2nd (follow-up) shots - Your thoughts?

[Brian Pfleuger]

Most folks think that wild animals taste better with a "Dead Right There" shot because they don't have time to drop adrenaline, which (apparently) tastes bad.

[JD0x0]

Most folks think that wild animals taste better with a "Dead Right There" shot because they don't have time to drop adrenaline, which (apparently) tastes bad.

That's what I've always heard.

[Husqvarna]

Most folks think that wild animals taste better with a "Dead Right There" shot because they don't have time to drop adrenaline, which (apparently) tastes bad.

I haven't tasted a difference honestly

I evne eat roadkill as I do alotta traffic recovery for the local municapility, but my own rule is that I only eat the ones I put down myself, not ones that are killed instantly even if I am on scenes within minutes

I have tasted no difference from animals hunted with dogs or just stalked/blind hunted either. and chased by dogs should riase adrenaline IMO, naturally old bucks, boars etc can have their taste but that is what sausage and dog meat are for


but then I hang all my meat, judging by american hunting shows this is not the norm? we like to keep the animal complete sans skin most of the time (is the entry wound a clean one you can keep the hide on) rule of thumb 40/by the degrees celsius the animal will hang in.

I keep my game cooler at around 8 degrees(celsious) just for ease of counting that makes 5 days but I often prolong it, the older the animal the longer

[Unlicensed Dremel]

You'd be right at home in Arkansas!

[Barnacle Brad]

As I sit here eating a shaved tenderloin sandwich from the goat shot a week ago friday, I must mention the fact that the lung shot on him urged him into a 40 yd dash. Adrenaline dump? I dunno. Yummy? Yep!

All I can say for certain is the only nasty meat I ever have eaten was processed at the butcher shop (not my critter) and antelope shot on the first day of camp and stashed in the rocks to 'keep cool' for a few days (not my rodeo).

Without looking to pick a fight - I would suggest that adrenaline dump is a myth and so is bleeding out an animal. Of utmost importance is removing the hide promptly, cooling the meat and once butchered, a good double wrap to protect from freezer burn.

I also insist the critter dangle from the gambrel by his hind legs, the concept being that the large blood vessels will drain better with gravity and it also makes quartering more simple. That is a personal preference and no matter what orientation the beast hangs, I don't think it matters to the taste buds...

[Gunplummer]

I never noticed a difference either. You can get a "Wild taste" depending what the deer was eating, but I started to bone everything out and I have not noticed a "Wild taste" since.

[pathdoc]

My doctrine on this was formed while rabbit hunting for pest control. If it's still moving after the first shot, hit it again if you can. Go on hitting until it stops moving. If it's going to get down the burrow wounded, try to put in enough wound channels to ensure that death comes as swiftly as possible.

Extend to larger animals as appropriate. If the first shot has a visible impact and it's still on its feet, shoot again at once if you can.

[cornbush]

I'm always ready to put a second shot in. I especially don't mess around with elk, they usually don't run to a "better" spot to die.
I've seen elk soak up multiple hits from stuff like 300 and 338 mags in vital spots and go half a mile. Even if I'm almost 100% positive that it was a good shot, if an elk is still on its feet after the first shot I keep shooting till its in the dirt.
Even on smaller critters, if it's still moving around on the ground for more than a few seconds I put another one in if for no other reason than to bring a quicker end to any pain or suffering. I can't stand the shows where they put a bullet in something and not only don't try and shoot it again as it runs off, but usually has "pretty sure you got him" mixed in there somewhere.
"Pretty sure" wont ease the pain of a gut shot or a marginal lung shot that may hours to be fatal.

[tahunua001]

Most folks think that wild animals taste better with a "Dead Right There" shot because they don't have time to drop adrenaline, which (apparently) tastes bad.

I don't know that this is the case. I know DRT tastes better than tracking but the key word in that is TRACKING. time spent finding the animal is time that the bacteria in the animal is already feasting and spreading rot. on hot days, a couple hours lying in the sun while you're trying to track deer is enough to really mess with the flavor of the animal and lowers the amount of time you have to get it butchered and in the freezer before it spoils.

nothing to do with adrenaline, everything to do with bacteria.

[ZeroJunk]

Lactic acid builds up in the muscles during periods of exertion. I don't know what it tastes like or if it tastes bad. But, it is a big deal if you want to sell a Blue Fin Tuna to the Japanese for sushi. So, you leave the fish alive along side of the boat while it cools down and cleans the lactic acid back out of the muscles. They take a core sample and check for it.

[Bennyfatsack]

I'm not a traditional hunter in the sense that I am a head shooter, understanding many will and have criticised me, but as a part time profession of contract professional wild kangaroo shooting, the carcasses are no accepted unless head shot, so through this practise I continue to head shoot for my own meat and trophies unless range dictates otherwise and I'm wanting the trophy over meat or removing pests, usually head shot dead or an (unusual) miss and If any variation I alway follow up with a finishing round aiming for ethical humane kills, with one exception FOXES, don't care where I hit them just hit them at any range, scene nasty thing foxes capable of namely to birthing ewes, foxes eating baby lambs as the being born and or eat the sheepskin rear end followed by ears etc all whilst lamb down birthing to week to fend off attack, so less ethical considerations for foxes during lambing season

[Husqvarna]

while rabbit hunting for pest control. If it's still moving after the first shot, hit it again if you can

we had a question on my hunting quals on what to do with a rabbit if it was still alive

the options was

1: throw it away and shoot again
or
2: whack it in the neck

[Husqvarna]

usually head shot dead or an (unusual) miss

I am back and forth on headshots for hunting. if everybody shot up or just shy of their skill there wouldn't be a problem but too many don't. It is a game of small margins

I am not innocent I have done it on pigs, geese and already shot animals that I have tracked

I am not so skilled I can make Franz Albrecht https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ob0fgc0I7A shots so I don't try

but I have done headshots at pig feeders from a realtive short distance

but I disagree with your assertion that headshots are dead or miss. the absolute worst woundings of animals are headshots that hit but don't kill. with the jaw shot an animal can live for days/weeks and less blood to track by then other woundings

[Doyle]

Husqvarna, I'll agree with you on headshots. I take them ONLY when conditions are right - and so far not on any deer - only pigs. On a pig a headshot is much easier because the head is so much larger in back than in front. Aiming at the base of the skull means that if your bullet is a little farther forward it still catches brain and if it is a little farther backwards it catches spine.

[Saltydog235]

Where I hunt if the deer tries to get up, you put another round in it. If it runs off at the shot, you don't have a chance for a follow up anyway. They're gone into the thick stuff immediately, make the first one count. They get off in a swamp or Carolina bay with all the water, tracking can be very difficult, better waste a little meat than lose the entire animal.

My deer count is up there to date, I've employed more than one follow up shot over the years and thankfully so. Over the last 10 years or so, I've taken my time and waited on the animal to present that shot that 99% of the time results in instant incapacitation. High Shoulder where the spine dips below the scapula is where I put the bullet if presented. Does get their melons split if 150yds and under.

[tahunua001]

I usually only do head shots to put them down. I did resort to one for my elk but that was a desperation shot.

[Grunt96]

A best practice is to stay quit and pay attention. Wait to see what the animal does. Getting up excited and making a racket is not wise. Lesson learned.

[603Country]

Many years ago I was hunting with my high school buddy, Walter. We were just teens at the time, and were hunting with his dad. The dad was telling me about Walter's first deer. Walter had been told to shoot the deer again if the deer tried to get up. He shot that first deer with a 12 Ga and buckshot, and then ran over to the deer, which was still kicking. So he shot it again, and again, and again, till his dad said there wasn't an edible piece of meat on the deer.

[BIG P]

Thats one thing I ran into using an AR to hunt deer sure is easy to double tap UM if you need to or not.Coyote shootin started it, then I could'nt stop.

[Unlicensed Dremel]

15-20 minutes: Rifle with great hit (double lung)

Longer to much longer with archery and/or bad hits too far back. Twelve hours if an archery gut shot (unless it's so hot the meat would be ruined or if you know there are so many carnivores that the animal will be consumed completely).

On 2nd shot, of course most of the time, there is no opportunity - animal runs off before dropping or lying down some distance away.

If there is a chance to shoot again, you betcha - if it's still moving, I'm putting a 2nd one in, preferably to the neck.

[Husqvarna]

we had a out of town hunter bag a moose today, I thought he was using a machine gun because I heard a nice three round burst

the two follow up shots were complete gut shots, one our lease second biggest moose ever

I am quite certain that the first shot was a kill shot because my dog had bayed the moose who was fronting it, a 50 meters shot, double lung and as he as using a a 300winmag it was a kill shot

we hardly ever rinse the bodies out because water= moisture= bacteria but I rinsed and rinsed, sprayed with a vinegar solution, he didn't even help

it still reeked

not only did I have to cut away much meat because of 6! exit entry holes I stunk of high heaven, even the dog didn't want to be near...

[natman]

One should always strive to make the first shot count, because it's the best chance you're going to get.

That said, one should never hesitate to shoot again unless you are certain the first shot worked.

[playin' hookey]

Shots which hit a vertebra but don't cut the spinal cord account for a lot of these "dead deer running off" occurrences, as the concussive force to the vertebra can TEMPORARILY affect the spinal cord. If a deer shot with an arrow drops at the shot, it was a spine shot and the hunter should immediately put an arrow through the vitals. If the spinal cord was cut the second arrow is not necessary but there is no way to know this in time.

The same thing can happen with a bullet but because of the much greater energy transmitted by a bullet, shots to lungs or shoulder do often drop the deer in its tracks.

I made the mistake of not shooting again a deer which dropped when I shot it with a muzzleloader from a treestand. The deer jumped up and ran off and despite several hours trying to find it by trailing and then a grid search I couldn't find it. Lesson learned.

[Deerhunter]

Wow some of you guys are amazing. Never needed a follow up shot, dropped every deer right where it stood, never lost a deer. Man I wish I could be that good.

Reality is practice with the weapons we are hunting with but things still happen. If I am shooting a gun I always rack another round after I shoot. If the deer is still up and I can get a shot I will take it. As others have said they "Thought" their shot was perfect, I would rather not take the chance of hoping it was a good shot. If that deer is up and moving I am shooting again. I don't want to have to track it and I don't want it suffering any more then it needs to.

I have taken a second shot on a couple deer with slugs. I have had to put a second arrow through 3 deer. Shot high and broke their backs. I either take another shot from the stand or get down as fast as I can to finish them off.

All that said....I have dropped deer right where they stand even with a bow. Hit a doe once and she jumped straight up and never got her feet back under her. She kicked twice and was done.

[bucksnort13]

I think that the first thing you should do is wait at least 10 to 15. I also think that if you feel a follow up shot is necessary then you should do the ethical thing and shoot the animal a second time. My dad always taught me that after the first shot if the deer is getting up and trying to get away he would say "shoot it till you drop it for good". Most of the time one proper shot will do the trick from my experience and waiting 10 to 15 mins.