A 30-06 with a 180 gr. Barnes X, failsafe or Nosler will completely penitrate a big bull elk or Deer lenthwise...A 200 gr. or 220 gr. Nosler will do the same...So anything bigger is just a plus...In fact I have shot through a Buffalo lenthwise with a 7x57 using a 175 gr. Nosler, the bullet came to rest under the skin in the sholder after breaking it....

These bullet do not tear up much if properly placed and most THS's are jump shots in thick timber and very close...

Cleaning a gut shot animal isn't a particular problem to me and I like to get it to a creek and let the water run through the cavity or wash it out good or with lots of snow, but I like to do this anyway..

On Moose it isn't ordinarily necessary, they are so damn ignorant...you just walk around shoot them in the heart and wait for them to die and they will whenever they take a notion to do so.

I have noticed the gut shot does not bother the meat if cleaned good and right away....

I have also noticed the Africans as opposed to many Americans don't seem to think much about the THS other than its effective and a viable option and the meat is used without comment.

I have noticed too that getting an animal gutted right away is not as important in Africa as it is here and I have come to agree with that, based on eating some of those late gutted animals....

After hunting for many years I think we live in a world of misguided facts as to hunting and eating game..A lot of it, but not all is just bunk, based on the fact it makes good since, but in fact it may be wrong altogether..

But the bottom line is whatever blows your skirt up, makes little difference to me, if it makes you feel better then I say do it!! If it turns you off then don't do it....

Ray,

I like your idea of getting a gut shot critter to a creek asap. Ill remember that one.

I like cleaning out animals quick mostly because they are much eaysier to drag that way..

I've successfully taken this shot on deer and pronghorn.

Good bullets on both; both paths just under the spine, hit the vitals and out the front.

The problem would be what?

It was late in the season, and I hadn't gotten to hunt much that year. A legal doe appears just before dark facing dead away from me. I had a .308 loaded with 125 grain Barnes-X bullets.

At the shot she jumped off the logging road. I found her maybe 25-30 yards into the woods from the road edge.

The bullet had clipped the point off her tail on the way in. It plowed through all the guts, bored longitudinally through the heart, and lodged in the right shoulder as her forequarters were twisted around a bit when I pulled the trigger.

I still have the bullet. It weighs 119 and a fraction grains. It's the only X bullet I ever recovered. One reason to use a "super bullet" is so you can make a shot like this with the likelihood of success.

It was the messiest field dressing job I ever saw. I will try to avoid this shot in the future, but in some circumstances.....

BigIron

As for me I have never used such a shot on any animal that I have taken. BUT I was wondering about deflection of a bullet that has to travel as far through an animal to get to the heart and lungs and liver of the animals we hunt? I have seen and I know you have to seen that where you place a bullet on one side of an animal and the bullet comes out not directly across from where it entered from. I was just wondering how much more deflection you would have with regards to having to penetrate the full length of an animal? Bullets deflect and most wont dispute it but I wonder when someone shoots one up the pipe how many times the bullet angles out and never reaches the vitals? Going through pelvis and or hitting the spine and such has got to deflect some of the ammo. JUst wondering about this part of the theory or THS?

Brian

A deep penetrating style bullet in a reasonable caliber for the size of the game. Any ordinary deer caliber except maybe 6mm for deer and average black bear.

Texas heart shots are best attempted on cold windy days.

445.
If you break the pelvis, he is down, thats it, if you hit the tailbone (spine) he is down for the count...A proper bullet of good weight and construction will penitrate a deer from stem to stern without deflecting and in most legal calibers...On elk a 30-06 with a good 180 gr. premium like a Nosler or Failsafe will do the same..The only place I have seen deflection of meaningfull amounts is on very big heavy animals, primarily elephant...

I get the impression that many do not understand the awsome power of most of our big game calibers or that deer, antelope and such are not Sherman tanks and are very easily killed for the most part, and from any angle.

I'm not a big fan of using the Texas heart shot on unwounded game, simply because it can waste so much meat if things are only slightly off. On the other hand, I know it can be a very effective shot to break game down quickly (assuming adequate cartridge) and would have no qualms on taking one if it was needed. I know for a fact that a .270 Win with just about any 130 gr bullet will work for deer, so it doesn't take a howitzer to get it done on deer. Heck, I saw a 170 gr .30-30 penetrate from between the hams to out under the chin. If the game is not spooked and I have time, I will generally wait for a better shot, and have passed on the shot on several occassions on meat hunts, but from a ethical standpoint, I see nothing wrong with the shot. I actually think head shots are worse, simply because more (and often inexperienced) people are willing to try them.

Lou 270,
you make a good point...The person that is willing to take a THS should use a tough bullet in an 06 like the 200 gr. or 220 gr., a 338-06 or a 338 Win with 250 Nolsers..NOT for its penitrative qualities but because it will not disrupt or expand and ruin a lot of ham if your off to one side...

Those who use 270's, 243's and the real hi vel. guns should probably pass on the THS for that reason alone....

I further state, it is never the shot of choice for any of us and I don't think anyone has claimed it is..It is however a viable option that I use and mostly because of the conditions I hunt under...but I would never lose a good trophy buck because I didn't take whatever shot I had...Some of my best trophies where shot Texas style...I will also tell you that I have never had a deer or an elk take over two steps shot lenthwise, more than I can say for a broadside shot...the leanthwise shots does more damage inside to every functioning body part.

THanks for the info. I was just wondering about the deflection part of it. I was just remembering some years ago when I was hunting in PA during deer season. I was walking to or from my spot and a couple guys came up to me and said did you see a deer that was wounded as he was an 8 pointer and we shot him in the ass as he was going away from us.I said no didn't see him but would keep my eyes out for him. He stated it was a THS from my memory. So I never saw him till about 2 hours later I was walking to my spot for the evening hunt as drivers were getting ready to take advantage of others drives. So I was just walking down a trail and I see about 15 yards in front of me 2 bucks coming across the trail I was on. As this was my first buck I have ever taken I was taking the first that was going to present a shot. Well a forker on one side and a spike on the other came into view and I shot him with my own handloaded 338 win mag loaded with a 200 gr Hornady sp to about 3000 fps. Well at 15 yards I smoked him. I saw the other one run about 35 yards and stop and I saw his butt was shot up and he was a 8 pointer. Well I tried to get him down because I knew where the other hunters were but the buck did get away from me but I saw on that buck that the bullet came out of the deer on his side never got more that half way through the deer before deflecting out of the deer. I didn't ask them what they were using or how well the shot was or never seen him up really close but did see his butt blown up pretty good and saw on the side where the bullet exited. So that is why I was asking.

I know this doesn't mean anything much because who knows what they used and where for sure he was hit. I did see them later as i dragged out my first buck and told them where I saw him.

But I do feel with the great bullets that we have now it could do the job but I don't think I could do it. BUt then again If I had a monster I might think about it for a second.

Brian