A lot of fluff is online about how every elk or deer is as easy to kill, and that’s just not correct unless you believe every animal will turn for a good angle. If you mind waiting for good shooting angles within the limitation of the cartridge/bullet then sure, use the smallest thing that will kill it if you want to. For most of my adult life I’ve enjoyed focusing on antler or horn size and early on had a tremendous mulie just walk into the trees because the shot angle was outside of the limitations of the rifle. Since then I will never feel under gunned trophy hunting with a 7 mag or larger since I’ve already paid the price once for carrying a less capable combination. Real life comes with a lot of less than ideal situations.
Are you really willing to pass up a big deer or elk at an angle like this? Nothing wrong with your answer either way, but more than once I’ve seen first hand how big talk about shooting ethics go out the window quickly. (Cue the dude saying he shoots everything at 500 yards in the neck and has never lost an animal, or a 223 would easily kill it.)
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Hate to admit it but yes in rare cases I’ve taken that shot, only on wounded animals that were going to escape and needed to go down NOW.
25 creedmoor and 134 eldm, about 8 days ago in Idaho. Somebody else had shot and broken the front leg of a little forky, they were a ridge behind and no chance for a shot, deer was about to make it into some steep timber. Poor buck looked terrified, bloody, front leg flopping..
Tried to shoot him in the back of the head but hit him in the ass. Exploded his femur/socket. Dropped right there, deer had bled to death by the time I ran up there likely from femoral artery.
So, yes I’d rather have a heavy for caliber frangible bullet for these shots. IMO a bonded bullet making it to the lungs from there, essentially poking a small hole…in one lung if any…that is not a recipe for success. Exploding a ham will kill or maim enough for follow up.
No im not proud of the meat loss or situation but it felt necessary at the time.
The opposite situation was a buck my buddy shot with his 7mag and a hornady GMX. About 350 yards, hard quartering. Bullet went in behind the ribs and stopped in the opposing front shoulder. Perfect shot no?
Buck ran 1.75 miles in a big loop onto private. I luckily found him bedded in the sage brush. Took several hours to get landowner and game warden involved. Finally got permission to kill him. Shot at sunrise, got to him about 2pm, still very much alive, tried to run, finished him off and were shocked at the “perfect” hard quartering shot placement and the very much alive deer. Small hole through liver, diaphragm, mostly single lung.
So yeah for marginal/hard quartering shots the right answer is probably don’t shoot, but if I have to, I want explosive not deep penetrating.
. It very unfortunate because I like to act like it doesn’t hahahaha
