yep me too:

Well, dang, I had no idea I was going to have the most-often repeated answer. I feel pretty good now!

I see what you' re saying Strange. I do a lot of shooting and consider myself at least average but I' ve missed easier shots than that myself. Wind could be a factor if above 10mph I guess. Takes a big person to admit to actually missing so my hat' s off to you. I think it comes down to personal choice and making the most ethical shot you can make, especially if that means to let the animal walk away some times. Like all things in life it depends. There are no hard, fast rules for anything, you just have to learn from previous experience and if you' re lucky, the advice of your peers. Practice should help determine how good you are. Recently went to the range with my wife' s brother. Had 3 gallon milk jugs at 100 yards and a 2-liter pop bottle, all full of water. I let him shoot first, totally off hand standing and he missed. I was doing well that night and managed to tag it on my first shot. Trying to help him out I let him have the next 2 shots. Both misses. I hit again and let him shoot twice more, missing the last jug. I tagged it again off-hand standing. Then we went for the 2-liter pop bottle. Like I said, I was pretty lucky that night and after he missed I hit it first try as well.

Still, that' s not hunting, with cold, numb arms and hands, 20mpg gusting crosswinds, and a moving trophy animal that sets your heart to racing. But it' s a place to start.

Running deer... not at all, if its injured it would depend on the situation whether I try a shot or not.

No running deer shots for me!

I usually whistle or yell to see if they will stop. It has actually worked several times. If they keep going then I don' t shoot. Season is too long and there are too many deer for me to risk it.

If it was absolutely necessary i would take a shot inside 50yrs,,,but i prefer not shooting a moving target ,,,,well unless it' s birds

If you were REALLY well practiced at shooting at targets which simulate a running deer (I don' t have even the slightest idea how you could make a target the sixe of a paper diner plate move at the varying speeds and directions a running deer would present!) then you might have a VERY slim chance of dropping a running deer.

I don' t think it' s very ethical to throw lead at a moving deer with the hopes of injuring/slowing him down to the point where you can " finish ' em off). I won' t hunt with guys like that.

I don' t do it, never have, never will and all my boys are taught the same.

If I can' t place a shot EXACTLY where you need to to make a clean, ethical kill then I don' t shoot. Period.

I am a " heart shot" hunter. Single shot slug gun. Drill & kill!

" Throwing lead" isn' t deer hunting, I think they call that trap shooting.
(Clay pigeons taste really bad no matter how much you season them!)

Just so everyone knows here in Washington we get 9 days total (2 weekends surrounding 5 week days) for deer hunting, hoping a 3-point (one side) legal deer walks by and stops. The success rate is less than 10% and we don' t have many deer.

If I have a legal buck running by me less than 50 yards away I' m going to try as it will probably be the only legal deer I see that season. If I had the luxury to hunt for 2 months a year and the deer were thicker than ticks on a hound dog I would wait for a better shot but since our options are very limited sometimes you need to make your own luck. Of course, I wouldn' t recommend this to everyone or even most of the hunters unless you practice for it.

With a bow, no, with a rifle, it would have to be within 100 yards.