I know...I know, there are plenty of discussions on here already about this but felt the need to beat the drum again. Practice proper shot placement and quit trying to overcompensate poor form by shooting a larger caliber gun and wounding deer that the rest of us would love the opportunity to humanly kill. Now, don't go getting all upset with me because I just said that as I too have a larger caliber gun (7mm Rem Mag) that I occasionally deer hunt with but anyone who knows me will also validate that 90% of the deer I have shot in the last 20 years (60 deer at the very least) have been killed with a properly placed neck shot, dropping them dead in their tracks with my 22-250. Why would I jump out there and stir the pot again and run the risk of upsetting folks, you ask? Well, I had a discussion the other day with a hunter and he tells me he refuses to shoot anything less than a 6.5CM because the deer here are "huge" (here is SE Ga, just FYI). He then rolls into a story that he shot a really nice 10 point last season with his 300WM. He tells me how it left an area covered with so much "foamy blood that it looked like a murder scene". He supposedly ended up tracking it for over 1700 yards first on foot and later with a dog and wasn't able to retrieve the deer. As I said, I occasionally shoot a 7mm Rem Mag, so I'm not against larger caliber guns and I'm not saying everyone should only shoot deer in the neck (although I do still do that, even when shooting my 7mag). I'm just asking that you be realistic in your caliber choice and extremely particular in your shot placement. Far too many times I hear of folks only sighting in their deer rifle but not truly practicing with it throughout the year. These are two totally different things. It's great to know your gun can hit your target and your scope is "dialed in", but truly practicing with your firearm of choice is crucial in being accurate and ensuing you are comfortable with your gun and with your skills so you can humanely drop an animal when the time comes as well as knowing what your limitations are and when it's best to let an animal walk. For example, I have let some good deer walk in the past because I didn't feel I could get off a humane neck shot with my 22-250. Sure, it sucks when it happens and I coulda tried for a body shot but I'm not wounding the animal and chasing it through the woods for hours while it suffers. When you are considering the caliber of your hunting rifle, don't just think a larger caliber is going to kill better because it shoots a larger grain bullet. A wounded deer from a poor placed shot is still a suffering animal that you may not harvest, doesn't matter what size/grain bullet caused the damage. Also remember, that larger caliber gun is going to deliver much more felt recoil to the shooter than a mid to smaller caliber gun and most folks will be more accurate and lethal with a gun of a lesser caliber simply because it is easier control through the entire firing sequence. Sorry to bring this up again, that guy just really pissed me off and I needed to vent. Yes, my rant is very much directed at that guy and that story but between my fussing, I thought I made some decent points. LOL In the end, practice proper shot placement...practice, practice, practice and best of luck in the upcoming season. I'm excited to see pics of your kills!
