Todd1700

Where I hunt this is rarely an issue. The timber is so thick that 19 out of 20 times one shot is all you will get anyway. On the rare occasion that a deer I have shot continues to stand there or runs a short distance and stops then sure I might put a second bullet in them but it has been a rare case in which it was needed. I don't like taking running shotsat alldue to the risk of hitting edible meat.

I know one guy that lives near me who ripped off 4 shots at a big buck in a clearcut one year.Two of the last three shots missed and the lastshot blew the bucks left horn off and ruined a damn nice rack. As it turned out his first shot was right behind the shoulder and lethal. If only he had a little faith in his first shot.

Which brings me to a point I'd like to make. Having confidence in where your shot hits is very important and is (IMHO)the end resultof a lot of good practice at the range. I'm a pretty good shot but I'm by no means perfect. What I can do however,thanks to the number of days I spend shooting my rifles, is call my shots. When shooting at distances where I can not see the bullet hole I can still tell you if I was spot on or pulled the shot a bit. That being the case, if I feel good about the first shot on a deer then I will not take a second shot unless the animal stops and offers another sure shot. If you couldn't hit him standing still then the odds that you will hit him running are pretty low.

I'm also a bowhunter and I see a pattern here of other bowhunters saying things similar to my thoughts. We like to be sure of our shots because we are used to getting only one.

aimiablerooster

I look for a one shot kill and it usually works. I'm a meat hunter so pouring bullets through the animal is a recipe for waste as far as I'm concerned.

NYBigbucks

I always keep on shooting, and still throw a couple of extras for good luck!! dead is dead!! Where there is lead there is hope!!!

eldeguello

This is plumb ridiculous! I use a single-shot rifle (Ruger No. 1 or a muzzleloader) most of the time, and I kill most of my game with one shot - I have shot twice on two or three occasions, but that was a "nontypical performance". I don't hunt for horns, I hunt for meat, and like Elmer Keith, I want more meat than I can wipe off a bullet.

I have run across a couple of guys who "shoot til they drop", and believe me, they shot away more meat than they ever took home.

eldeguello

Amen!

eldeguello

When one runs out of intelligent argument, one often relies on name-calling. IMO, it is the ones who spray bullets all over the mountainside who are the idiots. Not only that, they are the ones who make hunting dangerous!

People who cannot correctly call their shots should NOT be out there endangering those who can.

ShatoDavis

I'm a if they're moving I'm shooting guy. Now I don't run down your opinion or your ability at all. But, I would wager a significant amount on my shooting abilities against yours.I spend significant time at the range shooting a variety of weapons and trying my best to be proficient with them all. But that is not the point.I think that it is closed minded to claim that someone who takesa follow up shot is "shooting up the woods, making it dangerous for everyone"

For me I go with the theory that if one is good then two is twice as nice. If I can get a decent follow up shot then I'm taking it. I've been witness tofar too many one shot tracking jobs. The whole time the shooter claiming: "the shotwasperfect." "I watched him go over this rise." "he couldn't have gone more than a hundred yards." A mile later he's not as certain.

I've also made what I thought was a perfect shot, and taken a follow up shot regardless. When I recovered the animal I was shocked to find that neither of the shots where in the "ideal" location. I'm just pointing out that anything is possible. If you can take a follow up shot, even if you are certain of the first.....take it. Its the ethical thing to do in my opinion

DannyD

I think we would all agree that we should practice and become proficient with the shot we are attempting on any game?
I would venture to say that some of the people replying in this post that are advocating shooting at the animal until it is down have not practiced and become proficient at shooting a running animal. Furthermore, I would imagine that they have not practiced at shooting a running animal while identifying all objects beyond their target.
This adds the element of safety in the woods doesn’t it?
If you shoot an animal (hit it or not) and the animal presents a follow up shot where the animal is again stationary and you can now again identify everything beyond your target by all means go ahead and take it. But I don’t think that is what many of the folks posting here are talking about. IMO they are saying “let the led fly” until it’s down running or not.
That, in my very strong opinion is not safe

retrieverman

I haven't read all the posts but am dumbfounded by the number of people that like to "sling lead". Whitetail deer are not that hard to kill. I have killed 100+/- deer in my 23 years of hunting and have only taken a second shot at 3 animals. My 12 year old son has killed 7 deer and never needed a second shot. If I were to need a follow up shot at over 50% of the deer that I shot at, I would have to seriously reconsider my shot placements or gun/ammo choice. As I said before, deer are not that hard to kill.

ShatoDavis

I'm sorry I didn't realize we were talking solely about whitetail deer. None the less I don't advocate "slinging lead" but I will and have successfully taken moving/running shots. Its not as difficult as many would have you believe. Of course standard shooting safety always must apply. You must be sure of your background and hopefully have a backstop. I think too many people have been dooped by the hunting shows that the only shot you can safely make is a broadside standing target. BS I've seen my fair share of deer shot with a bow at a fairly fast paced trot, Perfect double lungers. As a matter of fact the majority of my harvests have been on moving animals, its rare to have a standing broadside shot in the mountains. But, I digress Maybe I'm just having a bad day because it seems I've done nothing but argue on this site today. Peace