So my son shot at a pig last night. It dropped like a bag of rocks. It kicked and laid there for a good 10-15 seconds. Then it got up and crashed into the undergrowth and sounded like he crashed and started kicking again.

We waited about 10 minutes got down loaded the truck got flashlights went to the spot he dropped and not a drop of blood. We looked for a while but it was well past dark so we resumed our search this morning. Not a drop of blood anywhere. We looked for a good 45 minutes. Nothing.

The only thing I can think of is the bullet ricocheted off his skull knocked him out and when he came to he ran off and maybe fell again in the thick brush.

What caliber? Ive seen videos of bullets riding skulls and deflecting.

I shot a squirrel's jaw off and it did the exact same thing. I thought it was done but it got up and ran when I walked up to it. I was able to split it's head when it stopped at the base of a tree.

highvelocity said:

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What caliber? Ive seen videos of bullets riding skulls and deflecting.

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6.5 Creedmoore

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The only thing I can think of is the bullet ricocheted off his skull knocked him out and when he came to he ran off

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6.5 Creedmoore

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No. Not possible.

Either you're 1) trolling or 2) ?????
I can't even think of a second reason why someone would think that a high power center fire rifle round would deflect off a skull causing some kind of temporary concussion. You serious Clark ?

Likely scenario is bad shot, either hitting jaw, grazing top of neck, etc. Enough to stun the animal momentarily, but not kill.

PFG said:

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The only thing I can think of is the bullet ricocheted off his skull knocked him out and when he came to he ran off

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6.5 Creedmoore

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No. Not possible.

Either you're 1) trolling or 2) ?????
I can't even think of a second reason why someone would think that a high power center fire rifle round would deflect off a skull causing some kind of temporary concussion. You serious Clark ?

Likely scenario is bad shot, either hitting jaw, grazing top of neck, etc. Enough to stun the animal momentarily, but not kill.

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No need to be a d**k. It very well could have been a bad shot. But usually even with bad shots there is blood. There was not a drop.

ironmanag said:

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No need to be a d**k. It very well could have been a bad shot. But usually even with bad shots there is blood. There was not a drop.

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I have done the same thing. My guess then was I grazed him enough to stun him. Laid down for a couple of minutes and I was contemplating taking a follow up shot... started walking towards it and it bolted.

a star for the bold part - OB needs to chill at times especially when "Pigs Are Outdoors"

Pigs tend to not bleed much with a good shot. I hit one too far back from the shoulder close to stomach and there was a tablespoon of blood there and nothing else anywhere he ran. Never found him

SteveBott said:

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Pigs tend to not bleed much with a good shot. I hit one too far back from the shoulder close to stomach and there was a tablespoon of blood there and nothing else anywhere he ran. Never found him

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Yeah I remember hitting one with a .270 right behind the shoulder. Had a small red spot at the entry and a big bruise basically where an exit would've been but the soft point did its jump.

No blood at all outside the pig

With a big boar you also could hit the plate protecting the shoulder. Need to hit fairly low close behind the front elbow to get a heart shot

I've shot lots of big boars with a .308 and not had an exit and little blood. Had lots get hit hard but miss the heart or CNS and run run run. They're quite hearty.

I have shot plenty without a blood trail. Especially if you get the ones with the thick skin fat/armor going on. The impact will knock them down and no blood since there probably isn't an exit wound.

Go look for the birds circling today

ironmanag said:

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highvelocity said:

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What caliber? Ive seen videos of bullets riding skulls and deflecting.

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6.5 Creedmoore

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If you were using Hornady PH 143 g, I can see this happening even with a well placed kill shot. Last season, I shot two bucks both shot in the heart/lungs, and I was not able to locate a single drop of blood between where I shot them and where they died.The same thing happened with a couple of pigs as well. I have switched to Barnes bullets and have been much happier with the blood trails it produces or the amount of blood on the ground when they just drop. Check out either of these:
Barnes Bullets VOR-TX LR Rifle 6.5 Creedmoor 127 GR LRX Boat Tail
Federal Premium 6.5 Creedmoor 130 GR Barnes Triple-Shock X Bullet (TSX)

AnScAggie said:

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ironmanag said:

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highvelocity said:

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What caliber? Ive seen videos of bullets riding skulls and deflecting.

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6.5 Creedmoore

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If you were using Hornady PH 143 g, I can see this happening even with a well placed kill shot. Last season, I shot two bucks both shot in the heart/lungs, and I was not able to locate a single drop of blood between where I shot them and where they died.The same thing happened with a couple of pigs as well. I have switched to Barnes bullets and have been much happier with the blood trails it produces or the amount of blood on the ground when they just drop. Check out either of these:
Barnes Bullets VOR-TX LR Rifle 6.5 Creedmoor 127 GR LRX Boat Tail
Federal Premium 6.5 Creedmoor 130 GR Barnes Triple-Shock X Bullet (TSX)

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Interesting. He was using that exact bullet. Looks like I am going bullet shopping before next weekend.

I have a 7m-08 that stays in its case when pig hunting. 30-06 with 180 grain rounds is my go to. The pig I mentioned earlier was 150 grain but mostly it was the poor shot placement that did it.

A shock to the c spine could do that as well. Doesn't have to be the head

Did the same thing a few years ago. 200 yards, aimed behind the ear with a 6.8 spc 95gr ttsx. Watched it roll over, legs straight in the air. Left for dinner, came back to dump it and it was gone. No where to be found. Shot a different one a few hours earlier and watched it run 100 yds and then die. Recovered and dumped that one but not the other.

ironmanag said:

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AnScAggie said:

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ironmanag said:

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highvelocity said:

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What caliber? Ive seen videos of bullets riding skulls and deflecting.

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6.5 Creedmoore

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If you were using Hornady PH 143 g, I can see this happening even with a well placed kill shot. Last season, I shot two bucks both shot in the heart/lungs, and I was not able to locate a single drop of blood between where I shot them and where they died.The same thing happened with a couple of pigs as well. I have switched to Barnes bullets and have been much happier with the blood trails it produces or the amount of blood on the ground when they just drop. Check out either of these:
Barnes Bullets VOR-TX LR Rifle 6.5 Creedmoor 127 GR LRX Boat Tail
Federal Premium 6.5 Creedmoor 130 GR Barnes Triple-Shock X Bullet (TSX)

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Interesting. He was using that exact bullet. Looks like I am going bullet shopping before next weekend.

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I shoot that exact same bullet and have had nothing run more than 5 yards. Including:

Blacktail Deer
Whitetail
Catalina Ram (285 yards - 225lbs+)
Aoudad Ram (285lbs)
Aoudad Ewe (at 400 yards)

I know they can run but it's all about shot placement... yes, the bullet doesn't tend to exit quite like some of the other bullets I have used in the past, but the damage on impact is the best I have consistently experienced.

PFG said:

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The only thing I can think of is the bullet ricocheted off his skull knocked him out and when he came to he ran off

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Quote:

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6.5 Creedmoore

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No. Not possible.

Either you're 1) trolling or 2) ?????
I can't even think of a second reason why someone would think that a high power center fire rifle round would deflect off a skull causing some kind of temporary concussion. You serious Clark ?

Likely scenario is bad shot, either hitting jaw, grazing top of neck, etc. Enough to stun the animal momentarily, but not kill.

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"I'm very smart"

Lol good grief get a grip.

I know several people that have switched away from the bullet regardless of shot placement. Here's the difference between the two bullets: two WTD both shot with Hornady PH ELD-X, 143 gr. First one, facing 35 yards, aorta and heart hit, dropped on the spot, only blood was when tilted to load. Second, broadside 125 yards, double lung hit and top two heart chambers obliterated, ran 50+ yards through thick brush and piled up in a cactus, not a single drop of blood on leaves, ground, anyplace. If I hadn't have been able to watch his direction and decipher which hoof prints were his I may not have found him or just assumed I missed. He was 25" wide and true trophy.

Switched bullets to Federal Premium 130 gr Barnes TTX for a pronghorn hunt in August. Shot at 175 yards, double lung hit, watched blood spray out of the exit wound as it ran and turn in tight circle.

Just my two cents/opinion.

If you haven't had something run more than five yards, you either haven't shot enough animals to get a decent sample size or your tape measure is broken.

Edit: when I was a kid my brother shot a buck in the low shoulder with a 6mm (probably 87gr) and it looked like it turned directly upwards and exited through the spine.

I was referring to that specific round and caliber. I have only had the rifle for 2.5 years or so, so my sample size is limited. If I stated this about all rounds and all animals I have shot, I would be lying.

And I have shot probably 8 animals or more with it. Not a huge sample size but enough to form a pretty good opinion on the round. Especially considering the size and type of animals I have shot.

Look, I get that people may not like it because of the lack of punch through and that certainly explains the lack of blood. If you're dropping animals in their tracks or their running under 50 yards, it is an effective round.

I don't measure the success of the round based on the blood trail I receive... I'll save that for my broad heads .

Federal Fusion has emerged as a solid budget round for my 6.5 CM. Always a violent exit wound and lots of blood so far.

Yeah, a big auodad or catalina ram will stop a lot of bullets. My point is having them die within a few steps is probably more a function of happenstance than the caliber, bullet weight, bullet construction, or velocity.

Having said that, if I had your experience with the round, I'd keep using it!

He had atleast one post deleted off this thread. His schtick is a tired pattern. No idea why he is let back in the barn door to thread dump week after week.

ironmanag said:

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So my son shot at a pig last night. It dropped like a bag of rocks. It kicked and laid there for a good 10-15 seconds. Then it got up and crashed into the undergrowth and sounded like he crashed and started kicking again.

We waited about 10 minutes got down loaded the truck got flashlights went to the spot he dropped and not a drop of blood. We looked for a while but it was well past dark so we resumed our search this morning. Not a drop of blood anywhere. We looked for a good 45 minutes. Nothing.

The only thing I can think of is the bullet ricocheted off his skull knocked him out and when he came to he ran off and maybe fell again in the thick brush.

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I'll be the guy who risks ridicule and say it's possible. I've shot a spike in the neck, watched it do the same thing, then get up. I think the concussion of a bullet can stun from the impact.

I also shot a large boar in South Texas with a .300 win mag right between the eyes. It literally sat down on it's back legs and proceeded to rock and grunt until a finishing shot to the same area. Scared the hell out of me because it was from close range after I tracked the group a ways in the rain. All I could think was if a .300 win mag isn't enough gun, what the hell is?

At this point nothing really surprises me anymore with pigs. They're tough as hell and basically a walking tank with armor.

First pig I ever trapped I tried to take out with a head shot from my 1911. About 2 ft away, 230gr ball ammo to the forehead. Bounced off and the pig went ape **** running around inside the trap. After putting him down properly, saw the skid mark on his head down to the bone.
Tough SOBs

First pig I shot with a pistol was a similar experience. .357 Mag at a friend's lease near refugio. Pig is in an old single pig trap with a welded frame.

I walk up and shoot him right between the eyes, maybe slightly below.... pig erupts and almost rolls the cage over, scaring the crap out of me (I was maybe 16-17).

Took a couple of steps to the side of the cage and placed one right behind the ear and he dropped like a cement sack... I don't shoot pigs in the face anymore.

I understand, not trying to pick an internet fight at all. I don't mean to doubt your experiences. I just want to know that I hit what I was aiming at when I shoot a big buck, and make a good shot on it.

Newoldarmy said:

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Edit: when I was a kid my brother shot a buck in the low shoulder with a 6mm (probably 87gr) and it looked like it turned directly upwards and exited through the spine.

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An occasional poster, constant lurker on the OB went on the antelope hunt I referenced above with me. He made a great shot and got his at 325 yards with a 270. The pronghorn had only one large hole exactly on the front shoulder where he aimed. Best either of us or the guides could figure was it hit the shoulder and ricocheted back out, no bullet was found nor any other exit wound.

I think it's a game of inches and a lot like fishing lures ...use a bullet that you are confident in. I had this exact same thing happen with a pig hit with 30-06 around the neck with a Barnes bullet. On other kills, they would open and leave a big 'star' exit but not as much trauma. I tried three different types of bullets and went back to the boring core-lokt.

I've seen several things I can't explain with bullets.

I double lung shot a doe once with 270-140gr.

The bullet hit a rib going in and expanded perfectly with a golf ball sized exit wound. She ran about 40 yards and piled up. Great. I gut her on the spot and I'm just barely starting when I smell guts and figure that somehow I've got into the paunch with my knife. Well, *****

I get her back to camp and get her really cleaned up as she's a mess behind the diaphragm. The next morning I pulled her hide and found a small jagged chunk of lead and copper in her ham. It split off on entry and went 90 degrees right and through her organs before lodging there.

The weirdest was that buck with the 6mm though. He fell and started to get back up so my brother shot it in the neck to kill it. That bullet hit square on bone and turned up. At that time we were shooting a lot of Sierras so I figure it was one of those old, hard spire points and just hit the right angle. Sounded like a bat on a tree.

I've also heard of 5.56 ball hitting a person in the front of the hip, turning up the pelvis, and exiting up through the shoulder, but I've never seen it.