the importance of good shot placement

daithi55

just shows you the importance of shot placement... was out yesterday evening on a new permission when i spotted this fellow he popped out in front of me about 30 meters could spot the wound on his back glasses him for a few second and decided to shoot him... i reckon the smaller hole is the entry wound and the side with the bigger wound and the missing flesh was the exit wound... the wound was festered with maggots and ozzing puss to an extent where it had removed the hair after dragging him out the wound had cleaned up quiet a bit from the wet grass

sniperman

yes i agree fully,if one is not sure of a clean kill,dont take the shot,vermin or not,there is no need for any animal to suffer.

wexfordman2

sorry,hard to tell from pictures, could you give a bit more info on where shot was etc ?

sikahuntejack

Could be any mount of reasons how this happened, Last year i took a neck shot at a pricket shot the pricket but the bullet went straight through and shot a doe in the back lucky for me she did not go far

daithi55

wexfordman2 wrote: »

sorry,hard to tell from pictures, could you give a bit more info on where shot was etc ?

it was on the top of the back behind the neck

sikahuntejack wrote: »

Could be any mount of reasons how this happened, Last year i took a neck shot at a pricket shot the pricket but the bullet went straight through and shot a doe in the back lucky for me she did not go far

thats what id call bad shot placement you should always be aware of your back stop when hunting

martin s

Hi Daithi, by any chance was that deer near Mullins in Wicklow?

martin s

martin s wrote: »

Hi Daithi, by any chance was that deer near Mullins in Wicklow?

daithi55

martin s wrote: »

Hi Daithi, by any chance was that deer near Mullins in Wicklow?

no why?

sikahuntejack

daithi55 wrote: »

it was on the top of the back behind the neck

thats what id call bad shot placement you should always be aware of your back stop when hunting

Call it what you like it happens some would say 2 deer with 1 bullet good on ya **** happens when out shooting i aint god

sniperman

sikahuntejack wrote: »

Call it what you like it happens some would say 2 deer with 1 bullet good on ya **** happens when out shooting i aint god

just wondering, if the bullet had not hit the second deer, where do you think it would have ended up?

sikahuntejack

sniperman wrote: »

just wondering, if the bullet had not hit the second deer, where do you think it would have ended up?

Into the big 300 acre forest behind the deer, let me guess your next question .What would i do if the bullet made it through the whole forest without hitting a single branch and struck a poor farmers cow that was being milked by his wife in the side of the head.

underthetumb

sikahuntejack wrote: »

Into the big 300 acre forest behind the deer, let me guess your next question .What would i do if the bullet made it through the whole forest without hitting a single branch and struck a poor farmers cow that was being milked by his wife in the side of the head.

Get a grip lad,

daithi55

sniperman wrote: »

just wondering, if the bullet had not hit the second deer, where do you think it would have ended up?

in a bank or in the heavy undergrowth etc ... any deer stalker with a bit of cop on nos not to shoot a deer if theirs another directly behind it as the bullet will most likely pass through and strike the other if this does happen retreiving the second deer is very unlikely as the first deer has taken most of the energy out of the bullet

the very same as not shooting something thats standing on the top of a hill as theres no safe back stop

sikahuntejack

underthetumb wrote: »

Get a grip lad,

This wound to the deer could easily being done by a top deer stalker ,who on this occasion had the crosshairs on the deer head or neck and at the very second he pulled the trigger the deer moved it happens its called BAD LUCK not the stalkers fault its mother nature you can go on about shot placement all ye want on the fourm one thing is shooting little round targets out to 300 yards another thing is shooting a deer that moves

tomcat220t

Imo ,there are no absolutes or 100% certainties when out shooting ,weather it be deer or rabbits .
Regards,Tomcat.

sikahuntejack

tomcat220t wrote: »

Imo ,there are no absolutes or 100% certainties when out shooting ,weather it be deer or rabbits .
Regards,Tomcat.

I agree

underthetumb

sikahuntejack wrote: »

This wound to the deer could easily being done by a top deer stalker ,who on this occasion had the crosshairs on the deer head or neck and at the very second he pulled the trigger the deer moved it happens its called BAD LUCK not the stalkers fault its mother nature you can go on about shot placement all ye want on the fourm one thing is shooting little round targets out to 300 yards another thing is shooting a deer that moves

That's fair enough alright, but a forest is not a backstop, that's what I was getting at

sniperman

underthetumb wrote: »

That's fair enough alright, but a forest is not a backstop, that's what I was getting at

plus 1;)

sikahuntejack

IF it stops a bullet its good enough for me, being out 5 times this year shot 3 prickets and a doe with a smashed leg i must be doing something right will have a couple of rutting stags to add to that by monday, concentrate more on your hunting lads instead of others;)

The Aussie

sikahuntejack wrote: »

Concentrate more on your hunting lads instead of others;)

Well that would make things very boring now wouldn't it, how can one sit in an Ivory Tower and cast aspersions over ones peers....

Now let me see how I'm better than "Normal" folk. :pac:

sikahuntejack wrote: »

I will have a couple of rutting stags to add to that by monday.

I don't hunt Stags before the Rut, the more competition the better, in a Deer Farming environment it's preferred to have a ratio of 9 Does to 1 Stag, so it's Prickets only till after the deed is done.

See, still in my Ivory Tower casting aspersions...

:pac:


post purely in jest, only the bloke on the trigger can call if a shot is safe, it's a bit harder over a Keyboard.

underthetumb

I wud prob stop a by lit, does that count

Briany82

The Doe with the smashed leg Must have been the result of being the backstop for one of the shots on your prickets. They give licences to anyone these days.

sikahuntejack

How many deer you shot so far briany82 another lad with a deer permit who sits at home dreaming about backstops **** all land to hunt and wont get a deer this season i have a freezer full if you want some i will give ya that doe with the smashed leg no problem

underthetumb

Well mine is bigger than yours... What age are ya, 8.

Briany82

Ha Ha. Oh you are grand man. Thanks all the same. I have a pricket in the freezer and plenty of land to shoot and unlike you I am actually a cautious shooter that puts safety first. No backstop, No shot. U prob be off to the game dealer shortly so if your freezer is full.

sikahuntejack

You always have the same lads makeing coments about backdrops , killzones, lads who think they know everything about shooting. When i go out to shoot a deer thats what i do fired 4 bullets this years 4 dead deer i dont give a flying **** what anyones else thinks i know they are safe shots ,was there a backdrop its me who is doing the shooting i decide to take the shot or not .I will be out sat morning ,sat evening ,sun morning ,sun evening, will shoot a couple off deer come home and go on this site and see the same lads crying over backstops and killzones who have **** all experience and kill **** all deer

Briany82

Ha. Oh I dont claim to know everything man, far from it, but all I do know is that safety comes first for me is all im saying and its not a competition to see how many deer I can shoot over the year. Unlike you, I will let the stags cover the hinds during the rut even before Id consider taking a good stag. Its called deer management. You probably wouldn't understand anything about deer management. Enjoy your shooting the weekend.

underthetumb

Anyway I have entertained this crap for too long already, going to bed to dream about backstops. Have a good weekend, don't KILL too many deer now or you will have to get a second freezer.

sikahuntejack

Deer management thats what irish deer stalker say after only shooting 1 deer all season ah sure im into deer management, how can there be deer management if boys are lamping the land at night last year i shot 3 deer so i spent the whole summer getting news permissions this weekend i will hit donard and hollywood for the first time for couple of hybrids, for the amount of land i have to shoot and the amount of deer i will shoot this season if will make **** all of a differnce to the population of deer onnce november comes its all pheasants and woodcock shooting for me

PL05

sikahuntejack wrote: »

Into the big 300 acre forest behind the deer, let me guess your next question .What would i do if the bullet made it through the whole forest without hitting a single branch and struck a poor farmers cow that was being milked by his wife in the side of the head.

In fairness lad, and dont get me wrong, im not having a go at ye, but if your honest you really could,nt say for sure that someone, maybe a forest worker or a member of the public having a crap, is not just inside that forest weather its 300 acres or not.

sikahuntejack

Private owned no public walkways of workers in it, lads go on youtube and check out deer stalking in ireland and see how many lads are shooting deer with a forest as the backdrop it happens if a deer is at the edge of a forest its a good backstop

PL05

point taken and as i said, not having a go. I shoot on a coillte lease and have taken shots inside the forest itself but can clearly see where shot will end up. have a lot of walkers in there with dogs, can be a pain in the arse at times but have to be extra careful and just put up with. suppose you know your own ground.

sikahuntejack

When i sai i used a forest as a back stop i dont mean a forest hundreds of yards behind the deer im saying if the deer is out grazeing along the edge of the forest i will use it as a backdrop. My mates have leases on coillte lands most times they have to use some sort of the forest as a backdrop.

PL05

Knowing the ground as i said. A lot of forestry can be on hills etc, so if you know the layout of it i suppose you,d know whats safe and whats not.

sikahuntejack

PL05 wrote: »

Knowing the ground as i said. A lot of forestry can be on hills etc, so if you know the layout of it i suppose you,d know whats safe and whats not.

Sound

garv123

daithi55 wrote: »

ive bred a demon on the site thesikahunter {least ive uncovered him)( and do you realise wether that doe was hurt or not its out of season and you have testified to shooting it)chap get a grip god bless the deer of ireland if your the produce of the fellow hunter no regard pull the trigger bang bang hope for the best... cant believe the mods have let this fester bad shooting practice on supposidely irelands no.1 hunting forum

What ever about the backstop debate he is 100% legally covered to shoot the doe..

daithi55

garv123 wrote: »

What ever about the backstop debate he is 100% legally covered to shoot the doe..

where

garv123

daithi55 wrote: »

where

(7) Notwithstanding subsection (5) of this section, it shall not be an offence for a person—


(d) to capture an injured or disabled protected wild animal for the purpose of killing it humanely or with the intention of tending it and of later releasing it, or

(e) to kill humanely a protected wild animal which is either injured in the manner described in paragraph (a) of this subsection or captured in the manner described in paragraph (d) of this subsection, or so to kill a protected wild animal injured in the circumstances described in paragraph (c) of this subsection,

Theres a bit of it..

PL05

daithi55 wrote: »

ive bred a demon on the site thesikahunter {least ive uncovered him)( and do you realise wether that doe was hurt or not its out of season and you have testified to shooting it)chap get a grip god bless the deer of ireland if your the produce of the fellow hunter no regard pull the trigger bang bang hope for the best... cant believe the mods have let this fester bad shooting practice on supposidely irelands no.1 hunting forum

The law states, under the wildlife act that any person can dispatch a wounded or badly injured deer and i dont think you have to report it to anyone, if there is no chance of the animal recovering from it injuries. so he was right to put this animal out of its misery weather it male or female.

PL05

sikahuntejack wrote: »

Could be any mount of reasons how this happened, Last year i took a neck shot at a pricket shot the pricket but the bullet went straight through and shot a doe in the back lucky for me she did not go far

I take it that this is the post your talking about. It does,nt say what time of year it was. This could have happened in november.

PL05

sikahuntejack wrote: »

IF it stops a bullet its good enough for me, being out 5 times this year shot 3 prickets and a doe with a smashed leg i must be doing something right will have a couple of rutting stags to add to that by monday, concentrate more on your hunting lads instead of others;)

sorry, maybe its this post your talking about daithi, But either or iether i dont see any wrong done here. If i came across an animal with a smashed leg, in or out of season, male or female i would,nt hesitate to put it down. Done it before with one that had its lower jaw shot to bits, which is why i dont take head shots on deer.

Cass

Once again a topic comes up where people cannot behave in a civil manner. Then when the mods do not read every post from every thread (sense the sarcasm), and no one bothers to report it we get accused of letting the issue "fester".

So here it is for those that need it. Cut out the crap. One more post of an insulting or uncivil manner will result in a ban and thread closure. If you cannot debate the topic then just don't post.

For those that wish to criticise the forum remember it's ye that post in it so it's ye that make it what it is.


End of.

martin s

daithi55 wrote: »

no why?

Well I shot a pricket in the neck and he dropped on the spot with
the usual few kicks, I gave it a minute or two as I could clearly see him
and he stopped kicking and began my approach, I was about 80yds from him when I took the shot, I had to cross a sheep fence before I got to him which was midway leaving 40yds between the fence and the pricket, just as I threw my leg over the fence I glanced towards him only to see him hop to his feet
and disappear into the woods, I got to where I had shot him and there was no blood, hair etc, I crawled on my hands and knees as much as I could as I had no dog( my own fxxxxxg fault) and the wood was dense. needless to say I never found him and I just wondered was it the same one you shot Daithi,
I heard a good thump when the bullet hit and although I reloaded and was ready as always for a second shot I assumed he was dead when the kicking stopped as I could see no movement at all, anyway that's the story.:(:(

sikahuntejack

daithi55 wrote: »

where

I had ever right to shoot that doe call me what you like, the decission i made was the 100% right one you can see photo of the deers leg on the thread kill zone sure what would you have done brought the deer to the vet or left it there to starve to death

charlie10

martin s wrote: »

Well I shot a pricket in the neck and he dropped on the spot with
the usual few kicks, I gave it a minute or two as I could clearly see him
and he stopped kicking and began my approach, I was about 80yds from him when I took the shot, I had to cross a sheep fence before I got to him which was midway leaving 40yds between the fence and the pricket, just as I threw my leg over the fence I glanced towards him only to see him hop to his feet
and disappear into the woods, I got to where I had shot him and there was no blood, hair etc, I crawled on my hands and knees as much as I could as I had no dog( my own fxxxxxg fault) and the wood was dense. needless to say I never found him and I just wondered was it the same one you shot Daithi,
I heard a good thump when the bullet hit and although I reloaded and was ready as always for a second shot I assumed he was dead when the kicking stopped as I could see no movement at all, anyway that's the story.:(:(

well leason learned and fair play to putting your hand up and sharing your story

underthetumb

No one is disputing you shooting the doe, we all would in that situation. That's not issue.

PL05

martin s wrote: »

Well I shot a pricket in the neck and he dropped on the spot with
the usual few kicks, I gave it a minute or two as I could clearly see him
and he stopped kicking and began my approach, I was about 80yds from him when I took the shot, I had to cross a sheep fence before I got to him which was midway leaving 40yds between the fence and the pricket, just as I threw my leg over the fence I glanced towards him only to see him hop to his feet
and disappear into the woods, I got to where I had shot him and there was no blood, hair etc, I crawled on my hands and knees as much as I could as I had no dog( my own fxxxxxg fault) and the wood was dense. needless to say I never found him and I just wondered was it the same one you shot Daithi,
I heard a good thump when the bullet hit and although I reloaded and was ready as always for a second shot I assumed he was dead when the kicking stopped as I could see no movement at all, anyway that's the story.:(:(

**** happens mate and i feel for ye, theres nothing as bad as losing an animal. Dont beat yourself up over it, its part and parcel of this game but hopefully it does,nt happen very often. dont think theres many people, if they,re honest that hav,nt experienced this at some stage with hunting, whatever the animal. This can happen with neck shots where an animal may be just stunned for a while, as im sure you already know. I suppose its just the time between the shot and getting to the animal.

1shot16

Hopefully its someone just learning and not someone taking a 50/50 chance.

When i started off shooting birds there was one or two occasions the bird needed a second shot due to poor shot placement.

Now i never pull the trigger unless im sure the bird is going down in one shot.

PL05

I dont know how experienced martin s is, for all i know he could have years under his belt. But this could happen to anyone experienced or not. 9 times out of 10 with a neck shot its all she wrote for the target but as i said, theres always a chance that an animal is just stunned, like being knocked out, which by the way can be a dangerous situation especialy if its a stag, as always a deer thats down should always be approached with caution and you should always be ready to dispatch it if it starts to make an effort to get up.

323

Have also come across deer like the daithi55, dead, in various conditions also almost fully or completely healed. Always amazed by their ability to heal.
As this started about shot placement, Boiler Room, Heart/Lung, Boiler Room.....
would say right above the heart. No luck involved, guaranteed, 10 out of 10 will not be going anywhere.


Then picture where that point is from any angle. Providing you have a cartridge/bullet combination that can penetrate enough to reach there, if not or can't accept a wee bit of meat damage for a clean kill, wait for the side through the ribs. Or better still "stalk" to a position that gives you that shot.


Don't seem to find it so much abroad but accept the culture of head and neck shots in Ireland is probably a throwback to when we were limited to hunting deer with 22-250's. Among friends I stalk with, believe it's no coincidence that the really unlucky ones, that shoot at and loose a deer (or two) almost every season, are also the greatest advocates of head/neck shot I know.

It wasn't me!

A good quick find I was given before is to aim for the opposite shoulder, which works really well for all but the steepest angles from the side or quartering away shots. For quartering on, just behind the opposite shoulder will transect as much of the vitals as possible. Although for a sharply quartering on shot, aiming into the far shoulder stands a decent chance of breaking the spine where it's between the shoulder blades.