Do you shoot at running deer ?

[ironglow]

     I ask this because I am one that will not normally shoot at a running deer..unless it is running directly toward me or directly away.

    Frankly, I think that when I am concentrating on aiming at a running deer, I cannot properly be absolutely sure the background is clear of
   other hunters.

   Yes, I do observe the picture for other hunters..but one could appear quite suddenly from behind a bush or tree if a deer were  for instance, to dash through
   a large clearing between heavily wooded, brushy areas..   

[elmer]

Normally, no! The only way I would consider shooting at any animal running was if I had already shot and it was wounding shot. Then I would not do it if hunting public land and could not be sure of who or what may be around.

[hawkenman]

I'm with elmer, only if it was wounded. But if it was some type of record rack,"maybe".

[kennisondan]

on our private property, with set times to be on stand and set times before which you cannot leave, and desingated visible tree stands, after signing in and thus knowing where the other hunters are, and being there for a while to study the surroundings, (especially in a wide open field) ... from a tree stand I have done so : when the shot feels right and not rushed and the range reasonable for the conditions... when that happens I generally almost always get the deer... If it is not right, and I am not fully focused and feeling confident in that shot that time, I do not shoot...
It is like shooting my long bow without sights or a release, some days I can feel the shot to ten yards some days considerably more... if I feel it I have it If I don't I just wait for another time..
conditions : close range; broadside and trotting steadily, rested rifle, anticipated arrival of the deer / no rushing, no obstructions, negligible wind, and the feeling of intense focus, and confidence that this one is in the bag  ... yes I will do it then.  I do worry about this answer, as it could be misconstrued or cause a flame outbreak... but what the hell... that is the truth.. for what it is worth...
I am anxious to see what others say.

dk

[flintlock]

Only with buckshot.....

[ironglow]

  Thanks Guys..

     I wondered if I were perhaps in the minority, but seeing the replies, I feel more confident in my view.

   Before anyone mentions it , the "going directly away" shot would not be a "Texas heart shot"..but basically a neck shot (works well from a tree stand)..

[Siskiyou]

What is your definition of a running deer?  (1) Does it include a deer meandering around an area? (2) Is it a deer moving slowly but surely up a deer trail?  (3) Or is it a deer leaving the area at full throttle?

I have taken numerous deer in mode (1) and (2), and a couple in mode (3) in heavy cover and close range.  I have also passed up deer in mode (1), (2), and (3) because I felt another hunter would be in danger.  I clearly remember a strange hunter criticizing me as a kid when I passed up a shot at a large buck that got up between him me.  I could have had a standing shot at the buck but the other hunter was on the far side, and I passed up the shot.  And when the buck departed at full throttle I still did not shoot because the other hunter could have been hit by a bullet deflected off the brush.

Normally the mountainous terrain I hunt in provides an excellent backstop.  

But before I was old enough to carry a deer rifle I was duck, quail, dove, and pheasant hunting.  More hunters are injured in this activity then deer hunting.  But I was subject to good supervision by my dad and his hunting partners.  I knew if I broke the safety rules I would not be allowed to hunt.  Shooting at low fly pheasants, or quail can result in a hunter in another field being hit.  And I was brought up jump shooting ducks in small streams.  I need to be aware of my surroundings all the time.  Not only did I have to watch out for my hunting partners, but for livestock and farm structures.  


And I must confess to killing an antelope on the run.

[SHOOTALL]

If we didn't shoot running deer then we wouldn't shoot much ! We run deer with dogs and they  don't do alot of standing around while you shoot !
we put a piece of plywood in a old tire and place a target on it , roll it down a bumpy hill and learn how to shoot a moving
target !
hey most of us grew up bird or rabbit hunting and a deer is alot bigger than either ! we hunt with shot gun , rifle and pistol they all work !

[Prophet]

Since I only hunt with a center fire rifle I have never fired a shot at a running deer and I do not intend to do so. My personal choice. I just can't imagine anything good coming from such a shot, too many things to go wrong.

[woodchukhntr]

I tried once with a known safe background.  Sad, very very sad, and embarrassing too!  I quickly realized that I do not know a thing about shooting a running deer.  I won't even try again unless I have a way to practice.  A slowly moving deer is another thing.

[SHOOTALL]

we don't seem to have much problem , of course we learned to hunt that way and it should be noted we still wait for an open shot , and in most cases a 50 yard shot is a long one ! and yes we see some deer come thru. at high speed and don't have time to raise the gun much less take a shot !
to tell the truth i feel better about a running deer at 30 yards than one standing still a 200 ! but thats the shot we make most of the time !
the other side of this is those in places where 500+ yard shots are made , I do shoot that distance on the range but not hunting , if i had a place to do so i would ! but i don't feel it is my place to tell those that do they are wrong they know their ability !

[SHOOTALL]

woodchuckhntr , try the tire it really works ! no kidding ! some swing a tire set up the same way from a tree but its not the same !

[NONYA]

When i need to.

[ironglow]

   I wasn't talking about a walking or meandering deer..just one with the afterburners cut in !
  I realize there are all kinds of circumstances and wouldn't presume to judge others and their situation..
 
   I can't speak to dog hunting of deer, not allowed here, but I suppose when the deer are running..you can't wait for them to "tree up"....LOL

  People here that hunt coyotes with dogs use shotguns (with shot) while those that call them in use mostly rifles.

  The shotguns of course don't have the effective range of a rifle in case of a miss.

[SDS-GEN]

Generally no.  But if he's close and I'm shooting into a hill behind him, or its a wounded deer I will.

[banen]

I shot my first deer when I was 14 years old on the run about 150 yards.  It turned out ok, but admittedly I was aiming for lungs and hit in the neck right through the spine.  He dropped like a stack of bricks.  I wouldn't do it now though, I just don't care enough about actually getting a deer to risk wounding or not recovering one.  I just like to be out there and see some. 

A lot of guys seem to be raising a safety issue, and with safety conservative is always better but from a safety stand point I don't see a problem with it so long as you are sure where you are shooting.  It isn't really much different than a standing shot if you miss, the bullet will go just as far.  People who do deer drives shoot almost exclusively at running deer.  You do have to decide fast, but it is similar to flushing a grouse in thick cover, if you are not sure you don't pull the trigger.  Obviously it isn't a good idea if you are hunting in area with alot of other hunters / people around.  Am I off base here?

[SHOOTALL]

as far as other hunters we have as many as 50 on a drive and make sure where people stand is safe , no can't get them to tree , but sometimes they stop in a swamp !
as far as after burner speed , it all depends on how long ya can see them ,
shot gun - we get custom tubes that can give good result at 40-50 yards with OO and OOO buck ! We get alot of deer running in packs and the rifle allows us to SELECT a single target vs. flock shooting !
most use lever or simi auto for drives unless watching a cut over where a long shot may happen ! the scoped rifle is at a disadvantage on stand in thick cover when dogs are used ! I really consider the 2 turkeys i killed flying with a rifle far harder shots than any running deer i have shot !

[Chuck White]

If we didn't shoot at running deer, we wouldn't get very many deer!

We hunt mostly in heavily wooded areas, so when we see or hear a deer coming out of a drive, we just pick an area where we figure he'll cross and get our rifle pointed in that general direction, pick a spot and when he comes into the cross-hairs, we fire.
With practice and patience, it works very well.

When we go out and just sit (no drive) it's all together different.  Then we just wait for a good shot.

[kennisondan]

I guess I should have said that too : I have hunted running deer in front of walker hounds and blue tick hounds for about thirty or thirty five years, and had to grow accustomed to taking a running shot, and knowing what can and cannot be done.  We did the tire practice too and we rolled it down the levee... for momentum.. as long as you hit it you kept shooting and kept increasing the distance. when you missed you took yor turn rolling the tire down the levee and back up for the next shot..and scoring...
some shoot swinging and some shoot by picking a spot in front and shooting when the lead looks right... I do both when the need arises... if you stop practicing though it gets a bit dicey, as the automatic or instinctive compensation for speed and distance gets a bit slower and less accurate.
I was beginning to think I was the only one on here who had grown up doing this and could still do it -- albeit,  safely first and foremost.
thanks for piping up you guys.
dk

[SHOOTALL]

hey sometimes the action is so fast i couldn't tell how i took the shot swing vs. still ! The same is true when bird hunting , as long as the meat is on the ground what can ya say ? by the way alot of people hunt with the rifle so they have more shots as in Va. a shot gun is limited to 3 , my 94 holds 9 !

[Chuck White]

I've done the swinging while shooting at a deer.
Around here, there are a lot of trees that get shot by people who do the swing thing.
The only place I've been successful at it was while shooting at a deer that was crossing a meadow.
Other than deer crossing a meadow, it's while bird hunting.

I'll continue doing the pick-a-spot thing!

[Rummer]

I might get flamed for this, but I have no ethical problem shooting running deer.  Last year the only legal buck I saw in a whole week of hunting in western PA was moving at a trot, with his tail down, trying to sneak away from somebody else, at about 50 yards.  If he was further away, moving faster, or in thicker brush I would not have been able to connect.  You have to be honest with yourself about what you can hit and what you can't.  And you have to pay attention to what is going on around you but this is true if you are shooting at still deer, driving a car, or operating at number of tools or machinery.

[K.K]

When I am hunting from a treestand or blind, then I will not shoot at a running deer very often. However, while tracking or still-hunting, running shots are often the only ones that I get. I will then only take a shot if I can hit the vitals, and the deer is not too far away. I am not a slob hunter, and don't indiscriminately blast away at anything that moves. I hunt in remote areas of the Adirondack mountains, and, up here, we don't often have the luxury of time. That said, I have never lost a deer that I hit in over 15 years of hunting. Also, of course, I never shoot a moving deer with a bow.

[dakotashooter2]

Nope. I am not a good offhand shooter and am not practiced enough to reliably hit and animal in a vital spot.
And from what I have seen a majority of those who do take running shots are not accomplished enough either. I skinned deer for a processor for about 3 years and would estimate that 95% of the deer that came in had multiple hits with a majority of those hits in the legs or hindquarters.


But if it was some type of record rack,"maybe".

Not trying to pick on anyone but why is it more acceptable to take a RISKY shot on a record book rack than a smaller one?

[RaySendero]

Do you shoot at running deer ?

Close with buckshot = YES

with a rifle NO, unless I've already hit it and its a follow-up shot.

[buck460XVR]

from what I've been told, our Wisconsin deer are much dumber than deer other parts of the country. Must be why they don't stand around much after opening day of gun season.........so yes, altho it is not my preferred shot, I have over the years, shot many deer while on the run. Most of the time I hunt in heavy cover where shots are close and bullets don't go far. I still make sure the coast is clear and that the shot is practical before I take it, and have passed on many that didn't fall within these limits. As I hunt primarily public land, I wonder why some think that it is safer to take a running shot on private land. Around here most private land is more open and has more hunters per square mile than the public land, which is more densely wooded and after opening weekend has very little hunting pressure. Most "deer drives" around here are also done on  smaller patches of private  land as deer are seen moving from woodlot to woodlot or cornfield to cornfield.  Not only is driving deer more dangerous, but most if not all shots are at running deer.......why I tend to shy away from it.

[nickE10mm]

Nope, only standing shots or walking slowly .... Its not worth it to the deer or me.

[SingleShotShorty]

Depends on the range 100 yards and less yeh.

[giturgun]

No I will only shoot when I know it will be an instant kill. Don't like to run down game, don't like to wound game . I am a little strange about this , I love to hunt , but could care less if I ever shoot a deer. It is just not that exciting to kill deer.

  Now a ground hog I get more excited over them than deer.  Strange ain't it

[SHOOTALL]

I guess if ya have to wait for 100% shot ya will never take one !
just curious what makes a deer life worth more than a groundhog life ?