Author Topic: What's your SHORTEST shot at a game animal with your pistol? (Read 2016 times)

DakotaElkSlayer · « **on:** May 14, 2005, 06:41:55 PM »

Everyone always seems to ask about "longest shots" with a pistol... Well, what is your shortest shot? Anyone ever get powder burns on the deer's hide? :lol:

Jim

Jerry Lester · « **Reply #1 on:** May 15, 2005, 02:58:42 AM »

Don't know about powder burns, but I live for those close shots. I've killed quite a few deer that were 10' or closer. Not only using a revolver, but with a bow, or rifle too.

I've killed piles of groundhogs with my revolvers within just a few feet.

There's nothing quite as satisfying as getting that close to game before taking a shot. Nothing can top it in my book.

rickyp · « **Reply #2 on:** May 15, 2005, 08:24:12 AM »

I have shot deer as close as 10 feet maybe even closer. never seen any powder burns on them.

Sourdough · « **Reply #3 on:** May 15, 2005, 08:27:32 AM »

In September 1980 I shot a 49" Bull Moose (about a three year old) and the end of the barrel was about 6" from his hide when I fired. One shot with a Super Blackhawk .44Mag and he went down.

Lawdog · « **Reply #4 on:** May 15, 2005, 08:42:57 AM »

The closest(less than 5 feet) was a 3 point Mule Deer that jumped into our blind we had set up for calling Coyotes. I was blowing away on my new fawn distress call when we heard hoof beats and then there he was. Thankfully it was deer season and one shot with my Ruger Single Six 6 .357 did the job. Actually I dont know who was more surprised, the buck or us. Lawdog

knight0334 · « **Reply #5 on:** May 15, 2005, 08:46:45 AM »

I was out groundhog hunting with my uncle one summer on a hill top. We were facing a downward plain with our back to a large clump of brush.

Out came behind us a whistlepig, only a couple paces away(if that). way too close to even turn the scoped rifles around and splat him. Both uncle and myself pulled our pistols and layed into him with a salvo of .45LC and .357mag rounds lol.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #6 on:** May 15, 2005, 10:40:01 AM »

a rabbit that a beagle was chasing went right between my legs and the single six caught it right in the head when it stopped to see what in was running under. I dont know who was more surprised me or him. If it was him it wasnt for long.

mikemayberry · « **Reply #7 on:** May 15, 2005, 10:46:42 AM »

While searching for an arrowed doe one morning a came upon a wild boar about 25 feet away. All I had with me was my S&W Sigma .40 caliber that has a legal 15 round magazine.

I thought I heard something a few minutes before and had chambered a round before placing the pistol back in the holster. The hog was standing broadside and waiting for me to pass without seeing him in the timber so I carefully unholstered and fired.

He ran in my direction (but not at me) and I kept firing. After six shots he died almost immediately 10 feet in front of me.

He was about 135 lbs. and had nice tusks. Couldn't believe it happened not how quickly it was over. Just supports my theory that you should always carry when walking in the woods. I've had several folks tell me how lucky I was to take a hog with that gun. I think so too now that I have had time to think about it.

Short answer to the question: 10 feet!

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #8 on:** May 15, 2005, 12:46:37 PM »

!5 yards on a nice Whitetail Buck.

Gregory · « **Reply #9 on:** May 15, 2005, 03:32:38 PM »

Had the barrel of my 22 Mag revolver in a button bucks ear, of course that was to finish him after a spine shot from my 30/06.

Does that count?

longwalker · « **Reply #10 on:** May 16, 2005, 06:24:24 AM »

November 2001 Whitetail hunting in Eastern South Dakota. I whitetail doe came walking through a shelterbelt she never knew I was there. One shot with a .357 droped her in mid stride, about 10 feet from the tree I was sitting next to.

Do you get to subtract distance for arm length?

longwalker

Sourdough · « **Reply #11 on:** May 20, 2005, 07:26:04 AM »

My neighbor just read this post and called me up to have me correct my post. We argued about the " (inch) mark he said I should have made it '(foot) instead. I corrected his thinking and told him I meant 6 inches. But after thinking about his skeptisim I should explain how I got to within 6 inches of a bull moose anyway.

We were hunting moose down in the Keni mountains, on horse back. I had delivered two moose to the trail head and was taking the pack horses 14 miles back to camp. Suddenly I heard shots and a bull moose jumped from the brush and started running down the trail ahead of me. My saddle horse got real excited and wanted to chase the moose, so I let him. We caught up with the bull, I stood up in the stirrups, leaned over to the right, held my Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Mag almost touching his side and squeezed off the shot. The moose dropped instantly, did a sumersolt, breaking his neck in the process. The bullet had gone through his left lung and heart. Yes there was a lot of powder burns on his hide. The major problem was I had to gut it, skin it, cut it up, and load it onto the horses by myself. While keeping a Grizzly at bay, to protect the horses and myself. After gutting the moose I used two of the horses to drag the moose about three hundred yards up the trail so the little griz (about a three year old) could have the gut pile. That kept him busy while I hurried the butchering.

The following day, when I came back through with two more moose the only thing left of that gut pile was a bloody spot in the trail.

Leper65 · « **Reply #12 on:** May 21, 2005, 04:24:06 AM »

Nothing exciting as the moose on horseback, but when I was stationed at King Salmon, AK I shot a snowshoe rabbit at about 3 feet with my bow, that was a tough damn shot. No grizzlies either.

Elwood · « **Reply #13 on:** May 21, 2005, 05:52:09 AM »

In the fall of 78 I was barely 18, I took my friend out calling coyotes with me. He was packing my new winchester m70 in 270 and, I was using my single six with 22 mag. I was sitting on the ground with my back to a tree my legs out in front of me. I was blowing like crazy on a Circe cottontail model of predator call. My friend was out of sight of me, he could hear javelinas coming grunting along, I could not as the call was deafening. My revolver was on my lap and I was in the middle of a call when I saw a Javelina coming to me at attack speed! It may have been 12 feet away at most. I dropped the call grabbed my pistol cocked it and fired, all in a split second. I saw the hair on the pigs chest part from the muzzle blast. The barrel was several feet away from him. The javelina veered to the left, jumped over my legs and ran off. My friend heard the shot then the javelina ran past him he fired making a hole in the fleshy part of the front leg. The javelina ran another 40-50 yards and died. When it was over the adrenaline had me shaking like a tree. We butchered him, the 40 grn win JHP has come to a stop at the skin on his rump. It scared me so bad I quit predator calling for four or five years. Experts say that javelinas will not attack ever, I don't believe it.

Elwood P. Dowd

jason280 · « **Reply #14 on:** May 21, 2005, 10:06:49 AM »

Quote

S&W Sigma .40 caliber that has a legal 15 round magazine

Is there a such thing as an illegal 15 round magazine?

The shortest shot I've made on deer-sized game is around 30'.

mikemayberry · « **Reply #15 on:** May 21, 2005, 10:43:09 AM »

Jason,

Not to start a ruckus, but after the Brady Bill came into effect, they were shipped with smaller capacity magazines. If you already had a larger capacity magazine, you were legal. If you purchased one that was already in inventory, you were legal. Otherwise, you had to be law enforcement to purchase and possess a high capacity magazine.

Now that Brady has run its course, you can again have a high capacity magazine. At the time I shot the hog, Brady was still in effect.

But, I am sure you already knew all that!

Mike

jason280 · « **Reply #16 on:** May 21, 2005, 01:33:57 PM »

That's my point. Why the need to label it now as a legal 15 round mag??

Sorry for the thread hijack! :grin:

Tom W. · « **Reply #17 on:** May 21, 2005, 06:12:57 PM »

I had an armadillo between my feet and squatted down to put the muzzle of my SBH too darn close. I felt the muzzleblast through by boots, as well as "diller" innards splattered everywhere. I won't pull that trick again!

sawebbshooter · « **Reply #18 on:** July 08, 2005, 08:32:06 AM »

While doing my Elmer Fudd thing in Wyoming, I saw a blur of fur out the corner of my left eye move behind a sage brush. Switched my #1 Ruger bunny-slayin' ss 7.62x39 (same bullets and powder as my 32 load. Sorta my overgrown 32-20) to my left, drew my F.A. Mod.97 in 32 mag and stepped around said sage to investigate the nature of the fur. Bugs' not so smart cousin was hunkered down watching the wrong side of the bush. First time hunting with the F.A., first shot is at 4 or 5 feet! Sign from the powers that be that the 97 was meant for me. The French half of the American-French couple that run the local Cowboy Cafe whipped it up in a Dijon sauce with rice as a favor, and man was it good. Apparently the rabbits in France are sooo much bigger but shooting one in the farmers hutch has got to be bad form, non? By the way, no meat damaged either. Quick and clean. Score a round for the Elmers of the world.

rockbilly · « **Reply #19 on:** July 08, 2005, 11:07:29 AM »

Back in the mid-sixties I ordered a injuried rabbit call tape from Herters, an eight-track. I rigged a plug in on my truck tape player to hook in an external speaker. We had permission to hunt a ranch near Mills N.M. and had gone up a few weeks earlier and built a blind on the side of a bluff overlooking a water hole. Being new at the game, I parked my truck about two hundred yards away, ran the speaker wire (Old Military WD-1 TT) to the blind and hooked it up. We started the tape and was watching for a coyote to come slipping in. We didn't have to wait long, I heard a noise behind me and turned to see what it was. What I found was a coyote standing above us looking into the blind. I didn't have time to reach for my rifle so I pulled my .45 which was loaded with mil-surp survival shotshells. As I raised the gun the coyote made his leap into the blind. He jumped almost on top of me and as we fell I shot twice. I later figured out that I had the barrel of the .45 pressed between the dog's front legs when I fired. I had blood all over me, my partner thought I had shot myself. (If I remember correctly, I had to wash my pants three times to get the smell out.)

It didn't take but once for me to realize that the speaker doesn't go in the blind......... :roll:

Mannlicher · « **Reply #20 on:** July 09, 2005, 01:42:52 PM »

Hog hunting in the swamp in North Baker County Florida, I had been tracking a big one from hammock to hammock. This involved wading through deep water in the swamp, then pulling up onto one of the little island like hammocks, crossing that, and back into the swamp.
As I pulled up onto one hammock, the darn hog was sudddenly just above me on the bank, coming at me. I shot him with the .44 Ruger FlatTop muzzle in his mouth. His momentum carried him forward, and over the edge of the bank. He fell on top of me, crashing and thrashing. I was not sure at first if I had even killed him. I was carried under by his momentum and weight.
After fighting out from under the carcus, and finding my old Ruger, I was able to drag him out of the water and up on the bank. I cut off the best parts, and left the rest. I had to wade out of the swamp, about two miles, carrying the backstraps and hams.

dougm · « **Reply #21 on:** July 25, 2005, 09:52:12 AM »

About 6 years ago I was deer hunting in Pa. it was when we still had a seperate doe season. I was in the woods on the side of a ravine. The doe was crossing the ravine heading up to me. When she was about 50 yards I shot her in the chest with my contender in .375 jdj. She went into a dead run and came straight at me. I never took my eyes off her, just reloaded instintively. right before she ran me over she cut to my left. At that moment I had just cocked the hammer so I punched the barrel into her neck and fired!!! I saw her hair part around the bullet's entrance. Needless to say she fell literally right next to me. It was almost surreal the way it happened. The most amazing part for me was how fast I made the reload. I always have 2 additional shells on either side of the barrel stuck through a rubber band that goes around the barrel and rubber forarm. It shows just how important it is to be intimate with the gun you are hunting with. I had used that contender on so many hunts it was just second nature to reload. I doubt I will ever have a shot that close again, but I will never forget it.

OneGoodShot · « **Reply #22 on:** July 27, 2005, 02:51:55 AM »

The second morning of the WV buck season 2003 I was in my tree stand less than 15 ft off the ground when a 8 pt being chased by dogs came running to the stand. I had the contender ready and yelled "HEY" just as he was directly under my stand. I shot him and he fell immediately almost touching the base of the tree. There were 2 dogs chasing him and one was a bulldog or pitt mixed breed grabbed the buck by the antlers. He got a 7X30 pill as well. The 2nd dog was realizing that something was wrong and spotted me as I was reloading. He ran about 20 yards and stopped once to look back.........shouldn't have stoped. Three shots in 30 -60 seconds. The 8pt had a 14" spread and you can clearly see the teeth marks at the base of one antler.

RedRyder21 · « **Reply #23 on:** July 27, 2005, 10:43:49 AM »

Quote from: OneGoodShot

I shot him and he fell immediately almost touching the base of the tree. There were 2 dogs chasing him and one was a bulldog or pitt mixed breed grabbed the buck by the antlers. He got a 7X30 pill as well. The 2nd dog was realizing that something was wrong and spotted me as I was reloading. He ran about 20 yards and stopped once to look back.........shouldn't have stoped. Three shots in 30 -60 seconds.

Out of curiousity, whose property were you on?

Your story is the reason I am taking the 1911 .45 hunting with me next November.

Bim · « **Reply #24 on:** July 27, 2005, 01:24:33 PM »

I was bear hunting in Maine and we didn't go to our stands until about 3:00 in the afternoon. Me and a buddy would go out red squirrel hunting in the morning and made a contest out of it. I was way ahead (of course)

and this red came out of a stump a couple of feet in front of me. I knew I couldn't raise the gun and aim so I shot from the hip, I still can't believe I got him.

OneGoodShot · « **Reply #25 on:** July 28, 2005, 02:18:14 AM »

It is my own property. WV has made it legal now to carry a pistol even while bowhinting.

Johnch · « **Reply #26 on:** July 29, 2005, 11:41:10 AM »

I was hunting deer with my TC Contender in 357 max .
I had a doe work in close but could not shoot because of trees
At 3-4' away I got a ear shot .
Could not see much thru the 4X scope , so I aimed along the barrel .

It droped on the spot

Johnch

Robert357 · « **Reply #27 on:** August 01, 2005, 08:00:23 AM »

Quote from: RedRyder21

Out of curiousity, whose property were you on?

Your story is the reason I am taking the 1911 .45 hunting with me next November.

The reason I take a 357 Mag with heavy handloads or a 45 (Long) Colt into the woods hunting, has to do with a time that I shot a deer with my 30-06, put my rifle against a nearby tree and started to gut the deer. I then heard a pack of dogs and relalized that my rifle was several feet away.

I stopped what I was doing, took a break and then resumed my butchering with the rifle laying next to me. Since then I have always carried a hand gun with a 10 round shirt pocket wallet of extra ammo.

Doc T · « **Reply #28 on:** August 03, 2005, 07:01:59 AM »

Fox Squirrel, 5 ft, Single Six.

ihunt49 · « **Reply #29 on:** August 06, 2005, 01:55:41 PM »

Shot a 400lb black bear sow at 6 feet in a ground blind with a Contender in 45 Win Mag. She was with 2 yearlings, not cubs, and she heard when I recocked the gun. Wasn't sure where I was and went searching for me while the yearlings ate. She was upwind from me and just couldn't find me. She kept coming towards me and I didn't want to shoot a sow but she left me know choice when she got so close I could hear her breathing :shock: and if I would of moved she would of charged me to protect her yearlings. Scary and exciting at the same time!

Also shot a doe at less than 2 feet in the head with my Contender 7mmTCU. I was on one side of a big tree in a heavy downpour and she came down a trail right next to the tree.