WOuld you take this shot?

[duck911]

Last year was my first ever muzzleloader season in Colorado. I bought a T/C Omega and spent a good portion of the summer working up a good load and practicing with the gun. By the time hunting season rolled around, I could put 5 shots on a small paper plate at 100 yards (no sabots, no pelletized powder, open sights).

The first weekend of ML season I was still hunting along the South Platte river in Northeast Colorado. As I creeped SLOWLY along the cut bank of the river, I stopped dead in my tracks because out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of an eyeball.

There, 10 yards away, was a doe in HEAVY cover on an island on the river. The only thing between me and her was 8 yards of shallow river.

She didn't budge because she thought I didn't see her. The brush was so thick I couldn't even tell if she was sitting or standing - but I had a clear path to her noggin - her head was perfectly exposed.

We both engaged in a staredown that seemed to last 20 minutes. I finally shouldered my ML and waited for her to stand/walk/run or otherwise give me the broadside shot I wanted. I was really hoping she'd stand up and I'd see her chest. I honestly couldn't even tell which way she was facing, but she was looking right at me.

She finally moved. Her first step was a 20 foot leap to the middle of the main channel and with her next leap she cleared the far bank. I'm not kidding, she was 80 yards away on a dead sprint before I could even figure out what had happened, let alone cock the ML. I was really impressed with the agile speed of that pretty doe.

So... How would this have played out in your woods? Did I miss my chance? Was I too conservative? Did I make the right call waiting for the broadside shot?

--Duck911

 

[Browning]

I think that's one of those scenarios where I would have had to be there to really judge. You didn't fire for a reason. It sounds like you didn't have a very clear view of her and so you chose to wait. It sounds like you're kicking yourself, but I think you did the right thing. Other than waiting, there's really only two things you could have done.

One, you could have just tried to shoot for the head in a rush, instead of waiting for a deliberate shot.

Two, you could have pulled back a little bit and tried to set the shot up after coming in from a different angle.

Just firing through brush at an indistinct target is a good way to either just cripple the deer without killing it immediately or possibly getting someone hurt. I'd never shoot through thick brush at an unclear target that I was uncertain of. I might have shot for the head since you said you had a clear line of sight, but it doesn't sound like you had alot of time to set up for the shot.

The couple of microseconds that went by probably seemed alot longer than they were. Poof, you saw the deers head and eye and then it was gone out of sight. Personally I think you did the right thing, I also would have waited until I had a better shot where I had a little more time to set up, I wouldn't have rushed into it and shot too soon, so don't kick yourself over it.

 

[duck911]

I never would have attempted a body shot on that doe - I couldn't even see her neck.

I DID have a clear shot at her head, and the stand-off lasted a good 2 minutes. I even had time to use my binoculars to make sure it wasn't a yearling buck with bumps on his head.

I *AM* kicking myself... 2 days later I got the broadside shot I wanted. 80 yards and all the time in the world and I yanked the shot, hit the doe really low, and she ran off. I searched for her into the night and never found her. Went back the next day and no sign at all. That was only the 2nd deer I've ever lost, and I'm STILL sick about it.

 

[EricTheBarbarian]

go for the head shot! if you can hit the pie plate at 100 yrds you can hit that does pumpkin at 10 yrds. theres always next year

 

[one-shot-one]

$0.02

never a bad thing to hold your shot if there is any doubt!

 

[Art Eatman]

"...but I had a clear path to her noggin..."

I'd have shot.

Art

 

[MrDig]

Man I applaud your patience. I can't say I would not have taken the head shot.
With Does, to me a Vital shot is a Vital shot since I shoot does for the meat.
Not all Vital shots are in the boiler room when it comes to meat hunting.

 

[koja48]

Never hunted with a slug gun, but hope to try it this year. Reckon it's one of those scenarios described as "I guess you had to be there." You made the right ethical decision for you at the time; nothing wrong with that. I applaud your patience . . .

 

[GRB]

The brush was so thick I couldn't even tell if she was sitting or standing - but I had a clear path to her noggin - her head was perfectly exposed.

So you could not tell if another hunter was right behind her either, just 10 more yards away. You did the right thing.

 

[GCW5]

It's allways better to err on the side of caution, I think you did the right thing. On the other side of things, next time you'll probably take the shot, just because you know that you'll get the hit, where there was a doubt before.

One other thing, allways practice at different distances. If you can hit the plate 5 times @ 100 yards, you should be able to hit it once each @ 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 yards, then you'll know you're ready.

Good Luck!

 

[packingdressagerider]

Re: Would You Take This Shot

I would not take any kind of shot where I couldn't identify what I was fixen to shoot. Have you ever heard, "Be sure of your target, and beyond?" This is a phrase I have repeated over and over to my Hunter ed. students. Since so many hunters in the excitement of seeing something will shoot first, and not identify. I'd have to know if that was really a deer, and what perhaps was beyond that deer. Never know, there could have been another person on the other side of that deer.

Stanzi

 

[duck911]

Thanks for the replies...

I can tell you that I was 100% sure the shot would have been safe and no one was behind the deer.

I was elevated about 5 feet above the deer on the cut bank of the river, and the doe was at the very end of a very narrow island about 10 yards away. The doe was in thick cover on the end of the island, which at that point was only perhaps 10 feet wide. The shot would have been 100% safe, unless some hunter was savy enough to sneak to within 5 feet of the deer on the same tip of the same island.

And, because of the slight downward angle, had I missed my .50 cal 295 gr powerbelt would have made it about 20 yards before finding a wet grave in the South Platte!

So........ yes, the shot was safe, I wouldn't ever even entertain the notion of a shot otherwise.

I didn't intend this to be another "head shot" thread, but in a way I guess that's exactly what this is. I don't like, and don't take, head shots on deer under normal circumstances (broadside deer at normal rifle ranges). However this wasn't a normal circumstance, and lobbing a 50 caliber chunk of lead at a deer's melon that's RIGHT in front of me seemed like a high percentage shot, after the fact.

I'm surmising that with the sheer mass of my .50 caliber projectile, even a less-than-perfect shot hitting her head would have put her down. My experienced deer hunting buddies tell me that close range head shots (especially straight on shots, like this one was)are high percentage shots because the margin of error is large. If you miss, you miss. If you hit the deer's head, it'd be tough at that range to do anything other than kill her.

I'm skeptical!

--Duck911

 

[Browning]

Well, since you said that you saw her head clearly for an estimated two minutes and since you said that there wasn't any danger of anyone being behind her, I would have taken the shot. I was initially under the impression that this was a real quick sighting, that the deer was partially concealed behind some brush and that the deer took off in a burst of speed and was gone before you knew what was happening. I didn't think that it went on that long. Do you just not like head shots?

 

[buck460XVR]

in the same scenario I would have popped 'er. Even missing low as she was looking at you would have more than likely broke her neck. I take headshots myself on does when I can do so safely and effectively, but tend to stick to those shots when the deer is looking straight at me or straight away. Have seen several deer over the years with their lower jaws shot off from a poorly placed side shot........none of my doing, but it taught me to be patient....and careful.

 

[salthouse]

Based on your description, I probably would have taken the shot. However, I would never take a shot I was uncomfortable with- which it sounds like you were for some reason. So IMO you did the right thing. Its the coulda/shoulda/woulda scenarios that make hunting fun!

 

[skidooman]

better to wait and know for sure, than to pull the trigger and do something you might regret. good choice.