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

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DennisCA

New member
I dislike putting another round into a animal but I know as a ethical-hunter - necessary. When I first started deer hunting, I learned that lesson the hard way in my 2nd season of deer hunting:

My Dad and I was sitting on the back side of swamp (we knew people would start moving around about mid-morning and push deer to us - we did this set up before). Sure enough mid-morn, we a couple of shots from the far side of the swamp and before long deer started coming our way. A decent 4-pt buck came past me and I shot him with my Marlin 30-30. The shot knocked him down and for a second I thought he was dead, then I looked again and he started moving a bit. "He's not going any where, he'll be dead in a minute" I thought to myself. I was confident that my shot had gone into his chest and I didn't "waste another round".
So got up slung my rifle and started walking toward the deer and I yelled to my Dad "I got one!" I had no sooner said that when the "near-dead deer" jumped to his feet and took off!
Once my Dad got there I told him what happened - needless to say he was not happy with me, at all - in fact he was really p-o'd! My shot turned wasn't as good as I thought, the shot was a bit far back. To make a long story short(er), we found the deer but it took several hours and a lot of tracking!
Plus I had listen to my Dad chew me out (again and again) every few minutes!

This taught me a very-very valuable lesson - when it doubt shoot again!

At least (for what it's worth) the animal wasn't a more dangerous animal (like a bear)
 
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Necessary, at times. Usually, the more necessary it is the harder it is to make the shot.

I've killed several dozen deer, only a handful have required more than one shot. Some of those were while bowhunting. That makes follow-up sots EXTRA special interesting.
 
Its a decision that takes some experience and a few seconds to make correctly. Unfortunately you usually don't get that much time. I had my son in a blind with me his second year during youth season. Had a little 6 point buck at a slight angle, he fired the buck jumped up the side of the pond bank and stood there, I was sure he had made the shot. He pauses and I say hit him again, "what do I do with this, and is holding the fired case in his hand, I grabbed the empty and said HIT HIM AGAIN, second shot hit perfectly. Turns out the first was too far back and though I am a pretty good tracker I certainly wouldn't have wanted to be on that trail. Standing in any condition I will give them another, flopping around on the ground I will "cover" them with the rifle until they either get up or quits moving. Never approach a downed animal with a slung rifle. And as unpleasant as it was to have your dad chewing on you about it, its also a lesson you won't forget anytime soon though. And I hear ya Brian a follow up shot bowhunting is tough, think you were excited on the first arrow, the next ones are epic.
 
That's one of the reasons why I like to have a little more 'gun' than I need

Not that I'm implying someone should have a shoulder cannon to make up for poor placement, but the more powerful cartridge/calibers usually tend to be more terminally devastating, increasing the chances for a 1 shot ethical kill, and opening up your margin of error, ever so slightly, in case of factors such as wind, human error, and the game moving, or even a 'flyer' from your rifle.
 
I think with more experience, many hunters can tell immediately whether an animal may need a follow up shot. Even when bowhunting, how the animal reacts to the impact many times gives you a good clue to where you hit. Follow up shots as compared to coup de gras type shots generally means a poor first shot. The suffering of the animal should not be overshadowed by the concern over the cost of another round or a bit of wasted meat.
 
I learned that lesson the hard way myself when a "dead" deer got up and ran off.
If in doubt hit it again for the sake of the animal.
 
I shot my 2013 buck twice(257 Wby @ 340 yds)-the second was for assurance he wouldn't make it to the property line. The 2012 buck was shot 3 times(all lung hits 25/06 @ 200 yds) within a few seconds to make sure he didn't jump the fence into a seriously nasty spot. Keep shooting as long as they're moving or have their head up. Another shell is cheap insurance against a lost animal.
 
I always carry a small caliber pistol (9mm or smaller) with me so that I can dispatch without creating a huge mess or ruining any meat. That being said, I've never walked up on a deer that's still alive. Shot placement, shot placement, shot placement.
 
I really have to agree with the guys about chambering a round as soon as possible. At least you can get a 2nd shot if you need it. I usually hunt the mountains and if you slap another round in as fast as you can, the deer will not hear where you are because of the shot echoing. Unfortunately, sometimes you just need a second shot, even if the deer is down and cannot recover to a standing position. It does not happen often to me, but it has over the years.
 
To be honest, I'd have probably done the same in the situation you described. I do make it a habit of chambering another round ASAP after firing and have fired 1 or 2 additional shots at times. But if the animal appears to be down for good I probably wouldn't have fired additional shots either.

Deer, or any wildlife can be tenacious at times. I hit one with my car 7 years ago. The low, sloping hood catapulted the deer 10-15' into the air where it landed in the ditch. I pulled over to assess damage and walked down the road to look at the motionless deer in the ditch.

The damage was minor, and the car driveable, but I called my insurance agent for advice before moving the car. 5-10 minutes later while on the phone the "dead" deer got up, and ran into the woods.
 
Agree. Reload quickly and remember to put the rifle back on SAFE. If in a tree blind, reload quickly, put gun on SAFE, wait and watch a few moments, then unload and climb out of the blind. Remember the safety rules of never climb or lean a rifle against something to cross a fence or obstruction while the gun has a chambered round. In a tree I always use a rope to lower or raise an UNLOADED gun into or out of the tree. Safer for you and for the gun.
 
I made a bad hit on a buck, once upon a time. He jumped up and ran. I swung onto him to kill him and wound up with a setting sun at 4X centered in the scope. That will instantly take you out of the shooting business.
 
Originally posted by mardanlin:

I always carry a small caliber pistol (9mm or smaller) with me so that I can dispatch without creating a huge mess or ruining any meat. That being said, I've never walked up on a deer that's still alive. Shot placement, shot placement, shot placement.
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You need to check your local game laws about that. The 9mm and smaller calibers are not legal in many states for hunting deer and even a coup de gras with one can lead to a fine and/or confiscation of the deer and the firearm.
 
Buckxvr is right, once you get a lot of experience, you pretty much know if it's hit right. I don't shoot unless I am convinced I can cleanly make. It's been 30 deer since I've needed a second shot and that no. 31 was a bow kill.
 
but the more powerful cartridge/calibers usually tend to be more terminally devastating, increasing the chances for a 1 shot ethical kill,
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not been my experience tbh.

the one thing a bigger calibre does do is make tracking easier.

I train to work the bolt and be ready

shot twice on a couple of game but only needed it once really, the others would have dropped from the first shot, experience gives you calm

when tracking already wounded animals I have tended to shoot in less then favourable situations, quartering away and such but I have felt the need as it has been close to trafficated areas.
 
I too have shot my share of big game animals and most did not require more than one shot. One that did stands out in my mind though, and because of it I do not hesitate to do follow up shots anymore....never again. It was a big cow elk on the side of a mountain and I was sitting, leaning against a tree. The shot was only 150 yards and when the rifle barked the crosshairs were perfect, just where I wanted them and I knew I just double lunged her. She stood there for maybe 30 seconds before bolting into the trees, plenty of time for another shot but I did not because of what I thought I "knew". When I went up the mountain to fetch my prize it took me 30 minutes to find the blood trail and another couple hours to catch up to her. The blood trail was a drop or two every 10-15 feet and the color of the blood told me I had not hit her in the lungs. I caught up to her because she tried to jump over a downed Aspen but could not get her backside to go over, so she was stuck. I got about 20 yards away and did a finishing shot at which time I found out the log she was over was not stable, her collapsing on it had a spring effect and she was tossed off it and started rolling down the mountain. She hit every tree on the way down I think and ended up in a tight group conifer trees that made dressing her twice the job it should have been!

Oh yea, the reason the shot was off was because an action screw had came lose....which brings me to #2 lessoned learned, always shoot your rifle to ensure it is still sighted in after traveling long distances:o
 
I have never shot a deer 2 times. They either pile up or take off so fast I could not hit them if I did shoot at them. I have not lost a deer since I was a kid. Guess I have found the last 60 I shot.
 
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