hometheaterman

Yea I've been hunting with guys that hunt with dogs and using a rifle for 3 years now. The first year I didn't really use it and I'm not sure if I even shot it any or not. Last year I shot it it a few times and missed everything I shot at. This year I haven't gotten a chance to shoot it at a deer yet either. I just can't shoot like a lot of the guys that have been hunting with them for years. How did you learn to make the shots easily?

The guy I was talking about earlier is 25 now. He has been using a rifle since he was 18 and says he just got good with it in the last two or three years. Another one that's good has been hunting with one since he was about 12 and he is 26 or so now and his brother is 30 or so. They both are very good with them.

Then there are ones like me that shouldn't even shoot at them running as I can't hit them easily. I have trouble holding it still when free hand and I don't know how much to lead them by either. However, with the shotgun it's no where near as hard to hit them. I've seen lots and lots of deer killed with buckshot as well as rifles.

As they said earlier you also have the dogs find the deer for you in most cases.

I don't know how good of a shot the OP is that's why I don't want to say if he should shoot at a running deer or not. I do however, know there are several guys that I hunt with that can shoot a running deer and hit them the majority of the time. I've seen a few of them miss but like I said with the one guy I don't think I've ever seen him miss. I'm not saying he doesn't miss he just hasn't when I've been hunting with him.

nick_bleuer76

Nice detective work. You obviously have never been on a deer drive, with shotguns. If you cannot hit a running deer at 50 yards, you must not shoot much. It ain't that hard. Additionally, shoot a slug, much better. Shotgun slugs do way more damage then most rifles. Big chunk of lead, moving slowly. It obliterates it's target! Slugs devastate! Honestly, in most cases, where ever you hit a deer with slug, it is going in the freezer!

bryant1

Shooting squirrels running up and down the trees with a 22LR was the only practice I have ever had. I practiced more with acquiring a target quickly in the scope.

The most important factor I have found is following through with a running deer (like shooting waterfowl, clays, etc) and learning to acquire the target in the scope quickly.

I guess you could always take a 22LR to the sporting clay range and shoot the 'rabbit' clays with it to practice....

bigcountry

Bad detective work there. You obviously have very little experience comparing slug terminal effects to a rifle.

nick_bleuer76

Haha, nice detective work bigcountry! I said that slugs do more damage than MOST rifles. But I can see where I was wrong, most is a kind of a general term statement Read next time, please?

bigcountry

I say I have killed over 30 deer maybe more with a 12ga slugs. Killed 30 deer or so with rifles from 243's to 300RUM's, to 45-70. Anyone that has every looked close at the terminal effects comparing "most rifles" to a slug will clearly recongize the hydrostatic tissue damage a rifle can do. A slug does not. You can almost eat up to the exit hole of a slug. The statement you made about almost hitting anywhere, still has me laughing. I appreciate it.

nick_bleuer76

Hmm, you have killed 30 deer in your life time with 12ga slugs. I butcher about 25 deer a year that have been shot with 12ga's. You can compare it to a car (small rifle) and a Semi (slug). What does more damage when it hits it's target? Why do you not shoot large game with a small rifle. We are comparing apples to oranges! But, at the respected ranges, slugs out perform small caliper rifles i.e. .243 and depending on the ammo .270. You can go look at the ballistic charts yourself. Does your rifle leave exit wounds the size of your fist? And about you laughing. If you make a crappy shot with a slug vs a rifle. I bet you recover more deer with a slug shot deer. Like a said, big object, moving slow with a lot of energy at 50 yds, puts them down. It is hard for a deer to run away when you blow his leg clean off, just saying.

solocamcan

Actually, no I havent been on a deer drive, never had to get that "desperate". And nice detective work by YOU, I wrote this in response to someone who wrote about hitting a running deer 3 out of 3 times with a highpowered rifle at a greater distance than 50 yards, (150-200 yards to quote him). So you can hit a deer anywhere with a slug and kill it? Is that based on your expert "detective" work?

solocamcan

Again, I wasnt writing in response to a shotgun, I was using the "sniper" term in reference to the guy who wrote about hitting running deer with a rifle at 150-200 yards.

iSnipe

that_guy,

Thanks for the reply. I thought it was something along those lines. Good luck to you!

iSnipe

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One would have to be a total boob not to be able to hit a running deer with 00 buckshot. First of all, most these guys using it, already know to keep the shots close. Second, hopefully the deer is going to be hit with multiple pellets to be a fatal shot.

I haven't taken a running shot in a very long time, but if the situation arises and if it's a deer I want and feel at the moment I can do it, I'll do it! Yes, take a running shot.

A human can get pretty adept at doing something if he's done it several times. Many guys take running shots quite often. I'm not one of them. I don't ever profess to be good at it; then again I don't say I'm bad at it either. Just saying. LOL! I'm comfortable letting a running deer go. Usually it's a great lesson to myself, because had I been paying attention more, most likely I could have seen him before he saw me; therefore, he shouldn't have been running anyway.

I do agree running shots should be passed, but that's my call for myself. If someone else wants to do it, then do it without hearing much from me. It's your call, not mine.

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EDIT: I want to amend to this post...

In the beginning, I was talking about buckshot, then without saying, switched over to rifle. I wouldn't hesitate for a second if I were using buckshot and it's a deer I want. If I can hit a flying grouse or duck at full speed with a shotgun, then I can hit a larger running deer with it. With a rifle, I'd be more cautious about the decision to shoot that I may make.

EDIT done-

iSnipe