You are the out side edge of a deer drive. Walking the edge in hip boots and in a river. To your right is flat swamp the river is about 50 yards wide. You can see 150 yards up stream to the next bend. To your left the bank rises to a hill about 120 feet higher then the river at a 50 degree slope.Rifle is a 300 sav with a 165gr rem corlokts at 2350fps hand loads with a burris 1.75 x 5 scope set at 5x.. You have a any deer tag plus a tag for any baldheaded deer. You hear the other drivers yell that they have jumped a deer heading your way. The deer crosses the river just out of your sight you see the deer running up the hill range is 220 yards the hill is cover with large trees and sapplings snow on the ground good visibilty. How many of you would have shot and how many of you think you could have made it.

I dont know. I am considering you did not take the shot from your other post (shot the deer at 15 feet, Congrats by the way) I personally would not have taken the shot, even though i feel i know my rifle very well. 1) I have never shot a deer at 220 yards. 2) I have never shot at a running deer either. I would have just let him walk. I am paranoid about wounding animals. I have done that with my bow twice and the feeling in your gut is awful. If however you did take this buck through brush at that distance with the .300 savage, I tip my hat to you.

In a word, No.

However.... if those handloads were spiced with Rlr 15 (2600 fs), and the deer STOPPED RUNNING, AND the water was shallow enough that I could take a knee. Oh Yea!

NO
A running shot at 220 yards would be a hard shot to make. No doubt there will be some guys say that they could make it but the risk of wounding and the deer getting away is to great. Since moving to the Territory I've been hunting more than I did when I lived down south and my shooting skills have improved out of sight,I've knocked over running pigs at distances between 3-120 meters, but I wouldn't take that shot. I know my limitations.

prone, or supported with a good rest, maybe, standing, or kneeling, no way in hell! I know of only one guy who I would trust to make that shot, and he's one helluva a shooter.

Well after a few more replys I well tell you all the out come

Nope, a man has got to know his limitations.

How big is the deer?
Jeff

NO--the shot doesn't sound too difficult but too many things could go wrong. I'd pass. I would have taken the shot earlier in my hunting career because I was confused about the difference between a kill and a successful hunt.

Good Hunting,

200+, running deer, in trees. Nope I'd pass on that.
Standing still, sure, with a rest or knee.
Open field, maybe.
I think I would wait for a better opportunity myself.

Don't care how big the deer is, I wouldn't try it. (even if I was using matchkings )

I'd belly down prone if possible and try to get said deer in scope, but then wait for him to [1] stop or [2] run straight towards or [3] straight away. Any break in the chain, no shot. Oh yes, favorable wind or no deal.

[ 11-25-2003, 21:29: Message edited by: TomP ]

Unless I could go into a solid prone position AND the deer stopped in an opening there is no way I would take that shot. I know my capabilities and making that shot every time is not with in them. I have recovered every deer that I have shot at in last 20 some years, and I am not going to break that string. I am far more proud of that string or recorved animals than any of the nice deer I have been fortunate to harvest.

Shoot Safe, Shoot Straight.......RiverRat

Nope, not me.

Don

The shot was taken my buddy who saw it said where did you hit him. I told him high left shoulder. At the shot the deer flipped over back wards rolled and fell half way down the hill. When we got to the deer the bullet had entered high left shoulder and exited the neck. He was dead on impact with a broken shoulder and neck. As I was aiming and following the deer every thing looked just right so I touched her off took the deer right where the cross hairs were.

Your buddy made a hell of a shot. I've shot several deer running from 70-125 yards and have never missed or gut shot any of them. None needed a second shot either.

I think that if my rifle and crosshairs tracked true on the deer and if I felt that I had a good chance of trailing him up if the hit was marginal I would have taken the shot.

However I wouldn't have lain down in the river like a couple of the people seemed to think they'd do.

If a deer is running you rarely have time to lay down or even take a hasty improvised rest. You're lucky to have any time to check the background for hunters, evaluate the trophy quality potential, get the crosshairs tracking the chest and pull off the shot. That all has to be done in a half second or if you're lucky up to 2 seconds.

The concentration needed, skill, and difficulty level of that shot is pretty intense but.... Yes.... I'd likely have taken the shot but sure would have wished for more rifle for more terminal shock value such as my 308 or better yet my 300WSM.

$bob$

Congrats p dog shooter, that was one hell of shot. If you can make them like that take them is all I can tell you. A good rifleman knows when the sight picture is right.

Shoot Safe, Shoot Straight......RiverRat

p dog shooter,

Congrats on the shot. How far did you lead the running buck?

The bigger of the two bucks I killed this year was running across a field at about 250 yards. Two of my buddies shot at it running and missed. I also shot at it running and missed. Our bullets hit quite a ways behind the running deer, and we were using high velocity rifles. Fortunately, the buck stopped just before entering the swale at the edge of the field, and I put the Hot-Cor right where it belongs.

As a result of this running shot failure on my part, I vowed to never take a running shot past 50 yards again, UNLESS I take the time to train and become proficient at it. I know it can be done but I think it takes a lot of practice, just like traditional archery. Time was when I couldn't hit anything reliably with my longbow. After a few years of practice I now win tournaments with it.

Live well

I used what most people might call a moving lead I keep the rifle moving with the deer. Not trying to pick out the proper lead ahead of the deer. I find that most people use to much lead on closer running. Or they try and guess what well be just right and poke the gun out ahead with out really aiming. I have shot at a lot of running rabbits with rifles I knew I had that down when I head shot one at 30 yards running full speed throught the brush. I have a combo gun in 12 ga over 7x57R it was a learning curve to learn how to shoot clays and birds with the scope on it. I just wanted to aim at the target when the cross hairs were on it. Stopping my swing once I learned to force my swing through I was hitting them most of the time. My son who is 16 started to hit them right off the bat less years of training to un do.

P dog shooter

Congrats on the shot.

but...

Maybe I am reading your post wrong but to have the crosshairs on the shoulder when you touched off then you should have missed unless you were swinging through faster than the deer was running.

I have shot a few running pigs at up to 100 metres and I practice on a moving target range. I'd have given that deer 3/4 feet of lead if I had been forced to take the shot.

NO!
1: outside of my range for offhand felid shots
2: even with a rest, unless the deer is stopped, no
3: I don't KNOW were the drivers are

4: I can get closer

jeffe

Less lead was needed as the anle was a lot less then 90 degrees to me.

Great googely woogely!!!That is why I defer to you in all things ballistic!!!
Was it Grizzly Adams????

No but he saw the final results.

I probably would have shot the deer if it felt right or if a rest of some kind was avaiable and with snow on the ground it would be very hard to loose him I would think...220 yards running at that angle is a typical Mule deer shot around here, 220 yard is well within shooting range for me, but I hunt way more than 99% of the hunters today, its my business and I suspect thats an advantage...You had plenty of gun to get the job done.

You can wound a deer with any presentation if things go heywire, thats part of hunting, the inability to track it down and finish the job is where most deer get away...

I respect your ability to know your limits and turn down the shot, that is a rare commodity today...We should all take heed of that.