Shortest shot on a deer?

[Art Eatman]

The last mulie I killed was at no more than 25 yards; maybe a bit less. I walk pretty quietly, and he didn't hear me until I was just starting up from a rocky creek bottom. He had been napping in a narrow telephone line pathway. When he first raised his head I didn't think he was really all that good. But, fair horns. Then he sorta stretched his neck for a better view (all he could see were my head and shoulders) and when I saw how big his neck was, Bang! But he only dressed out at 150 pounds. Ate good, though.

I had a doe lie down under the little tree stand I was sitting on, one time. Eight or ten feet below me. I just dropped pieces of bark on her, trying not to laugh at the way her hide wriggled at each hit.

Then there was my wet-day buck that I trailed and sneaked up to. From about ten feet, I hit him on the rump with a marble-sized rock. Highly entertaining rodeo ensued.

 

[Glocktogo]

About 6 feet. It had been drizzling the night before and everything was frozen. My tree was solid ice and unsafe to climb. It was still spitting freezing rain and I just stood at the base of the tree, completely miserable. I'd have went back to the truck, but I was hunting with my dad and grandpa. Both of them were hardcore hunters and I'd have never heard the end of it.

I was there all of 10 minutes when a yearling doe wandered up. She stopped right in front of me and turned her head the other way. I held the trigger back on my Hawken .50 (no clicks), thumbed the hammer back as I raised the muzzle and let the hammer slip as it centered on her ribs. I literally shot from the hip. I'll always remember that some of the still burning powder hit her side. She dropped like a stone.

I remember my dad coming back to the truck half frozen to death about 10:30 am and saying "You didn't even go out there, did you?" I rolled over in the bed and lifted the tarp to reveal my prize, then grinned. There were some unpleasant words uttered at that point, because he hadn't scored yet.

 

[41magsnub]

I'm guessing that made a mess of both of you.

Loud too.

 

[wyohome]

I shot a spike blacktail buck that was nibbling on my duck blind once. The 'blind' was a hole cut out of the huge blackberry vines common in western Washington. The Felton BlueSteak wad was stuck in his head. I suppose the statute of limitations has expired on that after 45 or so years.

 

[jrdolall]

6-8 yards with a bow.

I missed

 

[bison]

The first time I ever hunted for deer was 5 years ago at a friend's property just north of San Francisco. I had no idea what I was doing. I'd heard how hard it was to hunt blacktails and that you had to be motionless or they'd bust you. After sitting around for a few hours all camo'd up with scent barrier, etc I got bored and started walking around, eventually heading down a hill thru some thick oaks and brush. This is in late August so it's bone dry and I'm making all sorts of noise, exactly what you're not supposed to do. I look up and there's a buck no more than 10 yards away just looking at me, must have figured that I was too stupid to be a hunter. Gave me plenty of time to chamber a round and drop him right there.

 

[hdbiker]

It was just after first light. I was in my tree stand about 6 feet up when it started to rain. I was mad because I wanted to hunt and turned to start packing up. A nice fork horn buck was running right at me. I coulden't get him in the scope because of the bobbing and weaving and so close on a full run. At the last second I lowered my .308 Woods Master Carbine pointed and fired at 3 feet. A 165 grain R.N. went threw it's chest and he skidded to a stop about 20 feet away. I was wet but a happy camper on the way home. hdbiker

 

[wyohome]

This years mulie was trotting right at me and I had to wave my arm to get him to stop. He stopped and I shot him at about 12-15 yards.

 

[parkerdude]

Closer than I'd like to mention

I'm a city-boy and had never hunted deer before, in my late 20's. After wandering around for an hour or so I decided to eat a sandwich I had in my pocket. Lying under a pine tree next to the road, smoking a cigar after my sandwich, I noticed a fairly large doe walking toward me on the road.

In my excitement I lead a walking deer at about 6 or 7 feet, I didn't even see that tree run between us. She ran at the shot and never looked back. I figured it wasn't her day.

 

[Hanshi]

Eight (8) feet with a .44mag SBH.

 

[gamestalker]

I shot a mule deer back in the early 90's from about 10'. He was so close that I couldn't see anything through the scope, so I just looked down the barrel and nailed him right through the pump station.

As for close encounters, I have had so many, not just deer either. I've had turkey that were strutting a foot or two from me, deer in my face, elk, bear, coyotes, fox. As close encounters go, I've been in the danger zone more than once.

I almost got trampled by elk twice while hunting spring turkey. One of those incidents was an entire herd that were jumping over the top of me, and the huge downed tree I was laying next to. They jumped into the watering hole that was a few yards away, and then played for about 15 - 20 minutes. When they finished, they came right back over the same big downed tree, and me, this time however, I didn't have the protection of being on the opposite side of their approach and was getting nicked by their hooves. Scary stuff!

GS

 

[rromeo]

I shot a deer this year from about 50 feet. I sat in my blind for 2 hours and didn't see a thing. I was walking to a different spot and ran up on two.
A few years ago I missed one at 10 feet. I didn't miss the shot, I opened the front door and he was eating the flowers. When I went for my rifle, he took off right as I got back. After that, I put in hooks and keep a rifle handy.

 

[06]

Missed a nice buck directly under me--well shot holes in his ears--looked funny with light shining through them. The most unusual shot was as I was walking to a stand in an open field. Started over a slight rise and spotted two does about 150' away in the edge of the woods. Squatted down to chamber a round and saw some massive antlers coming toward me. Still squatted I raised the rifle and centered his chest. He completely filled the scope before realizing his mistake and I squeezed the trigger. He was about 25 feet from me and the round took out all his vitals. Guess he thought I was an intruder on his harem. Deer do funny things when rutting.

 

[ironworkerwill]

I am very unlucky under 10yards I have missed every deer I've shot at! 1st with a longbow and the second with .308 3-9x44 crunk up to 9 power!

It's almost like a football team that can't score in the red zone.

 

[HOWARD J]

Many years ago I was leaning against a large tree with a deer trail running
left/right in front of me.
A doe came along & stopped right in front of me. I shot it in the neck at about 1".
Never got that close to a deer ever again.

 

[bandur60]

I was easing down a (STEEP) trail with my brand new rifle, met a doe walking up it less than 10 yds away. I missed her nose and hit between the front legs taking out the heart ... she didn't know she was dead and came charging straight up the trail, I jumped up off the trail and let a round off from the hip as she went past maybe 2-3 feet away. I don't think she ever knew I was there but it sure got MY heart rate up! Then she got the message and died.... 'though the second shot was a miss....

That was ~~ 35-40 years ago but I can stil replay it in my mind.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Got one two years ago at 12 feet. Had to wait a long time and move really slow to bring up the rifle. All the while I figured he'd hear or smell me (especially the sound of my heart beating - sounded loud to my ears at the time) and scamper off.

LD

 

[Zeke/PA]

Once on a Winter trapline I encountered a large Whitetail doe at about 8 yds.
I dispatched her cleanly with a shot from my K-.22 as at the time, I desperatly needed the meat.

 

[Barny]

Closest I have been was probably neigh 5 yards from a spike buck. Didn't harvest the deer as to let him grow up and I was a little scared that the deer would be startled and possibly use it's little antlers!

 

[coyote315]

I've spit tobacco on two different deer out of my climber stand above their favored food source; both does, once in the woods w acorns late in the season, once at the edge of a bean field.
Closest kill was when i settled into a log jam at the edge of same field wearing a ghillie to kill coyotes, rabbit decoy in the field, mouth call, etc. One coyote came into field, and got shot. So i hung out in the same spot for about half an hour and a coyote came into the log jam with me! Just on my right side, about ten feet away. Couldn't turn to shoot w/ rifle cuz he would've spooked, and i killed him w/ my .22mag handgun! No kidding- i know it's a tough story to believe, but it happened just like that!!

 

[ms6852]

About 60 to 80 yds. Deer was at a full gallup. It was running straight at me than veered. My brother was about have a mile away when he spooked it towards me. I knelt to the ground started tracking it with my scope for about 800 yds. I was shooting a 30-06 with 125 gr remington core-lokt. I waited till I had a brought side view and gave it approximately a two second lead or about 6 moa. Bullet hit just behind the front rt should and stopped the deer on it tracks. Not really the momentum carried it forward a few feet turning my 12 pointer into 10.5 points, antler broke when striking the rocks. This was around Terlingua area. Biggest deer I ever shot about 230 lbs.

 

[slicksleeve]

With a bow, an almost straight down shot from my tree stand. So close it only hit one lung. I had to finish it off when I found it. Next time, I will let them walk on out about 15 or 20 yards so the angle isn't so steep. With my .270, I shot a buck that field dressed 129 pounds. It was only about 15 yards, and and looking at me, about to run away, so I took what he gave me. A high shoulder shot at a steep downward angle. The bullet was a 130 grain Sierra Pro Hunter, and it didn't exit. There was almost no blood, and my black and tan hound Jessie found him for me. (Love that dog). Upon skinning the buck, the left shoulder was obliterated. The third was a car struck buck, I walked up to him about 10 feet. He was standing there drooling blood. I shot him through the front shoulders with a 30-06, he reared up on his hind legs, and then collapsed straight down.

 

[leadaddict]

About 12 feet almost straight down from my tree stand with a bow. It was just a fawn and the twin wouldn't leave. I yelled at it from the stand and it still didn't go more than about 30 yards away from the dead deer. It didn't run off until I actually got down from the tree. It was the only time I kind of felt bad after I shot a deer. If I'd of had another tag I would have put it out of its misery. I hope it got over the loss quickly...

 

[Deltaboy1984]

My first deer was just 15 paces from me. I was setting on top of a ridge in between the knees of a massive Cypress Tree.

 

[josiewales]

I missed a buck from 7 yards woth a crossbow.