Lungs and heart really depend on the animal itself.

I put two rounds through my last buck with rear slightly quartering shots. The first round the deer showed no sign and, in disbelief, I thought I missed. The second round the deer barely showed a sign of being hit. Just a brief change in his step for one step (he was close, 30-35 yards, but moving at a steady pace). At that point I had to watch him because he was walking directly away from me. He slowed, got to a fence, wavered, and just then stood there. I thought for sure he was going to fall over as he stared at that fence. Nope, jumped it and walked unsteadily another 60 yards before doing a very dramatic death fall. Turns out both shots were text book quartering shots. I could not believe that deer went a total of 140 yards with a fence jump included. That one was an amazingly tough animal.

 

[UTJL]

Shot a whitetail with a 257 Roberts 120 partition years ago at less than 100 yards. The bullet took out the top half of the heart. She ran 100 yards and there was a massive blood trail from both the entrance and exit wounds the whole way.

I’m with the other posters who think every animal is different like people. There’s been people who’ve lived after having a large kitchen knife shoved into their skulls and others who’ve died from slipping and hitting their head.

Only sure way to minimize how far an animal goes before dying is to break both shoulders or the spine. I don’t think that necessarily kills them any faster, they just can’t run away.

 

[jpmulk]

The only knockout button is the brain. Everything else requires blood loss for medical incapacitation. If they drop immediately, its psychological followed shortly by blood loss. A spine shot will immobilize, but not knockout immediately.

 

[Wrench]

Cns is the ONLY guarantee. The instinct is to survive. If the brain says survive and the cord carries the message.....it's going to try. 3 legs, 2 legs or a hole in the important part of it's circulation be damned.

If you want instant results, they are attainable.....BUT, the target is MUCH smaller and a minor miss means you will not see that critter again.