Do you shoot at running deer?
 

I know this is a much debated topic. My question is do you shoot at running deer? If you do, how do you practice to be prepared?

I've read countless guys online saying it's unethical to shoot at a deer that's moving, and that most guys can't hit anything running. At the same time, 90% of the time I see deer once regular firearms season has started they are running because the majority of the guys in this area hunt with dogs. I've also seen how well most of the guys I hunt with can hit the deer even when they are running. The very rarely miss. It got me to wondering if most people are comfortable with running shots, or if most people don't feel confident in taking one?

This year I had a buck running right at me. I had a solid rest and was right on him... then I see the idiot hunter in blaze pop into my scope chasing the deer and firing at him (and me). It's kind of shocking to see the muzzle blast (nearly dark) when it's aimed right at you (although lower)... I could easily have shot that deer though. I shot at one deer (doe) moving from my right to left in my life and hit her (although in the guts from not leading her enough) and had to put another one in her. Running wide open 100 yards out. First deer I ever got (18 years old) and with a .243 I built on a Fajen stock and new Mauser Supreme barreled action.

I knew that rifle was a tackhammer and knew where it hit. I also had a tree to lean on (deer was in an open field) so had a solid rest.

I have never taken a running shot on a deer, however I have killed several coyotes that were running. On a deer I like to be absolutely positive of my shot. JMO

With a rifle, no. With a shotgun, yes. I had a buck run by me chasing a doe that just went by. He was about 10 feet away and I was sitting on a bucket in the woods. I never got to raise the shotgun he came in so quick. I pulled an Annie Oakley and took him from the hip. First and only time I've done it. Soooo, it depends on the weapon and the situation.

only if you like tracking a gut shot deer all day. Their running forward, so most likely they'll be gut shot. Unless your aiming for the head, and then you'll hit them in the shoulder.

If your good at skeet or trap, maybe you have a better chance.

Just make sure coonhunter isnt between you and the deer. I've shot one running deer. He was running up a hill right at me. I followed him with my scope as he was zig zagging around. As he was, I was well aware of all around me, as this was my honey hole. Well, he got to be about 15 yds from me when he decided to gently look upward, it must have been a strange sight for him. He appeared to have a wtf look on his face. As I made my choice to fire he made his choice to slow down and his head reared up enough so I could slip a 165 gr into his enlarged throat. Needless to say, I did not hang him from his head.

Only with a clear, calculated shot. My deer hunting in Minnesota, in a high pressure area almost demanded that if you want venison, you learn how to hit a moving target to put it down before it gets to the boundary line. I used to also hunt with a large group, we would make pushes all day, these deer are running. Sad to say I missed a few and got bad hits on a few before I learned to shoot a moving target well. My brothers and I would practice by cutting a piece of cardboard to fit inside an old tire, one of us would roll it down a hill and the others would shoot at it.

Got a nice sized doe this year on the run.
Heard it coming as it was being pushed past me @ 20 yards, put a nice lead on it just like duck hunting and it dropped in it's tracks.
Second time over the years that has happened this way, I only shoot when the deer is very close.

like some others posted, ive shot one deer on the run, but it was already wounded and i was using a shotgun. I guess it would depend on the situation but i doubt id take a running shot moving side to siide or away unless it was a wounded animal or just some unusual circumstance.....my gut says no and its usually right.

I believe its up to the individual shooter. If your skill is good enough and your are confident in the shot I dont see a problem. I had much rather take a standing shot, but I have shot a few deer running with a rifle. A good way to practice is to rabbit hunt with a 22. I done this for many years and it taught me how to lead and follow thru with my shot.

If a deer is crippled at all from a previous shot I will shoot as much as possible. I hunt with a single shot rifle so I make the first one count. I know guys who can probably hit a deer running better than one standing cause they have hunted with dogs or making drives their entire life.

Many times, I have shot running deer, but never an away shot. Quartering and broad side shots are the only ones I will take at any running animal. If you know your weapon and have done it before it is not that hard. Not every one should try this shot but an experienced hunter who knows the rifle and aim points can achieve great success.:wink:

I have to laugh when I read people using "ethics" for lack of shooting skill!!!!

In the west if you cant shoot a moving target you wont fill many tags. Rule of thumb:
walking-let them walk into your crosshair, then fire. Trot (mule deer have a distinct stiff legged bounce) cross hair at front of chest. running- chest high, under the chin.

Put a piece of cardboard in a tire and roll it down a hill, you'll get it.

I will take running shots almost every year. With good success, and only chance at stocking freezer, I feel confident taking these shots, only if; 100% sure of background, and have a decent opening and good rest. Firing off shots in the heavy brush at running deer should be passed up for a better opportunity.

When we used to push hedge rows in the fingerlakes, we seldom had anything else but running shots (slug guns at the time). We used to do alot of bird and bunny hunting with the same guns, and practiced with slugs off season. Most shots were at relatively close range (25-50 yards). It was seldom a 12 gauge slug wouldnt topple a deer along for a quick follow up, if it wasnt a kill shot. I no longer attempt running shots, I am not kept in practice enough, and have plenty of opportunity at slower moving targets.

Where I gun hunt we put on "drives" or "pushes" whatever you wanna call it. I've been hunting for nine years now, I got my sixteenth and seventeenth rifle deer this year. of the 17 all but 2 were at a trot or run. I did lose one one time. I think I must have hit it too far back. It was raining hard that day, and I just couldn't follow the trail. I tried hard tho. I practice shooting squirrels with my .22, We've done the tire trick a few times for fun. And I just try and shoot a little every day.
I hunt with a bunch of old guys, mostly great uncles. So I've been the dog my entire life, which I'm fine with. But gotta be quick to shoot sometimes.
-Jake

I don't shoot at running deer unless we are running dogs.But don't do that very often.

Only if they're not standing still. I prefer standing shots any day, but often they're just not standing. I have killed several deer running flat out. I have missed a few, and have had to use follow-up shots on occasion, but I won't let the fact that he's running stop me from shooting at him.

I choose not to, Because, I want to be sure of my shot before i shoot any animal. And when a deer is running its not the most prepared shot lol., Like i said if im going to shoot at a animal i want to know that i have a good shot and that im going to take this deer down the most humane way i can. Just my opinion. I have clipped a deer's leg before and i felt awful. So i made a vow that day to be sure of my shots before i shoot.
But if some hunters can make a good shot at a running deer, I say go for it. Just not for me.

i like to say not to,but wherever ive got a buck in front of me i freak out and start shooting.Extreme case of buck fever over here

Both of these deer where shot @60-70 yards.
8-pointer went 10 yards (double lunger)...
Spike went about 60 yards (gut shot).

Missed one many years ago.

Have passed at most running deer,
including this big one at 15 yards, as the gun stock got caught on my jacket under my armpit and didn't feel comfortable taking the shot! I write this to show that I am VERY selective IF I rarely take the shot. IF I were irresponsible I certainly would have thrown lead at this big guy and IT did cross my mind, but chose not to. Just didn't feel right!

My buddy shot him this year, but I posed with the buck due to have a few years worth of history with him...

As someone mentioned, that I in fact have done a ton of grouse/rabbit hunting (30 years) and do quite well (take a look @ the upland section), so I feel comfortable, IN SOME INSTANCES, But NOT MANY, to take a running shot.
Choose wisely or pass!

Shot one at 20 yards last season when she was on a full gallup. Double lunged her.

I shot a doe that was running and hit her perfectly. She dropped in her tracks. I shot a coyote running and dropped her in her tracks. I shot my buck this year at a trot and dropped him in his tracks. I didn't hit him quite where I wanted to though.

Just holler "STOP" then shoot.....

I live in the west, I fill a tag every year and never had to, nor will I ever attempt a running shot on a big game animal, It has nothing to do with lack of skill, I have shot several coyotes that were running, the last at 200 yards, coyotes are a lot smaller than deer! I believe in only taking a shot that I KNOW is going to be a clean, quick, and humane kill. All deer dont run at the same speed, and a peice of cardboard in a tire rolling down a hill is not going to make you any better of a shot on a running deer, yeah you might get good at hitting a rolling tire that is traveling the at the same speed everytime, there are alot more varieables when it comes to hitting running game. JMO.

Did when I was young and had the opportunity
 

But I did a lot of duck hunting back then, so moving shots didn't seem so remarkable.

Yes I do. I agree with the previous guy, if you yell "Yo" when they are passing you , they may stop. If running flat out I usually just react and shoot. Usually a reaction shot is your best shot, no time to think about it.

Yes.. Ikilled my first buck..dropped in his tracks while bustin gthrough a thick area...with an open sited 30-30 Stevens bolt action..

A. I was the best shot in my copmany in the army and 2nd best in the battalion..been shooting my entire life.
I was 22 then

Would I make that shot now?...yes..because I guessed where he would cross at..a 3 foot wide window..when he reached the window I sqweezed the trigger..buck down...but if I have any doubts..I do not shoot...

Yes I would shoot at a deer running if I thought it was going to be a decent shot. I have shot quite a few deer in the past running broadside as well as towards me. While running away I pass it up. I have tried the hollering and whistling thing and it may work some of time. I find most of the time it does not as they have already winded or saw you and want to put in some distance from where you are at.

I wouldn't lead a deer as someone mentioned with a rifle..especially under 1ooyds..That bullet will be there upon the crack of the shot..I was a decent shot but thought the bullet might drop so I aimed at the spine...Guess where my bullet hit..the spine..and this was a full ..legs stretched out run through thick crap..I quickly put the barrell where I was hoping the deer would run through..and aimed at the back bone above the boiler room area..He fell immediately ..the back bone was severed. I've never had a deer run .They all dropped where I shot them...I had an 8 point that was totally surrounded by brush ..only his small neck exposed..I shot him in the neck..buck was down..

Like another hunter said..In highly pressured WMAs you don't normally get a second chance for venison..most years I see one buck...

For any shot, on still OR moving targets, if I am confident I can "make the shot", then I will usually take the shot. By "make the shot", I don't mean "hit the deer", I mean make a center shot on the vital area (i.e. hit a 4-6" target).

Every situation is different, so many factors must be considered. Speed of target, path stability (straight path vs random), range, direction of movement (straight away, towards, straight across, etc), number of game animals, stability of shooter, etc etc all come into play. Picking out a trophy buck out of a herd of deer bounding away over a wheat field is much more stable than making a shot on lone buck over rough terrain through woods. For stable-path targets, the "lead" is a quick calculation, but for a randomly moving target, the shooter should either wait for the target to reach a pre-determined position (i.e. a clearing, or gap between trees), or wait until the target has slowed down or the path has become stable.

Counter-intuitively, moving shots at 200yrds are often more simple than a moving shot at 20yrds. A deer running perpendicular (straight across) at 10mph at 20yrds is 880MOA per second. So basically, you "follow" a 10mph deer at 20yrds you would have to turn your body/rifle at a rate of about 2rpm. (10mph = 14 2/3fps = 176 Inches per second, @ 20yrds, 0.2" = 1MOA, so 176"/s = 880MOA/s = 25sec per revolution) At 200yrds, however, the turn is 1/4rpm.

I've taken shots on running deer, coyotes, and hogs. With practice it can be a high percentage shot, but an off handed shot on a randomly moving target is something I'm happy to pass on.

I practice on rolling targets. I cut 12 and 14" plywood disks then glued 2" rims for added momentum (14" solid plate with a 2" wide, 14" diameter "doughnut" glued to the back of the rim). I used an angle iron track to guide the rims down onto a carpeted track. A stop pin tied to a string holds the target in place until the shooter is ready. Bowling pins or plates swinging like a pendulum from a tree also work.

Its not my preferred method thats for sure. I however, have shot a doe on the run. It was a good hit and she tumbled right over after about 8 yds. Even so, I like shooting at standing deer and being absolutely sure of whats behind it over anything else. This is just my opinion though. What is good for some does not apply to others.

As stated by others - with a rifle.... no. With a shotgun.... yes.

The last day of every deer season we execute man drives on our hunting club in an attempt to thin out the deer / hog population, which always results in running shots. The following photo is the last day of our 2010 season.

We shot three hogs and three bucks (one not in the photo). I did not get a shot this year. Past years I shot multiple deer during the last day.

Good times!

maybe ,it depends.

We can't use buck shot.

These were killed with slugs - not buck shot

Good shooting..I have no problem shooting them running...if there is a shot...same as standing still ..if there is a shot.

[quote=okieshooter;3757694 I know guys who can probably hit a deer running better than one standing cause they have hunted with dogs or making drives their entire life.[/quote]

X2 Hunted with dogs most of my younger days.Pretty much if you saw a deer it was turning about mach 1..........LOL.Like okieshooter said I can usually hit one on the run anywhere from point blank to about 200 yards.Have been known to miss one standing there at 50.Then wonder what is wrong with my rifle.THEN shoot a crow out of the top of a tree @about 200 .Go figure.

i just aim ahead and shoot

With a bow or flintlock - no. Rifle definatley. In fact the majority of the deer I have taken with the rifle were moving to some extent. Either walking, trotting or on a flat out run. Now this is not at 100+ yds either but probably at 50 yds or less. My friend and I have been hunting over 40 years each and we have to laugh at these hunting shows on TV where the hunter never shoots at a deer unless it is standing broadside and perfectly still. If these guys ever hunted in the nasty stuff we hunt they would never shoot a deer.