How far is it possible for deer to travel after being shot?

Tuition
GEORGE WALLACE says:
How long is a piece of string? A deer so shot might drop on the spot or run anything up to quarter of a mile.

I remember a Forestry Commission Ranger telling me of a fallow doe he shot with a .303 which is an excellent deer cartridge despite what self-important Jimmy- Know-Alls might tell you.

Anyway, the doe jumped the fence, crossed a grass field, jumped another fence and crossed a second field before falling dead at the next fence some 225 yards from where she was shot.

The bullet had destroyed the heart.

I once shot a roe kid with a .223 at a range of about 50 yards. The little animal ran 60 yards along a dyke, turned 180 degrees and dashed back again, falling stone dead only a few feet from where I had shot it.

Again, the heart was totally destroyed. The little beast only weighed 18-lbs in the skin.

My then stalking partner reckoned my .223 put deer down quicker and harder than his .270 but it just goes to show there are no absolute guarantees.

You never know quite how a deer will react to the shot. That is the reason for advice to shoot always for the heart/lung area, which is a larger target and a sure kill.

If you shoot straight you haven’t got to worry about tracking a wounded animal; just looking for a dead one.

Much less stressful for you.