:: 9.3's quote - - The fellows who don't know where the sights were at the shot and who don't see the critter drop are faced with a big temptation to call it a "miss" instead of a hit, and may decide to head back to the shack for coffee and call it a day.

"The critter took off at the shot and that big gun would have dropped it if I hit it" all too often really means "I'm damn scared of that cannon and I have no idea where the bullet went."

A big powerful rifle does not guarantee instantaneous kills. Thanks for reminding us, 88!

You hit the nail on the head with that statement, Rod. I've seen it time and time again - even if they go to the spot the animal was standing and find only hair - which almost always happens with a big moose - they say, oh, must have just 'grazed' him. Where the h--l do they get that crap? They won't even follow them up. 9 times out of 10, it's a bloody 7mm or .300 mag. They say, "If I hit em good, they drop" What a crock! Tells you how many they've collected for the number they've hit. I've recovered more game from blokes like that than I'd like to remember. I never hunt with them again. I refused to cut my tag on the ones that were gut shot, though. All that bile pumped around the animal. Damn waste a magnificant animal.