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Old 11-02-2005, 09:32 AM
  #17  
Dirt2
Typical Buck
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 590
Default RE: Leading a running Deer???

I agree in general that running shots are a bad idea. I've taken one in my life, and missed. With modern game regulations requiring you to basically have a DNA sample of the deer before you shoot it, on top of the difficulty of making a clean shot, I can't advocate running shots.

That said, I know some guys can pull off the running shot so long as the range isn't extreme. I think the key is doing a lot of bird hunting, which sort of gives you the instinct for leading. It's got to be instinctive, you can't rationalize it. A deer running just 20 mph is covering 30 feet/second. Even abullet at 3,000 feet/second takes about 1/10th of a second to cover 100 yards. In that time, the deer has covered 3 feet!

That's some tough shooting, and even though I was an expert rifleman in the USMC, I won't even try it. It ain't combat out there, and I want to KILL things, not maim them.
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