Free: Contests & Raffles.
It is rare for an animal that isn't shot in the head or spinal cord to die instantly. The animal may become unconscious or collapse from shock but is alive for several seconds. It is somewhat of a mystery why some animals collapse instantly while other animals shot in the same way run. In my experience it seems that bigger animals like elk and moose collapse more often than smaller animals like pronghorns.
I absolutely glorify a quick ethical kill. Nothing makes me sicker to my stomach than a wounded animal that you don't have 100% confidence your going to retrieve. We have all had those animals that you leave for a couple hours while you hope they expire and can be recovered. Bang flops don't always mean instant death, but it does mean they died quickly.....or could be dispatched quickly with a follow up shot. The above being said, I think the vast majority of kills are not bang flops / drt / etc. Was more curious to see what others experiences were because so many folk on the internet say most of their shots are bang flops.....and I feel it may be a little exaggerated. I've been hunting since I was 8 and would say less than 50% of my rifle / muzzy kills (excluding archery for obvious reasons) have dropped where they stood......probably closer to 25% or less. Almost all of my recoveries have been under 50 yards and in many cases, you see the animal fall before leaving your sight. Some of this has to do with my hunting areas being more open, I'm sure the west side jungle is much different. It has seemed to be completely random with which animals flop and which runs make a mad dash..... I've used large caliber, small caliber, mono, cup and core, etc, etc, etc, and there is no rhyme or reason. I don't like to waste meat so I almost always look for a good double lung shot that doesn't involve the shoulders. I have found that Monolithic bullets have less meat damage when involving large muscle groups. Anyhow.....I'm just rambling now!!
