.243 shot placement on deer

[Todd1700]

I’m a believer in the double lung shot. They may not be “DRT” but they will rarely go more than 50 yards and will “ABD” (always be dead)

And as a bonus, very little meat loss.

Agreed. I have always aimed for a double lung as well. Especially when using a smaller caliber like a 243. There may be a lot of neck and shoulder shooters that can brag of more DRT kills than me but I can console myself with the fact that I have never lost a double lunged deer. Most neck and shoulder shooters in my family and circle of friends cannot claim the same. LOL!

 

[Nature Boy]

I have never lost a double lunged deer

Can't go far if it can't breath

 

[shooter1niner]

I use 100 gr. Nosler Partitions in a .243 RCBS (a .243 case based wildcat). Really though I think you need to assess the best shot available. The caliber is more than capable if shot placement is right, but that goes for most any caliber. The hunting season before last I had a nice buck walking almost straight towards me about 100 yds away. I had a decent rest against a tree and waited until he put his nose to the ground then drilled him between the shoulders. No followup shot necessary and no meat ruined.
Whatever shot you choose to take make it a well placed and sure shot.

 

[Musicianized]

Why destroy so much valuable shoulder meat, regardless of the cartridge used?

Depends, small tract of property? Don't want them to run.. that high shoulder shot drops em.. maybe not with a .243 tho.

 

[ridgerunner1965]

I have personally killed maybe 50 deer of all sizes with a 243.

y.es the shoulder shot either high or center seems to drop them instantly. but it ruins a lot of meat and just makes a nasty bloody mess of the front quarters.i don't do shoulder shot anymore because of the mess.

I have taken dozens of deer with lung/heart shots and they just always seem to work well with the 243. the cavity will be full of blood but other than a broken rib or two there is very little meat damaged.

 

[Musicianized]

I give.. what does DRT stand for, drop right there?


I prefer heart shots too but some people have small chunks of land and a-hole neighbors who wont let them track their deer if it crosses the line.

That's the only time I'd make an intentional shot like that. It's crazy how far a deer can run on one breath of air sometimes.

 

[Mr. Zorg]

Dead
Right
There

I've seen it applied to both bipedal and quadrupedal targets FWIW.

 

[Musicianized]

Dead
Right
There

I've seen it applied to both bipedal and quadrupedal targets FWIW.

Ahhhhh Dead .

 

[mustanger98]

I give.. what does DRT stand for, drop right there?


I prefer heart shots too but some people have small chunks of land and a-hole neighbors who wont let them track their deer if it crosses the line.

That's the only time I'd make an intentional shot like that. It's crazy how far a deer can run on one breath of air sometimes.

The deer I've shot in the heart/lungs didn't make it out of my backyard. But that's nowhere near every deer ever harvested and mileage will vary. When they do run like that, a lot of times they're headed somewhere you wish they weren't.

The game warden in my area, in hunter ed class, said we're obligated to make the effort to recover the deer and, if the neighbors didn't like it, call him and he'd explain it to them and assist with recovery.

 

[Musicianized]

The deer I've shot in the heart/lungs didn't make it out of my backyard. But that's nowhere near every deer ever harvested and mileage will vary. When they do run like that, a lot of times they're headed somewhere you wish they weren't.

The game warden in my area, in hunter ed class, said we're obligated to make the effort to recover the deer and, if the neighbors didn't like it, call him and he'd explain it to them and assist with recovery.

It doesn't work that way here in MI. Landowners have the right to refuse and the deer goes to waste.

 

[mustanger98]

It doesn't work that way here in MI. Landowners have the right to refuse and the deer goes to waste.

Not that there's anything out-of-state people can do about it, and actually I've heard this mentioned before, but it sounds to me like MI has conflicted legalities at the intersection of property rights and hunting ethics. With that in mind, I'd much rather hunt in GA because if a dead (and don't know it yet) deer did make it across the property line, we in GA know what to do about it. But in any case, I'd still rather see where the deer piles up than have to track. No arguement here on best case being DRT.

 

[Musicianized]

Not that there's anything out-of-state people can do about it, and actually I've heard this mentioned before, but it sounds to me like MI has conflicted legalities at the intersection of property rights and hunting ethics. With that in mind, I'd much rather hunt in GA because if a dead (and don't know it yet) deer did make it across the property line, we in GA know what to do about it. But in any case, I'd still rather see where the deer piles up than have to track. No arguement here on best case being DRT.

I don't ask.. I go get it.

 

[FL-NC]

For the OP- I shot this one 2 weeks ago with my 243 with 100 grain Winchester power point, at about 30 yards, and she ran straight to me and crashed almost directly under my stand, which was very considerate of her. Also glad I wasn't in a ground blind.

 

[ACES&8S]

I was made aware of this thread which is similar to mine in RELOADING, to which I will find many of my answers here.
I have never owned a 243 but have lots of rifles on both sides of it.
One of the best hunters I ever knew, used it religiously on bucks, & some of them of very good size.
He ALWAYS shot them in the neck whenever possible. I don't know why but that was his way & it seemed to
work, wish he was still alive to ask about this.
I am going to reload ammo for a girl who wants a good blood trail after using Fusion thru the ribs has resulted
in weak blood trail despite internal destruction not putting them down before they run off, taking lots of tracking
to find them.

 

[stillquietvoice]

He probably did that to disrupt the cns. Deer don't go far with spine and cord damage.

I was made aware of this thread which is similar to mine in RELOADING, to which I will find many of my answers here.
I have never owned a 243 but have lots of rifles on both sides of it.
One of the best hunters I ever knew, used it religiously on bucks, & some of them of very good size.
He ALWAYS shot them in the neck whenever possible. I don't know why but that was his way & it seemed to
work, wish he was still alive to ask about this.
I am going to reload ammo for a girl who wants a good blood trail after using Fusion thru the ribs has resulted
in weak blood trail despite internal destruction not putting them down before they run off, taking lots of tracking
to find them.

 

[ACES&8S]

He probably did that to disrupt the cns. Deer don't go far with spine and cord damage

His shots were always from a tree stand which usually gives one time to pick a shot.
Here we have a set up where at least 80% of the time the bucks will come straight at us & with the head down it
is best to wait for the head up but once the head is up, a rutting buck's neck is a tempting target which I prefer, rather
than the chest which would ruin so much meat.
I can't recall one ever getting out of sight with a neck shot, especially with a 7mm Mag.
I can recall seeing several deer that my old friend had hanging with huge holes in the neck like the bullets
exploded from his 243 reloads.

 

[stillquietvoice]

I took a neck shot a few years ago on a doe at about 20 yds with a 7mm08 I aimed at the white patch. I used 139 superformance sst. The exit looked like someone filleted the meat off of the bone from the shoulder juncture to the skull. I know that is not a 243 or 250 yds, but she didn't move again.

As long as you, she can place the shot it's going down.

 

[FL-NC]

I have shot many deer through the white patch with 243 and 223. Always DRT. I will do this for deer that won't turn broadside as well as broadside deer in the late afternoon to avoid tracking in the dark if the shot is there.

 

[Ks5shooter]

.243 with proper bullet choice is as good as any deer caliber.