It's Both!

Where you hit 'em and what you hit 'em with.

Muley buck taken at about 350 yards with the 180 grain Berger Elite Hunter from my 30-06.

We’re constantly bombarded with articles about this bullet, that cartridge for a particular type of hunting. Seems like every year there are newer, perhaps better, cartridges and bullets. We’ve been killing game with firearms for a solid 500 years… Some cartridges and bullets are indeed “better” for particular tasks than others.

Bottom line is that we’ve got to hit game where it counts.

We’re advised to hit game “in the vitals” - but where is that exactly? After decades of hunting here’s what I like to target:

1) Both lungs. Put a good expanding bullet through both lungs and you’ll collect your game quickly. There may well be a short death run, that’s just part of the deal. Taking both lungs is important. Hit in only one lung, some game animals can do an amazing job of covering ground in their escape attempt. This big cow elk took a 165 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip through both lungs, and broke both scapula, at about 340 yards. The handloaded 30-06 was about 2900 fps. She dropped very quickly, staggering downhill for perhaps 20 yards before collapsing.

2) Top of the heart. This is the blood pump, it’s also got the big arteries leading out if the hit is a little high. A hit there often includes the lungs which of course is excellent. A hit to the bottom of the heart may not be instantly fatal, as evidenced by a 200 yard followup on foot after I punched a 178 grain Hornady ELD-X through the heart of a cow elk at 405 yards with my 30-06. Even though the bullet shattered the foreleg and went through the heart, that elk kept trying to escape and covered 200 yards before I could finish her. The rifle did well, the bullet did well, but I put it a few inches too low and her escape effort taught me a lesson. Top of the heart, not lower in the heart. 30-06 and the handloaded 178 grain ELD-X at about 2790 fps muzzle velocity.

After shattering the fore leg, the 178 grain ELD-X penetrated through the lower part of the elk’s heart. A hit just a few inches higher would have ended things more quickly.

In contrast I hit a big bull elk atop the heart, and took out his lungs. He took only a few faltering steps then collapsed. 7mm Remington Magnum and a 175 grain Nosler Partition at about 2900 fps.

3) CNS shots - spine and brain - Be careful about these. If you can hit the brain, excellent! But it’s a small target. A miss may result in a severely wounded animal fleeing, never to be recovered. The spine however is sometimes hit by hunters trying for the “high shoulder shot” and getting too high. It often produces an instant drop, immobilizing the animal but may not kill the animal quickly. A finishing shot is often necessary.

My youngest son dropped this whitetail buck instantly with his old 30-06, but quickly chambered another round. Sure enough, he’d hit near the spine and stunned the buck. It got back up and he finished it with a lethal hit to the vitals.

Hits anywhere else often produce less than desirable results - such as a wounded animal escaping. Gut shots are not good hits - though perhaps they can include the liver, in which case death will come quicker.

But what to hit them with?

This is where it becomes a very personal choice. Rifle, cartridge, bullet are all furiously debated online. I recommend using the combo that works right for you. A rifle that feels comfortable, optics that perform, and ammo/bullet based largely on accuracy and also considers on-game performance. Heavy recoil doesn’t typically have to be part of the package for most hunting.

My guidance, based on what’s worked for me:

Deer and pronghorn antelope - For open country where the shots may be long I want an accurate bullet that expands very easily. I’ve had great success with Nosler Ballistic Tips, Hornady ELD-X, Hornady FTX for lever action rifles, and Bergers, both the VLD and the Elite Hunter line. Tremendous penetration is not necessary on deer. If you favor a mono-metal bullet, I’ve also had good success on deer with the Barnes TSX & TTSX. My favorite deer rifle is a 25-06, though the 6.5 Creedmoor is growing on me.

Elk - cow and mature bull elk are not the same - a mature bull elk is not only larger, it has much denser bones. For cow and young bulls a rapidly expanding bullet like the Nosler Ballistic Tip of the Hornady ELD-X works great. For big bull elk… strongly consider a controlled expansion, deep penetrating bullet, like the Barnes TSX, Hornady CX, Nosler Partition or Nosler Accubond. Those bullets hang tough, expand and penetrate. My elk have come to a 7mm Remington Magnum and also to the 30-06.

No matter what you shoot, a 30-30 lever action, a tricked-out PRS style 6.5 Creedmoor or PRC, a traditional 308 or 30-06… Whatever it is, get comfortable and competent with it. Learn to place your shots well and quickly. Shot opportunities can appear suddenly and vanish equally quickly. Be ready to take that shot very quickly and instantly get back on target with a freshly chambered cartridge. We all want to make those great one-shot kills, but when hunting things happen. Sometimes we need to make a quick, accurate follow-up shot. Practice from field positions, not just from the bench. Once I’ve got my load worked up and my rifle zeroed, I rarely shoot it from the bench, but I’ll shoot it a lot from prone, sitting, kneeling, standing, with and without a bipod or shooting sticks. Learn that rifle well and it’ll treat you well this coming season.

I’m a lifelong hunter with 60 years afield, also a Marine Corps veteran and retired law enforcement officer with 12 years as a SWAT sniper team leader. Many years as a firearms instructor and handloader. I hope that all of you hunters enjoy tremendous success afield this year and in years to come.

Regards, Guy