I’ve been trying to catch this younger axis buck slipping for a couple of weeks now. He finally let me have a shot this evening, broadside about 150yds. He was walking so I held on his shoulder and sent the 165gr Hornady interlock from my 30-06. Literally took him off his feet. He laid there about 5 minutes, then tried to get up. He was facing me so I hit him in the chest about the base of the neck. Dropped him again, and I sat ready to fire again for about 20 minutes. Figured he was done so I got down and drove the truck around to load him up. As I made the last turn I see him make it to the tree line. Go to where he was laying and found good arterial blood but in small amounts. He left none to track at all. Spent the next 2.5hrs crawling around in the brush trying to find him, to no avail. I’m ticked off and can’t help but wonder what the heck happened.

I cannot believe he soaked up two rounds from a 30-06 and was able to walk away. No doubt the buzzards will lead me to him, just hate losing all that dang meat. I’m beating myself up over it but really can’t figure out what I could have done differently? First deer-type animal I’ve lost in over 15yrs.

Axis seal up well after being fatally hit.

Chalk it up to just your time in the barrel. You know that if you shoot enough it's gonna happen. And, you can only look for it so long in this heat. Axis make a lot of work for wounded deer dogs and even they don't find 'em all the time. I'm sure some that I've assumed I've missed (after checking) were actually hit.

I’ve seen something very similar happen, shot an axis buck with a .270 and it ended up taking 3 shots and it still took a few minutes for him to die.

Every shot was a kill shot and for whatever reason he didn’t go down quick. If he hadn’t snap shot him the 2nd time and got lucky we would have lost him

Had it happen to me last year

Broadside at 100, bang, flop

Waited 5 min, no movement, unloaded rifle, got out of stand, walked halfway to him and up he went to never be seen again

I too was at a loss but 30 years of hunting them I guess it happens

I helped track a whitetail doe hit with a .30-06 and that same byllet at 100 yards. So, it isn't magic, chit happens.

Exact same thing happened to me about 8 years ago. My best friends father got invited to go hunt one of his oil clients exotic game ranch. None of his sons could tag a long so he thoughtfully invited me. I had a nice axis buck broadside at 100yds. 180g Barnes’s TTSX right behind the front shoulder (still convinced that’s where it hit as that’s where I was aiming). That shot picked him up off his feet and slammed him to the ground like some WWE wrestling move. He was doing the dead leg dance so I sat and watched, knowing he was done. About 5 mins later as I go to unload the next chambered round and climb down, he gets up and is gone. No limp in his step. Found one drop of arterial blood on the ground. It was morning so we spent about 3 hours looking. Never found him. It sucks to lose an animal. It sucks even more to be a “tag along guest” hunting someone else’s private ranch for free and wound an animal. I packed up my gun and refused to hunt any more the rest of the time we were there. I felt terrible.

it happens and its sad but it's all part of hunting. Eventually you will lose some. Look for Buzzards today.

Almost lost this guy. Hit him once with 7mm08, ran off, we tracked in one direction. Went back got the 4 wheeler, went the complete opposite from where he ran. My daughter looked over and said, "is that him"? there he was. VERY luck to find him. Shot placement was perfect but he still ran off a pretty long way. can't remember what bullet.

They have a want to live

I’ve made some good shots and was surprised at some of the reactions from them

I’ve killed a few so I’m no expert but if you shoot them behind the shoulder, you’re too far back.

Sucks to lose an animal, I hate it enough it’s kept me from picking my bow back up.

Sounds like you made well placed shots, which then points to a problem with the terminal performance of the bullet.

Bullets that expand, but hold together sufficiently well enough to reliably penetrate deeply and even better pass through will kill better than older design cup and cores which can fragment and/or not penetrate well.

Try switching to a Barnes TTSX, Barnes LRX, Nosler Partition, or a Nosler Accubond. I can vouch for the performance of those, the Barnes TTSX being my favorite.

Bullets are doing the actual work of killing and merit more consideration, and discussion, than the headstamp launching it.

Yes, I am fairly well versed in bullet selection and "terminal performance". I have been hand-loading for over 30yrs now, and have loaded everything from typical cup and core to premium bonded bullets for everything from prairie dogs up to Elk in cartridges ranging from .218 bee up to 300WM. I am confident that bullet placement was there, so yes, that leaves the bullet in question. I would have never dreamed that a 165gr Hornady Interlock wouldn't have been adequate for the job since it has worked so faithfully in the past on countless WT deer and large hogs. In fact, if he had been recovered, it would have been the first time I've even seen one of those bullets after hitting an animal. Pass-thru's have been the norm with them.

But this instance certainly has me questioning the bullet's design for said application. The Axis was a younger buck, body size about the same as our mature E.Tx WT's. He was running with a group of four mature WT's, in fact. I still wouldn't hesitate to shoot WT with the round, but will reconsider in the rare event we get another Axis show up on the property. If it occurs again I will switch over to my 180grain Accubond Elk load so at least I'd have two holes leaking, or 4 in this case. I briefly thought about it this time around, but just didn't consider the load I used not being enough, and didn't want to have to re-sight in the rifle only to switch back for just one WT sized critter. Lesson learned the hard way.

I certainly underestimated this one's desire to do so.

DAmn that sucks!
They are tough animals and leave very, very little blood trail even when hit super hard.
I shot one buck once with 150gr out of a 7mm STW and he took it through both shoulders like a man. Took off like he wasn't even hit. He went about 75 yards and piled up and luckily I found him in the brush because there wasn't enough blood on the ground where he'd run to soak up with a piece of toilet paper and only a little bit where he hit the ground and died.

I think it more likely the bullet simply failed to expand for whatever reason than it disintegrated. Bad deal in any event.

Last deer season, I recovered a 150 grain Interlock from a WT buck (live weight ~110 lbs.). 308 Win velocity at 100 yards. Quartering towards, with the shot placement near shoulder.

The buck made it about 5 steps, so I can't complain about the efficacy of the bullet. However, the bullet basically pancaked instead of mushrooming. The lack of an exit on a deer that size is no bueno imo.

Have you had a chance to track by buzzard and see what happened?

Yea keep us in the loop on this one.

As of Sat evening there were no buzzards circling in the area. Several just cruising at various heights, nothing out of the ordinary. My cousin called me today just to talk, and he was at the property. He didn't see any buzzard activity today either. So either the buzzards found him and made quick work of him in two days, which is certainly possible, he traveled much farther than I'd think he could have, or he found some really thick and nasty stuff to die in and the ground crew has dealt with him.

If I get a chance I'll head back down this weekend and see if I can smell him out, any remains should be nice and ripe by now.

It sounds like you hit high above the shoulders and above the top of the spine. That paralyzes them for a few seconds. You can tell when a deer is hit high by how fast they hit the ground...then when on the ground all four legs are stiff and straight out from the body....and off the ground. They will then start kicking and actually get their front end/shoulders off the ground and drag themselves up or drag their hind end for a second. They may even fall back to the ground but when they finally get their legs under them they are gone. Are you 100% positive you hit him the second shot?

Sorry to hear that

They are tough, I shot a whitetail in Junction about 10 years ago. Perfect shoulder shot with a .280. He turned and ran straight at my blind for 100 yards. Pumping blood out both sides. I watched him in my scope and then opened the blind door to watch him run under the blind. Then he ran about 50 yards and turned left to go straight up a heavily forested cliff. Right before he got into the cover I shot him again. I waited about 45 minutes and had plenty of blood to trail. However I decided to back out just in case and go get my catahoula. We walked up to the last shot and I turned her loose. She found him about 100 yards up the damn cliff. And I mean straight up, had to grab cedar limbs to make my way up to him. When I gutted him his heart was completely gone. He was running on pure adrenalin for almost 300 yards and up a cliff. He did everything I was told a buck who is hit hard will not do.

No way I would hunt Axis with a 270.

Why?

I’m a big fan of hornady ELDX, but think the regular old interlocks suck azz bad. I had a post about them a while back earlier this year. Several instances had them come unglued and not penetrate straight line etc. while hunting. This is from recovered animals so I know where they were hit etc. not just guessing from a shot.I Will not hunt with them. I’ve loaded for my brother and dad for close to 20 years and when I loaded them interlocks they both told me they would go back to shooting factory ammo before they hunted another season with them. Bullets are too cheap I’d pick something else moving forward.