Page 32 - Safari Trails Dec 2020

while hunting in Wyoming years ago my friend shot a Pronghorn high in the shoulder with
his new Weatherby 300mag/180gr bullet. We chased that poor animal for two hours and
after missing 7 or 8 long shots, my friend lost all confidence and realized that he was too
sensitive to the recoil of his Weatherby and out of shells he asked me to finish the animal.
I was shooting my .270/130gr and put the poor animal out of his misery. Always take
the rifle you can shoot accurately. Bigger is not always better. Also, find the one or two
loads that each rifle shoots accurately and don’t change.

White-tail deer, Mule deer and Pronghorn antelope

The Whitetail on the left presents two possibilities for shot placement. The shot
placed at the base of the tail may miss the spine because he is standing at a slight angle
resulting in a wounded animal. My choice would be to place the shot back behind the ribs
with the bullet passing through some of the gut, lungs, heart and exit in the left front leg.
T h e
Mule Deer on the right is in good position to place the shot just under where the tail is
attached; if the bullet hits the spine, the animal will collapse, and otherwise the bullet will
pass through the gut, lungs and possibly heart.

The choice of rifle is up to you. Any one of the following would be an excellent choice:
 .25-06 Remington

 .260 Remington
 7 x 57 Mauser
 .270 Winchester
 .308 Winchester

Good luck……..enjoy your trophy hunt experience.

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