Bang-Flops

[wilmsmeyer]

A lot of you guys want the bang-flop. DRT. I wonder how many of you are bowhunters and I wonder how everyone considers a perfectly dead bow shot deer that runs 100 yds with a few leaky valves any different then a gun shot deer doing the same thing?

I bow hunt more hours then gun hunt and have killed about a dozen whitetails with a bow. Maybe 75 or so with big guns. Even with an "archery angle", deer I've shot usually run almost as far with a bullet as with an arrow. No problem.

So, the poll here is the reason you want a bang-flop:

The poll lets you pick 3 answers max and will locked in 5 days. You can retract your vote until lock time. The results will not show (or so I hope) until lock time. This is to let each responder not be swayed by the response of others.

This will be enlightening and fun.

[edge]

Even though I picked a few times when I want a bang-flop, in reality they are few and far between for me.

Since I started as a bow/shotgun hunter my aiming spot is the Heart 99.9% of the time. A full out running shot with the scattergun and the aim goes to his nosey.

If I limited my shots to under 200 yards then I would use a blunt bullet and get bang-flops even with the heart shot, but since I want maximum field shooting opportunities I use a high BC bullet and live with the 20 to 100 yards death run with an occasional DRT.

edge.

[wilmsmeyer]

I voted for one choice. Property lines. We have some gun stands right on them. Shots are close so I can aim for bones and have before on occation. It is tough for me to stray from the "bread basket" Archery hunting makes me gravitate towards "that" spot.

I will say that a short tracking job adds to my excitement. When you KNOW the shot was good. And you KNOW you will find the animal. Following a gusher for 100 yds is easy and always a little different each time. You get to see a deers' "plan" as it trys and get away.

I have 2 colorblind friends who get antsy after a bow hit or a gun hit that doesn't anchor a deer. It is actually easier for each of them to follow up in the dark because the blood "glistens" when wet under light. They see that but not red. Obviously the more blood the better for them. Most of the time they come and get help.

Keep 'em coming! Don't be so shy with the comments!

[Dave W]

Biggest reason would definitely be to prevent deer crossing onto other property, be it hunters or dealing with posted property. Tracking in downpours can pose problems also.

[youp50]

I have in the past hunted private ground and the attending property line disputes.

Always when bear hunting over bait and when deer hunting near a hostile property boundary, I advocate the high shoulder shot. About a third of the way up and right on the shoulder. The results are always bang flop. Two broken shoulders and severed spinal cord. It may not be DRT and require a killing shot. There is no tracking. Much more important for bear than deer. Not because black bear can bite, been there done that, but they run and the body fat and hide close up bullet holes and there can be very little blood spilled from the body with attending poor blood spoor.

It would be my preferred shot on a moose pointing towards a pond.

[Chris Champion]

I voted for property lines and after dark tracking. If its near dark I will try for the high shoulder bang flop shot and I have several blinds or stands that are on the edge of property lines and its nice to have them drop where they stand. Also, the farther they run then usually the farther I have to drag them.

[dans]

OK when hunting public land, a high shoulder shot or spine shot is preferable to a double lung shot. I would have lost my buck this year if I hadn't broken his neck. I was right in the middle of a bunch of hunters. If he had run some one else would have been sticking a knife in my deer. On the private land I hunt I am surrounded by a ring of steel in every direction. If a lung shot deer reaches the property line it is a lost deer. Also I tell my boys to shoot for the spine when it approaches dark. I have had too many long tracking jobs by flashlight. I realize that some meat will be unuseable but I would rather ruin a few pounds and not lose the whole deer. With the deer numbers seeming on the decline in Indiana at least where I hunt It makes sense to drop'um.

[153]

Where I hunt we have two farms,my is 85 acres and my brothers is 60.A 100 yards death run most of the time is on someone else's property.On my farm I have two good sides and two bad sides,my brothers has one good side and three bad sides.20 years ago it did not matter but that was 20 years ago.I also do not want to have an animal of any kind too suffer and want a quick a death as possible.Right now the 300XTP is my load but will try the 275 ParkerBE to extend range to 250 yards.Tried the BO,shoots great but had three deer hit in the boiler room that went over 75 yards,with two over 100 yards.

[northny]

I always go for boiler room shots, and have not intentionally gone for a bang flop. Athough a bang flop is neat to see, any deer that dies in sight is just as good as a bang flop to me. In both cases you know you have a deer. So I only chose one reason for a bang flop. (If the coyote keep multiplying, then the bang flop may have another justification, its strange hearing song dogs when tracking by flashlight!)

[whyohe]

my first is i dont want the animal to suffer. and that is where my second comes in that i prefer not to track. im fortunat that even though boardering property is posted i ge tto hunt a small part and i have permission to track on that property as far as i need to recover animal.

[dave d.]

:)i do not like to see a deer suffer so that's why i like bang flops and don't care to track.anyone know which way i voted ;D.seriously though that's one reason i shoot so much is because i want to make a perfect shot on that animal so it dies quickly.i owe them that much.

[younghunter86]

Jan 20, 2009 17:30:45 GMT -5 northny said:

I always go for boiler room shots, and have not intentionally gone for a bang flop. Athough a bang flop is neat to see, any deer that dies in sight is just as good as a bang flop to me. In both cases you know you have a deer. So I only chose one reason for a bang flop. (If the coyote keep multiplying, then the bang flop may have another justification, its strange hearing song dogs when tracking by flashlight!)

I pretty much agree with everying said here. Within sight would be just as good as a bang flop for me. In actuality I like a SHORT blood trail. I always retrace the deers steps noting how much blood, spray or drops things like that. This is much easier and more enjoyable when you can start at the deer and go backwards to where they were hit.

When snowing heavy you could have a blood trail 2 ft wide, but with 1/2" of snow it doesn't matter. However if I see where they went down I can just walk over to the deer shaped mound in the snow. ;D My main goal is to recover the animal.

Actually upon further review I have concluded that there are two types of bang flops. The fall over "dead right there" and the fall over "paralyzed" bang flop. I really dislike the latter.

[indianabuck]

100 yards or less - I shoot for bang flop - Out of approx 20 deer in 4 years using the Savage I have shot 80% in the head. I mostly hunt for meat and hate seeing any get wasted by bullet entry or exit. This year I shot a nice eight point trotting away from me at about 80 yards - I went for the boiler room and thought I made a good shot. That deer ran about 40 yards away from me and then turned and watched me fumble around trying to reload. It was really cold and I had components in about every pocket you can imagine. As soon as I reloaded and found the deer in my crosshairs he just fell over. Upon dressing his heart was gone. Here in Indiana with not being able to use rifles I have tracked more deer shot with slugs than I can remember - most of them not mine. When I received my Savage and spent the time getting it to shoot to my expectations it has totally changed my hunting habits. I hate seeing injured or suffering animals. My son gave me back my Remington 11-87 and asked for a Savage. He shot 3 deer this year with his new Savage. I would say that the number one reason I go for immediate drop is I hate dragging those deer back up some of the hills I hunt in.

[cgg]

Jan 20, 2009 17:56:18 GMT -5 younghunter86 said:

Actually upon further review I have concluded that there are two types of bang flops. The fall over "dead right there" and the fall over "paralyzed" bang flop. I really dislike the latter.

I politely disagree--by definition a "bang-flop" is a deer down and dead right there. A down and paralyzed deer is a "spined" deer, not a bang-flop. I don't like spined deer either, but at least you know you will recover the deer and can end its suffering as soon as your fumbling fingers can reload your rifle.

[DBinNY]

I've killed over 20 deer with the bow so I tend to shoot them in the boiler with the gun too like Wilms says. Seldom do I actually try for a bang flop although I sometimes get them when I don't wait for an archery type angle (or I hit them a little high . I seldom find it difficult to recover deer hit in the boiler room in daylight or darkness.

[fowlplay]

I like my field hunting and my shoulder shots with my TMZ bullets. Just back the truck up and pick up the deer. Screw dragging.
Steve

[corvair]

I almost always take the high shoulder shot unless it is a really good buck and the shot angle does not allow a perfect broadside shot. Most of my hunting is on State land here in Indiana.
This years buck was no exception, 90 yards, Parker 275 BE, high shoulder shot,DRT!

My best buck, 168 and change net, was shot high shoulder, took one lunge and fell over backwards. Had I not taken that shoulder shot and went for the boiler room other hunters in the immediate area would probably have shot at him or got him.

[rexxer]

Being a bowhunter for thirty some years I go for the boiler room shot. After reading about the band flop shot here at Dougs I thought I would attempt it on Illinois doe only season last weekend. I hit low, about 1/3 up on the deer.He went about 30 yards and piled up. The BO smashed the shoulder and kept on going.Lost all the meat in the one front.

I would now reserve it only for big buck among competition.


Here in NW Illinois last weekend I know of 5 antler less bucks shot.Seemed like alot of early sheds!

[onecardchuck]

I am a hunter of all seasons and I get out enough and see enough deer that I will not take a shot unless it is boiler room. However, since big bucks have been eluding me for the last so many seasons I would take any shot I could get on one for the meat and the wall hanger. So I always like to have overkill on my load for a deer in case I have to take a not so great shot on the big boy. Hence, I vote for overkill that on most deer gets a bang flop.

[bowbender6]

Even though I can go on my neibors property I don't like to. Also I like to keep the disturbance to a minimum on tramping around looking for a deer.

[bigbuckslayer]

I don`t mind blood trailing if I`m bow-hunting.Gun hunting I always worry if they run to another hunter prefer they drop when I pull the trigger.

[raf]

And usually they run in the wrong direction meaning you have farther to drag them

[ewc]

I hunt mountain deer about 3/4 of my time. An extra 100 yards may add considerable time to recovery/drag out (and could reflect and elevation change of 100' or more).

As such, my vote reflects that.

I always go for a mid-to high shoulder shot - attempting to anchor right there.

[chapmangleason]

I hunt small areas with lots of deer, 17a, 88a, 24a, 15a. Some border horse farms and they really don't like folks walking onto thier property trailing a deer. Good way to get arrested or asking permission to track a deer across a property after dark and your all covered in camo is a no no. Also some land owners are not friends of the land owner I hunt on. All these make a boom flop a requirement. Accuracy is king, penetration is queen, expansion is prince and shoot-thru is princess. Must have all 4 in a good bullet, in my opinion.
Chap

[northny]

Chapmangleason: Just love the royalty description. I fully agree.

[jims]

I thinik this is still on subject on this site. Please describe the location of your high shoulder shot. I believe I am shooting too high and may be shooting a high spine shot like cgg mentions. I am about 1/3 of the way down from the top of the back, in looking at a photo posted once on the high shoulder shot it looks like the shot should be lower. That may explain why my deer hit there drop right there but where not dead. I had my daughter shoot like that on her first deer and unfortunately when we got there the deer was alive and I hated that for her. I think I understand my error. If not please advise. Thanks

[Deleted]

In 33 years of bowhunting and over 100 deer later I always go for a low lung or heart shot, with the gun I always try to take out both shoulders, either way within 30 seconds, a pile of deer meat,.....Bill

[Deleted]

I like to see them go straight down. I try to take out both shoulders if possible. The last four deer I shot I was able to do it; no tracking. Last year I shot an eight point 10yds from a fence line which bordered private property. It was a high shoulder shot and was DRT. As I was gutting it the landowner from the adjoining farm came over and accused me of crossing his fence although he never saw me on his property. I told him he was wrong and explained to him exactly what had happened. He said nobody could shoot a deer and it not run. I then told him very calmly and respectfully that I not only could, but I did. ;D
Zen

[wilmsmeyer]

226 votes! Wow...good job.

So 40 % of us want to just see the deer drop and not want to track. Interesting. Makes me think there are way more gun hunters then bow hunters.

Some of the more importatnt reasons (for me) were very low...to my surprise. A lot of time and money get devoted to making this happen with a perfect load. Still, without the right placement, none of our loads get us there, yet just about all of them kill deer very effectively.

[petev]

To make sure that I find it, and so it doesn't suffer.
Aw, what the heck, a bangflop means I de man!
It's another reason I prefer .35 Rem for close shots.