Hitting a moving deer

[caribou]

Welcome to reality.

Like shooting flying Geese, swing through and lead are most important when shooting at moveing animals.

Ive made more shots at moving animals than standing, because with Caribou and Wolves, ect. the first shot can be at a still standing animal, but all the rest are moving, even if its a slow walk, swing through and lead are important.

Funny ,your story sorta reflects the episode of LBZ just played; My daughter hit a low brsiket/forleg hit and then a high and a bit far behind the shoulder hit to the upper rear of both lungs. Both failed to stop the Caribou, the bullet was in pices by the second lung, and seeing the animal getting away, the wife picked up a rifle and ran off too tryin to catch em up. I arrived after the girls had outflanked him and turned him tward Agnes, but onto an ice island in the lake at the base of the hill, but wit the girls comming down, spooked em off. Agnes too a couple shots to get him, first with trying her scope, and realizing she was far to close for the scopes use, she waited till it layed down again so she ducked the scope and used the irons on a still target. Skinning and gutting showed the close but not hits to the heart and the damage rear lungs.

My daughter made a bad couple hits and ended up running a couple more miles than they like but they finished the job, even when it went bad. That guy tracking his wounded Deer is a real Hunter, and you are a true Hunter too for trying to finish that animal off, even with a moving shot.

My Regards!

 

[CraigC]

Real easy, rabbits. I did so much rabbit shooting in my 20's that hitting running rabbits at 70yds was almost easy. With a pistol.

 

[buck460XVR]

Welcome to reality.

Like shooting flying Geese, swing through and lead are most important when shooting at moveing animals.

Exactly. No different than shooting at a rooster pheasant that's not flying at you or straight away from you. Swing thru and lead. Stop the gun as you pull the trigger or try and point and shoot and you're lucky to get tail feathers. Running rabbits with a .22 are another good example.

I regularly still hunt a large parcel of thick swampland. If one did not shoot at running deer, odds are you'd go many years between eating venison. On a positive note, distances are fairly close. Generally from 20 to 50 yards. Again, you must continue to swing the gun as you shoot. Any hesitation means a miss or a gut shot. For the deers sake, it is much better to error on the side of too much lead.

 

[MCgunner]

caribou, saw the episode the other night and I'm thinkin' the whole time, "wonder if they get hate mail from PETA?' ROFL! You probably need to figure out a bullet in .223 that will hold together, but shot placement is EXTREMELY important on an animal that big with such a weak caliber. A lung shot will stop an animal that big with a .30 caliber, even a hot .25 caliber, a lot quicker, but you don't have a lot of room to miss with a .223. I'm guessing it was a lesson learned for her, though, put that shot where it'll count.

Effective bullets are available for .223, but I'm not sure if they're in factory loads and I would hesitate to guess the cost if they are. If she had a mini 30, she could play with Tula 154 soft point which is very effective on hogs. But, it wouldn't have the range and you all are out on the open tundra, not like it takes a lot of tracking in the woods. Just watch 'em until they stop.

 

[MCgunner]

I regularly still hunt a large parcel of thick swampland. If one did not shoot at running deer, odds are you'd go many years between eating venison. On a positive note, distances are fairly close. Generally from 20 to 50 yards. Again, you must continue to swing the gun as you shoot. Any hesitation means a miss or a gut shot. For the deers sake, it is much better to error on the side of too much lead.

Yup, the running shots I've taken (not all connected, I might add) have been still hunting. Not necessarily swamps I was hunting. One doe was shot at 50 yards after I watched her bed down at the head of a canyon in open west Texas desert country and walked up on her. That country is sorta like caribou's tundra, you can see for MILES. But, it's amazing how an animal can disappear behind a blade of grass. She jumped and ran and I swung and fired, about 50 yards.

Yep, and I agree that too much lead is better than too little and a gut shot deer, absolutely.

 

[41 Mag]

Like has been mentioned several times, just like with a shotgun you have to follow through on the shot. Thing is, most of the time, your brain isn't thinking that, you squeeze the trigger and everything comes to a complete stop. It is simply something that has to be practiced to have muscle memory similar to shooting clays before bird season opens.

Growing up I shot WAY more shotgun shells than rifle shells, and it has somehow been ingrained into my inner being. I do not have a hard time following through on shots with a rifle nor a handgun it just seems natural when the time comes. Granted I do NOT attempt to shoot any deer that are in a full run unless circumstances dictate like a previous mentioned wounded one, but the feral hogs, oh man they take a beating on it.

I'm like MC though, the hogs are on the hit list, anytime, anywhere, any range, stopped, or running full out, I send something out after them. I have to say that past 200yds though, unless they are heading straight away, they usually get into that hyper warp gear and leave with only their pride damaged. It sure is cool though when they are in full tilt boogie and you yank the front end out from under them. They have tumbling moves that would rival some Olympian gymnastics...

 

[eastbank]

i shot this buck last year running at about 60 yards with a rem 7600 in 30-06 with a 2x7 leupold scope set at 2x with a 165gr bullet at 2600fps after the shot it nose pushed for about 20yards and went down. if the deer is at 100yards or closer and in fairly open conditions i will shoot. eastbank.

 

[AABEN]

I think that the hunter was doing what was right by trying to find the deer that he had wounded! I would had to try to help him find it.

 

[41 Mag]

I think that the hunter was doing what was right by trying to find the deer that he had wounded! I would had to try to help him find it.

I reserved comment when I read about that in the OP, simply due to that just isn't a very bright thing to go ahead and do, especially while others are still hunting.

I do not have an issue with helping someone look for, find, and even field dress and haul it out for them, IF they contact me first before entering my property, or on property that I am authorized by the owners to speak for.

Thing is it makes it a VERY dangerous thing not only for who ever is trespassing to chase after the deer, but also the possible person who might have seen it but has no idea someone is following it. Next thing you know the land owner is a possible target from some yea who that thinks the movement ahead is his wounded deer.

Aside from the legal matters it is simply unsafe for all parties involved.

 

[wombat13]

I think that the hunter was doing what was right by trying to find the deer that he had wounded! I would had to try to help him find it.

I did help him track the deer. We eventually lost the trail after it followed a shallow creek. I agree that it is right to track a wounded animal. The problem is that the community around our property regards posted signs as scenery. My concern is that if we say it is no problem for hunters to enter our land to track wounded animals, pretty soon we'll have a lot of trespassers claimg they are tracking a wounded animal.

 

[wombat13]

I reserved comment when I read about that in the OP, simply due to that just isn't a very bright thing to go ahead and do, especially while others are still hunting.

I do not have an issue with helping someone look for, find, and even field dress and haul it out for them, IF they contact me first before entering my property, or on property that I am authorized by the owners to speak for.

Thing is it makes it a VERY dangerous thing not only for who ever is trespassing to chase after the deer, but also the possible person who might have seen it but has no idea someone is following it. Next thing you know the land owner is a possible target from some yea who that thinks the movement ahead is his wounded deer.

Aside from the legal matters it is simply unsafe for all parties involved.

You hit the nail on the head. When we are hunting our land, we know where every other member of our group is setup and we make sure none of us is in the line of fire of any others. This neighbor approached from the exact direction I had just fired toward, as you would expect, since he was following the wounded deer. He created a dangerous situation by wounding the deer and following it onto property where he wasn't expected, but both he and I would have suffered had I shot him not knowing that he was there.

 

[AABEN]

I know you are wright BUT when hunting it is hard to find the owners of the land when a foot also some land owners may live in town are out of state. I was saying that he did what was OK in one way. I did not think some people would get all out of souse!!

 

[J-Bar]

How do you know you missed?

Just because it did not drop immediately doesn't mean you missed. I have made classic heart/ double lung shots and still seen them run a surprising distance.

Don't be hard on yourself for not anchoring the animal instantly. If you did hit it, it simply was not in the chest or spine. That's the risk shooting at running game. You have fulfilled your obligation to the animal when you can no longer track it. It eventually happens to every hunter.

 

[Ankeny]

Saturday I witnessed some folks shooting at elk that were moving. In addition to thier legal limit, they ended up with four cripples that were all hit too far back. Three in the back leg or butt. They made no effort to recover those animals. A real shame. I shot and tagged one they blasted in the a$$ just to put the critter out of it's misery.

I know some of you hunt in vegetation and at distances where shooting an animal on the move is a required skill. My personal policy is to never shoot at a moving animal and to always walk directly to where the animal was standing even if I think I missed.

 

[hq]

I always wait for a shot at a standing or slowly walking deer, but there are times like this that taking the shot at a fast moving deer is the ethical thing to do. Any advice on how to prepare myself so I don't miss if this happens again?

Back in the old days the finnish hunting license test for deer and moose consisted of hitting a moving (15-20mph?) life-size moose target at about 80 yards three times in a row. That was a great way to practise leading a target with a scoped rifle and realizing that you actually have to lead it by close to 2' - even at a short(ish) distance and 2500fps+ rifle caliber - for a proper lung/heart shot.

I do a few driven hunts every year. Incidentally, I'm leaving to Hungary for one today, and practise is really invaluable because EVERYTHING you shoot will be running, fast. Wild boar, fallow deer, red deer etc. and if you can't do it, you either won't down anything or pay an arm and a leg to trackers to find the game you wounded (and won't be invited to another driven hunt anytime soon).

 

[41 Mag]

I know you are wright BUT when hunting it is hard to find the owners of the land when a foot also some land owners may live in town are out of state. I was saying that he did what was OK in one way. I did not think some people would get all out of souse!!

If you are hunting public land like in a national forest or BLM type property I would agree that it is hard to find and get permission for entering private property to track and find a wounded deer.

However if your hunting a leased, or private property, it is no harder today to touch base with the owner than simply pushing a few buttons on a cell phone. It isn't hard to find and speak with landowners and/or their representatives before hunting season starts and make sure what things should transpire before one enters someone else's property. In fact I feel it is a responsibility of the hunters to get in touch with the surrounding landowners if for no other reason than this.

It has nothing to do with getting all out of souse as you put it.

To me, and the landowners around my and my friends properties, and on just about every other leased property I have hunted in my lifetime, it has everything to do with hunter safety and not getting someone mistakenly shot. Just as with the mentioned happenings above, there was a wounded deer which came by one hunter who shot "at" it, then right along behind it comes the fellow tracking it on property he really had no business being on without notifying someone. Just as quick and easily he could have been the recipient of the second shot at the deer. I'm sure that wombat13 would not have shot in that direction had he remotely thought someone else was over there.

So in a worst case scenario, wombat13 sees a deer cruising by obviously hurt, he quickly aims and shoots to the best of his ability to down the wounded animal. Unfortunately as soon as the rifle fires he hears a yell from the brush behind where said deer is and now has a possibly seriously wounded and dying person on his hands to deal with, or worse he thinks nothing of it, and when he walks over to check out where the deer was passing through finds said hunter laying out dead on the ground.

While he will be remorseful about the whole issue and he WILL have to live with it the rest of his life, it isn't going to bring the other fellow back to life or make him feel any better about it if he does survive. On the legal side, now wombat13 has to go down to the local PD and spend several hours reliving this experience and telling his version of what transpired. Then he has to spend multiple thousands of dollars to hire an attorney, to ward off or possibly not, being sued by the fellow or his survivors in a wrongful death civil suit.

So tell me which one is easier and more logical, making an effort to contact someone before heading off onto private property, or simply taking a chance of ruining two or more lives simply because you feel it is OK just because? Nevermind the legal issues involved, we're simply talking doing what you feel is right for ALL parties involved.

I'm interested in your take on that. If your that damn selfish and unconcerned about the OTHER people which might be involved, then by all means jack the fence down and go for it. Just remember though, when you do, your not only taking YOUR life into your own hands, but your also possibly taking the life of someone else you might not even know is there in your hands or putting yours in theirs. Your also risking jail time as well as having your equipment confiscated and being fined on top of all of that. But hey, why worry about any of that, its YOUR deer and YOUR going to fetch it up right.

Like I said, it don't take much time to gather up a few numbers, and make a call or two ahead of the season. Good luck with your endeavors, I just hope it isn't you, or worse the fellow you don't know is there, that we next read about being mistakenly shot or killed while out hunting.

 

[oldillini]

I have not shot or even attempted to make one on a running deer. Wish I could say the same when driving. Those deer are costly.

 

[wombat13]

hq: Sounds like a good test. Unfortunately, there are no ranges that I know of in my area that are setup to practice shots on moving targets (with rifles). I like the idea of rolling an old tire, but how to do it without putting someone downrange?

 

[H&Hhunter]

I've shot running game with both scope and iron sights and a scope is FAR faster to get on target fast. No need to line up sights which takes too much time. The secret to it is a low power scope, 1.5-2 power at most. This is why I have a 2x10x40 on my favorite rifle. People tend to over-power their optics. I don't know that I've EVER used anything over 5 or 6 power on anything other than paper. My scopes STAY on minimum power when I'm hunting.

This^^^^ times 1,000! A low power scope becomes an optical sight and is extremely effective on moving targets. People tend to over scope and keep their variables set at to high of a magnification to be of any use in the field except on perfectly still critters at range. My scopes all live on 1.75X or 2X unless I need the magnification. In that case I will have time to turn up the magnification. If you need your rifle for a snap shot on running game you'll almost never have time or presence of mind to turn down your magnification.

 

[wombat13]

H&H: I'm looking at leupold vx-6 scopes based on the input in my scope thread. I was thinking of the 2-12x for my .300wm. Would the 1-6 be a better choice? I've never used much more than 4x in the field. I thought the 12x would be nicer for long range, but maybe I'd get more use out of a lower low magnification.

 

[J-Bar]

I have a Leupold Vari-X II, 1-4 power 20 mm on my Ruger #1, 270 Winchester. It rarely gets changed from the 2X setting. Once I cranked it up to 4X and made a successful 300 yard shot in an open pasture. But the lower powers are much more useful. I like this smaller scope because it just looks better on the rifle, and the single shot is very handy whether I am in a stand or still hunting.

I agree with the advice...don't get power hungry.

http://www.leupold.com/hunting-shooting/scopes/vx-2-riflescopes/vx-2-1-4x20mm/

 

[Cleveland48]

I have shot at running deer My whole life I grew up in a town where deer hunting with dogs is a way of life. I have killed many deer on the run, but I have also missed many deer lol. Honestly it's just something that you eventually get better at with time. All of my deer rifles wear scopes and stay on the lowest setting unless in open cut over. My favorite is an old weaver k3 with the square view ( tv screen or whatever they call it) it's a 1.5 - 4.5 power scope. Very fast on target.

 

[H&Hhunter]

H&H: I'm looking at leupold vx-6 scopes based on the input in my scope thread. I was thinking of the 2-12x for my .300wm. Would the 1-6 be a better choice? I've never used much more than 4x in the field. I thought the 12x would be nicer for long range, but maybe I'd get more use out of a lower low magnification.

My personal choice was the 2-12X. I find myself using 12X quite a bit. You generally don't need it but it is a nice luxury if you've got it. When you do need it, it comes in real handy.

 

[BigBore45]

i like the rabbits and .22 idea. myself i got practice on coyotes before i took a shot at a running deer. I'm not a fan of it but if it feels right i take the shot. the post about .07 seconds or w/e is totally wrong. yeah the bullet is that fast but a deer at 20 mph at a strait 90 degree cross run is going to move 29 feet per second. with a .308 Winchester 150 grain bullet at 2800 fps it takes .109 seconds. so that puts the deer moving 2-3 feet in that .109 seconds at 100 yds.(hints the nose as a good aim point on 90 degree angle and deer running wide open.) and it gets real trick on angled shots. i have done lots of shots on running coyotes and the best things that work for me is iron sights and knowing my gun just from shooting and shooting and shooting. i know where its at and how long it takes to get there from shooting at coyotes and long range shooting and ballistics that go along with long range shooting. an no i do not hit a running coyote every time

 

[wombat13]

i like the rabbits and .22 idea. myself i got practice on coyotes before i took a shot at a running deer. I'm not a fan of it but if it feels right i take the shot. the post about .07 seconds or w/e is totally wrong. yeah the bullet is that fast but a deer at 20 mph at a strait 90 degree cross run is going to move 29 feet per second. with a .308 Winchester 150 grain bullet at 2800 fps it takes .109 seconds. so that puts the deer moving 2-3 feet in that .109 seconds at 100 yds.(hints the nose as a good aim point on 90 degree angle and deer running wide open.) and it gets real trick on angled shots. i have done lots of shots on running coyotes and the best things that work for me is iron sights and knowing my gun just from shooting and shooting and shooting. i know where its at and how long it takes to get there from shooting at coyotes and long range shooting and ballistics that go along with long range shooting. an no i do not hit a running coyote every time

BigBore, I haven't checked your calculation, but we may both be correct. My .07 calculation uses different assumptions than you did. First, the deer I was trying to shoot was only 70 yards away, not 100. Second, I was shooting a .300wm, not a .308, so I assumed 3,000 fps, not 2,800 fps.