Conicals as Brush Busters

[ryoung14]

Wondered if anyone could report on their experiences with conical performance when fired through a light screen of brush.

Monday was the next-to-last day of the season for me and my last opportunity to hunt. It was too cold to sit so I was still hunting on my own land. While hunting a hillside, I spotted the lower half of a good sized deer's body downhill about 50yds away. The upper half and head were obscured by pine boughs while the half I could see was behind a light screen of weeds, berry shoots and maybe pencil thick sapling shoots. Couldn't definitely tell if buck or doe, but the permit allowed for either.

I didn't shoot because of the uncertainty of what would happen. It was late and cold and I didn't want to risk chasing a wounded animal through a swamp in the dark.

The load was a 350gr. .50 Maxi-Hunter over 90gr. Pyrodex RS and fired out of a T/C Greyhawk. Am wondering now if I did the right thing. May be getting too cautious in my old age. ::
Bob

 

[PA_flinter]

Never too cautious when it comes to hunting.

 

[jtmattison]

You can never be too cautious.
IMO there is no such thing as a "brush buster"
I would never try to shoot through brush or grass at an animal.
It doesn't take much to deflect a projectile.
Always better to wait for a clear shot so you are sure of your target.
:m2c:

Huntin

 

[roundball]

I think you did the right thing for all the right reasons

 

[Stumpkiller]

I agree with all the previous. I passed on a 40 yard shot under very similar conditions. Lots of dogwood brush between me and the deer. The bullet probably would have carried through . . . but my policy is to not shoot if the shot doesn't "feel" right. That one didn't feel right.

The performance of any projectile punching through brush is erratic at best, conical or round ball. Generally, the heavier the better, but none are predictable.

You're kicking yourself now, but think how you'd feel if you shot and found hair and blood droplets but never found the deer.

 

[cayugad]

My hat's off to you for not taking the shot. You had not made true positive target identification, you knew there were obstructions in your patch, and you were not sure your projectile could do the job right ... so you did not shoot.

All too often people would come to the house wanting help tracking deer because unlike you they chose the other way. They made a bad shot and wounded a deer. Perhaps they were aiming for the right spot, perhaps the bullet was defected, either way they had a wounded animal on their hands.

Good job hunting on your part....

 

[Ron LaClair]

No matter what the weapon or the projectile, always be sure of your shot. You obviously had doubts so you did the right thing.

 

[bob1961]

my sig on another site says ( site true and hit hard )....ya done good like the others have said....well done in your thought process........................bob

 

I completely agree with your actions. About ten years ago, I let a very large buck go because I could not get a good shot though some cedar scrub. I saw his head come through a break in the brush but could never see his body long enough to shoot. My then 9-year old son was in the blind with me and was going crazy that I did not shoot but I think it taught him a better lesson. We settled for a 4 point on that trip, which I killed the next day with one shot. Don't have any regrets - you did the right thing.

 

[Gametracker]

Interesting, I passed up a shot with the bow today for exactly the same reason. I walked quietly through the woods and was startled by a four pointer shaking some thick brush just twelve or fifteen yards away. Didn't see me, but I just didn't have a clear shot. Peculiarly enough, he hobbled out the other side, and I noticed it had a foot missing. Young "three legs" went on to live another day, but I figure he can't go far!

I commend your choice as well

 

[biliff]

FWIW, I read an article awhile back in one of the gun magazines where the author assembled a bunch of Xmas trees and fired every centerfire cartridge known to man thru 'em at a very large target placed just the other side of the trees. Every cartridge, including 12 ga slugs, were deflected enough to cause either a complete miss or wounded deer. Basic conclusion was "don't shoot thru brush" no matter what you're shooting. :agree:

 

[Rat]

Years and years ago Mike Venturino did a simular test with cartridge rifles using different size dowels...

Anyhow, about the same conclusion...there weren't any cartridges that "shined" at "brush-busting"...bullets, balls or whatever don't like hitting any kind of vegetation, and as I recall many of the cartridges we think of as "brush busters" really didn't do much if any better than the high or higher velocity cartridges.

Good call...unless you are starving there's really no reason to shoot through the brush.

Rat

 

[ryoung14]

Thanks for backing up the initial decision on this, guys. Guess I can stop beating myself over the head about it. Whether the deer was buck or doe, it's now one that might still be there next year. That's better than coyote food under a blowdown somewhere...not to mention the animal's suffering.

I'll leave the brush busting to the tractor; not the muzzleloader.
Bob