Michigan Opening Day Success

[bullnose]

I got this guy yesterday afternoon with BK Guns N Stuff single shot. He's my first with this rifle. He came in following a doe and stopped broadside just over 100 yards out just when the snow was coming down the heaviest. It all happened quicker than it takes to type this.

He ran 50 yards and piled up, but we never picked up any blood, even in the snow. I've heard stories about other guys having the same experience with the Hornaday 250 FTX rounds as well - they go down quick, but there is little to no blood trail.

Here he is (the tag is on the lower leg for any "keyboard conservation officers"):

[trob_205]

Congrats! Great buck!

I’ve shot several deer now with the FTX with great blood trails. One thing I have noticed though is the bullet seems to be designed for maximum expansion at a fairly low speed. The smaller holes the closer the deer. This nastiest wound channel and exit hole so far was a 252 yard shot with a factory 16” 450 bushy upper and Hornady box ammo. Every deer shot inside of 100 yards that had a pass through was .452 in and if it was bigger than .452 out it wasn’t by much (broadside shots). I’m shooting 250 FTX handloads now @ 2460 FPS (switched to bolt action) and the buck I shot this year (thread next to this one) was heavy quartering towards. No exit and virtually exploded the heart and left lung. No exit but I had lung matter in the paint bucket of a blood trail from entrance. Couldn’t find the bullet other than a few fragments. I’m guessing it made it to the guts and I wasn’t going to dig through it lol.

[Jim in Houston]

I shot a 120 lb pig quartering away and running fast at about 30 yards two weeks ago in tall grass. I aimed for behind the shoulder and the pig went down. I couldn't find either an entry or exit wound in the field, but I have to admit that I didn't poke around too much among the pig hair looking, and I wasn't present when it was butchered.

Anyway, I was surprised not to find an entry wound, but maybe that's not unheard of.

[bullnose]

Thanks!

You can see the entry hole just behind the deer's left front shoulder. It was good sized (approx. two fingers). Still puzzling as to why no blood trail...

[plant_one]

congratZ!

[skinner 2]

Nice buck. Congrats.

Sometimes as far as snow goes it covers a fresh blood trail. A light fluffy snow can be hard to trail in by blood. The snow is so soft the warm blood droplets hit the snow and go.under leaving really tiny hokes in the snow. No red visable. But step on the holes compact the snow and all of a sudden thetes blood in your boot print.

Not explaining where theres no trail most times but just be aware this happens in a soft fluff. Not the same once the snow crusts over.

[Charlie U]

Congrats. Thats a beauty