I was out antelope hunting yesterday. At first light I shot a decent buck, but my shot hit him a little far back and a little high. It was 6 or 7 inches in front of the diaphragm, and about 3 inches below the spine. I watched as the herd ran off, with the buck 3 to 4 hundred yards behind walking slow. I could see where the bullet had hit, I figured he would go lay down and I could catch up to him. Another hunter following the herd put the stop to that, they all kept going.
About noon I spotted him laying on a hillside about 400 yards out, before I could set up to shoot again, he got up and walked straight away over the hillside. I grabbed all my gear and took off after him, after I crested the hill about 200 yards to the side of his path, I spotted him going up the far side of the next little valley. It was 280, by the time I got set up to shoot, he was at 300, but turned broadside and I could see the hole from my first shot. But, there was something weird about his head. I put one in the shoulder, and he started down the hill, he stopped and I put another one in his shoulder at the bottom of the chest. He finally flopped over and quit moving.
When I got to him, I could see what was up with his head, someone else had shot him after I did. The shot had removed the front 3" of the lower jaw and the soft tissue of his nose was missing. Now I felt bad for blowing the shot and hitting him far back and high, and he likely would not have survived that hit even though he was not bleeding from it. It likely would have taken a while to kill him. I was not proud of my shooting.
But, a shot to the head removing a large portion of the lower jaw, tongue, and parts of the nose will absolutely kill him. It will kill him over the span of perhaps as long as a couple of weeks, maybe as quick as a few days, but it will be a painful, lingering death. Dehydration? Starvation? Infection? Coyotes? Who knows how the end plays out.
Fortunately for this animal I was able to finish the task. But I have found others in the past that were not so lucky. I found a 2 point deer that had been shot similarly to this antelope, with most of his jaw removed, it was 7 days after the last day of deer season, I walked up and at 5 feet finished the little buck. He had puss draining out of his eyes, and what was left of his nose. When he looked up at me he was splay legged and staggering.
I know there will be plenty that attack me for this post, but head shots are not ethical.
Flame away.
About noon I spotted him laying on a hillside about 400 yards out, before I could set up to shoot again, he got up and walked straight away over the hillside. I grabbed all my gear and took off after him, after I crested the hill about 200 yards to the side of his path, I spotted him going up the far side of the next little valley. It was 280, by the time I got set up to shoot, he was at 300, but turned broadside and I could see the hole from my first shot. But, there was something weird about his head. I put one in the shoulder, and he started down the hill, he stopped and I put another one in his shoulder at the bottom of the chest. He finally flopped over and quit moving.
When I got to him, I could see what was up with his head, someone else had shot him after I did. The shot had removed the front 3" of the lower jaw and the soft tissue of his nose was missing. Now I felt bad for blowing the shot and hitting him far back and high, and he likely would not have survived that hit even though he was not bleeding from it. It likely would have taken a while to kill him. I was not proud of my shooting.
But, a shot to the head removing a large portion of the lower jaw, tongue, and parts of the nose will absolutely kill him. It will kill him over the span of perhaps as long as a couple of weeks, maybe as quick as a few days, but it will be a painful, lingering death. Dehydration? Starvation? Infection? Coyotes? Who knows how the end plays out.
Fortunately for this animal I was able to finish the task. But I have found others in the past that were not so lucky. I found a 2 point deer that had been shot similarly to this antelope, with most of his jaw removed, it was 7 days after the last day of deer season, I walked up and at 5 feet finished the little buck. He had puss draining out of his eyes, and what was left of his nose. When he looked up at me he was splay legged and staggering.
I know there will be plenty that attack me for this post, but head shots are not ethical.
Flame away.
