http://youtu.be/okn_OS9twok
Here you can see a deer getting shot right in the kill zone with a .50 BMG and it still ran pretty far. If that deer were a man with a knife he could have done some damage before he went down.
There's always a bit of luck when it comes to these things.
But back to the OP's question. Yup I carry hard cast bulles for SD all the time.