What Would you Do?

[sureshots]

You have A standing, Broadside shot at A large Whitetail Buck at seventy yards and you are carrying A 30-06 cal. rifle. You take careful aim and then Fire the shot. The large deer just continues to stand there. What would you do next?

[MedicineBow]

a) Take carefuller aim, and try again.

b) Reconsider, as I thought I was shooting at a mule deer, and count myself lucky for not violating the game laws.

c) Wonder if it's one of those foam deer they put out to catch poachers. Then ask myself, "are you poaching?"

d) Say, out loud, "that's the last time I'm going to use my idiot brother-in-law's handloads."

e) Think: "Did the bullet bounce off him? Have I met Superdeer? Should I get the heck out of here?"

f) Consider whether that April Fool's Day article in the paper about the new Kevlar deer was actually real.

g) All of the above.

[KDM]

Given that your rifle / scope is known to be shooting to POA, I'd take another shot.

If there is any doubt, as in "Man, that was a rough truck ride", I'd head back to camp and sight back in.

[Magnum Wheel Man]

... think about the shot... was everything else "normal"... if yes, & you are legal, take another shot... & hope the 1st bullet isn't still odged in the barrel

[davlandrum]

Run the bolt and shoot it again. I know I am not poaching, so even if it is ODFW trying to catch poachers, I know I am legal.

If it is still standing there after 2nd shoot, then something is very wrong...

[Desertfox]

1. relive the first shot in my head and know it sounded right and the bullet left the rifle. (no squib shot)
2. Take careful aim and squeeze another shot. (most misses are shooter not equipment)
3. Never consider that I am illegal because I thought of that before I started hunting.
4. If 2 shots do not drop the deer, sit back and observe your surroundings.
The first shot may have passed clean thru the deer and he doesn't know he is wounded. The second shot should be proof.
Either you missed both times or your deer is something other than a natural deer. Maybe he drops over dead in 15 seconds or so. Maybe there are 3 clones standing side by side and you are dropping them one by one.

5. Put down the joy stick and check your X box connections. Go outside and smell some outdoors.

[Kreyzhorse]

Rack another round into the chamber and take careful aim making sure my second shot strikes home. Believe it or not, I have missed a first shot before.....

[Scorch]

Believe it or not, I have missed a first shot before.

That would be my first thought. "Damn, not again!" But this is a typical newbie question, "what happens when you shoot?". When you shoot an animal, you can see the impact of the round many times, you hear the impact of the round almost al the time, and you see the animal's reaction to the shot. They either just stand there like nothing happened, they take a few steps, they look around (that's always a good indication you missed), they take off running at full speed, they hunch up and cough, etc. They react to the shot differently depending on where they were hit. If I shot an animal and saw the bullet knock dust off it and heard the bullet strike meat, and the animal is just standing there, I would either
a- aim and fire another one or
b- set my pack down and start getting my tag filled out, because it's either going to fall over real quick or it's gonna get another Nosler.

[FrontSight]

Follow Teddy's lead: "I may not know how to shoot well, but I do know how to shoot often!"

[T. O'Heir]

"...You take careful aim and then Fire the shot..." Off hand or rested? What bullet? Rifle sighted in? I'd count to 10 and take another more carefully aimed shot, just in case. If Bambi took no notice of the first shot, it didn't come anywhere near him and/or he's stone deaf.

[amprecon]

I was in a shotgun only area stalking on a sandy logging road and a very nice eight-point walked out in front of me, I swear it was only 35 yards away. I lined up the iron sights and fired and nothing, I was bewildered, there was no way I could've missed that shot. But he just stood there, I fired two more shots, reloaded another round and fired and then he finally just gaited off. I was in total disbelief.
I was ready to crack that shotgun across a fence post I was so angry. After I gathered myself I looked at the rear sight and noticed that it seemed to be higher than it should be. I had sighted the gun in several days before the hunt and was satisfied with the groupings at 75yds. Just for kicks, I grabbed the rear sight and tried to move it by hand and it moved. So apparently, as anal as I am with mechanical security I had not tightened it up enough and it somehow got bumped causing me to way overshoot that deer that day.
Murphy went huntin' with me that day, but a lesson had been learned.

[jneilson]

I'd be taking another shot right away. I use an autoloader and it's always ready with another round.

[roy reali]

Put the .30-06 down and go for the rifle I keep on hand for such emergencies.

[MeekAndMild]

I'd do nothing. The problem is that when you shoot there are a few seconds when everything is obscured and deer look a lot alike. If you're shooting at dawn or dusk there are a few seconds of whitout due to muzzle flash and any time there is a moment when you have to get the sights down where you want them. If you've shot a buck and it might just fall down leaving its buddy standing there like an idiot. So if you shoot you'd kill the second one.

I've actually gotten doubles twice when I was out thinning down does to reduce the herd imbalance. One of these I thought I'd missed the doe so I took a shot at her buddy. The second I actually thought I was shooting at a doe I'd entirely missed. (In my state you can legally shoot a double for does but not for bucks so this would create a legal problem if you shot 2 bucks.)

[Gbro]

Is this 70 yard shot in the bush, or an open field?
It doesn't take much to deflect a rifle bullet.
I would venture a guess that deflection of bullet would be in the top three reasons for wounding and not recovering a animal.

Lac of skill and adrenaline would be my other 2.

I had a 8 point standing shot miss. I was shooting a 7mm Rem Mag and slowly bolted it after the 1st, shot. Was expecting this animal to fold within 30 yards, all the sudden he is 90 yards out and standing broad side again. I sight on the front shoulder again and think(not my strong suite some times) I don't want to shoot him there again and take a neck shot. He is down in his tracks now. That was the only hit.
Sometimes we are a victim of our own self centered ego's. We think that after all our practice that we can't miss.
So the rule should always be. "Git-R-Done"! "Re-Load and fire"!

[Selfdfenz]

That has happened many times in this area of NC and it's even made the local news paper on occassion. Unfortunatey the shootist is typically wrong on his season dates, standing in a road, etc & the buck always turns out to owned and is being operated by a representative of the NCWRC.....
I believe they have a ?robo-grouse? also.

I find the fact the WRC does this with some level of success hilarious everytime I here it.

S-

[phil mcwilliam]

I'd find an improvised rest, reload & fire again- keeping in mind that buck isn't going to hang around for too long.

[rem870hunter]

i would say ever so quietly, HEY DID I HIT YOU. ITS OK I'VE GOT A FIRST AID KIT. COME HERE. and when he'd get close pull out my big knife and stick em in the neck with it.

no really,i would chamber another round and take carefuller aim, fire another shot.

[Breadslinger]

It was my first deer hunt. I had a Muley at about 50 yards broadside. My heart was pounding so hard the locals thought the Army was doing above ground nuclear testing. My rifle suddenly weighed 35 pounds and it had a small propeller attached to it making it impossible to control (it was going all over the place). The deer kept changing sizes; first it was the size of an elephant but every time the scope got on it it shrunk to the size of an ant. When the earth finally stopped bouncing and I gained control of my faculties, I steadied the cross-hairs on its shoulder and squeezed...oops, forgot the safety. Now I'm ready; took a breath and squeezed again. The bazooka went off! The smoke cleared and the deer was still standing there; a bit confused but still standing. Once again, breathe and squeeze. Bang! Nothing...hmmm OK third time's a charm. Pow!...What the???
Now I'm in a panic. Just how long was this deer going to wait for me to get it right? What should I do? OK, one shot left. Its in the chamber, the safety is off, the deer is in the cross-hairs, the scope is loose and wiggles....What?!!! So, with the thumb of my off-hand holding the scope steady (and upright I might add) I slowly squeeze...pop.
Success! My first deer had only one hole in it, the last shot got him. That was 25 years ago and I was 26 at the time. The rifle was a Savage chambered in .308. The memory...priceless.
If there's a moral to this story I guess it would be, "Don't ever give up." It also helps to make sure everything is in working order.

[Medicineman]

I'd come back to look for him next year, With something better than a SIMMONS scope!!!

[AZAK]

Years ago I had this happen to me using a 30-30 iron sights in the woods. Came upon a broadside big buck at about 25 yards, lined up and shot. He just stood there. Lined up a second time and shot. He just turned and looked toward me. Lined up a third time and shot. Then he ran off uphill. Tracked him for a while, no blood trail, continued uphill. He was fine. Looked at my rear sight, and wondered how that sight had moved all by itself so far off. Picked a big dead tree about 25 yards off, lined up and shot. Almost missed the entire tree! The impact was off by several feet! Funny thing was that I had been at the range with the rifle earlier in the week. Some rough country later and ...

Even though I always try to maintain my equipment, now I am a bit more careful about such things. We do what we can do, but Mr. Murphy happens!

[W. C. Quantrill]

Hmmmmmmmmm,,,nothing wrong with Simmons scopes. I have a bunch of them and I have never missed a 50 yard shot. I hunt open grassland and would say that I have not had any shots under 200 yards for years. I didnt miss them either. Loose mounts can put any scope off.

So, that aside, 50 yards, and it doesnt go down? I'd be scoping the area real good for the DNR Nazi that put up the fake deer.

You had better luck than most fellows. I have never seen a mulie stand still long enough for a second shot. I have killed a lot of mulies and I have never been within 50 yards of any of them.

[ginshun]

Assuming this is my 30-06 and my reloads, I'd shoot again, immediately if not sooner.

If he doesn't drop after the 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th shots I take the rifle and shoot it at some targets back at camp.

I don't believe I have ever taken more than two shots at the same deer, but I would, given that they were all shots that I thought I had a decent chance of making. I don't know that that situation would ever come up, but deer do strange things sometimes.

[mikenbarb]

Run after it and beat it with the butt of the gun. If that dont work pull out your ol' reliable swiss army knife and give him a couple good pokes. That should do it!LOL

[Hawg]

nothing wrong with Simmons scopes.

Agreed, I've used them for years. I've still got the first Simmons 44 mag I bought many moons ago and it's still my favorite scope.