Author Topic: How close where you? (Read 1272 times)

longwinters · « **on:** May 14, 2003, 11:58:21 AM »

What is the closest you have been to your big game quarry before taking it with a gun? For me it was 12 paces for an 8 pt whitetail buck. The funny part was that I was in a blind and actually had my rifle barrel almost directly over a doe fawn when I took the shot.

southern utah · « **Reply #1 on:** May 14, 2003, 06:22:52 PM »

30 t0 40 feet, seemed closer. 5x5 bull elk muzzle loader hunting. I got ahead of a small heard and was sitting just off a trail.

DesertRam · « **Reply #2 on:** May 15, 2003, 03:17:41 AM »

Well, I didn't shoot her, but once while bow hunting mule deer I had a doe close enough to reach out and touch her nose. You should have seen her come unglued when I tried.

I shot a little buck once from about 22 yards with a bow. I believe that's the closest I've been to a big game animal that I ended up killing.

107ch · « **Reply #3 on:** May 15, 2003, 03:22:06 AM »

When I was a kid of 15 or so, I shot a deer that was running full out as it went by the tree I was hiding behind. I would geuss it was at a range of 2-3 ft. with a .308. It stopped it dead in its tracks and blew him 4 ft. over.
Dennis

freddogs · « **Reply #4 on:** May 16, 2003, 10:12:00 AM »

I've shot deer that were within five feet of the tree I was hunting from. I've probably shot ten or more from within 20 yds. A lot of those with the shotgun and a couple with the muzzleloader.

hntngirl · « **Reply #5 on:** May 16, 2003, 09:01:07 PM »

:-) I shot a blacktail buck from 8 ft. away. He ran into some brush and bedded down to hide when I was tracking him.
A couple years ago, it wasn't my season yet, and I had a cow elk close enough that I reached out and smacked her on the butt. That was pretty funny!

Lawdog · « **Reply #6 on:** May 17, 2003, 01:34:22 PM »

Mine was an 5x5 Elk too. My first. I was 15 and hunting in Idaho for the first time and he jumped up right in front of me at less than 10 yards. Scared me near to death. He must have been asleep in that brush and trees. As close as he was I didn't even have to use the sights, just pointed and pulled the trigger. Dropped him back into the same bed he came out of. Lawdog

longwinters · « **Reply #7 on:** May 17, 2003, 04:25:03 PM »

Those close shots at elk must really be something. An animal that big . . . that close! Whew!!!! What an adrenelin charge.

Dezertyote · « **Reply #8 on:** May 18, 2003, 05:32:38 AM »

I had a nice 4 piont mulie that I had to lean back to draw my bow so the arrow wouldn't brush the side of him. Then I was looking in his eyes and thought my aim was dead on...he he he... I missed him! The arrow just brushed his brisket

kevin.303 · « **Reply #9 on:** May 21, 2003, 10:01:35 AM »

last october i was camping in a remote campground near ontario. i was stupid enogh to leave my coolers under the camper while i ran to the can and when i came back a bear had ransacked them and eaten everything. will i ended up getting chummy with some older fellas a few sites down that where chicken hunting. and i spent the rest of the weekend hangin out with them. the ranger said the bear had been problem all summer. and to shoot it if it came back. the next night he did come back and spent a few hours crashing through the bush on the edge of the site. but once the guns came out he was reluctant to come close. at one point when we thought he was gone we turned around and he was six feet from the fire beside the picnic table. not a pleasant feeling. we decided that we had enough and i inched within 5 feet of himtook a bead on the center of his forehead, squeezed the trigger.. AND MISSED!!!. he shook his head just as i fired and took off like a scalded cat. we all loaded up and chased him through the bush and found a fair amount of blood but no carcass.we waited till morning and when we woke up there was 3 inches of fresh snow. we looked for a few more hours until the rangers told us to give up. don't like leaving a wounded critter like that but couldn't track him. the DNR people figured he was either dead or hightailing it for the next province

Darrell Davis · « **Reply #10 on:** May 22, 2003, 10:42:52 AM »

Personally, maybe 25 yds, but a friend (now gone) tended to hang his bear baiting tree stand low enough that he was up close and personal with the critters that came in.

Bit low for me, but worked for him

Keep em coming! :wink:

BigMike · « **Reply #11 on:** May 22, 2003, 03:18:40 PM »

About three feet from the muzzle.
I was sitting in a duck blind about 9:15 am on a
really slow day just kicked back and the dog was asleep.
A nice 4 point walked right between my blind and
the river to get a drink. He was broadside to me and
I drew a bead on the back of his head and gave him
both barrels, figuring I'd either drop him instantly
or miss him completely. Dropped right there.
It was amusing to see the dog jump right through
the side of the blind and he just kind of stood there for a second
If he could have talked, I'm sure he'd a said something
like "That is the biggest, ugliest, duck I've ever seen".
He growled and then grabbed him by the hind leg and
tried to retrieve him. Not so funny part was carrying
a sack of decoys, thermos, shotgun, two ducks and a deer
over two fences and about a half mile to the car.
Cheers,
BigMike

Darrell Davis · « **Reply #12 on:** May 22, 2003, 04:19:33 PM »

Hey Big Mike,

Love your story! It is also a hard one to top. However, one I forgot in the earlier post was about another friend who climbed up on a bank here in Ol' I-dee-ho. Little did he know that there was a bear den located over the top of the of that bank.

Anyway, the bear came out to see who was stomping on his roof at which time my friend lowered the muzzle of his .243 and let one go about center of the bruins head. As I remember the tale, the bear then slid back down the bank and into the den.

I saw the tanned hide on this one, complete with one small round hole well centered, so have no reason to doubt the story.

Keep em coming! :wink: