My sons annual hunting trip is usually in the September youth season. He plays competitive hockey so we get out for a 3 or 4 day between tryouts before the season schedule is out. This year the schedule didn’t work for Sept or Oct, but we had 5 days to get out early November to find a 4 point.
We tried a new area in region 3 we scouted last year. We were seeing good sign, and with a little snow on the ground we found some promising spots with some small buck sightings. Evening of the 2nd day we drove a road that ended high on the shoulder of the mountain with a steep block with replants with tree lines to old growth. The block had a bench 300 yards back and above the landing. The landing had seen tons of truck traffic but a quick scan of the cut bank it looked like no one was getting out to walk. On the edges there was deer sign everywhere. Went for a walk up to peek at the tree line behind the bench. Half way up found a good size fresh rub with bark on the snow. We slowed down and crested the bench, right away had a nice young 3 point at 150 yards. With his gun on the sticks we started glassing for more deer, a 2 point showed up 30 years to the left. There were no does with them so we slowly inched up glassing the left tree line to find the does. After 20 minutes we made 30 yards when I saw the first doe, on her tail was a massive buck. They were behind lattice at 200 yards so getting the antler count was difficult. The buck had so much mass my boy was over excited and sure he saw 4, made sure he didn’t shooting until I could be certain. It was giving us the side view, tricky to properly count points through lattice. After maybe 10 minutes we confirmed it was a big 3 , but a horse of a buck, for sure over 5 or 6 years with huge front forks and a long thick bladed back point. We watched him dog this doe till dark then backed out, it was a great evening.
The next morning we stayed out of there and checked a different drainage planning to go back the next evening to see if the doe would attract other bucks.
Evening hunt, same routine, drove in, passed a guys and his kid coming out, they hadn’t seen deer but they turned around in the landing.
We park at the landing, hike up the cut bank into the snow. It was a little warmer so the tracks from the day before were obscure but there were plenty of fresh tracks so they were still around. Crested the bench, first glance with the glasses was on a 4x4 at 150, behind lattice. He didn’t know we were there. It was a young 4 point, not huge, but legal so he’s going to shoot it.
My boy has his gun on the sticks, I let out a doe call and a quiet grunt. He looks our way and starts walking to the right to get a better look, clears the wood and stops broadside slightly up hill, my boy takes the shot. The bullet hit hard with a loud crack, deer jumped 6 feet in the air and started bounding for the slope, his front right leg was a noodle. Gave it a few minutes then made our way to the edge to pick up the trail expecting to find it piled up. We look over and it’s on its feet , as soon as it sees us its booking it on 3 legs downhill fast, past the landing heading for the tree line. There was to much wood in the way to get a 2nd shot.
This is where it turned into a bit of an epic. Below tree line was a couple km of steep mountain side to the river bottom.
We wait 30 minutes then went after it, after 200 yards we bump it, FF sakes.. now we’re pushing it down below the snow line. Thought about pulling out but it was supposed to warm up and pour rain that night so there wouldn’t be a trail to follow the next morning. We geared down and tried paralleling the direction it took hoping to see it from 15 yards to the side, we caught movement another 50 yards along, it was down but trying to get up, he finished it with a final shot.
I had my backpack with a kill kit, boned it out gutless and packed it back up to the truck. I took the pack, the boy got the head and both shoulders in a dry bag. It was heavy but didn’t actually take that long, the Forrest was fine but steep snow covered cut blocks are sketchy.
Inspection of the wound showed the shot was good, the bullet hit the right side of the deer, it should have broken the shoulder, travelling a strait line would have taken out the heart and both lungs. Instead the bullet hit the middle of the shoulder bone just to the right side of center, completely shattered 2 inched of bone, then deflected almost 80 degree to the right , exited the front of the shoulder, carved a strip of hair as it raked up the outside of the neck ( see picture), entered the neck half way up, traveling though the neck, behind the tongue coming to rest against the inside of the left jaw bone.
So, the rifle is a 7mm-08 with 140 grain Nosler ballistic tips going 2800fps. I did recover the bullet and what was left of the core , seems enough bullet mass was still there at the shoulder, so I don’t know if I can blame it on the bullet or just a bad luck scenario with the angles. Either way, I shoot the Accubond in my 270 so will be loading these for the 08 next year.
I'm not sure an accubond would have behaved much differently, other than the core wouldn't have separated. Did you find the jacket at core close together in the neck? I think this is just bad luck, hitting heavy bone at just the right (or wrong) angle with a relatively light cartridge.
Was your son aiming low shoulder? You'll probably get better value just spending more time shooting with him than switching to more expensive bullets.
Congratulations to your son on a nice buck. My deer rifle is a 7-08 but I use 140 Accubonds at 2800 fps. Hard to say for sure if the result would have been different, but AB is a better constructed bullet than the BT.
it did the job, bullet placement could be more critical. That being said accubond is the best round IMO for hunting. Bring on the nay sayers but its a quality bullet with great history and preformance. You won't regret switching
WSSBC Monarch
WSF Life Member
2% Certified
RMGA Member
CCFR Member
Had a magic bullet episode in my LEH does draw this year. 160gr nosler partition out of a 7mag. Poor shot placement on my part but hit front shoulder and bullet fragmented and exited out the neck and behind the opposite shoulder causing massive trauma. Died within 30 yards but there was alot of damaged meat to trim off. Not my best moment by far. But sometimes when you hit bone weird things happen. I've shot accubonds, partitions, federal fusions, federal blue box, rem core lokt, E-LDX and more. The only bullet that truly held together through bone is the Barnes TSX. However it would tend to 'pin hole' through soft tissue. Just my experience.
Used a 140 gr Ballistic Tip out of a .270 this week on a nice mulie. Hit lungs on a quartering away angle at 120 yrds.
Caught the shoulder opposite side.
Recovered the same separated jacket and core just under the hide. From previous experience about what I expected.
As others have said, typical for those bullets.
Haven’t seen them deflect, just come apart. Fine for unobstructed lung shots. But don’t expect good performance on anything bone.
Accubonds are significantly better at holding up. M
Reply With Quote
