My last mule deer was taken with a 454 (FA, 7.5") with 260 gr partitions @ 1,730 fps. The deer was quartering towards at +/- 100 yds, the shot felt good, the deer buckled, just about went down, then regained it balance and started running down the hill towards a brush filled gully. I shot a second time and the deer dropped hard. Was congratulating myself as I walked towards it until I saw that the second shot had hit him in the base of the antler and knocked him out (a case of leading too much, his head was low as he ran down a steep spot, I was across the draw). It turned out that the first was fatal, punching the inside of the shoulder, holding its direction and making it through the lungs into, at least, the stomach...I was on foot and quartering, did not open up the abdomen to perform an autopsy.