running deer

We have one of those targets at the archery range. Think they are hard to hit with a bullet. Try slinging a arrow from 20 yards. The place a pop tab on the vitals and have a competition every month. One dollar to shoot three arrows. The closest arrow to the pop tab get a gift certificate or some other prize worth about $50. It is alot of fun but pretty darn hard.

interesting. thanks for the results. sounds real challenging, and fun. still, there's a lot of variables at shooting a moving target (i mostly think 'whats behind it now?'). seems like it'd be hard to justify in the field.

anyone done this in actuality?

so do those percentages include the guys that got 30 rounds out their SKS's and only hit once?

*edit to add* taliv: for some of us, a ten minute mile IS fast!

Some can drop running deer with amazing regularity, most others just wound the deer, or miss entirely.

The best shot I ever made is also the worst shot I have ever taken. I had a nice, big-bodied cull spike jump up & run @ around 90 yrds full steam, got out to 120 or so when I succumbed to the goading & took the shot with a Model 94 .30-30.

The man I was with was yelling at me to "Shoot Shoot!"; It was his rifle that I asked to shoot; we were just burning trash during our hunt when the buck jumped up & ran. I let him pressure me into the shot; luckily it was right through the vitals & the buck went down in a heap.

When I was in the 5th grade, I was in LEFT FIELD, when a rare pop fly came my way. It hung long enough for every bully on my team to threaten my life if I dropped that final out. I was completely blinded by the sun, and NEVER saw that ball. It fell in my glove, proving their is a compassionate God. Same with that running shot. PURE LUCK or devine providence. I will not press that luck again---

Running deer...

I work @ my gun club's Hunter Sight-In Clinic, in the 50-yd running deer area.

My take on this is almost NO ONE should shoot at a moving deer. Those of us on this board are hopefully excluded from this blanket recommendation.

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We get HUNDREDS of shooters run through in 7 days. I would slightly disagree with the above quote, in that NO ONE should take a shot at an unwounded, running deer. I didn't keep statistics, but out of hundreds of shots flung at it, Running Plywood Bambi took maybe a couple of dozen fatal shots. The rest mostly missed entirely (thereby endangering whatever would be beyond the deer) or were gut-shots, rump nicks, leg wounds, etc, etc.

And as pointed out above, a REAL running deer bounces up and down, in addition to proceeding forward. Not to mention changing its direction of travel irregularly. An impossible target to properly aim at.

So I'll make the blanket recommendation: No ethical hunter, none, should shoot at an unwounded deer that is running. Kill it before it starts running, or Do The Right Thing, and let it go.

had a brain freeze. eastbank.

a deer running at 25mph will move close to 4.57 feet in the 1/8 second of reaction time(time it takes for the singinal to fire gets to the trigger). a bullet traveling at 2700-2800fps will go 337.5 feet in a 1/8 second. so it looks like you would have to lead about 9 feet for a 100yds shot (double the 1/8th second to 1/4 second) to hit the deer, but lead and follow thru will now enter into the mix(trap shooters shoot on a clay bird with out leading it but by useing follow thru. i once watched the running boar shoots,and the winner said he didn,t lead at all but followed thru with the running boar(he didn,t stop his rifle but shot when the sights were on the kill area and kept his rifle moving) i pratice in the summer shooting groundhogs on the run with a .22 mag from close to 100-125 yds and kill many with the first shot and i think it helps me on running deer. eastbank.

I know I'm not a good enough shot to nail a running deer, especially with a scope. The only time I've tried was when my (very young) hunting buddy tagged a deer in a front leg with a really bad shot and it was running past me with one leg cartwheeling around. I took 5 shots at it and the 5th dropped it with a marginal hit and I had to finish it off. I figured that was preferable to it running off and dieing slowly somewhere.

Tough but not Impossible. Especially when your thinking about it, like at a range. I took a really nice 5x5 Whitey a few years back with a 7mm rem mag. He was running about half speed across a open meadow. I was napping at the base of a tree when I awoke and he was half way across. I hit him in the lungs, he piled up just inside the tree line about 30 yards from when I Fired. He was about 50 yards+ out from me at the time of the shot. I also took a running coyote at 100 yards once, that was with a AR 15 w/ a Reddot . The first shot hit forward of him I adjusted and the second shot hit right behind his front shoulders. We all have had lucky shots I do believe these two are no different, If I was thinking about it before I shot I would not have made either shot!

I work @ my gun club's Hunter Sight-In Clinic, in the 50-yd running deer area.


Quote:
My take on this is almost NO ONE should shoot at a moving deer. Those of us on this board are hopefully excluded from this blanket recommendation.

We get HUNDREDS of shooters run through in 7 days. I would slightly disagree with the above quote, in that NO ONE should take a shot at an unwounded, running deer. I didn't keep statistics, but out of hundreds of shots flung at it, Running Plywood Bambi took maybe a couple of dozen fatal shots. The rest mostly missed entirely (thereby endangering whatever would be beyond the deer) or were gut-shots, rump nicks, leg wounds, etc, etc.

And as pointed out above, a REAL running deer bounces up and down, in addition to proceeding forward. Not to mention changing its direction of travel irregularly. An impossible target to properly aim at.

So I'll make the blanket recommendation: No ethical hunter, none, should shoot at an unwounded deer that is running. Kill it before it starts running, or Do The Right Thing, and let it go.

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Amen, bravo, kudos, and thank you, Smokey Joe, +10000000.

This sounds like a fun range game, but a real shot on a moving dear would be much, much more difficult.

I shot a decent 5x5 Nebraska Whitetail in 2005 that was running full bore quartering away and smoked him. The only reason I shot is because I first missed broadside at about 75 yards and thought there was no was I could have missed him. I felt obligated to take a running shot at this "wounded" deer. Upon inpection of the carcass we found one wound created by a 165 grain ballistic tip. He was running across an alfalfa field, and when he was hit his head went down into the alfalfa, caught hold, and he literally flipped over.

Crazy hunt.

Something similar is mandatory to pass in Sweden to go big game hunting. If you cannot put your shots on target in the acceptable manner, you do not get to go hunting.

At the range it's great, but in reality taking a shot at an animal in a strut (to met) is wrong. Even though I know at 70yds and that speed I could hit the target most of the time I doubt It would be in the vitals every time. No need to make an animal suffer like that.

I've taken a shot at a 'running deer' - well, more of a canter - one time. Deer snuck up behind stand, and wouldn't walk past. I spent a several minutes waiting; when I finally turned my head, he exploded out of there (I think he was watching me). I upped my rifle (scoped 336) and grunted but he wouldn't stop... ran/kind of jogged into clear-cut perpendicular to me - I hesitated since I don't shoot them on the move, but then felt good, got sight picture, led slightly - BOOM! - deer kept going, now on afterburner - I shot three more times. Then saw deer fall in tangle of logging debris.

When I finally found him -that took a while - I'd hit him twice out of four: once in mid-ribcage, one shot nicked front of throat. Only the ribs was effective, he'd have easily survived the other. I think I prob got him on that first/best shot, and the other three were wasted, but I don't know.

generally, I don't shoot at running deer unless I've already shot at them, and then I don't usually have the presense of mind to keep shooting (just wait, they'll fall).

put me down as against it.

A bounding, trotting deer is totally doable.

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Not for me, so I won't do it. I think that's the biggest problem with shooting a moving target - a lot of people think they're better than they actually are.

I don't like it because then the meat tends to taste terrible.

Sandlot

NEVER saw that ball. It fell in my glove

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"You're killing me, Smalls."

My take on this is almost NO ONE should shoot at a moving deer.

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^ I reckon you aint ever ran dogs before.....

There are a few good snap shots out there. I've seen some who could consistently kill running game at close range. I'm talking about inside 50 yds here. No one has any business shooting at running game at long range. I would rate my marksmanship a little above average. I won't take the shot if it's running. This is why I despise the use of dogs when hunting deer. I think dogs should be used in the recovery of deer only. And before you flame me for that, don't. It's my opinion. I respect yours if you dissagree.

shooting at running targets isn't hard if you have practice. I shot 10 m competition running target in high school for a short stint and learned the basics doing so. After that hitting a running deer is a pretty easy thing to do. I have shot 3 animals that were running the first 2 were deer I double lunged both at about 80 yards, the third animal was 2 near perfect followup shots on an elk at 100 yds, and both landed within 2 inches of the first 2 shots(all 4 shots into the lungs).

If you know how to do it, it isn't that hard to hit a running target, but if you haven't done it before it can be close to impossible.