what happened? glock 22 for deer

[trigga]

bought a glock 22 as a side arm for deer hunting, and yes it is legal here in WI for those who don't know. all i had to do was get a longer barrel. i was using federal 135 grain jhp.

today, went hunting like any usual day. it was getting late into the day and under an hour before the sun would go down, i was radioing my buddy to meet up with me so we can go back to the car. he was about 300 hundred yards on the next valley, i was talking to him and then he stop talking to me. seconds later i hear shooting, he manage to squeeze out 3 shots out of his bolt action. what do you know, the deer show up right in front of me 50 yards, perfect shot i take my first shot with my 30-06 and miss, still in the same spot i take a second shot, miss again. he starts to run towards me, i shoot again and miss. my scope was off!!! i pull out my glock and now he is 25 yards and gaining. i shoot the first shot and he changes direction running so i can see his side. it was like giving me time to shoot it running across my view now, manage to pull about 5 good shot at center mass but still the deer won't drop or slow down! i probably shot it about 3 or 4 times and this thing was still running. 100 yards yonder the deer finally went down at the edge of the valley. i get a few yards from it and it runs off into the brush again. blood everywhere and a trail into the private land. man, first time action for my glock and i didn't know how it would shoot, weather to aim a bit in front like my 12 gauge, perhaps the wrong bullets but again that deer was in perfect range and i definately got him a few hits. i was speechless. maybe i should take this gun back and trade for the dealer's .44 mag chromed desert eagle he was recomending. j/k.

 

[mbdolfin]

how many rounds are you allowed to have while hunting in WI?

I am just curious as to how many rounds you are legally allowed to have in the glock for deer hunting in WI? i totally agree you need a back up weapon while you are hunting. you never know what kind of animal you might have to defend yourself against while you are out in the sticks.
But 3 shots from the rifle and 5 shots from the glock seems a little unfair for hunting deer. Just my opinion.

 

[Albatross]

Unfair?

Yeah, because one bullet is totally fair=P

Seriously, I've killed dozens and dozens of deer. If you want to stay legal you're aloud to bag 6 a year here and my dad I usually fill out our tags and there isn't anything fair about it for the deer. One bullet, two bullets or 30 bullets.

Those deer are at an extremely unfair disadvantage.

/Missing at those ranges and shooting a deer with a Glock 5 times is a bit ridiculous, however. Buck fever anyone?

 

[redbone]

I suggest that you consider spending some time at the range, instead of in the field.

 

[Art Eatman]

Sounds like your buddy made only a superficial wound on that deer. a superficial wound means one hellacious adrenaline rush in that deer, and in that situation can absorb a lot of additional wounding without going down if no major bones are broken.

Aside from, yes, you need to lead a bit with a pistol even at close range, it sounds like whatever hits you got were superficial insofar as any sort of quick put-down. Dead, yeah, but hours or days later.

For a pistol bullet at some 25 or 30 yards, the deer at full speed will move right at three feet between the time you press the trigger and the bullet arrives. If you shoot at a shoulder, you hit him in the guts or butt.

Art

 

[trigga]

i called and verified with the warden and an associate twice before i even bought the gun. both said WI has not shot limit for deer. all requirements are listed in the book, if they were concerned with the shot limit, they would've listed it like the migratory birds which clearly says 3 shot capacity. unfair? you have right to, why not? the 30-06 was sighted nearly 3 months before this hunt and used several times before. a bump here and there will send her off.

 

[trigga]

the deer was about 20 feet from my buddy and he said he didn't hit it because as soon as he saw it, it ran. i must've hit it in the gut like you said because it went down hurt and then up again like nothing happened, but blood everywhere.

 

[countertop]

So did you recover the deer or not?

 

[trigga]

i know better not to bother folks in private lands. i've been hunting for nearly a decade and i've spent nearly 5 days at a range alone this year thank you. i'm just new to the handguns, haven't shot may until the past two years...

 

[Art Eatman]

Just a general thing, no particular person aimed at: When somebody writes in about a screwup, the deal is to talk about what maybe caused the problem, and how not to repeat it.

What we don't need is "gotcha" stuff. No holier-than-thou nonsense.

And if anybody sees such a post, click on the "Report this post" tell-a-moderator button and I'll deal with it.

Art

 

[priv8ter]

More familiarity

Mr. Stephen A. Camp, who used to post frequently on here(but I don't remember seeing lately) used to post pictures of several deer he took with his pistols, including several with a 9mm, so your choice of caliber is probably not the issue.

Mr. Camp used to say he would not attempt a shot over 25 yards, and never at a moving target. That is probably a good set of standards to set for oneself. Especially when dealing with a marginal pistol deer caliber(and I put 9mm, .40 S&W, .45ACP and .357 Mag in that group).

Heck, speaking for myself, I am not confidant enough in my abilities to hit a deer on the run. One that's kind of drifting while eating, sure...but a flat out run or trot? Deer cover some serious ground with a lot of hard to anticipate leaps and bounds.

Another problem could be your scope...depending on what power it is, trying to pick up a moving target under 50 yards is not going to be easy.

Like Art said, if you or your buddy winged it at first, and it moving on adrenaline, it wouldn't have mattered if you hit it in the heart or lungs..until that adrenaline wears off, nothing short of a spine shot is going to turn that deer off.

If you do want to carry the Glock, you might want to carry something other than those 135gr jhp. I'm not sure a light round like that would be able to do anything with a deer's from shoulder. Hornady makes a 180 load using their XTP, that would offer better penetration than that 135gr bullet.

Best luck to you...you probably made the right choice not following that deer on the private property...

greg

 

[cracked butt]

Even at short range, a running deer is very difficult to hit with a rifle, let alone a pistol. Deer run on a bounding gallop when spooked or wounded.

maybe i should take this gun back and trade for the dealer's .44 mag chromed desert eagle he was recomending. j/k.

The first part of the above statement is about correct if you go with a good Ruger, S&W, or Taurus revolver, otherwise get used to long tracking jobs and lots of lost animals. The .40 short and weak is very marginal for deer. If you are shooting at very close range <20 yards, at a deer that is not aware of your presence, and make a perfect shot, you might be able to get a clean kill with it.

 

[Charles S]

I almost hate to reply, based upon the "if you can't say something nice" saying.

perfect shot i take my first shot with my 30-06 and miss, still in the same spot i take a second shot, miss again. he starts to run towards me, i shoot again and miss. my scope was off!!!

With quality optics and mounts....if you have done your part your scope should never be off. I have dropped my rifle (after a rope broke) from 16 feet with no change in point of impact...Leupold scope and Weaver mounts. Had you shot your rifle recently? If you bumped it did you confirm your point of impact?

running across my view now

A running shot is an experts shot.

first time action for my glock and i didn't know how it would shoot

Why did you carry a gun you had never shot? IMHO that is poor practice. I would never take a gun hunting I was not proficient with.

Learn from your mistakes. You have enough gun. Practice and become proficient with it.

Running shots are at best a low probability option.

 

[eliphalet]

Just a couple of ideas for ya.
One is to have a scope and mounts you feel confident enough in that a bump will not affect the zero. A good scope set up will withstand a lot of bumps and knocking around and remain sighted in.

I also would recommend a fella try to be real sure of his target before he pulls the trigger. In the heat of the moment it is one of the easiest things to do to fire before he should, or wait when a guy should wait, but still you'll probably not be sorry later if now and then a shot is not taken. Sometimes there is a pretty good reason "why not".

You definitely did the correct thing not trespassing, in this state it is against the law to do so no matter where the animal was shot.

 

[trigga]

i've shot the glock several hundred rounds during my days at the range. it was my first time i had to use it to shoot a deer, not to mention a moving target at which i took my time. i believe in my scope and mounts, never really had a problem like that except for today and that first two shot from my 30-06 i made it exact because the deer was just standing there. i've had problems with it jamming but never missing the target. weird.

 

[eliphalet]

Stepson came in one day after missing a deer complaining his "old gun's sights are off and it wouldn't shoot straight" from the misses he had suffered. Took him out back, set up a target to sight it in for him again. Well, that gun was right on, so his missed shot's wasn't the gun. His buddy happen to be there during all this and teased him, he didn't care for that and the next deer his aim was better and was hit great.

This boy had killed deer before but had learned to shoot/hunt with a 10/22. I had recommended a single shot, as IMO I think it will teach a young fella to hit what he aims at because another shot may not be there fast enough, so the first one had better count or the critter might be gone. Well his buddy's had 10/22's and it became much easier to agree with a auto for his first gun, than argue with him and his mother. So he had learned to shoot to fast and not aim quite as good as he should sometimes.
Not bashing 10/22's here they are fine little guns, and this is a true story.

All I guess I can add to what has already been said is that it might help a guy to spend time varmint shooting or any hunting of small game. If that is not a possibility try just walking out in the woods with a bolt action 22 and practice hitting this and that, cans or dirt clods whatever is handy with an off hand shot, not just paper at the range, and when that bigger animal comes along, hurrying or buck fever as it is sometimes called doesn't have near the opportunity to get in your way.

Good luck your next time out.

 

[marksman13]

I've blamed misses on my scope before, only to check my scope and find that it was dead on. Deer do crazy things to a man's nerves. If they didn't, hunting them wouldn't be much fun.

Shooting at a running deer with a pistol you have only been to the range with 5 times this year isn't my idea of an ethical choice. Shooting at a running deer isn't my idea of good judgement period. Deer hop and jump and do all kinds of crazy stuff when they run. Why risk wounding an animal? If you don't have a good shot, then don't take pot shots! I hate to jump your bones, but the decision you made doesn't sound ethical to me. It sounds like you got excited and wounded a deer that deserved a better death.

My suggestion for future hunts is 1: spend some more time at the range. Check your rifle's zero and then shoot off hand from various ranges and positions. 2: Pick your shots better. There is no need to risk wounding an animal. Wait for a better shot, or take notes and try to get a better shot on the next trip. 3: Try to get to know the owner of that private land. Ask him how he would feel about you going to get a deer off of his property if this happens again in the future. It may not be possible, but it would certainly be nice if you could get his permission to retrieve animals from his property.

 

[cracked butt]

t was like giving me time to shoot it running across my view now, manage to pull about 5 good shot at center mass but still the deer won't drop or slow down!

More advice:

Shooting center of mass is ok for close quarters stoppage of a human being if that's the goal, but your goal should not be to stop a deer but to cleanly kill it. You are not in a life or death situation when hunting deer so you have the luxury of not shooting if the shot presented isn't within your skill level- if in doubt, don't shoot, there will be more deer. If you shoot the center of a broadside deer and actually hit what you are aiming at, the deer will die a slow painful death as you would have just shot it in the stomach/intestines. To make matters worse, if you happen to find the deer, a lot of the meat will be ruined due to gut contents leaking into the body cavity.

Aim for the back edge of where the front leg meets the body- then pick out and focus on a small bit of fur to aim at. If you don't have time to do this, you don't have time to shoot the deer. A person who is very good and familiar with their rifle can do this in a fraction of a second, novices might take several seconds, don't rush the shot. If you make this shot, you'll put the bullet through the top of the heart and the deer will expire in seconds, if you miss by a few inches, you'll destroy one or both lungs, and the deer will die within a few more seconds. A poorly shot deer can run for miles.

 

[Tokugawa]

I am no hunter, but I have had to deal with a very stinky two week dead deer upwind from my house- not too sure the private land owner was done any favors here.

 

[Pumpkinheaver]

If your gonna use a .40 for deer I would suggest using heavier bullets than you did. With a handgun you don't have excessive KE like you do with a rifle. You need a heavy bullet to penetrate to the vitals. Try 180s next time, I think you'll get better results.

 

[Titan6]

I don't carry a backup pistol for game. I know very few hunters that do. I have no limit on the amount of ammo I can carry to deer hunt so it is not an issue. But if I had to empty a 20 round clip of .308 that deer isn't going down anyway.

- I do protect my scope to keep the sites from getting knocked out of true.

- I do not nomally shoot at running deer. I see the odds of a clean kill going way down.

- Does not sound like you led the deer any. Unless you are experinced at shooting at moving targets you really have no idea how difficult it is without practice. Shooting at moving target with handgun... let us just say you had a real challenge there.

 

[punchdrunk]

deer with a pistol is like using a bow. Its legal and it does the job but it must be approached differently. When you shot at the deer and were not sure if it was dead or not, you should have waited before starting to track it. At least an hour for it to bleed out and die (while still on your property). By trying to find it immediately you pushed it onto the other land.

My suggestion would be, wait before tracking next time. Prob. not needed with a high power rifle. My deer this year ran about 15 yards before it fell over dead. I wasn't sure though so I waited a bit before looking for the blood trail (30 minutes). That was with a 270 though. With a bow or a handgun I always wait at least an hour. Go back to the truck, get some coffee and grab my rubber gloves and gutting stuff. Kill a bit of time and then go looking for the dead deer.

 

[trigga]

i did have some 185 grain jhp rounds with me at the time but thought that maybe the 135 federals were better because the those were nearly $1 a shot, sorry i don't know much about ammunition. i have shot at moving targets like doves and pheasants and practice clay shooting. i'll be looking more into that this coming season.

 

[Titan6]

Shooting at a moving target with a rifle is very different vs. a shotgun. You don't see too many guys running a round of skeet with an AR. True the concept is the same but the odds get longer.

 

[Bezoar]

i had a deer with a nice ol gutshot after an idiot down the road popped off a 15 round magazine of .40 cal at it on oppening morning. coyotes got it that night.