How long before you admit you missed?

[thomasmgp]

Had a nice buck hauling ass across my corn field this morning. I made a noise and he stopped and looked at me. He took a few steps and I knew he was about to start back towards the woods again. I aimed right below his shoulders at his chest and squeezed off a round. He kinda looked at me for 2-3 seconds and then ducked into the woods. I was thinking theres no way I missed him. Killed two deer this year and neither of them made it further than 20 feet from first blood. Also Im shooting my .243 which is dead on. I didnt have any targets so I used a salad dressing bottle shoved down into an orange road construction cone and fired at it 4 times from 75 yards. All 4 bullets were in an area the size of a quarter so I know my scope is dead on. So I just couldnt comprehend the idea that I missed a deer. But I couldnt find any blood at all. I even walked around inside the tree line and never found any. I even walked 100 yards before and after where I thought the deer was in case I misjudged the distance and still found nothing. Of course with my luck the buzzards will be circling in 2 days but I looked around a good hour and a half for blood.

Also Im shooting hollow points and this is what one of them did to a full bottle of honey mustard at 75 yards. Again cant afford targets but these things allow me to see entrance and exit holes better than a target. Judging by the damage done to the bottle in the pic below should I have found blood if I indeed hit him or was I correct in heading home because I missed? The pic is from the back and shows one big round exit and also a smaller one below it. Also the entry was jagged so I assume those hollow points mushroom on impact and then fragment. Which is why Im thinking I missed that Deer cause there should have been blood everywhere.

[Jslotter]

Shooting a plastic bottle is a little more different than shooting thru bone and flesh. The .243 is a very small caliber too. I don't know how well of a shooter you are or how zeroed your rifle is, but sometimes we miss shots. Every hunter will have them. From the way you described how the buck just stood there for a few seconds after the shot, I would say you missed him.

[Bowriter]

An hour and a half! Good Lord! I've looked all day when I thought I made a good shot. I would have scoured those woods, especially shooting a .243.

[thomasmgp]

An hour and a half! Good Lord! I've looked all day when I thought I made a good shot. I would have scoured those woods, especially shooting a .243.

If I find blood I look a lot longer. But still hot and humid here. No snake boots + mosquitos = not fun.

Im fairly certain I missed though. My scope is dead on and I dont miss unless its a ridiculous long shot or the deer is moving and its so big its worth taking the shot.

[woodsalta]

I would give it another look. My brother in law shot a buck with a .338 and there wasn't any blood. Good thing there was some snow on the ground and we could track him. We found him the next day under a pine tree without a drop of blood on the ground.

[DEER30]

I know a lot of hunters who swear by their .243. I'm sure you are one of them and that's fine. You obviously are successful with it with 2 kills already. But I find the .243 to be a little undersized for deer. Sure you can kill a deer with it, but it increases the precision necessary to make a good kill shot. I have spent more long nights than I would have preferred trailing a friend's deer because of a hit in the shoulder or deflected bullet, etc. that did not get the penetration desired. The higher cal.'s can punch through bone and in my opinion, increases your chances for success.

That being said, it sounds like you missed clean. Nothing to be ashamed of, we all do it.

Good luck for the rest of your season!

[Sopchoppy]

A 243 with a Barnes TSX will drop 'em in their tracks.