flyingfool:

I've killed many deer and a bear with my .35 Remingtons over the decades and I've never had one hit by this round not leave blood and/or hair. With that said I did see a couple of deer taken with a 22-250 not leave any blood. Opening day this year where I hunt, one of the guys took a button buck on a DMP tag with a 7-08 using a Winchester 140 gr. PP and there was no blood. The deer collapsed on the spot and the damage inside was tremendous. Go figure.

Range Finder

 

Dead is dead and the .35 Rem did its job. It's unfortunet that we only get one animal a season to find out just what our loads will do. This year I used a Marlin 336CC, 30-30 with a 170-gr core lock and it did its job very well. But no there was not a blood trail, but I did watch where the bullet hit, and saw the hair blow out from the back side. A couple of steps and the buck flopped over and expired rather quickly as it tried to breath.

I don't know what the reaction would have been if I had used my Marlin 336SC, .35 Remington. I think pretty much the same as with the 30-30, again dead is dead, and the meat is in the freezer.

 

35 rem

Flying Fool: I'm no authority on 35 rem's, in fact, I've never even fired one. What I do know is that weird things happen sometimes. For example, the other day I shot a buck with my 30-06 using 150 gr nosler ballistic tip bullets. My shot hit him quartering in the left side of his brisket and exited just behind his right front leg. No bone (spine/shoulder) was struck except the ribcage. At the shot, he just sat back on his rear end and rolled over on his side and died. I've never seen a lung shot deer not run, at least a little way. Statisically speaking, you're drawing conclusions from a sample size of two. Not what the statisticians would call a statistically significant sample size. Now I know that deer never studied statistics, but I wouldn't throw in the towel on the 35 just yet. I'd try a couple more.

Siamese4570

 

I am using my 336T and LeverEvolution ammo this year and have had INCREDIBLE results with blood trails (not that the deer have gone very far anyway, but...). I had terrible results last year with both Winchester and Federal Classic ammo. I never lost a deer, but the bullets did not perform as they were supposed to.

I would suggest changing to the LeverEvolution ammo. It would be worth a try if you like the gun and caliber.

 

I have never had to trail a deer that I shot with the 35 Rem. They have all been DRT, so I can't help you out much as to why you have not had any blood trails.

 

I cannot reply as to the .35 and its ability (or lack of ) to leave blood trails.

However, I have noticed a relationship between bllod trails and where the deer are hit.

I have hit deer with .45 and .50 caliber muzzleloaders, .308's, .300 Savage equivalent loads in .308s. .350 Rem Mag, 12 Ga slugs, and .30-30. Blood trails are not consistent with caliber.

I DO see substantial blood trails when one of two things happens. The biggest blood trails seem to happen when your deer is blowing blood out its mouth and nose. This often results in a blood trail a blind man could follow. The other heavy bleeder is the LOW shot. I've seen more than a few that were punched low in the lungs or chest. Bloosd flows freely.

In my case I tend to shoot farther forward and higher up than some shooters. I like to get the top of the lungs, the arteries leading to the heart and maybe the heart itself. I'm frequently punching through a shoulder, or both, so there is lots of tissue in the way. These high shots, with lots of surrounding tissue, mean that I get NO blood trail. None. My theory is that the chest cavity is filling up, and does not leak out. The tissue frequently seems to cover the holes. None of my deer have gone much more than about 25 yards, so blood trails are moot.

Your objective as a hunter is not to create blood trails. It is to drop deer. If your 35 is reliably anchoring deer, it is doing its job. I'd MUCH rather a no-trail shot that drops it in 5 feet than a big bleeder trail that I have to follow 400 yards through a swamp.

As I said, I think shot placement seems to impact blood trails more than caliber. I suspect that if you shot one double lung broadside, getting both lungs fairly far back and LOW, your deer will run quite some distance and leave a decent trail. The low-in-the-chest hole will leak before a high shot, and the through the ribs shot placement leaves little tissue to plug the hole.

Just my reasoned speculation...

Frozenny

 

Two observations...
#1 -- If those bullets passed through, there WAS blood, you just didn't see it. I have shot deer and found a broad and obvious blood spray on the far side, but I have also shot deer and found (after much hands-and-kness crawling around with a light) a few miniscule droplets.
#2 -- as Frozenny has already stated, especially on a high lung shot, not much is going to be found for the first 25-50 yards of the deer's travel. Remember, until punctured those lungs are mostly just air. I believe it just takes a bit of time before the lungs fill up with blood to a level where it can be pumped out, but once it gets there it'll sometimes look as though someone has been hosing the area with blood. When I take a shot and am sure I've gotten a good hit, I always watch very closely the direction of the deer's run, particularly memorizing exactly where he was when he went out of sight. Quite often, I find no significant blood until a few yards beyond the "vanishing point". If he drops within 25-50 yards, I consider the job well done and don't fret at all over the fact that I may see no blood.

 

Two observations...
#1 -- If those bullets passed through, there WAS blood, you just didn't see it.

A very correct statement.

"flyingfool", you had a unique experience as most deer that I've seen shot with a .35 had pretty significant wounds. In fact, some could have easily been killed with a "chain saw" depending upon the point of impact of the bullet.

You can bet there was blood somewhere, you just didn't see it......

 

Its how the woud cannal lines up after the deer moves, if the deer was all streched out when shot the holes will only line up when it is in that same position thats why shot placment is always important. If the bullet enters or exits the ribs there should be a good trail. Boardside or quartering away is best because you cant always control the if the bullet will exit. I field dress one deer that had gallons of blood in the chest cavity, but the shot was from front of the shoulder throught both lugs , hart, and liver, and exited just in front of the rear leg. The blood had no way to exit through al the layers of mussle. It was shot with a 1 1/4 ' broadhead the wound cannel was about 38" long and no blood trail. The 35rem is ah some for providing blood trails but you have to pick better shots sometimes luck works against you.

 

Flyingfool, shoot em low just behind the front leg if you want a blood trail. But expect to follow it a while. :lol: Or do what I do and shoot em high just behind the shoulder and spine em. Watch em drop and simply walk over to em. The spine is about 1/3 down from the top of the back. Regards, Byron

 

I have been shooting a 35 Remington for over 6 years now. I have killed deer with Remington 200 grain factory ammo, 200 gr Hornady Lever Evolution.

Every deer I have ever shot with the 35 Remington has tipped over on the spot. Kills range from 50 to 80 yards. I like not having to track my deer.

I just know the 35 Rem is a deer killing machine. Wish I could get a shot over 100 yards to test what the gun can do.

 

flyingfool, I have no experience with the 35rem but had the same thing happen with my 1894ss .44 mag last yearwhen using Winchester white box 240gr SP ammo. At the origin of impact nothing, no hair or blood. But when I trcked him (thank God for the snow last year) about 25 yds from the point of impact I started to pick up pin sized droplest of blood. Continued on tracking and found my deer 100yds from were he took the slug, I beleive I have rectified the problem this year by swithing to the Hornady 240gr XTP hollow point but I haven't got a deer this year with that combo.
However the deer I got with my 30-30 this year had a massive amount of blood loss when the Leverevolution bullet smacked her. There was blood all over the sides of the birch trees that she was in all the way up to were I found her laying dead, which was about 20yds away. I witnessed first hand also the effects of the Federal 150gr Fusion bullet out of the 30-30 and it was just as awesome. As has been posted previously I would try the Hornady ammo it is truly an awesome product for sure. I am sure that you will have a blood trail that a blind man could follow then.

 

Just a few thoughts:
I get very tired of bullets that do not show effect when they are launched. For me, the 30-30 was always shooting through, but showing little effect. May be that's my luck in life. I can use anything though, if I know what to expect.

For 336A, Watch those XTP's. Out of a handgun with a good dose of H110, I have had three deer soak them up and walk on me. Recovered two of them. Maybe at rifle velocities, they will do better. I have gone to cast in all my 44's. Hole in, big hole out.

I guess my lesson for the season, was over the muzzleloader issue. I had neighboring hunters tracking across my land this season. They were using round ball or sabot combinations. None of them found their deer, that I am aware of. My experiences in the past, have been about the same. I have shot deer through and through (and end to end) with round ball and Maxi ball with similar results. Little or no blood and as much as a 1/8 mile track on a well hit deer.

This has brought me full circle to the big flat nose - punch em like you mean it theory - and larger diameter bullets. Actually, with our muzzleloaders this year, we are loading the Maxiballs I cast over a plastic cupped wad spacer and stuffing them down the barrel backwards. Now we have a 50 cal completely flat point. They seem to be fairly accurate and it should hit about like a good 45-70 load. We all know what 45-70's and shotgun slugs do - big holes - lot's of problems for Bambi right now!
Regards
Bestboss

 

I did not have time to read all the replys on this subject but I 'm going to say that a blood trail is more a function of where you hit them, how big the exit hole is and if you stop the heart than what you hit them with.
I hit them usually right about at the heart and unless I hit them with something that blows a big hole out the other side[30-06,or.270 with say Nosler bal. tip]the blood tends to pool in the bottom of the chest BUT they don't go far and trailing has never been a problem for me axcept once I shot one with a 30-30 and spent 3 hours trying to find him searching a huge area and finally found him in a briaer patch 50 ft.from where I shot him!Shootrj2003

 

Why do some people die of cancer and others heart disease??
Deer are animals, products of nature. We can predict most of the time how things are going to play out but not all the time.
I have bow shot deer with razor sharp broadheads through both lungs and had only teeny ting drops of blood. Why? who knows, I’m sure it has to do with the way things played out inside the animal.
If your bullets are hitting where you aim and passing all the way through the animal (in one side and out the other) I would say they’re doing their job. How much expansion will depend on the type of bullet you use.

 

Hey RanchDog I know you have used your 35 on more than a few animals how about chiming in here with your experience.

 

I used the 35 this year and left a good blood trail for the 25 Yds. it made it. It was standing in an old logging road and there was blood spray and pieces of lung in the road. I was using the new Hornaday 200 gr. .35 cal. hole in 1 1/2" hole out.

 

Unfortunately I have no experience shooting 5-pointers... might want to switch to 8's or better as they bleed real good! (I know... always a smart ass in the crowd)

I would base the observation on two deer. I agree with those that have said each deer (animal) is different. If the bullet doesn't blow it out of them, it takes a variable amount of time to start depending on the hit. The original posters comments about the heart hit are correct. If it ain't pumping it ain't bleeding. The deer I just shot (with a 444 and a cast boolit) had a pulverized heart and an exit wound. No blood... I have one of those new fangled trail lights and didn't get to use it. It did travel 20 to 35 yards. I couldn't walk a straight line... too many thorns but the buck sure went straight.

When I get ready to shoot I do a couple of things: I listen for the hit as the recoil often will prevent you from seeing it hit, I also mark a specific spot that I lose visual contact with the critter, and then I mark the last spot I hear the critter.

 

Sometimes I get a blood trail and most times I do not. I usually hit em in the heart. Works for me. Another thing, I have never had a deer drop right there...ever...with a bow, 50 cal muzzleloaders, thuty-thuty's or either of my fo-foty-fo's. I have an old .35 Rem that most likely has shot a hundred deer but it was before I got it as I haven't shot any game with it yet. The farthest I have had a deer run after being hit is about 35 yards.

My vision is getting worse each year and I may have to start shooting the neck like I do hawgs.

Dave 8)

 

My vision is getting worse each year and I may have to start shooting the neck like I do hawgs.

Should have listened, when they told you that you would go blind :lol: :lol:

 

Forgive me if thiws question has been asked,

Which bullet were you using?

SS

 

I have shot a good many deer with the 35 Rem, all with Remington 200 grain green box stuff so far. I had one years ago that did not produce much of a blood trail. It was a through and through shoulder shot (I was aiming for the heart). It looked like the bullet did not expand at all. The deer fell down on the spot anyway and did not get up. Every other one either fell on the spot or pruduced an easy to follow blood trail.

 

I have been shooting a 35 Remington for over 6 years now. I have killed deer with Remington 200 grain factory ammo, 200 gr Hornady Lever Evolution.

Every deer I have ever shot with the 35 Remington has tipped over on the spot. Kills range from 50 to 80 yards. I like not having to track my deer.

I just know the 35 Rem is a deer killing machine. Wish I could get a shot over 100 yards to test what the gun can do.

In 20 years of hunting, only once twice have I heard of a whitetail where I hunt "die right there". And these where both with 30-06 using 220 grain bullets and quartering shots. Now many might not go far. But most get up and go.

As mentioned in my original post I am using Factory Remington 200RN. And like I said both deer I have shot with even this "underloaded" design has resulted in enough power to exit the deer.

I have heard several people suggest I try the new Hornady 200 LE.

Since I only shoot literally 150 FEET (50 yards) and am getting exit wounds with factory 200 Remingtons what would I gain by using the Leverelution 200 grain bullet designed to shoot flatter and farther?

It appears from what I've read so far. I either have to live with my shot placement and little blood trail, Shoot lower to get a blood trail and a longer track, or shoot higher and try to "spine it" and drop them in its tracks.

I guess since I've always found my deer, I will stick with what has worked for me. Shoulder/lung shot and little blood with dead deer within 40 yards.

 

There you go Flyingfool, Sounds like a plan to me. Byron

 

I have only dropped three deer without taking a step. All were with a 12ga slug at close range.