multiple kill shots?

[BearStump]

just wondering what the general concensus is amongst us hunters regarding multiple shots.
-Do ya keep shooting till it drops and potentially ruin a bunch more meat?
-Do you only take a follow up shot if you have a good broadside shot where you wont ruin any more meat?
-Will you follow up with another shot while the animal is running?
-or do you take one well placed shot and KNOW that it will die,wait paitently, and retrieve your animal?

Just curious, I am of the opinion that a second shot should only be taken if it is a good boiler room or neck shot. I dont see the point in filling the game that you're gonna eat full of lead and ruining half the meat. I dont really understand why some guys will shoot their moose 3 or 4 times, when the first shot was the doozie anyhow. But then again, I'm a meat hunter. I'll spend an extra hour packing it out if it means I get to keep all 4 quarters.

[Mr. Dean]

Never had too but I guess it depends. If the cover is fugly and the critter is on the move, I'd rather get *some* in the risk of losing *all*.

[4 point]

I guess it depends a lot on the circumstances. A bang flop shot is always the best of course but sometime even a well placed shot espeacially on a bigger animal will not take the animal down right away. When it starts to walk off people most likely then doubt their 1st shoot was a kill shot and open up again. So initial shot placement is the key. Most experienced shooters/hunters I think can tell pretty close where they hit/didn't hit the animal. I agree why fill the animal full of lead, ruin meet for no reason. We have all had different scenarios with 1st shoots and then what happens next. It's all a learning experience and not always the same for eveyone.

[835]

Shoot them till there dead.
This does not mean Flagrant bullet flinging. I have shot moose tight to the heart end of "The Boiler room" and then put a second further back or in the head neck. I have seen moose take a 180gr 300 mag round in perfect location run. This can make extraction go from good to evil.
And the big one,,, what if your first shot wasnt as good as you thought it was?

I can see your side too though. But i would never advocate it to a less experianced killer. I think you need to be not "Confidant" but Positive that first one was good before you go playing that game.

[lilhoss]

If your confident with your shot,which I am,one shot will do.I watch the critters reactions.Of course a neck,or head shot is instantanious.I've shot moose out to about 400 yards and could see that it was a good hit.The moose will falter and fall or run a little and die once the lungs,or heart have failed 'em.Drives me nuts when I watch a hunting video and a guy plants one square in the boiler room,only to be told by the guy with the binos "Givem another one" and he drops two more into the front end,either high in the shoulders,or through the shoulder blades,basically destroying the whole front end.As has been said above,alot of cirmcumstances,and experience comes better quality kills.Could be a big ole Black Bear in thick cover,or I 've heard guys talking about sheep or goats in precarious places and they want the animal to drop right now!Now if your talking wolves!!!:-D I don't think they make enough bullets for that!

[russm86]

Depends on situation and your awareness. If you are absolutely sure your first shot was good and can see any affect on the animal at all then your probably good with one shot just wait and let it die. Now if its an LEH moose hunt or something and its your last day and its a difficult shot or your placement or hit is questinoable at all... I probably wouldnt hesitate to take as many shots as needed to get it down. For your every day buck if you can't get it down with one shot, maybe 2 or 3 if you don't think you hit it like it's on the move or in heavy timber then it's not meant to be and it's time to move on. That's my opinion.

[jml11]

I had a buddy who loved to fill animals with lead...his philosophy was "some meat is better than no meat"...lol'd at that all the time!

[JDR]

Sometimes I think it's very difficult to tell if an animal has been hit. The elk I shot this year showed no sign of being hit and he was only 70 yards away. He ran 60 yards and died. When I walked his trail there was next to no blood and when I found him he was surrounded by blood and had been double-lunged, with entrance and exit wound. Even though I made a fatal shot, had I had the chance I would've given him another because I was unsure he was hit. FYI I used a 30-06 with 180 grain TSX.

[todbartell]

keep shooting although I've never shot more than once on a moose or elk. Black bears can soak up some lead, they seem to get stronger the more you shoot them sometimes

[Rock Doctor]

As mentioned, if apropriate, keep shooting, preferably with a heavy caliber rifle (less meat damage, you can eat right up to the bullet hole if shooting a 338, ect) I have been called out to retrieve game that made it across , or partially across rivers/swamps before they died. I've walked extra miles to retrieve Sheep that ran and jumped off the wrong side of a mountian.
I've met a few guys that claim they can make washers out of nickles, every shot, at 300yrds............I have yet to see one of them actually do it. Even if you're positivly confident of your shot, it's still possible for your bullet to conect with a twig, Hummingbird, ect before reaching it's target.

RD

[BiG Boar]

Even if you're positivly confident of your shot, it's still possible for your bullet to conect with a twig, Hummingbird, ect before reaching it's target.RD

Well said. I can't stand the guys who shoot once, then look up and watch the animal limp or run away. If its not laying on the ground, keep shooting.

1. The animal should die faster, especially if the first shot was off.

2. You keep your tracking job shorter.

3. Anyone who says otherwise just hasn't wounded an animal yet. (be it a flyer bullet, or an unseen twig.)

[Barracuda]

the thing with follow up shots is you should try to be ready with one even if you dont need it. Even if an animal is struck with a lethal shot there is always the possibility for that animal to get to a difficult spot to extract or even lost and dead.

Each situation is different but in general Hit it, watch it and if it needs it hit it again.

Interesting that this is comeing up as i was just thinking about archery and how you really have to be sure of your shot and wait for the animal to bleed out so .

[Mr. Dean]

Sometimes I think it's very difficult to tell if an animal has been hit. The elk I shot this year showed no sign of being hit and he was only 70 yards away. He ran 60 yards and died. When I walked his trail there was next to no blood and when I found him he was surrounded by blood and had been double-lunged, with entrance and exit wound. Even though I made a fatal shot, had I had the chance I would've given him another because I was unsure he was hit. FYI I used a 30-06 with 180 grain TSX.

Different but similar.


I placed a well thought out shot into a buck and he just stood there, looking as he did before pulling the trigger. I placed another, and he fell on the spot. Upon inspection, the shots were under an inch apart and both were solid killer's.... I think he just 'locked-up' on the 1st one and that left me thinking that I missed.

[835]

Well said. I can't stand the guys who shoot once, then look up and watch the animal limp or run away. If its not laying on the ground, keep shooting.

1. The animal should die faster, especially if the first shot was off.

2. You keep your tracking job shorter.

3. Anyone who says otherwise just hasn't wounded an animal yet. (be it a flyer bullet, or an unseen twig.)

I fully aggree with this.
Especially the last bit. Kill'em till they are dead only then will you know its dead.
quicker for the animal and easier for you. There are many reasons to keep shooting and only one reason to only give it one.

[Weatherby Fan]

Well said. I can't stand the guys who shoot once, then look up and watch the animal limp or run away. If its not laying on the ground, keep shooting.

1. The animal should die faster, especially if the first shot was off.

2. You keep your tracking job shorter.

3. Anyone who says otherwise just hasn't wounded an animal yet. (be it a flyer bullet, or an unseen twig.)

Well said Big Boar but one shot kills mostly come from Weatherby cartridge's hehe :mrgreen:,
couldn't agree more shoot till it's down as you have a responsibity to dispatch an animal as quickly as possible,one step for a deer goes from a heart shot to a gut shot and you might not have realized it happened while shooting.
A little blood shot meat is nothing compared to losing a whole animal.
WF

[Fisher-Dude]

Sometimes I think it's very difficult to tell if an animal has been hit. The elk I shot this year showed no sign of being hit and he was only 70 yards away. He ran 60 yards and died. When I walked his trail there was next to no blood and when I found him he was surrounded by blood and had been double-lunged, with entrance and exit wound. Even though I made a fatal shot, had I had the chance I would've given him another because I was unsure he was hit. FYI I used a 30-06 with 180 grain TSX.

Damned TSX's! No blood trail! :D

I've seen a moose poleaxed with a shot to the hump get up and disappear forever. The shooter was using a 30/06 and had been told by his dad "Shoot a moose in the hump!" Well, the shock from the flesh wound dumped the moose on his ass, but when the shock wore off (2 seconds), the moose was gone, with little more than an achy back. Instead of admiring his first shot, he should have been ready with a follow-up shot and he would have had moose burgers.

[Magnumb]

How much meat do you lose with a second shot to the chest? A second well placed shot reduces suffering, lessens the tracking and hopefully ensures the kill. Knock'em down.

[BearStump]

How much meat do you lose with a second shot to the chest? A second well placed shot reduces suffering, lessens the tracking and hopefully ensures the kill. Knock'em down.

well what I was getting at was that the second shot may be a shot on the move, which may end up being a shoulder or less that optimum shot. By all means if a moose hunches up and stands there bleeding....hammer him again.


I raised this point because the cow elk that I shot this year was about 80 to 100 yds offhand shot(no rest anywhere) and she took a step just as I squeezed the trigger. The shot ended up about 10 inches too far back. It was about an hour till we picked up a blood trail. when we did find blood it was 120 yds in the opposite direction than the animal first took off. Eventually after tracking blood for about 2 km through the bush we cought up to her and had a dandy of an elk with zero meat loss. I did'nt have the opportunity for a follow up shot where this took place, but in hind sight, I'm glad that everything played out how it did, cuz I've now got 242 lbs. of cut wrapped elk in my freezer.

[835]

Trouble is that elk got to walk around for 2 km with a bullet in it.
You situation as said there is little you could have done,,,,, But. If you chose not to shoot it again and it walked that 2km,,, think of how many people would have lost that animal.

[IronNoggin]

There are many reasons to keep shooting and only one reason to only give it one.

aYup! In the words of a Good Outfitter Buddy of mine: "If you ain't shootin' you better be reloading"! :twisted:

Cheers,
Nog

[Brambles]

Always chamber another round and prepare to shoot again regardless if you are confident or not. I've had bangflops that they got back up again, lungshot elk that stand there with legs locked for 3 minutes. Nothing wrong with quickly finishing an animal that is mortally wounded, its called being humane. Plus if you live in an area with thick bush and you have a chance to get more bullets into that animal before it hits the timber, its advisable you take it. You'll be wishing you did when you can't find it.

I don't feel bad about shooting more than once when I shoot the TSX bullets, they don't bloodshot meat as bad as more frangible bullets and I can usually eat to the hole.

[dana]

The more experienced you are the more you know $hit can happen fast. Even with a solid hit to the vitals I've seen animals gain momentum and bugger off and make a hard track even harder. I've had wounded animals do some amazing things. I once hit a buck a little far forward through brisket and took out the opposite shoulder. I chased that buck for the next 3 1/2 weeks before I finally killed him. On the day I killed him I took out lungs and he still climbed straight up a mountain in knee deep snow. You just never know what an animal is capable of doing. I like to shoot until they drop and then I will watch to see if they try to get up and if need be, hammer them again. As noted earlier in this thread, bears especially soak up the lead and need more. And tracking in the spring with lush green veg ain't fun. Out of all the animals I have shot mulitple times, the meat loss has been minimal.

[Brambles]

Damned TSX's! No blood trail! :D

I've seen a moose poleaxed with a shot to the hump get up and disappear forever. The shooter was using a 30/06 and had been told by his dad "Shoot a moose in the hump!" Well, the shock from the flesh wound dumped the moose on his ass, but when the shock wore off (2 seconds), the moose was gone, with little more than an achy back. Instead of admiring his first shot, he should have been ready with a follow-up shot and he would have had moose burgers.


I shot an elk in the neck two years ago, always leary of neck shots and fear they might get back up again regardless of how fast they drop. I sat there with my scope on him for 10 minutes before I moved. Packed up my gear and went to take a look, 20 yards before I got to him I had a bad feeling, my spidey sense was tingling or something, brought my gun up just prior to him picking his head up to look at me:shock: Of course in true Brambles form, my safety was on:neutral: But I managed to take the safety off and shoot him in the back of the head as he got his legs under himself and started to run away.....pretty intense.

The grass was tall and I remember thinking to myself as I was sitting there for 10 minutes with my rifle ready if I could have seen his body in the grass I would have shot him again before going to take a look at him just incase, alas the grass was too tall and could only see his mainbeam sticking up.

[The Dude]

Always chamber another round and prepare to shoot again regardless if you are confident or not. I've had bangflops that they got back up again, lungshot elk that stand there with legs locked for 3 minutes. Nothing wrong with quickly finishing an animal that is mortally wounded, its called being humane. Plus if you live in an area with thick bush and you have a chance to get more bullets into that animal before it hits the timber, its advisable you take it. You'll be wishing you did when you can't find it.

I don't feel bad about shooting more than once when I shoot the TSX bullets, they don't bloodshot meat as bad as more frangible bullets and I can usually eat to the hole.

Excellent post, I fully agree, and i might have a new sigline out of this to boot! :D

[Brambles]

Excellent post, I fully agree, and i might have a new sigline out of this to boot! :D

Figured someone would bite at that "one-liner"

New marketing campaign geared for women, "Hey wives, buy your husband a box of Barnes TSX, after he uses these he'll eat to the hole":lol:

[Spitzer]

Anything worth shooting once, is worth shooting twice.

[swampthing]

Your not losing a quarter, your gaining 3, keep shootin.

[new hunter]

If it tries to crawl off , shoot it again .

[elkdom]

I used a bullet in August, 670 pounds of moose at the butcher,

I used another bullet in September, 540 pounds of bull elk at the butcher,

I used 1 or 2 bullets last year, and the year before and the year before, etc ,etc my freezeris always full,,
that is my big game hunting creed, 1 shot ,flop,


I save my 1000's of multiple shots for the range, perfecting my shooting skills,

I do NOT practice on wildlife,,,,,,,,,,,,, many do,,,,,,,,,,

I love the Bang-Flop !

[pg83]

Depends on the circumstances, but leaning towards shooting til it drops. A moose in the middle of a meadow that stands after taking a solid hit is pretty much the lone exception to me.

In the mountains I will only shoot when the animal is in a retrievable position so I will shoot as much as needed to keep him there.
In thick stuff you want the animal to drop asap.
Dangerous game you want to see go down.

If you are a decent shot, then your grouping should be relatively close and your meat loss should be minimal. The idea is to take the animal home with you at then end of the day, do what you need to to make that happen.

[Drillbit]

I shoot till I can't see them, or they hit the dirt.

Wouldn't want anything to get away wounded.

[Jelvis]

I only shoot when I am on target BOOM! If you get the first one in the proper spot you won't need overkill Jill.
Jelly Hit it with the first shot in the vitals you won't need repeating shots.
No need for repeating rat a tat tats out here, aim and be sure of the first .. :-D ..
Save the second third and fourth inaccurate ones .. make it the first trigger pull
Practice shooting at the range if you consistently need to repeat shot after shot ? :-D

[elkdom]

I only shoot when I am on target BOOM! If you get the first one in the proper spot you won't need overkill Jill.
Jelly Hit it with the first shot in the vitals you won't need repeating shots.
No need for repeating rat a tat tats out here, aim and be sure of the first .. :-D ..
Save the second third and fourth inaccurate ones .. make it the first trigger pull
Practice shooting at the range if you consistently need to repeat shot after shot ? :-D

x2 smelly- jelley !

many,many 1000's of hunters use a Single Shot Rifle for ALL big game in North America hunting,,, and Worldwide !

they do SO, because they are confident with their marksmanship ability !,,,,
and it is NOT because they cannot afford a generic, mass produced,repeating rifle,,,,,,,,,,:?

[250 sav]

Witnessed 60+ big game kills if you have a reasonably good followup shoot take it, always ! And I don't mean blast it in the ass because thats all you can see,.

[Rubberfist]

While I love wild meat and don't like damaging more than I have to, however I have a major problem:

I still have these soft, squishy, emotional parts that can't stand it when an animal that I have shot suffers. I've been trying to fix this by eating raw oysters (was told that this "puts hair on your chest") and multiple repeat viewings of the R. Lee Ermey drill seargent segment of "Full Metal Jacket"...

Until I am able to reverse this animal empathy brainwashing that was performed on me by Walt Disney when I was young and impressionable, I'm of the "shoot 'em till their dead" school of thought. I haven't fulfilled my obligation to the animal until it is dead and not suffering.

[Barracuda]

pretty soon people will start claiming its more ethical to shoot an animal multiple times instead of the old "one shot one kill" ideal:lol:

"I put a full mag into the beast because it was the ethical thing to do"


im still trying to figure out the whole bow hunting thing cause the animal has to bleed out and die slow .

[sawmill]

I sight my rifle in carefully and only take reasonable shots at game.One shot kills for years now,including yesterdays whitie.Although in some situations you may need a second shot,depending on the skill or nervousness of the shooter.So...............if you think you need it,do it,beats losing a critter.

[Bigbear]

If your not sure of your shot, or shot placement to make a clean kill shot then, I don't think you should be shooting. But that Just my Opinion. I have never had to use a second.

[Rackmastr]

I follow up my shots for the same reason that most guys here have stated. I dont like the idea of losing a critter and putting them down where they stand seems to work better.

If I hit something and can see it doing the wobble or pouring out behind his shoulder and the terrain is okay, I'll give him a bit of time to see if he tumbles over....if he's still walking or looks like he's not very affected, he'll get another one....