DRT / Instant Kill...What does it all mean?

What is you interpretation of DRT(Dead Right There) or Instant Kill

  • It means the literally dead(no brain function)...Dead

    Votes: 7 14.0%

  • It means the animal dropped right where it was when the shot was taken.

    Votes: 43 86.0%
  • Total voters
    50
  • Poll closed .
W

wpcexpert

New member
So, another thread got me to thinking. What are everyones interpretation Of the term DRT (Dead Right There) or Instant Kill?

For me, I don't use the terms literally. I know that the animal, most of the time, still has to bleed out and organs must shut down. But the animal lacks the ability to move.

So, my interpretation is:

Did not move from the spot the animal was located when the projectile was fired.

With a bow, a clean accurate kill is down in under 8 seconds, but this Poll primarily refering to the terms DRT / Instant Kill.
 
IMHO, DRT is the same as a .22mag to the head of a cow at the butcher pen... BANG FLOP!!! Any movement will be involuntary muscle twitches or spasms.

Brent
 
No more than two steps.
The last deer that I shot with a centerfire rifle, took two steps and went down. The round severed the bottom half of his heart.



Be Safe !!!
 
I shot a big buck(265lbs) in the neck with a 130grn BT, he went straight down and kicked once. I shot a 100lb doe and exploded her heart, she ran 50yds.? I once shot a 60 lb doe that jumped straight into the air, like a bucking bronc, she never knew I was there, and took off only to wrap herself around an elm sapling, heart blown completely out. I shot a yearling buck that was standing behind a goucho wire fence, (that was stretched so tight you could play a tune on it) and at the shot sprang himself into the fence springing him down into a ravine about 30 ft. deep, perfect heartshot. This is merely a sample of different effects from heart-shots. Lung-shots have a somewhat different effect sometimes they drop right there sometimes they run a bit. I have never shot at a deers head, so that I can't say about. My prefered shot placement is the high shoulder heart shot, there is a little play with this shot and thank God for that. I think that, for the most part deer that are hit solid in this region die quickly, sometimes they drop sometimes they buck, and sometimes them suckers just plain ole run off!!:)
 
I think Pahoo has it pretty much right.
Deer will often jump or try to take off. But if they drop within a few steps, that's my definition of DRT. I've had several whitetails jump straight up and fun a few feet after having their hearts shattered by a 6.5mm 140gr SP.
Had a 530 lb. wild boar run almost 30 yards with doouble lung and heart hit. Don't consider that instant kill, but don't think I could have made a better shot.
 
A couple steps, IMHO, is a VERY clean kill and one to be totally content with...

But DRT ie: Dead Right There leaves no room for a couple steps... That would be ADRT ie:almost DIED right there where I shot him.

Brent
 
I had 2 doe coming up a hill at me. I was sitting on the ground during a drive. They must have caught my buddy moving about 30 yards down the ridge. They came up along the bottom of the hill looking back toward the guys pushing. We like to do slow pushes sometimes, deer tend not to run away as fast. So these two doe come up this hill headed straight for me on a trail. It was either take the 10 yard shot straight into her chest or have her walk over my feet. She had no idea I was there and even at 10 yards was still looking back down the ridge and my buddy and back there they came from due to the 3 guys pushing. So I took the shot (Remington 870 Express Mag, 12 Gauge, shooting sabots). Hit her straight in the chest. She spun 90 degrees and ran about 60 or so yards down hill. I had split her heart into 3 or 4 peices. It happens don't know how but it does. Hit them with a bow and the fall in place and are dead (no breathing moving nothing) before I could get to the
 
I usually go for a lung shot .They then go about 50 yds which takes only a very few seconds .But it helps to bleed it out .I don't care about instant kill.
 
I guess DRT as in, doesn't take another step, is a good thing when it happens unless the deer runs back closer to someplace you can drive. That's better.
 
What do you guys think?

If you go by the strict definition or example of DRT, then the only place that gets this results on Whitetails, is the brain or base of the neck. I've heard guys brag about that being the only place they will shoot and I'm happy for them but that's not where I shoot nor would I ever recomend such. My Uncle worked in a slaughter house and they used a pneumatic piston that drove a bolt into the forhead. A friend of mine has a small county meat market and he uses a .22 again into the forhead. ...... DRT

However, as some of the replies have stated, a fatal hit on a deer can mean many thngs, including running 60+ yds. with no heart function. Unless you hit the brain or base of the neck, there will always be some bodily reaction to flee.
I'm not talking about the shock of a large caliber on a smaller game. I'm talking about your average shots.


Be Safe !!!
 
never seen it

All 5 deer I've shot (got a late start with hunting) have been with a .308 right through the vitals and every single one of them ran for 6-10 seconds/~50-100 yards. It is amazing how far they can run with their chest cavity turned to soup. It definitely gives you perspective on what to expect (or, more to the point, what NOT to expect) if you ever had to fire on a bipedal target.
 
Whaty about the high shoulder shot? Doesn't that drop them in their tracks? I know it has for me. The 9 point I shot last year with a Muzzle Loader was neither in the brain, the neck, the spine, or high in the shoulder. It was quartering away...and it dropped, kicked a few times and I watched it take it's last breath. I recovered the bullet in the far side shoulder.

Explain that one??? I can't, just a good shot that disrupted everything.
 
no-country-brain.jpg


DRT from No Country for Old Men
 
Wpcexpert, That's what I wrote in post #4, and I can't realy tell you why but it's totally "THE" place I like to rest my crosshairs.;):) It might be shock and awesome bullet penetration dude!!;) Happy hunting that's bad!hehehe. That's not only DRT, but that's TFB,,and SOL, bad day at BlackRock!!!:eek:
 
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I don't consider it "DRT" unless the animal is dead. Any movement will be involuntary. If it can move it's head or focus it's eyes to look at you, then it's not dead yet.

You can shoot an animal through the hind quarters, and it will drop. It likely won't be dead quite yet.

DRT stands for Dead Right There.

That's the only way I can interpret it.

Daryl
 
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