Running shots at deer

[petev]

Well you've seen the subject- running shots at deer. This is my question: in the last couple of years I have found tracking deer to be an effective way to get a shot. The main requirements are to have fairly new snow and a big enough piece of land to track for 2-5 hours at least. I did this this year and caught up to 3 deer, 2 of which I got shots at with my Sav MLII, and missed. They were both shots at running deer at about 30 yards. When tracking, 90% of your shots will be at running deer. I have two questions: 1. My hunting buddy tells me to aim about one foot in front of the deer, which I forgot to do. I am looking for suggestions as to technique., and 2. I am thinking of practicing these shots at some point. I am thinking of using a zip-line in the woods with a five gallon pail that I will arrange to be released with me about 30 yards away, and as it slides sideways through the woods, I will see if I can hit it. So that is where my thinking is now. Any suggestions are welcome. Maybe someone will say that running shots should not be taken. That's Ok too, I am open to everybody's thoughts. My justification for taking these shots was both the close range and that running shots are almost all you get when you catch up with a deer after tracking it for an hour or two. Thank you Pete

[ozark]

I have done this type of hunting when I was young. Generally the shot presentation is the rear end of a fleeing deer. In this case there is no need to consider leading the animal. At 30 yards it is no feat fo make a hit but often there is a lot of meat destroyed. Most old timers hunting for table fare used a shotgun with buckshot. I suggest that you practice with a semi automatic .22 rifle on fleeing rabbits.
I can't call this type of hunting unethical because to me it is no different than hunting upland game birds flying. It is considered unethical to shoot quail running on the ground but fine to shoot at them flying.
Tracking animals in the snow and jump shooting is great sport. If there is a cripple it is releatively easy to follow and finish it on snow covered ground.
Techniques: This requires what I call snap shooting and practice throwing the rifle or shotgun to the shoulder and bringing it on target quickly and accurately. Open sights would be my preference but a scope with a wide field of view and small magnification can be fast also. Skeet, trap or simply throwing clays are good practice. We used to tape paper to cover the inside of a car tire and roll it down an incline and let shooter fire at it. Enjoy the hunt pete, i am not among those who may frown on it. Ozark

[youp50]

I like to shoot at deer running in the woods. It has been my experience that swinging through a deer much like you would at a flying game bird will get me a tree every time. I like a low power scope such as a 1.5-5. I get out in front of the buck, pick an opening, let him come into the scope and fire. You do not want the cross hairs on the hair, put it on the air in front of him when you shoot.

I taught this to my boys. If you get lucky, like my middle son did, the buck will stop in the opening for a standing shot. The other thing I taught them was to shoot, as you cannot eat a deer without letting the bullet go.

[petev]

"It is considered unethical to shoot quail running on the ground but fine to shoot at them flying." That is so funny and unexpected I guess that it's made me feel downright jovial!. Thanks for the replies so far folks, I appreciate it. The tire suggestion may be one I consider.

[RAF]

Shooting at a running deer depends on a couple of factors. Distance from the deer and speed of the deer. If it's just trotting along, not much lead is required but if it's in high gear you need to lead it, and usually farther than you think. At 30 yds 1 foot might not be enough. Might get you a gut shot. The important thing is that you swing with the deer and don't stop during the shot.

[olegburn]

I'm with RAF on high speed leads-
shot and killed 2 running full speed does.Both at 25-35 yards.
Lead was at the front of ther chest. None where bouncing,just running fast. Lead-shoot-follow through.
Both were in the open.
I tried same in the woods and with brush and trees in the way they all walked healthy. Trees got shot. It is tough going,I'll tell ya.

[Swede]

I will relay my youngest son's thoughts on this, as he shot his buck this year at 175 yards running (close to full out) slightly quartering away (near broadside). He was 35 yards into the woods and the deer in mid field. He told me that he picked an opening thru the trees and just as the buck entered the opening, he pulled the trigger, with the cross hairs ~ 2' ahead of the chest. The bullet entered near the last ribs.

I can not argue with his method as he has shot many running deer over the several years.

For me to be able to make this kinda shot, would need practice and more practice.

[ozark]

I was told as a youngster to shoot at the knees of the front legs. When a deer is running (Whitetails) they bring the knees up and forward of their chest. You can't always see the knees but can always imagine where they would be. This gives me a place to try for and the few times I have shot running deer it has worked for me. I am not going to shoot at one running directly away. Ozark

[petev]

It begins to seem that there are two different situations being addressed here- one with the deer running in the open, and one through woods. I think it is being said that in the open you swing and lead just a little bit, but in woods find an opening and take the shot when the deer enters the sight picture with the crosshairs at least a couple of feet in front of it's chest. Ozark, your advice sounds similar to what the classic writer Larry Kohler described in his "Shots at whitetails", only you explain it a little better I think.

[wilmsmeyer]

What a tough subject to both make a educated statement as well as an endorsement of even doing this.

I have shot 4 deer on the dead run. I have shot over 100 deer. I have missed 1 deer clean on the run as some obstruction came into view just as I decided to shoot. The 4 deer I killed all were bang-flops. 2 required a follow-up of a paralyzed deer. Not because I'm good but because I hit high and either back to far or just right...but hit spine.

I hate running shots and the ones I've taken just seemed right when I smacked the trigger. All under 100 yds and all in the open.

I can't even imagine someone saying that they "know" where they will hit considering the variables such as range, speed of the animal, speed of the bullet, obstacles in the way, etc. Wow. So my advise is avoid them. Yeah, you may go home empty handed but you will also avoid the suffering of a severly wounded animal.

Hitting a running animal with these variables is both a testiment to great skill as well as flawed decision making IMO. I hear this going on in the woods all the time on neighboring property in shotgun season. Bang, bang, bang bang. I also see a fair number of hobbling, limpy deer that make me sad. They are deer I don't want to shoot yet I want to put out of their misery. Sometimes if it's bad....like broken jaws or swinging legs I do it. If it's a new wound I'll take the animal and burn a tag. If it's a old, puss infected mess I will leave it lay and consider myself a blessing to the poor thing that someone f'ing botched up.

One of the guys I hunt with has made so many amazing shots at running game that I know it can be done with a skill factor. But I know of few others that can do it reliably. Even he has wounded a few this way but always seems to get one in the animal and most of the time recover. He also is an amazing offhand shot at a still animal.

If you take a running shot, make it. If you wound the deer, re-eveluate yourself and your ability and keep the sport as humane as you can.

[ozark]

I have hunted with people who could best me on moving targets. On stationary targets I have been able to hold my own. We used to use dogs and some pushed the deer at a near panic pace. One older man was known to be deadly on running deer. I recall one time the two dogs dropped off a hill sounding as if they were running by sight. We heard three rather fast shots by Willis and the dogs quit barking. He had killed the two deer the dogs were after and one had two hits. He was a jokester also. When ask if they were running fast he answered: "One of them was having to turn sidways to keep from flying." I don't have a lot of self confidence hitting a deer that is running in woods or brush. Ozark

[petev]

I haven't had too many running shots until recently when I started hunting deer by tracking. In the late ML season here in N.Y. there is usually snow, and I have only recently discovered tracking down deer including getting a shot is highly effective and fun as hell! So, it is due to this technique that I have started getting running shots. The only other person I deer hunt with (sometimes) is a crack shot at running deer, but not so good with a shotgun (go figure?). I guess what makes taking these shots seem OK in this situation is that by definition the tracking is good, so finding a wounded deer shouldn't be a problem, and they seem to be all close shots. These are the shots that are the standard of the Benoit family of Vermont, and is in all their books. Good discussion in any case. Pete

[petev]

I want to add a thought that just came to mind, and that is that a smokeless ML is an advantage in this situation, in that you can see if you hit the deer and where, or had a clean miss. Of course that is used in conjunction with searching for hair and blood, and observing the track of a "missed" deer to make sure that it is running normally.

[billc]

I've taken one shot at a running deer. It was with a flintlock in the woods. Words can't do justice conveying how badly I missed -- thought the deer was going to die laughing. Shooting a trotting deer is Ok, but I would be hard pressed to shoot at a running deer.

[indiana1234]

I'm not trying to be a smart aleck, but if you are tracking in the snow, i think you would see the deer before you get within 30 yards.

[petev]

Fair question Indiana, but where I hunt it's completely reasonable (dense woods, steep terrain). I calculated the average distance I have shot deer that I have taken, and, the average was 37 yards (not counting one 300 yard shot in farmland). Pete