When have you shot game animals on the move? What rifles have you used? How close and how fast?

[stevejfarms]

It is hard to go back to just shooting paper once you're hooked on moving targets. Wish we had some rifle ranges here that would set up for it. Our provincial safety officer would never stand for it. An ex local cop with a teaspoon of brains and fifty-five gallon drum full of self-importance. Typical.

kinda like you

 

[F250]

While hunting : lots of whitetails with .270, .300 Win Mag, muzzle loader, several elk with .300 Win Mag., several caribou with .270 and .300 Win mag. At work : dozens of 3 legged or otherwise injured Whitetails and a couple moose with .223 Mini 14, .308 M14, .243 Ruger M77. A deer or moose with a busted front leg can motor nearly as fast as they can on 4 legs !!!

 

[Boarmaster]

I have killed quite a few deer and hogs on the move. I cant recall any of them that were more than about 20-40 yards. Most were more like hand to hand combat and most in my younger days. These days they would have to be about to run over me before I would shoot one on the move. I learned over the years in most cases you can stop them or they will stop on their own and give you a good shot. Not always but if they don't another one will be by. Where I primarily hunt has long seasons November thru Feb. So no hurry in my case.

 

[pilsner]

I personally don't. For most of the above reasons.
Years ago here in Arkansas everyone hunted with hounds and running shots were the norm. I'm sure a lot of deer were crippled, but there were local guys who were legends with iron sights.

Was just discussing this with my 96 year old neighbor here in NW Arkansas.
He said they took a ton of running shots (chased deer don't stand still very damned often) but that they rarely used rifles for it. Shotguns with buckshot we're the tool of the day. The terrain and vegetation thickness down here eliminates long shots anyway.

Although he did mention a brother (cousin?) that was an aerial ball turret gunner in WW2 who was a DEADLY shooter of moving game with a lever gun when he returned home.

Prolly some lessons in there for all of us:
Use a shotgun or practice with a rifle like your life depends on making moving shots.

 

[nhenry]

My last buck was with my 336 in 30-30 and after the initial shot, he started running and I fired a couple more shots into his heart.

 

[OntarioHunter]

kinda like you

That's nice. But let's keep our relationship platonic. I only swing one way.

 

[Hunter4Life78]

I got runner the other day. Must've been doing close to 4 mph. Got em on the when the light turned. It was the runners fault should had a light on or something when out at night. Not trophy....

(This is an attempt at humor no joggers/runners were harmed during the making of this post)

 

[steveshuntn1]

18” wide 6 point probably 10 years ago. We walked up on each other if he had broke right he was home free. He broke left. Around 80 yards one shot from 444 marlin single shot through the heart. I was in complete shock I hit him. It all happened in a matter of seconds.

 

[Mustangs Rule]

i am into my deer season now. Too hot for much deer movement but I am still going out. Only saw one tiny whitetail buck.

When I hunt the open country for mule deer I take my kimber 280 AI. In the thick places for whitetail I take my Sako 308 carbine. That is the rifle I trust for game on the move

 

[Dwreckers]

I’ve shot 2 deer on the run. One back in 2016 and one last year. Both were 100-120 yards away. One was a 30-06 the other 7mm. Both instant drops but felt very confident at that range on a moving target

 

[Boarmaster]

I have shot a few deer on the move. Mostly deer moving thru big timber or thickets where 75 yards is a hail mary. Most all these deer were shot at 15-30 yards. Mostly with a shotgun with a rifled barrel. I shot a couple with a 444 marlin. Both my slug gun and 444 are topped with low power scopes. This was in Ohio. There are virtually no opportunities there for a standing shot.

In Florida we jump shoot hogs quite frequently. There I use a 30-06 bolt action ABolt with a low power scope with a illuminated reticle.

In Alabama I can only recall once ever needing to shoot a deer on the move. He dang near ran over me. There it's stand or blind hunting. Even if your hunting a logging road or a crossing the deer will usually stop and give you an opportunity. At my place in AL the deer are not being pushed or pressured to move.

 

[CorkyM]

Sorry that I didn’t take any photos back then, but in 1973, on the opening day of rifle deer season, it was a Monday, I was sitting in my tree stand on the North side of the Broad Mountain in Carbon County at 7:05 am. A doe came running by to my left through some young maple trees. She was about 30 yards away. About a minute later, here comes a big nine pointer whitetail, running fairly fast, hot on her trail. I missed with the first shot from my Remington 760 Gamemaster .30-06 but the follow up shot knocked him down and he dropped right there. It was a spine shot. I used 150 grain Remington Core-Lokt. I had just the iron sights on the rifle at that time, no scope. The deer dressed out at 140 pounds.

 

[buffybr]

View attachment 229973

Are we related?

 

[OntarioHunter]

Are we related?

We must have been seeing the same optician.

 

[Don Fischer]

Unless it's a very close shot, I make it a habit not to shoot at running game. Did one time at a cow elk. She ran past me at maybe 5 yds and I shot her in the chest, went right down. Shot her with my 6.5x06 and a 140gr Hornady Interloc bullet. While I was stationed in Germany I used to go to the Ramstien AFB Rod and Gun Club range and they had a running boar target there. It taught me that me shooting at running game was a waste of ammo so I simply decided I'd never do it unless it was a sure thing. So one cow elk at about 5 yds running past me.

Well I lied. Just remembered. Got a deer moving fairly fast across the front of me years ago. maybe 20yds out, not sure. Shot I didn't have to take and shouldn't have but it did die right there. I believe moving shots should only be taken in extreme circumstances.

 

[nastynate]

I've shot a lot of flying birds! Does that count? I've shot walking/trotting deer at close ranges (<50 yards), and always had clean kills. Never practiced it, but these were definitely not running.

Do you practice moving shots with your big game rifles? If so, what's your set up for that?

 

[Joe39]

I was 16 wandering about my family’s New England dairy farm hunting woodchucks with a Remington Model 12 pump 22, octagonal barrel no less.

In the just baled hay lot, a big fat woodchuck was dining. He saw me in some bushes along the fence line and took off running as fast as a woodchuck could.

Something in me said start shooting. I did. He died

Next with a Marlin 336 Texan with the straight grip in 35 Remington, a white tail buck jumped up in some second growth on our farm. Something in me said shoot. I did. He died.

There has been a lot of critters I shot while moving in my hunting life. Th last blacktail I shot came out before dark to eat sweet filleree, before night started reversing the sugar the sun made all day.

I had discovered the isolated patch in my scouting before season opened and was stalking close, 30 yards, through some dwarfed oaks as the sun was setting,

The deer could not see me with their heads down browsing but all that changed in a heartbeat. The buck just broke into fast walk and was gonna be long gone in another heartbeat

My Sako .308 Carbine was ready with some Lapua Naturalis 170 grain round-nose bullets. My scope was set at 2X. Something in me said shoot. I did. He died.

Where I lived you couldn’t use high powered rifles for many years. We used slug guns for deer hunting. Wasn’t uncommon to shoot a deer on the move if they were chasing does not running to hard.

 

[Flatbrimmer]

I shot my bear on a fast walk. He was coming to eat whatever was making that dying whine…

I analyzed the route he was taking to get around us, put my crosshairs just ahead of a big deadfall tree and waited for him to walk through it. Nose, eyes, ears, neck BOOM. He dropped with all fours out like he was already rugged. I about shit my pants. Picked my cigarette back up and went for help. Only animal I’ve shot on the move.