Shot To The Heart

[ack]

Most deer we have shot took off on a dead run when heart shot but you never know.

 

[Dr Ray]

Why in the world, when you hit to your game right in the heart it falls on its hind-quarters first?

 

[Dr Ray]

Most deer we have shot took off on a dead run when heart shot but you never know.

I try to shoot meat animals 1 inch below spine and 3 inches behind the shoulder to minimize meat damage.
Heart shot animals will pump adrenaline through and make the meat tough.
A notable exception last year when I shot a Rusa deer. The ballistic tip 130 grain 270 destroyed the off side at shoulder totally. Shot at about 110 m.

 

[Dr Ray]

I try to shoot meat animals 1 inch below spine and 3 inches behind the shoulder to minimize meat damage.
Heart shot animals will pump adrenaline through and make the meat tough.
A notable exception last year when I shot a Rusa deer. The ballistic tip 130 grain 270 destroyed the off side at shoulder totally. Shot at about 110 m.

 

[Jeffrey Masters]

My Eland was shot through the heart, part of the liver, and lungs. He ran 30 yards, jumped and fell backwards. When we got to him, he was dead, or I would have said so, there was no reaction from touching the eye. There was a steady stream of blood from the exit wound the size of my finger. I would not have been surprised to see him hop up and run off. It was crazy. I am amazed how stout these animals are.

 

[wesheltonj]

Heart shot you can still function for a few minutes. Back in the 1970's when I was on a Boy Scout trip to Mexico, I had the bad fortune to watch a man get stabbed in the heart while waiting on traffic. He managed to walk 1/2 block before he collapsed. In the vehicle was my Scoutmaster who was a cardiologist at BAMC. He said it was a perfect stab to the heart and nothing could be done.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Heart shot you can still function for a few minutes. Back in the 1970's when I was on a Boy Scout trip to Mexico, I had the bad fortune to watch a man get stabbed in the heart while waiting on traffic. He managed to walk 1/2 block before he collapsed. In the vehicle was my Scoutmaster who was a cardiologist at BAMC. He said it was a perfect stab to the heart and nothing could be done.

Good grief, I bet your folks were thrilled to hear that story upon your return.

 

[wesheltonj]

Good grief, I bet your folks were thrilled to hear that story upon your return.

That evening we went and saw the Poseidon Adventure in Spanish with English subtitles.

The shot you want is to the Aorta.

 

[Edge]

I took one whitetail doe with a muzzloader at 125 yards right through the heart and it hit the ground hard and hardly twitched. From my recollection, the doe just collapsed, I’ve taken many deer with all types of firearms and haven’t seen such an immediate reaction unless it was a CNS type of hit. Still ponder what caused the immediate collapse like it was a CNS shot.

 

[Daga Boy]

My son got a decent wildebeest with the 308 this morning. The 180gr normal oryx did a great job (again)

 

[wanderingjim]

Heres a few photos of the impact point. Etc. I ended up using an arrow with a total mass of 750gr going 225fps. Tipped with a 180gr german kinetic. The shaft was an Australian designed 250 spine arrow from native gear archery. It had a 60gr steel insert with 2 easton axis 75 gr inserts behind that. There was 430gr in the first 3 inches so FOC was pretty serious. Yes it's a touch gory but that's hunting. Yiu can see the size if the ribs compared

 

[Daga Boy]

To be honest I don't think I have ever seen a buck/deer/antelope go down butt first after taking a heart shot. Reactions do vary and a lot depends on angle, calibre and range but typically a large antelope (like a kudu for instance) will either jump or kick forward with its back legs (i.e. as if to kick its chest) and then bolt before dropping if heart shot while standing side on. Reactions do vary from species to species (and the other variables I have mentioned) but this sort of reaction is pretty typical. A heart shot blue wildebeest will typically go anywhere from 20 to 80m before going down even when shot with a fairly heavy calibre.
If the calibre is sufficiently powerful and depending on the type of bullet used a heart shot animal will sometimes drop on the spot with legs splayed, but this is not typical. It is also more common when the shot is angled more from the front, probably due to associated muscle and nerve trauma in the shoulder and neck region.
Elephants are famous for going down on their butts - but when brain shot rather heart shot.

 

[Ridgewalker]

The majority of heart shot animals I have taken from pronghorn to Cape buffalo have bucked like a bronc, then took off running. It didn’t seem to matter whether it was a bullet, or broadhead.
There’s some information on heart shots as well as other shots in “The Perfect Shot” by Dr Robertson. Very interesting.
Also some on Ballisticstudies.com website.

 

[Daga Boy]

I know its off topic but the pic of the Rusa deer illustrates why I do not recommend the .270 for use in the bush - especially not with 130gr bullets. It is a great open country calibre but very destructive at closer ranges . If that animal had been shot with either a 6.5 x 55 (140gr) or .308 (180gr) it would have been just as dead but meat damage would have been been way less. if a .270 is to be used at ranges under 200m then it is much better to go for 150gr bullet; alternatively a mono-metal or strongly constructed bonded bullet.
In fact a lightly constructed /frangible 130gr bullet fired from a .270 will sometimes fail to penetrate at all if used on a tough animal at close range (say under about 75m), resulting in massive surface wounding but no knockdown or kill. I have witnessed this on warthog.

 

[Luvthunt]

Remember it is the lack of blood to the brain that kills with a heart shot.

 

[JPbowhunter]

I know its off topic but the pic of the Rusa deer illustrates why I do not recommend the .270 for use in the bush - especially not with 130gr bullets. It is a great open country calibre but very destructive at closer ranges . If that animal had been shot with either a 6.5 x 55 (140gr) or .308 (180gr) it would have been just as dead but meat damage would have been been way less. if a .270 is to be used at ranges under 200m then it is much better to go for 150gr bullet; alternatively a mono-metal or strongly constructed bonded bullet.
In fact a lightly constructed /frangible 130gr bullet fired from a .270 will sometimes fail to penetrate at all if used on a tough animal at close range (say under about 75m), resulting in massive surface wounding but no knockdown or kill. I have witnessed this on warthog.

I don't think it has as much to do with calibre or 130gn projectiles as it does with choice of projectile to start with. You can pick any medium calibre and make your argument.

 

[Milan]

The majority of heart shot animals I have taken from pronghorn to Cape buffalo have bucked like a bronc, then took off running. It didn’t seem to matter whether it was a bullet, or broadhead.
There’s some information on heart shots as well as other shots in “The Perfect Shot” by Dr Robertson. Very interesting.
Also some on Ballisticstudies.com website.

I shot the water buck in my avatar in the heart. He bucked so much he pierced his hide in the hind quarter with his own horn. a whitetail doe I shot few years back in the heart, took off on a dead run for good 40m and walked another 30. This may not sound like much but in the bush it may mean a lost deer. 9.3x62 285 gr Norma Oryx was used in both cases. Both had a hole through the heart that looked similar to the one in OP's initial post. I started using more frangible SP bullets and shooting through shoulder after that as I do not like chasing/looking for wt in the bush. And I also tried 7mm 139 gr Hornady SST for more immediate results.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Whitetail deer, approximately 150 pounds, full run for 75 yards before piling up.

 

[ArmyGrunt]

Whitetail deer, approximately 150 pounds, full run for 75 yards before piling up.
View attachment 260751

What's the shadow at the bottom? Is this Mystery Science Theater 3000??

 

[Hogpatrol]

What's the shadow at the bottom? Is this Mystery Science Theater 3000??

I must have been standing in my truck's headlights. MST3000? Crow T. Robot was my favorite. I have a T shirt around somewhere.