Ever had an animal too close to shoot?

charlie in md · November 6, 2006, 12:57 PM

I had an interesting experience Saturday. I had put up a stand in a new location, which is basically a thicket with a small stream running through it. There are only a few trees that I could get a stand in, and I ended up in a cedar tree about 10 feet off the ground. I have a good view of a field across from the thicket, which would give me a 50-100 yard shot with a muzzleloader or shotgun.

Anyway, I got in it Saturday (bow season now) more to check things out more than anything else. About 3:30, I hear something coming my way. I was pretty sure it was a deer, as I heard it splash through the stream. Finally I see a small 4 point on the other side of some cedars, and he's coming. I realize he's going to be right below the stand. He walks by so close, I can't draw without being noticed (6 feet between the bottom of the stand and the top of his antlers!). Once he goes by, I start to draw, but he either saw movement, or smelled me, because he turned and went back the he came, again right under the stand!

ANyone else had an animal too close to shoot?

Wild Bill Bucks · November 6, 2006, 01:07 PM

Shot a buck with a ML once, that burned the hair on the animal. Came by my ground blind, so close I didn't even move the rifle from my lap.

mete · November 6, 2006, 01:11 PM

I had a doe walk directly toward me, head down, and if I hadn't shot she would have walked right over me. She had no idea I was there !!

FrontSight · November 6, 2006, 01:40 PM

last year 2 does were right under my stand, so i could not fit the bow at that angle, had to wait for them to move out a bit

UniversalFrost · November 6, 2006, 03:52 PM

Was still hunting (bow) a few years ago and stopped to rest along side a well worn trail. had been sitting against a tree for a few minutes when a nice doe and a spike buck came down the trail. I could have reach out and whacked em on the rump. Passed up the shot for a bigger buck. Same evening near the same area bagged a nice 6X6 whitetail from about six yards out. He never even noticed me, was too busy paying attention to the crazy squirrels in the oak tree behind him. I drew, released and he turned around looking for where the painful arrow came from.Just stood looking and bleeding and then walked/stumbeld a few yards and layed down and died all within maybe 15 yards of where I was leaning against an oak tree. Wish they were all that easy.

davlandrum · November 7, 2006, 07:16 PM

Had a cow elk bow hunting (cows legal) look right over the top of the bush I was hiding behind. If she had stayed on the path she was on would have been a beautiful 20 yard quartering away shoot, but no - she has to get curious on me....

Mannlicher · November 7, 2006, 07:35 PM

well there was this one time, when I was sitting in a tree stand. The deer came out of a thicket behind me, and walked just under and to the right of the tree I was in. Now I just could not turn far enough to the right to shoot him, so that one got away.
After that, I always carried a Ruger Blackhawk with me. Three years later, in the same area, I did kill a buck with the handgun, when I could not bring the rifle to bear.

trooper3385 · November 10, 2006, 12:30 AM

A few years back I took a shot at a buck that I thought at the time was at about 300 yds. I sat down in front of a barb wire fence and used that as a lean. The deer was across an oat field with about 10 does. My first shot hit under him. It took off, along with all the does, running right at me for about 100 to 150 yds. When it stopped, it looked back behind it thinking the shot came from the other direction. I dropped the deer there with my second shot. The rest of the does continued running towards me never knowing I was there. One of the does jumped the fence about 2 ft to the left of my shoulder. The rest of them jumped the fence on either side of me withing 5 yds away. The last one finally put on the breaks about 3 yds in front of me and just stared at me for about 30 seconds before taking off. The buck that I had shot dropped in its tracks and I stepped it off at 275 yds. So my first judgement on distance was a little bit off!!

Rembrandt · November 10, 2006, 06:59 AM

Looking through a spotting scope while Mulie hunting in Wyoming....suddenly everything went black, tried adjusting the eyepiece, still black. Looked up and a fawn was standing in front of the lens blocking my view.

silicon wolverine · November 10, 2006, 07:24 AM

my half brohter and iwere hunting wheni was younger and he had a deer run straight at him. It was being chased by another btach of hunters and was looking back over its shoulder. we were just over the crest of a hill and the deer came bounding over and he had a 15 yard shot while the animal was still charging him. He claimed it was the only time he ever had to shoot an animal in self defense!

SW

Huntergirl · November 15, 2006, 12:18 PM

Had a whitetail doe start munching on the back of the bush I was sitting against. Along the woodline. Heard the munching sounds, she was so close. I turned around, no decent shot could be taken in the moment she was back in the woods, although I tried. Had a young cow elk pee on my boot which was sticking out of the downfall I was securely sitting in. She got curious and came right off the game trail to investigate. She lived to see another day too.

November 6, 2006, 12:57 PM	#1
charlie in md Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 2005 Posts: 185	Ever had an animal too close to shoot? I had an interesting experience Saturday. I had put up a stand in a new location, which is basically a thicket with a small stream running through it. There are only a few trees that I could get a stand in, and I ended up in a cedar tree about 10 feet off the ground. I have a good view of a field across from the thicket, which would give me a 50-100 yard shot with a muzzleloader or shotgun. Anyway, I got in it Saturday (bow season now) more to check things out more than anything else. About 3:30, I hear something coming my way. I was pretty sure it was a deer, as I heard it splash through the stream. Finally I see a small 4 point on the other side of some cedars, and he's coming. I realize he's going to be right below the stand. He walks by so close, I can't draw without being noticed (6 feet between the bottom of the stand and the top of his antlers!). Once he goes by, I start to draw, but he either saw movement, or smelled me, because he turned and went back the he came, again right under the stand! ANyone else had an animal too close to shoot? Last edited by charlie in md; November 6, 2006 at 12:59 PM. Reason: misspelling

November 6, 2006, 03:52 PM	#5
UniversalFrost Senior Member Join Date: February 20, 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 2,300	Was still hunting (bow) a few years ago and stopped to rest along side a well worn trail. had been sitting against a tree for a few minutes when a nice doe and a spike buck came down the trail. I could have reach out and whacked em on the rump. Passed up the shot for a bigger buck. Same evening near the same area bagged a nice 6X6 whitetail from about six yards out. He never even noticed me, was too busy paying attention to the crazy squirrels in the oak tree behind him. I drew, released and he turned around looking for where the painful arrow came from.Just stood looking and bleeding and then walked/stumbeld a few yards and layed down and died all within maybe 15 yards of where I was leaning against an oak tree. Wish they were all that easy. __________________ Lifetime member VFW and NRA "Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati" (when all else fails play dead) -Red Green

November 7, 2006, 07:35 PM	#7
Mannlicher Senior Member Join Date: July 8, 2001 Location: North Central Florida & Miami Posts: 3,209	well there was this one time, when I was sitting in a tree stand. The deer came out of a thicket behind me, and walked just under and to the right of the tree I was in. Now I just could not turn far enough to the right to shoot him, so that one got away. After that, I always carried a Ruger Blackhawk with me. Three years later, in the same area, I did kill a buck with the handgun, when I could not bring the rifle to bear. __________________ Nemo Me Impune Lacesset "The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.".........Ronald Reagan

November 6, 2006, 01:07 PM	#2
Wild Bill Bucks Senior Member Join Date: December 28, 2005 Location: Southeastern Oklahoma, Next door to Sasquatch Posts: 1,266	Shot a buck with a ML once, that burned the hair on the animal. Came by my ground blind, so close I didn't even move the rifle from my lap.

November 6, 2006, 01:11 PM	#3
mete Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2004 Location: NY State Posts: 6,575	I had a doe walk directly toward me, head down, and if I hadn't shot she would have walked right over me. She had no idea I was there !!

November 6, 2006, 01:40 PM	#4
FrontSight Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2005 Posts: 1,712	last year 2 does were right under my stand, so i could not fit the bow at that angle, had to wait for them to move out a bit

November 7, 2006, 07:16 PM	#6
davlandrum Senior Member Join Date: February 27, 2006 Location: Lane County Oregon Posts: 2,547	Had a cow elk bow hunting (cows legal) look right over the top of the bush I was hiding behind. If she had stayed on the path she was on would have been a beautiful 20 yard quartering away shoot, but no - she has to get curious on me....

November 10, 2006, 12:30 AM	#8
trooper3385 Senior Member Join Date: September 8, 2005 Location: South Texas Posts: 814	A few years back I took a shot at a buck that I thought at the time was at about 300 yds. I sat down in front of a barb wire fence and used that as a lean. The deer was across an oat field with about 10 does. My first shot hit under him. It took off, along with all the does, running right at me for about 100 to 150 yds. When it stopped, it looked back behind it thinking the shot came from the other direction. I dropped the deer there with my second shot. The rest of the does continued running towards me never knowing I was there. One of the does jumped the fence about 2 ft to the left of my shoulder. The rest of them jumped the fence on either side of me withing 5 yds away. The last one finally put on the breaks about 3 yds in front of me and just stared at me for about 30 seconds before taking off. The buck that I had shot dropped in its tracks and I stepped it off at 275 yds. So my first judgement on distance was a little bit off!!

November 10, 2006, 06:59 AM	#9
Rembrandt Senior Member Join Date: August 10, 2002 Posts: 2,108	Looking through a spotting scope while Mulie hunting in Wyoming....suddenly everything went black, tried adjusting the eyepiece, still black. Looked up and a fawn was standing in front of the lens blocking my view.

November 10, 2006, 07:24 AM	#10
silicon wolverine Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2006 Location: South dakota Posts: 674	my half brohter and iwere hunting wheni was younger and he had a deer run straight at him. It was being chased by another btach of hunters and was looking back over its shoulder. we were just over the crest of a hill and the deer came bounding over and he had a 15 yard shot while the animal was still charging him. He claimed it was the only time he ever had to shoot an animal in self defense! SW

November 15, 2006, 12:18 PM	#11
Huntergirl Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2005 Location: Wyoming Posts: 907	Had a whitetail doe start munching on the back of the bush I was sitting against. Along the woodline. Heard the munching sounds, she was so close. I turned around, no decent shot could be taken in the moment she was back in the woods, although I tried. Had a young cow elk pee on my boot which was sticking out of the downfall I was securely sitting in. She got curious and came right off the game trail to investigate. She lived to see another day too.