Wounded animals Survey

[DieJager]

. Guess I've been lucky.

No, I think luck is not involved, yet. When you hunt more and more it is statistically bound to happen. Regarding big game animals you just started, the sample pool is still to small to say you're lucky. But there are exceptions to the rule so hopefully you'll keep your clean sheet.

 

[HookMeUpII]

No, I think luck is not involved, yet. When you hunt more and more it is statistically bound to happen. Regarding big game animals you just started, the sample pool is still to small to say you're lucky. But there are exceptions to the rule so hopefully you'll keep your clean sheet.

One thing I've not done, is take a bad shot. If I didn't feel comfortable, I reluctantly but still let an animal pass. Speaking to people who end up with less than great shots, seems like more than half of the time it was "It was in thick cover", "I could only barely see the animal", or "It was almost completely turned away/toward, quartering."

Nothing against them for taking that shot. However, I think knowing your abilities is important.

 

[DieJager]

One thing I've not done, is take a bad shot. If I didn't feel comfortable, I reluctantly but still let an animal pass. Speaking to people who end up with less than great shots, seems like more than half of the time it was "It was in thick cover", "I could only barely see the animal", or "It was almost completely turned away/toward, quartering."

Nothing against them for taking that shot. However, I think knowing your abilities is important.

Yes for sure that is also important. But sometimes you do everything you can and something happens, animal that is just taking a step, a twig you didn't see. The more you hunt the closer you come to that day. Of course the more reckless hunter will have that day sooner and more often than the responsible hunter.

 

[HookMeUpII]

Yes for sure that is also important. But sometimes you do everything you can and something happens, animal that is just taking a step, a twig you didn't see. The more you hunt the closer you come to that day. Of course the more reckless hunter will have that day sooner and more often than the responsible hunter.

Ammo is another factor. As far as it's come to date, bullets still do unpredictable things. Scopes losing zero, barrels losing their bedding and drifting, etc.

 

[Nhoro]

I ticked no but 3 bad shots this year between myself and 2 sons. Youngest sons had a clean miss across open ground at approx 120 m. Then my older son took a shot at about 60 m quartering away slightly. I am not sure what happened, I think the shot broke the shoulder and either bone or the bullet opened up the carotid and exited. It blead out in seconds- recovered but lucky that the carotid was damaged.Then I took an off hand shot at maybe 50 m and shot too far back. Luckily hit the liver so it ran about 50 m and went down.

 

[Carnivore hunter]

My last kudu was a bit of a sad story. Almost sad enough to make me stop hunting. We watched two bulls work their way down the mountain and stalked to them in a dry wash. It worked out perfectly and the sticks went up for a quick shot as the bigger bull figured something was up. Quad sticks were not quite high enough for an entirely clear shot but I took it anyway. At only sixty yards I should have just got off the sticks, stood up, and shot him offhand. The bullet deflected and somehow took out the offside shoulder. The bull was quartering slightly towards us. If the shot had deflected a few inches more to the right it would have missed altogether. Two days later the PH got him when stationed at the head of a valley I was pushing with trackers. I was massively relieved to finally end its suffering. That was my last day of safari. The bull's horns were much shorter than we thought but it's still the prettiest of my three kudu.

What caliber and ammo were you using for that shot if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Ontario Hunter]

What caliber and ammo were you using for that shot if you don't mind me asking?

30-06 165 gr Partitions

 

[Carnivore hunter]

In Africa, with wounded game that runs off, could it separated into two different categories of...

Plains game
DG ?

and some who use a DG rifle cartridge for a plains game animal at distance that's trajectory drops off too early and loss of velocity at impact at 300+ yards or so? I wonder how many plains game have been wounded by using a large heavy caliber slow moving DG bullet at longer distances than it was designed for i.e. 470 NE at over 250+ yards on a zebra? Or, even a 375 H&H at beyond 350+ yards? Isn't plains game in Africa roughly around the same size and weight as North American game (deer, elk, caribou, moose, black bear) ? Why not just stick to the traditional North American hunting cartridges for plains game that have worked for decades? (7mm, 30-06, 300 Win Mag, 300 RUM, 30-378 WBY, 338)

For plains game, I would think a 30-378 WBY caliber with a high quality LPVO 1-6 or 1-8 (Swarovski, Leupold, Trijicon) would do the trick on any plains game under 400 yards. The 30-378 WBY is flat shooting out to 1,000+ yards and could be the ultimate plains game cartridge?

Also, what about using too light a caliber on a cape buffalo and the buffalo being beyond 100+ yards?


Here's another question and hypothetical below...

Shooting at a cape buffalo broadside at 80 yards and missing the heart/lungs with a 375 H&H vs missing with a 500 Jeffery? Would the 500 Jeffery with it's power over the 375 reduce the odds and chances of a runaway buffalo never to be seen? Does the power advantage of the 500 Jeffery overcompensate for shooter error and offer enough killing power to seriously hurt the buffalo enough to prevent it from running away if you miss the vitals? Maybe enough time for a follow up shot with the 500?

I just think that plains game should be under 300 yards, and DG should be within 50 yards.

 

[grand veneur]

I've never wounded a 4 legged animal. A lot of that is for sure luck, I'm not going to sit here and pretend to be a "great shot" or anything like that. I think it's been a combo of having good shooting opportunities, at a reasonable distance, and practicing enough.

With that being said, I've only shot 7 four legged animals in my life.

Georgia

2 hogs killed with 1 shot from a 44mag carbine, 60-70 yds from a blind. Pure luck. They were standing right behind one another. Outfitter was happy I killed two because the property was overrun.

RSA

Blesbok - 1 shot, 300WM, down where it stood. 50-60 yds
Impala - 1 shot, 300WM, kicked up on its back legs and died in place. 60-75 yds
Kudu - 1 shot, 300WM, ran 50 ft and died. 100 yds or so.
Warthog - 1 shot, 300WM, ran 100 ft and died. 100-120 yds or so (my toughest shot, also killed a guinea fowl behind it)
Wildebeest - 1 shot, 300WM, ran 100 ft and died. 30 yds from a blind, not a hard shot.

I've actually shot a rifle 6 times for hunting purposes, and killed 8 animals.

I'm sure if I hunt long enough in Africa, and elsewhere, I am going to have to follow up on something. Guess I've been lucky.

Waterfowl...that's another story. Ducks are a lot tougher than they look. Lost a broadbill last season that I still have no idea how it didn't die.

I agree with what @DieJager wrote. Anyone who has shot a lot of game in his life has wounded and lost game. Exceptions are extremely rare. The best equipment, the best training and always shooting under optimal conditions only reduce the risk that something goes wrong, but cannot prevent the risk of wounding and loosing an animal. There are plenty of reasons for this, from the perspective of the hunter as well of the game. Some have been mentioned. Because I am also somewhat superstitious, I always advise caution with certain statements.

 

[grand veneur]

In Africa, with wounded game that runs off, could it separated into two different categories of...

Plains game
DG ?

and some who use a DG rifle cartridge for a plains game animal at distance that's trajectory drops off too early and loss of velocity at impact at 300+ yards or so? I wonder how many plains game have been wounded by using a large heavy caliber slow moving DG bullet at longer distances than it was designed for i.e. 470 NE at over 250+ yards on a zebra? Or, even a 375 H&H at beyond 350+ yards? Isn't plains game in Africa roughly around the same size and weight as North American game (deer, elk, caribou, moose, black bear) ? Why not just stick to the traditional North American hunting cartridges for plains game that have worked for decades? (7mm, 30-06, 300 Win Mag, 300 RUM, 30-378 WBY, 338)

For plains game, I would think a 30-378 WBY caliber with a high quality LPVO 1-6 or 1-8 (Swarovski, Leupold, Trijicon) would do the trick on any plains game under 400 yards. The 30-378 WBY is flat shooting out to 1,000+ yards and could be the ultimate plains game cartridge?

Also, what about using too light a caliber on a cape buffalo and the buffalo being beyond 100+ yards?


Here's another question and hypothetical below...

Shooting at a cape buffalo broadside at 80 yards and missing the heart/lungs with a 375 H&H vs missing with a 500 Jeffery? Would the 500 Jeffery with it's power over the 375 reduce the odds and chances of a runaway buffalo never to be seen? Does the power advantage of the 500 Jeffery overcompensate for shooter error and offer enough killing power to seriously hurt the buffalo enough to prevent it from running away? Maybe enough time for a follow up shot with the 500?

I just think that plains game should be under 300 yards, and DG should be within 50 yards.

Wound and loosing game is independent of the cartridge used or the shooting distance. Some of these factors increase the risk of it occurring, but can also make in some circumstances the looking for a wounded game easier.

 

[Mauser78]

Actually I'm a little confused of what you are asking; is the question "have you had to take more shots than one and dead?"; if that's the question I certainly have, any more than one is a wounded animal. If the question is "how many animals have required tracking to finish off" then I'm a "None", luckily.

English is my 2nd language and thought that is as clear. sorry about that.
'

Have you wounded a animal in Africa that needed a follow up shot? not an insurance shot."​

So, I mean a animal that was not going to die after the first shot in 200yards from being shot. like not hitting vitals.

not a animal that was shot through the heart and lungs on first shot and then shot another 15 times before and while falling down.

 

[mark-hunter]

English is not my 1st language, but I understood exactly as you have described.

 

[Mauser78]

English is not my 1st language, but I understood exactly as you have described.

Maybe because I write second English and you read second English it worked,

 

[BeeMaa]

In Africa, with wounded game that runs off, could it separated into two different categories of...

Plains game
DG ?

and some who use a DG rifle cartridge for a plains game animal at distance that's trajectory drops off too early and loss of velocity at impact at 300+ yards or so? I wonder how many plains game have been wounded by using a large heavy caliber slow moving DG bullet at longer distances than it was designed for i.e. 470 NE at over 250+ yards on a zebra? Or, even a 375 H&H at beyond 350+ yards? Isn't plains game in Africa roughly around the same size and weight as North American game (deer, elk, caribou, moose, black bear) ? Why not just stick to the traditional North American hunting cartridges for plains game that have worked for decades? (7mm, 30-06, 300 Win Mag, 300 RUM, 30-378 WBY, 338)

For plains game, I would think a 30-378 WBY caliber with a high quality LPVO 1-6 or 1-8 (Swarovski, Leupold, Trijicon) would do the trick on any plains game under 400 yards. The 30-378 WBY is flat shooting out to 1,000+ yards and could be the ultimate plains game cartridge?

Also, what about using too light a caliber on a cape buffalo and the buffalo being beyond 100+ yards?


Here's another question and hypothetical below...

Shooting at a cape buffalo broadside at 80 yards and missing the heart/lungs with a 375 H&H vs missing with a 500 Jeffery? Would the 500 Jeffery with it's power over the 375 reduce the odds and chances of a runaway buffalo never to be seen? Does the power advantage of the 500 Jeffery overcompensate for shooter error and offer enough killing power to seriously hurt the buffalo enough to prevent it from running away if you miss the vitals? Maybe enough time for a follow up shot with the 500?

I just think that plains game should be under 300 yards, and DG should be within 50 yards.

For a follow up shot, I’m MUCH quicker with my 375H&H than even a 416RM. Move up to 500J and it would only get worse.

I’d rather have two 300 grain .375 bullets in DG than one 400.

The saying stands. Take the largest rifle you are capable of shooting accurately to prevent possible loss because of a flinch.