slug performance on deer

[vdep217]

As path man said.  With a slug gun or muzzy i aim more foward and a little higher and most times drop them in their tracks.  Hitting bone with a single projectile ensures 100 percent energy transfer.  Remember an arrow and broad head kills by massive hemorrhaging where a bullet kills by shock.  A bullet that passes through will have less shock than one that stays in the body cavity 

[electric10162]

3 minutes ago, Pathman said:

I think many of you are placing way too much emphasis on type and make of slug rather then shot placement. I also believe many of the “it dropped in its tracks” are totally random, and not something that was done purposefully, even though that may have been the intention. 
Most people just aim for the vitals, sometimes you hit the brachial plexus ( which is the nerve bundle that causes the deer to drop) or you don’t. 
As you all know , you can drop a deer in its tracks with an arrow of you hit the right spot (and I’m not talking about a spine shot), so if you consider that perspective, and you focused more on shot placement, the slug issue wouldn’t be so critical. 
that being said, if you do place more focus on shot placement, you’ll then need to determine the most accurate slug from your gun, otherwise you may not be able to pinpoint your POI to drop the deer where it stands. 
 

Agree. I've killed 15+ whitetails with the 300 Weatherby Mag. About half them ran far enough to get out of sight. Others drop without even a twitch. My aiming point is always up the leg center mass. 

[B B]

I'd venture to say 99% of all deer that drop in their tracks is luck no matter what you're using.   

[DoubleLungDevil]

 i shot 5 this season with Barnes T-EZ 290’s, big holes and great blood trails but I have yet to drop one in its tracks. All have made it about the 50 yard mark...I tried hittin her in shoulder 55 yards thinkin it would dump her but nope she darted even with a broken shoulder. Tough animals 

[vdep217]

Sorry I couldn't find jacks diagram but this will work.  Green dot is what was there from page I took it.  Blue is roughly the spot jack preaches to intersect with an arrow.  The black dot is where I aim to try n hit with slug or muzzy and if close deer will drop every time..  even a hair more foward will do the job.  The idea is not to hit the spine but be close enough the shock drops the animal and being close to the lungs the animal will expire before it is able to recover from the spinal shock that will temporarily paralyze.  This area is also known as the golden triangle.  As I said before a bit more foward will result in same drop but possibly break the spine and may just be out of reach of shock to the lungs but bone fragments will most likely shred the upper foward portion ending in the same result

[bucky]

Its all where you place the bullet, best chances of dropping them in there tracks are break both shoulders or a neck shot, the latter usually puts their lights out as well

Edited February 11, 2021 by bucky

[BIG PAT]

I shot 1 the other day with accu tips. Did not drop it in its tracks but left one hell of a blood trail.

[MGHunter66]

I don’t shoot 20ga, I shoot a 12 and can handload big LBC sabots. The smack a deer like a freight train and only run $1.35 per shell. Big lead in the shoulder puts em right down

[Bad64chevelle]

I’ve shot three deer with the accutips . One last year at 75 yards through and through no blood trail but deer tipped over dead in 30 yards . This year I shot one at 110 yards and I thought I missed . But the deer had dropped dead and never moved . Then, I shot one at 20 yards and I actually shanked the shot , found a ton of hair , no blood , never found the deer . I thought for sure it was dead somewhere but the deer re surfaced , alive , and not using its one front leg .

My buddy shot one with a 12 g foster slug at 12 yards there was no exit wound , but the deer was down in under 20 yards , and a blood trail that Stevie wonder could follow ! 

[Jcol6268]

10 hours ago, BIG PAT said:

I shot 1 the other day with accu tips. Did not drop it in its tracks but left one hell of a blood trail.

How did you manage to find her?!? Lol holy blood trail. 

[Buck154]

Break the shoulder to drop them but you will mess up one or both shoulders. Double lung them and they will go short distance and usually good blood trail.  Shot placement is the biggest factor.

[archer36]

1 minute ago, Buck154 said:

Break the shoulder to drop them but you will mess up one or both shoulders. Double lung them and they will go short distance and usually good blood trail.  Shot placement is the biggest factor.

I never aim for the "shoulders" with slugs. Too much ruined meat. Go for center mass or heart/lung. No meat loss. Who cares if they don't "drop". They will usually run under 75 yds and fall. I like blood trailing. Close shots (35 yds or under) on a non-trophy deer, I will aim for lower neck and watch them drop just for the hell of it. 

[Stan Putz]

It really differs from deer to deer. Any solid hit should either drop the deer or it will run usually less than 100 yards, leaving a blood trail Stevie Wonder can follow (usually; note the word usually). Pass through both shoulders and it's a slam dunk. If your slugs aren't passing through the deer, I'd look to try new ones, but I haven't shot any yet that won't. I'm using a 12 gauge partial to Winchester BRI sabots, so that may have something to do with it, IDK.

[archer36]

12 minutes ago, Stan Putz said:

It really differs from deer to deer. Any solid hit should either drop the deer or it will run usually less than 100 yards, leaving a blood trail Stevie Wonder can follow (usually; note the word usually). Pass through both shoulders and it's a slam dunk. If your slugs aren't passing through the deer, I'd look to try new ones, but I haven't shot any yet that won't. I'm using a 12 gauge partial to Winchester BRI sabots, so that may have something to do with it, IDK.

Winchester BRI's. BRI was bought out by Winchester and continued to produce the "BRI" slug. Many "youngsters" on here wouldn't know about them. The first sabot slug available for rifled barrels which were made by  Hastings. From what I remember, those hourglass shaped slugs made keyholes in deer. Very accurate though. Put them in the boiler room and the deer will die no doubt though. 

Edited February 11, 2021 by archer36

[Bucksnbows]

For me, the flaw in this post is the idea a deer is supposed to drop at the shot. Very seldom unless you hit major bone do they drop in their tracks. But when shot through both lungs, they are dead deer that won’t often make it 100 yards. There will be ample blood to follow. That’s for all guns and not just slug guns.