First Whitetail down... excessive damage or normal?

[Panzerfauste]

Hey guys, just got back from solo hunting and took a big old doe... This is my second season hunting and second deer ever. She is almost twice the size of the other does I saw, so imagine she is a few years old for sure.

https://imgur.com/a/ynAXM5O

I was hunting a pressured area and I finally figured out what people mean by using the pressure to your advantage. I found a spot in a large clearing on the side of a hill with
patches of trees through out, there are 2 roads running along this clearing (one at the top and one at the bottom) and due to the topography, you cant see the middle of this clearing from either road.

I snuck into the middle an hour before shooting light and found some cover by some brush and fallen logs then waited...I waited 1.5hrs and my patience was wearing, thinking I picked the wrong spot.

Nope... a few min more goes by and the trucks start rolling in one after the other and I can see a few deer scattering off in all directions, though none are giving me a good shot then this doe comes barrelling straight towards me, completely unaware of my presence... I have to stand if Im going to take a shot at her and as I stand she stops 50yds away for a brief second as she sees me and boom. I shot her right in the middle of the chest as she was facing directly towards me, she runs about 10yds and collapses, as I walk over, my thoughts are of how badly gutshot is she going to be.

I inspect the damage, there is only an entrance wound and no exit... I open her and both lungs punctured, both rib cages are shattered, I found the bullet lodged in the liver and very very minimally gutshot, the stomache is not punctured and hasnt deflated, but there is a small amount of mushed up food in the bottom of the cavity. What happened to cause all this? Im shooting 30-06, 150g Federal Powershok

After getting home and quartering, the meat on both shoulders is badly bruised and will likely have to trimmed out, as well as all the meat around the shattered ribs on both sides. (No smoked venison ribs for this guy)

I obviously wouldve preferred a broadside shot, but I took the oppurtunity I was given.

Is 30-06 too much bullet for this short of range? Should I have taken a neck shot instead in this situation?

My first deer was taken with a shotgun (12GA 3in 00Buck) from 10yds and there was waaay less meat damage which surprised me.

My first thoughts are to get a smaller caliber strictly for deer hunting and just make sure the shots are well placed.

I didnt have time to hang before quartering and I have a lot of coagulated dark blood on the outside of the meat, any tips for cleaning it off the meat?

I would love to hear your thoughts on what I should do differently for the future

[RackStar]

If I nick a shoulder by accident. I always say better to loose a couple pounds then have no deer. 30-06 is a great deer round. Almost all my deer have been shot with one. I use 180 Nosler partitions. I’m thinking your bullet exploded on impact as your using a soft point bullet. I shot my deer this year with a 300wm... it’s just what I was packing for elk all season so I kept toting it. Bullet choice I think is critical. You can always get a 243 6.5 7-08 for a deer gun If you want a new gun? Lol

[RackStar]

Nice doe. They taste like the best.

[two-feet]

It happens. The damage you describe caused a quick humane kill, better that the deer running and not being recovered.

[Wild one]

Nothing wrong with a 30-06 and some shot angles are just prone to more damage. Ammo choice can give different results but I don’t use a rifle enough to give good advice on bullet selection

Sitting for WT is often deadly but don’t forget sometimes you really have to put in the hrs. 1.5hrs is a very short sit so don’t let your mind get the best of you. You have to trust your location and ride it out

But this go you did not need to sit long congrats lol

As for shock damage all you can really do is trim and clean till you are left with what is good meat. It’s part of hunting with a firearm. Only way to solve shock damage is to use a bow/crossbow then you can eat right up to the hole lol

[Rieber]

At that close range the hyroshock is devestating. Just think, at 50 yards that little body absorbed 3000ft lbs of energy. The shock wave through the body did what it was designed to do and that was to kill.

At that close range I personally favor a high neck or head shot depending on what was presented. You don't have too much gun - it did exactly as it was designed to do but when you hit a thick part of the deer you get bloodshot.

Excellent strategy on ambush point. Well done.

[Dirty Steve]

Head shot.... no meat damage. I got a little meat buck yesterday, spike Mulie with my 7mm and almost surgically removed it's brain.... Granted I don't have a rack to hang on the wall but I'v never seen a spiker hanging on someones wall. That white tail doe will be very tasty! Trim all the blood shot out and toss it, try to pull all the fat off the muscle groups and trim as much silver skin out as possible.... My wife now LOVES white tail steaks more than beef! The secret is get rid of all the fat and silver skin...Just red meat!

[Gateholio]

Close range shot with standard (soft) bullet will lead to some shrapnel and bruising. What does the recovered bullet look like ?

[KodiakHntr]

Soft bullets moving fast = bloodshot.

Slow down your impact velocity and/or choose a different shot/angle and you will usually have less bloodshot meat. A smaller caliber/cartridge rifle won't necessarily lessen the amount of bloodshot.

[walks with deer]

mix vinegar and water and scrub..