Why so many DRT online?

[gspn]

I frequently see people writing about how all of their deer "DRT"….stands for "drop right there."

I've been shooting deer for a while…I've easily killed over 100 of them…most of those with a 7mm Remington Mag. I always TRY for a double lung shot, but if the situation demands something else I'll take any good shot that's available. All of these deer were shot between 5 and 300 yards.

VERY few of those deer have "dropped right there" when shot with a 7 mag. The few that did were either shot in the neck, or I found evidence that the bullet had either fragmented or changed course to the degree that it broke the spine. They almost invariably take off on a dead run…and pile up within 20 to 40 yards with an occasional hardy specimen making it 50 to 100 yards with both lungs and/or it's heart blown out.

Bullet construction has ranged from CoreLokt, Ballistic Tip, Accubond, SilverTip, GameKing, etc. I've used lots to them, and while those various constructions tend to have an impact on terminal performance (i.e. pass through, fragmentation, weight retention) they have no impact at all on how quickly the deer dies or whether it runs or not. I've had SilverTips push through a 250 lb buck like a freight train, and had Ballistic Tips turn their lungs to jelly without exiting…and both deer still ran a bit before piling up.

I'm just looking for a very informal survey of how many deer you think you've shot with a rifle, what type of shot you typically take, and how many were "DRT".

Many stories I read on the interwebz try to imply causation with the bullet and/or caliber being responsible for this "DRT" performance…as in "you need to shoot this bullet, (or this caliber) I do and all my deer are DRT"...which I find preposterous.

 

[newfalguy101]

Of the 20 or so, I have had exactly ONE that dropped and never moved.

Shot with an SKS at 75ish yards. The bullet actually hit a bit high relative to where I was aiming, and damaged the spine.

 

[JRH6856]

Maybe they intend DRT to mean "Dead Right There" but deer can't read so they run off anyway.

 

[gspn]

Maybe they intend DRT to mean "Dead Right There" but deer can't read so they run off anyway.

True…most deer can't read…and even fewer have high speed internet access.

 

[H&Hhunter]

I've always thought DRT meant Dead Right There. But whatever it means if you want more instant drops don't lung shoot them. There are places on any big game animal that will provide an instant drop. Behind the shoulders double lung generally won't do it.

 

[scchokedaddy]

Well 'DRT' does seem to be hard to replicate on a steady basis, I do not see as hard to do as some people do. By this I mean you can not expect a double lung shot to drop one in it's tracks, but I have been told it happens, just never seen it. Grew up being told heart shot was the only shot to take. Then learned to shoulder shoot, and never looked back. You will definatly see DRT using it. I am not a Trophy hunter nor do I as a rule shoot bucks,I am a meat hunter and do not shoot if I do not get my shot. I shoot 6nn,25 06, 6.5x55,308 marlin,308 win, as well as 35 rem. All are capable of getting the job done. I do not like tracking deer nor losing one. No I am not going to tell you that I am 100% in my shooting, I make a bad shot every now and then, and it really ticks me off because it allways comes down to me not the rifle. Just saying what I have found to work for me. But, and I mean a big but I do understand the efforts of those who do hunt Trophy Bucks having to take what is presented to them and my hat is off to those who take the shot successfully. Some if not all serious hunters put in alot of trigger time to be ready when that one special one cones by. Not saying I am super shot, just do not shoot if it ain't right, cause basically I have gotten LAZY.

 

[1911 guy]

I've killed deer with .308, 12 gauge slug and .50 caliber roundball from a muzzleloader. I've had similar results with all of these. Shot placement was good, deer died relatively quickly. Some of these were dead before they hit the ground, one trotted away and laid down about 70 yards off. To claim anything short of towed artillery gives 100 percent dead in it's tracks performance is to discount the oddities that happen when bullets hit living tissue.

However, knowing your limitations, the limitations of your chosen hunting implement and the game you are taking will increase the odds of producing a quick killing shot. Some will drop as if struck by lightning. Others will bolt for the high country and fall over in a few yards due to blood loss.

 

[gspn]

To be clear...im not expecting deer to drop in their tracks with a double lung shot...that is in no way what the post is about.

The point of the post is trying to determine a rough percentage of deer that do drop in their tracks vs how many get reported that way online to support an authors favorite caliber or bullet choice.

One interesting point raised thus far is that some people use the term "DRT" to mean "dead" right there vs "dropped".

Its a distinction i hadnt considered as i usually see it used in the "dropped" connotation...but it sems that as with many things...various usages have arisen online. Very interesting.

 

[caribou]

Spine or brain shots have the 'carpet yank' effect allright,, and under 100 yards thats very doable.
Chest shots require time to die. I let Caribou settle down and try and not run them off, but approch slowly and then finnish like the beef butcher with a knife, get a good bleedout.

 

[jrdolall]

Over the past 5 years I have killed 6 bucks that have been mounted (Euro mostly) as well as several doe. Of the 6 bucks 5 have been what I would call DRT with the D standing for DROPPED. The 6th was a heart shot and that buck ran over 100 yards downhill into a swampy bottom. This was the only one that was exiting the area when I shot him so I think he had seen me move and decided to get out of Dodge. The others were all relaxed or following a doe. One cull buck was shot quartering away at a severe angle so the bullet traveled a long way through his body cavity. None of them were spine shots though I have made a few of those in my day. All of them were well inside 100 yards with the majority being within 50 yards and I tend to make heart shots on relaxed deer at close range. I remember one doe that dropped in her tracks but at least three others have run a short distance before piling up.
The doe that was DRT was shot with a Marlin 336 in 30-30 at about 40 yards. Don't recall which bullet I was using.
All of the bucks were shot with a 30-06 ( two different rifles) using Federal Premium 165 grain. I can dig a box out to see exactly which bullet I am using if someone wants to know.
I have been hunting deer for over 40 years and I am sitting here thinking about this. It seems that probably 50% (just a wild guess of course) of my deer have been DRT, meaning that they dropped in their tracks and eventually died right there. Like everyone else I have made some gut shots and some other pitiful shots, normally on deer that were running. I have missed deer standing broadside at 50 yards with a gun that was dead on accurate and then killed them with a follow up shot. In my younger days it was common for me to take neck and head shots but I haven't tried that in years.

I had to go look. Federal Premium 165 grain NOSLER Partition. I have been using them for several years and have been very satisfied with the performance. When I was younger I generally shot whatever Kmart had on sale. No way in the world I would have paid $45 for a box of shells. I remember paying $7.99 or so. Since I don't do a lot of shooting with the 30-06 a box lasts me at least two years.
I hunt in Alabama mostly so the bucks run around 150 pounds. ALL of those mentioned were back "in the woods" where they were feeding or otherwise going about their normal routine. I think a lot of it may have to do with their adrenaline levels. Deer working in open fields tend to be more wound up and usually run back inside the woodline when shot. Here in Alabama I have an advantage in that we can legally shoot 2 deer every day of a season that runs over 100 days so I have probably killed more whitetail than most hunters. Back before I was 40 I routinely killed 10-15 deer every year. I shot 3 that I mounted back in 2011, one in 2012, and none in 2013. I am more of a watcher now but I still sit in the stand just as much.

 

[Chuck R.]

I've killed 37 deer over the years, a couple elk , 3 boar, and 5 mountain goats (Chamois). I usually go for double lung shot and in the time I've been hunting I've had 3 DRTs. (Dropped Right There) Almost everything I've shot has jumped and run a bit from 10-75 yards before expiring. Calibers I've used: .270, 30-06, .300Win, 8x68S, .350REM, .45-100 and .50ML. Bullets have been Noslers, usually Ballistic Tips for deer/goats and partitions for the elk & Boar. The .45-100 was a cast 550 grain. Shots have been from 25 yards to an extreme of 400 on a goat I just couldn't get closer to.

The only DRTs I had were spine hit when I screwed up the shot.

Chuck

 

[cat_IT_guy]

I shot a doe at about 12 yards with a 12ga buckshot load square in the shoulder and vitals. She was at a dead run and dropped right away, only travelling as far as inertia carried her. The other deer I've shot have run before expiring.

My guess is that a lot of guys reporting "only DRTs" or a very high percentage of them is just like everything else on the internet.... take it with a grain of salt. Same with guys who can shoot .1" groups with their .22 at 500 yards all day long. I know DRTs can and do happen mostly the result of spine or head shots (intentional or accidental, the deer doesnt know the difference if you interrupt its CNS).

 

[Art Eatman]

I've tagged some four dozen bucks, total. I'm vaguely recalling that somewhere over half were neck shots: DRT ruint. Only two head shots. The lesser number of chest shots never had a buck move out of sight; never have had to trail. Most of the chest-shot bucks were dead on the spot by the time I walked up to them.

Okay: I hit a tad far back on a mule deer buck. He sorta humped up and walked maybe twenty feet before my second shot to the chest had him drop and not move any more. I guess you could call him my "max-travel" buck.

 

[buck460XVR]

When I was a kid and hunting the big swamps, my dad taught me to shoot deer high in the front shoulders. This produced a double lung hit while incapacitating the deer. Kept you from loosing the blood trail in the water.

Whether they drop right there or go 60 yards with a boiler room shot, unless you are sittin' on the property line, you shouldn't really have an issue with retrieving your animal.


As for why so many DRTs on online forums? Why so many pics of perfect one inch groups @ 200 yards? Why so many folks claim they never wounded a deer or even made a bad shot?

 

[ZeroJunk]

You can gut shoot a deer and he is dead right there if that is the way they are using it. Just might take him a day or two to realize it.

 

[ZeroJunk]

Hey Buck, I made a bad shot one time. Just so happens a hummingbird ran in to the bullet and deflected it.

 

[stressed]

Sorry to hear you failed this with your 7mm. I actually achieved "DRT" with a... 9mm carbine. More then once.. Interesting to hear you failed this at 5 yards with a 7mm..

Granted when I shot them with said carbine, they were not "dead" right there, but they dropped right there without any running and expired in time.

 

[H&Hhunter]

Sorry to hear you failed this with your 7mm. I actually achieved "DRT" with a... 9mm carbine. More then once.. Interesting to hear you failed this at 5 yards with a 7mm..

stressed,

Nobody said anything about "failing" he said he didn't get an instant drop. Big difference. Once again it's all about where you put the bullet.

 

[stressed]

I should have worded differently, I am surprised the animal did not drop instantly with said shot placement.

 

[redneck]

Outside of shooting varmints with high speed ballistic tip type stuff I don't think its possible to have anything "Dead right then". Dropped right there is not uncommon but instant dead just doesn't happen. I shot a doe dead center of the forehead, from 50 yards with a .530 ball over 95 grains of pyrodex select and she definitely dropped right there but by the time I had climbed down from my stand, reloaded my gun and walked over she was still kicking her back legs.

 

[gspn]

Sorry to hear you failed this with your 7mm.

Failed? The deer I shot at 5 yards with a 7 mag is on my wall…not exactly a fail.

It was an interesting hunt. He was shot in the heart…it was blown to pieces when I examined it…and ran 100 yards. Didn't leave a drop of blood for the first 20 yards. I found a circle of hair about 7 feet wide on the ground next to where he was standing…I saw the hair get blown off him…if you filled a canon with deer hair and set it off it gives you an idea of what it looked like when the bullet hit. A huge ball of hair left the opposite side of that deer the moment it was struck. It left no blood though. After about 20 yards I found a drop or two. Then drops became a trickle, then trickles became puddles where he stopped to figure out what was going on, puddles became buckets, then he piled up.

 

[gspn]

I shot a doe dead center of the forehead, from 50 yards with a .530 ball over 95 grains of pyrodex select and she definitely dropped right there but by the time I had climbed down from my stand, reloaded my gun and walked over she was still kicking her back legs.

WOW! I bet she did drop…gave me a headache just reading about it!

 

[H&Hhunter]

Critters react to bullets in different ways. My fastest ever cape buffalo kill was with a .375H&H and a 300 gr TSX. It was behind the shoulder and raking slightly forward, one shot the bull bucked and charged forward for about 30 yards and fell over graveyard dead. The bullet got the lungs and the major vessels over the heart but did not break major bone.

I saw almost the exact same shot placement with a .458 Lott and a 500 gr WLSP, that bull ran for about 500 yards and took two more WLSP's before he went to the light. I hit a small bodied bull twice through the lungs with a .470NE and that bull got into the Jesse bush and was still able to fight and in fact put up one heck of a last stand after almost 30 minutes.

Does that mean that the .375H&H is a better buff gun than a .458Lott or a .470NE? No it just means that some critters have more fight in them than others. Same for deer. I poked a nice 140" 8 point whitetail here in Colorado with a .30-06 using a 180gr TSX a few years ago the angle was a bit more shallow than I thought and I only got one lung but I also got liver. That buck was alive but just about out of blood when I found him 5 or 6 hours later. I've had that same exact shot, same exact bullet, drop a buck DRT as well.

I've hit a pronghorn once to far back and to high. I hit no vitals and no bone, and he folded up deader than the Jonas Brothers recording career. Strange and unusual things happen when you introduce bullets to flesh.

Of course the OP was saying that folks tend to "up" perform their chosen bullet and caliber via internet writings. I get that, but he also brought up some fairly interesting conversation here.

 

[buck460XVR]

DRT and BBD are phrases one never heard twenty years ago. It took television and internet forums and their hype to make their connotation important to a few folks. That's why those few folks feel the need to use them........for some reason they identify this with being a great hunter. Problem is for many of those, DRT is important, because if the animal is not DRT, they loose the bloodtrail within 40 yards.

This whole phenomenon of using a hyperbole to describe a kill is a recent one. The "whack 'em and Stack 'em!" , "Piled 'em up like cord-wood!" and others have somehow become some kind of badge of honor. Maybe I'm just old school, but I was taught to have respect for my quarry and to honor them in death, not to glorify the amount of blood drawn or to glorify the last moments before death. To tell the truth, I always preferred bow hunting because even with a boiler room shot, the deer ran off outta sight and died with dignity. Nowadays, besides the impact shot, the videos feel the need to show the animal suffering, while staggering and falling, then kicking until the last spasms of life are gone. Sorry, I just don't get it.

 

[H&Hhunter]

Buck,

Honestly the first time I ever heard the term DRT was 25 years ago or there about when I was an EMT Firefighter. And it was not used to describe the hunting or shooting of an animal. It would usually go something like this. "Hey guys don't hurt yourselves rushing to the scene. The patent is 10-7/ DRT..." 10-7 (out of service, dead right there). Used to describe a scene where the victim was obviously not with the living anymore.