What do you do.....

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What do you do.....

Stop the deer that is slowly walking with a noise (mouth grunt), and then take the shot
33
57%
Take the shot while the deer is slowly walking and lead it a small bit
25
43%
 
Total votes: 58
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Dewey
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Re: What do you do.....

Unread postby Dewey » Wed Feb 14, 2018 5:32 am

Darkknight54 wrote:The distance is everything

Agree.

10 yard slow walk with leg forward I will take that shot every time if I get the right shot angle. Make that 30 yards and absolutely not would I ever attempt to try that shot. Way to much can go wrong on a moving target at longer ranges.


Bucky
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Re: What do you do.....

Unread postby Bucky » Wed Feb 14, 2018 5:37 am

I stop em... r better yet wait for them to stop
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Chuck B
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Re: What do you do.....

Unread postby Chuck B » Wed Feb 14, 2018 8:10 am

Grizzlyadam wrote:
Chuck B wrote:
Grizzlyadam wrote:Every situation is a little different. First off shooting at a moving deer is risky IMO. The farther away it is, the greater the risk is. On the other hand stopping them is almost always going to put them on alert which will increase the risk that they react to the shot. Again the farther away the greater the risk. Close up, under 20 yards there is a good chance the arrow will zip through them before they move very much. You start getting farther than that and a deer can move a foot or more away from where you intended to hit.

I've done both and have had poor results both ways for different reasons.

I have adjusted over the years to avoid potential wounding shots at all costs. First off I won't shoot at a deer with a bow over 30 yards. It's very important to learn to read body language. An "on edge" deer can potentially drop 8-10 inches even at 20 yards before the arrow gets to it. A walking deer likely won't drop at the shot, but will have moved just the same. One would need to be very familiar their equipment and practice on moving objects to effectively compensate for movement of their target over the given distance. I personally have not achieved the confidence required to be consistent enough to attempt a moving shot. I have tried and had terrible results attempting moving shots. Another factor to consider is shooting lanes and windows. Most of the places I end up hunting are very thick with brush and branches. I'm usually weaving the needle through a little window. In my situations I usually need to stop them right in a small window of opportunity or risk hitting an obstruction.

I always stop them before the shot and determine if I should aim a bit low or right on depending on distance and body language. I shot a doe this past season at 30 yards that was on edge after being stopped. I aimed below the belly 10 inches low just behind the leg. She dropped right into it and I center punched the heart. If she didn't move it would have been a clean miss. If I aimed dead on and she dropped it would have been a spine/shoulder/backstrap hit with a good possibly of a lost deer. If she didn't move it would have been dead on. I'd rather miss than wound. That said, I stop them, keep my shots close and compensate accordingly. Most of the deer I shoot are under 15 yards, many of them are under 10.




Wow, you aimed 10 inches below the Doe and took the shot at 30 yards. I guess if you cleaned missed you were ok with that. Still not sure if I could take that shot tho. Are you shooting a pretty fast bow? Would you have taken that same exact shot with a mature buck?


I aimed 10 inches below my intended point of impact. It's a gamble I'm more comfortable with than aiming dead on and hitting high (which I've done more than once). If she drops she's dead, if she doesn't it's a clean miss and I potentially only sacrifice an arrow. Or I could just elect not to take the shot, in which case I wouldn't have stopped her in the first place.
I'm shooting a heavy arrow at 250fps. It's really all about the situation and reading that body language. She was on edge before I stopped her, so having learned from many past experiences I fully expected her to drop significantly, which is what happened.

A few years back I had a nice 8 point trotting across in front of me at 30 yards. I only had one small window to shoot through and stopped him right in it. Fully expecting him to drop, he instead just stood there looking in my direction and didn't flinch as my arrow passed underneath him. I could only laugh as he trotted off. I'm not suggesting everyone shooting under deer, it's just something I do that I have success with and it works for me.



Right on man. Whatever works for you is all that matters.
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mainebowhunter
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Re: What do you do.....

Unread postby mainebowhunter » Wed Feb 14, 2018 8:22 am

Bucky wrote:I stop em... r better yet wait for them to stop


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Bonehead
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Re: What do you do.....

Unread postby Bonehead » Thu Feb 15, 2018 1:44 am

If he’s not to far away and walking at a normal pace I shoot him while he’s walking. I will let out a non threatening sound similar to a doe bleat if I need to stop him.
That being said there is always a exception to every rule. I once yelled out “hey” as loud as I could to a running buck in 20-25 mile wind, he was about a hundred yards. He didn’t stop but slowed way down trying to figure out what he just heard, wich allowed me to make the rifle shot.
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wolverinebuckman
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Re: What do you do.....

Unread postby wolverinebuckman » Thu Feb 15, 2018 4:50 am

Bonehead wrote:If he’s not to far away and walking at a normal pace I shoot him while he’s walking. I will let out a non threatening sound similar to a doe bleat if I need to stop him.
That being said there is always a exception to every rule. I once yelled out “hey” as loud as I could to a running buck in 20-25 mile wind, he was about a hundred yards. He didn’t stop but slowed way down trying to figure out what he just heard, wich allowed me to make the rifle shot.


When I shot my buck this year, I let out a very loud, elated Yes! As the buck ran off to die, I turned around to look at the doe and fawn that had just split off from him. Both of them were frozen and staring in my direction trying to figure out what the heck they heard, then they both just mosied off. I was a little surprised.
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Re: What do you do.....

Unread postby Jdw » Thu Feb 15, 2018 10:28 am

The best case is they stop on their own.

Inside 20 yds. I don't stop them but I have hit a few close to the last rib instead of the lungs.
I am considering changing to stopping them even at close range because they seem to move further than I am leading them for.


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