Come to think of it, I have witnessed a bunch of one shot kills with my 22-250.

It is interesting that Lorenzo brought up this observation from a different part of the world.

If I ever make it to Africa, you can bet that if I can get extra bullets into an animal, it will happen. Obviously, and as always, I will strive to make the first shot count to alleviate any follow up problems.

I guess I have spent enough time hunting that I make the decision to shoot again based on each unique hunting situation.

I think some guys just like to shoot stuff. It gives them an ego rush.

This is another topic that shot placement relegates to secondary importance.

Interesting thread.

My take on why Americans "obsess" on one shot kills is more media related.

I suspect part of why US hunters talk so much about one shot kills is actually because US hunters talk so much about hunting. We have an active "outdoors" press, including most local newspapers. We have all kinds of internet boards. We have many more "sport" hunters per capita than most places (maybe all, but I think Canada may be close)so everyone talks to their buddies about this.

As has been shown by a few of the responses, a substantial part of the hunting populace thinks if you shoot more than once your a hack, or worse.

It has been my experience that as you get more experience, you tend to know when the animal is dead or reacting to a shot as you expect or not. You also tend to know if your shot "feels" right. I think that more experienced hunters are more likely to shoot again than less experienced fellows are, because we have seen a "well hit" animal get up and run off before. This obviously excludes that particular subgroup that learned their shooting by watching TV and provide "suppressive fire" on their deer or elk. Hopefully they will grow out of it, but not on my land. This fall I saw a nice pronghorn at a meat processor. It had 8 holes in it. The hunter proudly told me he shot it until it stopped moving. His brother said "yeah. At 400 yards."

Long way of saying that most of the one shot comments are really more ego/bragging than anything else, but that the actual one shot results do correlate with ability to some degree. We all ethically should try and get a one shot kill, and most do, but nothing wrong with hitting them again until your satisfied with your quarry being dead (as opposed to flinging shots in the hope of getting a lucky hit).

I try my best to drop the animal on the first shot, but I'll keep shooting until the thing falls over dead. You can still brag about a dead deer with two holes in it, you can NOT brag about a deer with one hole in it that got away.

quote:

Originally posted by George Semel:
Well In the woodlands of CT where I do a good bit of hunting, the first shot is always going to be the best shot you are going to get, so I try to make it count. If I don't have a good shot or as some would say a clean shot, I tend not to shoot and wait till I better shot presents itself. Then there is the issue of private land, you want to drop game with one shot if at all possible due to the really small pieces of land that is hunted. Landowners in CT only need 10 acre's or more to hunt with a centerfire rifle. Trespass issues are a big factor. I tell my neighbors do what you need to do to collect your game, I don't have a problem with it, some do in a big way. There is also the strive for perfection, we spend a lot of time on guns loads shooting and what have you for that one perfect shot. It don't always work out that way, but we keep trying. The day I stop trying for that perfect one shot, is the day I stop hunting. Its as simple as that.

Well said.

As has been pointed out in various posts, the "one shot kill" camp, of which I am a paid up member ARE IN NO WAY SUGGESTING the hunter should not shoot an animal again that is getting away or may not be down for the count.

In my area of Texas, and Louisiana, and most parts of the South, in many of the places we hunt, a hunter will be damn lucky if he can see the deer to get off a second shot, especially if he uses a bolt action or single shot. Of course there are exceptions, but that is the rule. Maybe that's why we focus so much on making the first shot count, because the hunter is not likely to get a second shot, and if he does, it is even more likely to not be a high percentage shot.

As mentioned above, most of us know when we make the shot that we wanted to make. The old story about the PH telling Elmer Keith to shoot the animal again and Keith looks at him and says, "Why, he's shot through the heart." comes to mind. Bottom line to me is if it ain't a one shot kill, it is LIKELY the hunter screwed the first shot up MOST of the time so that's why the "one shot kill" crowd is proud of doing it with one shot. Obviously things happen, such as last second animal movements, etc. and then we have to shoot again if possible.

I don't have a count, but at least 98% of the hundreds of deer, dozens of plains game, and hogs that I have killed died with one shot. I shot a Wildebeest twice before it died, and lost an impala once, when the PH said "Great shot", stepped in front of me as I was holding on the animal, just case, like I almost always do, so I got off the tree I was using as a rest and, of course, the animal got up at that instant, and ran off into the brush, never to be found again. I was sick and damn mad at my PH, but it was the second day of a long hunt, so I kept quiet. I never did figure out what happend on that animal, but I had a bullet failure on one of the shots on the wildebeest I mentioned above, blew up near surface, and the impala was shot out of the same box, could have blown up on the shoulder, I dunno, but I sure as hell didn't like it.

I think many, but not all, of the shoot "don't worry about how many shots you use" crowd sometimes take shots that are low percentage for the first shot and hope they can weight the animal down with follow ups. I don't shoot a game animal unless I am nearly certain in my mind that I can kill it WITH THAT ONE SHOT but maybe that's just my idiosyncracy, but I'm the one who pulls the trigger and I like that result, call it pride, call it anything you want, but I grew up being taught to make the first shot count, and I am passing on that tradition.

Here's a practical reason for avoiding excessive follow ups - when one is down but still moving, if the second shot is a miss or deflection the gunfire sound can temporarily revive an animal and have it up and running. I had that happen once (only once) using a revolver. Had I left things alone (the first was a liver shot, the second was deflected by vegetation) that buck would have expired without further assistance. And I wouldn't have gotten charged by him. Had the first shot been a few inches more forward or if I held off on the second all would have been fine.

That's another reason to get it done in one. Taking pride in doing things in a workman like way remains however the big reason.

One other thing..those here who aren't U.S. hunters may not know this, but we have other guns besides centerfire rifles that are real popular for big game...muzzleloaders, shotguns and handguns. With muzzleloaders you got no choice; you're in the "one shot" camp. There's also all the frontier, pioneer marksmanship tradition that goes along with that. And with shotguns, I can't even imagine needing a second shot if one 12 ga round with 00 Buck was well aimed. Extra shooting would get you a deer with more holes than there aren't.

With magnum handguns you're talking short barrels, death grip, iron sights, challenging sight radius and mostly close range. That also means making that first one count.

quote:

Originally posted by Kensco:
I prefer Shack and Idaho SS answers.

Being able to make one-shot kills means you took the time to make a good stalk, and you placed a killing shot. People that don't understand the importance of going for a one-shot kill everytime, aren't welcome in most hunting camps I've ever been in, and certainly not mine.

There are way too many lead throwers passing them off as "hunters" in the field these days, most(?) of them Americans.

I shot a mule deer buck years ago three times to kill him. I'm not at all proud of that. It's the worst, most embarrassing shooting I've ever done on wild game, and he deserved better. My mistake was that I saw him at an extreme range and was too lazy to stalk him. I just threw a shot at him and broke two legs on one side. I think I missed a few others, then hit him in the neck that failed to kill him quickly and followed up with the "insurance" shot rather than stand there and watch him die. That is how NOT to shoot big game.

Something else that aggravates me is when people feel they need an "insurance" shot on obviously dead animals. What's with that? I have no problem with an insurance shot on dangerous game, but to walk up on an obviously dead deer or elk and put another hole in him is an indication of an immature hunter. Don't you know how to tell when an animal is dead? Are you too stupid to learn? If you don't, and if you are; then be my guest and put another hole in your animal.

I had a young man years ago that when we were dove hunting felt the need to pull the heads off the dove he shot. No problem, if that's your thing. He would also pull the heads off any other dead dove, others shot if they fell near him. The rest of us never did quite figure out what was going on in his head. It didn't take many hunts to see that he really didn't have any respect for the game he was hunting. We eased him out.

I've written before about hearing two "hunters" talking in the JHB airport, almost bragging how it took him more shots to drop his giraffe than the other guy. Bragging about being an ineffective hunter is a head-scratcher to me.

Thank you Kensco
you got it right.I have never had any respect for hunters that have to to have a simi auto to deer hunt with I don't know how many times I have heard a guy empty an auto 30-06 at a deer and hear the guy just a few yards from him do the very same thing that is as far from being a hunter as you can get. As for me yes I alway have made one shot kills because I don't juast tak a chance to hit a deer I take a little pride at being patient and only making a good shot I don't just injure and loose them.And I have never had to go looking for them either.
It has nothing about ego either.
all these other guy should really consider hunting with a double barrel shotgun 10 guage and pull both triggers at once if they see a deer. but really they should not even be hunting these are the guys that just may shoot you in a quick shot decision.I think if they could all of them would be hunting with full auto ak47's. very low IQ'S FOR SURE!!!!