Closest All Time

[Engineering101]

About 40 years ago I was standing with my back to a creek in the most beautiful spot I've ever seen in the woods. Colored leaves drifting down, the creek babbling and then I notice about 80 yards up the creek here comes a prime 3 point whitetail buck wandering towards me. He stops and nibbles on this and that. I take the rifle off safety and hold it loosely pointed at a ground in front of me. The deer went behind a stand of trees and brush and I was ready for him to step out in the open on the other side of those trees. I was going to quietly shoulder the rifle and... then I notice movement down by my feet. Here is the deer munching leaves about 1 yard away and my rifle is basically pointed right at him. So I moved the barrel to point just behind the ear and squeeze the trigger. Needless to say there was no tracking involved with this deer. He never did know I was there. So.... I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience. What is the CLOSEST that you have shot a big game animal?

 

[snox801]

I have had pigs hit my legs and shot them but that's not a deer. My father on the other hand several years ago had a very similar situation to yours he was standing on a migration trail in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Yes deer migrate when the snow gets deep. He watched a doe walk right up to him start to sniff him and he let the end of his rifle drop and hit her on the snout. He said it was one of the funniest things he ever saw.

 

[Deleted member 48126]

I went deer hunting on my buddies farm in Georgia, and it was December in super thick hardwoods that were on the edge of a field. I got up about 0430 and was to my box blind at 0530, so still plenty dark. I remember having to step over a bunch of brush around the blind that I didn't ever remember being there. I got up into the stand waiting for the sunrise. Around 0700 it was light Enough to see and that when I saw them. There were about 6-8 does sleeping under the box blind!! That's what I was stepping over to get to the ladder!! I watched them wake up, walk around, and then disappear into the woods. I didn't shoot them. I figured that was cool enough of a story as it was. I'll never forget that day.

 

[HARPERC]

Close enough to get splattered.

Blacktail in California many years ago, first year with a rifle, last day of the season.

I got up early, skipped breakfast, and hustled in the dark to a spot I knew that over looked a good crossing at about 200 yards.

The stand was behind a log in deep cover. I watched one of our camp walk through the crossing, and figured that was it for that spot that day. It was cold, and I snuggled down to keep warm, and heard a clomp of footsteps. I sat up to see what it was-nothing- a few minutes pass, and I lay back down. More clomping, same drill nothing. Third time's a charm I raise up, deer has his head down, and didn't see me sit up, but sensed something was up, he jerks his head up, and we both freeze eyeball to eyeball.

He settled down and lowered his head again, and I swung the rifle around, and tried to find him in the 4X Unertl. Which failed, so instead of just placing muzzle to chest (I was 14), I raise the rifle high enough over his back until I saw crosshairs then lowered it until I couldn't and blasted him.

I don't recall any scorched hide, but can't remember thinking to look for it either.

Someplace between a yard, and inches.

 

[Deleted member 48126]

HAPEREC, Holy crap...inches?!

 

[dmj]

One time will archery elk hunting I had set down on a log to eat lunch. Afer finishing lunch I had gotten up and put my back on and picked up my bow. Stepped over the log to continue on my way. Heard a little bit of noise and frooze. Out of the corner of my eye I caught movement. A cow and her calf were coming down the trail that I was going to head down. I was probably 10 ft. below the trail at the time. Thought cool they are possbile going to walk by me at 3 or 4 yards. But no they angled down a walked right up to me and stopped. The calf was probably 6 to 12 inches from my left leg and the cow was just on the other side of her. They stood there and looked around for 30 or 40 seconds then walked on. The unit I was hunting was an any elk unit and I consider any elk with a bow a trophy. But figured that these elk, especially a cow with a calf had already made my day. A few seconds later several more elk came through. They stayed up on or above the trail, probably 3 to 10 yards above me. Never even raised my bow. No need to ruin such a peaceful moment.

 

[Timber338]

I shots a cow elk at about 15 yards with a 300 grain Accubond out of my 338 ultra. That's practically long range at the distances you guys are shooting them at.

But... a buddy of mine that I took hunting on his first elk hunt, was in the dark timber and a herd walked out about 40 yards in front of him. Maybe a dozen cows and a good 5x5. All of us would have shot the bull at 40 yards, but not my buddy. He just calmly waited behind an evergreen. He got lucky that they decided to follow a small game trail right next to him. When the bull walked through it stopped on the far side of the evergreen and could probably smell his stinky underwear. It was definitely spooked. As soon as the bull started moving again my buddy lunged at the bull, leaning forward on 1 foot, holding the rifle by the grip with his right hand and his left hand on the stock near the recoil pad with the rifle stretched out as far as he could reach. He pulled the trigger with the barrel less than 6 inches from the shoulder. The 200 Accubond out of the 300 mag that he was borrowing from me exploded the heart, but that bull still ran about 15 yards dead on his feet.

 

[gohring3006]

I remember my first ever deer hunt, it was back when kids could hunt by themselves.
My dad put me on a old logging road, that the deer were using to move between feeding and bedding. (Shot several deer off that road thru the years.)
Anyway, I was about 8 years old with my 870 Wingmaster 20 gauge. (Shotgun only in Ohio back then.) A small doe ran up and was about 8ft from me.
I emptied 5 slugs out of the gun, and not one I of them hit the deer...
I don't remember if I even aimed....

 

[Gord0]

Closest whitetail deer with a rifle was way out there at 40yds with a 300WM and 168gr Barnes. Closest ever was my first deer I ever shot. Archery season 1996. I was up in my homemade tree stand hunting the edge of a swamp on my grandparents property. There is an apple orchard that borders the swamp also. I had tossed a few apples out in front of my stand the day before to hopefully get the deer to use the trail in front of my stand to go out to the orchard in the morning. Well it worked. I had 6 doe stop 10' in front of me, while I was 10' in the air. She only ran 20yds.

 

[Leslie Sapp]

My son's first deer ( he was 11 at the time) was 4 steps from where he was sitting in the canoe, and less than that from end the barrel of the shotgun. It was curled up asleep behind a big cypress tree as we glided quietly by.

The deer was still behind the tree from me, and when he suddenly raised his gun and fired at the ground I thought he was shooting at a cottonmouth.

He shot it right in the back of the head with a load of #1 buckshot - we found enough antler fragments to figure out it was probably a spike.

 

[Engineering101]

I got a kick out of all those stories. Thanks for sharing. You guys have gotten close!

 

[HARPERC]

......I remember my first ever deer hunt, it was back when kids could hunt by themselves...........

The good old days.

One I didn't shoot-Before us kids knew there were seasons for anything but big game, and waterfowl.

We were on safari with our pellet guns. Squirrels, magpies, rabbits, whatever.

A little stand of brush and trees next to a pond. I could hear something in the leaves, and thought for sure it was quail. Tight cover, I was small, and still had trouble getting in bent low. Something a grown man likely couldn't/wouldn't get in.

I got to about midway when the brush explodes in front of me-more than enough to know I hadn't flushed quail. I rolled, or fell on my back in time to see a 4 point Blacktail go over the top me.

He went as far as the ponds far side and stopped, nice deer still in velvet. Odd his ribs were still showing from winter (late July, early August), and even busted out of bed, really was reluctant to put distance between us once he decided we weren't a threat.

People talk whitetails brushing up, my experience with blacktails, in some habitats crawl in farther.

 

[gohring3006]

The good old days.

One I didn't shoot-Before us kids knew there were seasons for anything but big game, and waterfowl.

We were on safari with our pellet guns. Squirrels, magpies, rabbits, whatever.

A little stand of brush and trees next to a pond. I could hear something in the leaves, and thought for sure it was quail. Tight cover, I was small, and still had trouble getting in bent low. Something a grown man likely couldn't/wouldn't get in.

I got to about midway when the brush explodes in front of me-more than enough to know I hadn't flushed quail. I rolled, or fell on my back in time to see a 4 point Blacktail go over the top me.

He went as far as the ponds far side and stopped, nice deer still in velvet. Odd his ribs were still showing from winter (late July, early August), and even busted out of bed, really was reluctant to put distance between us once he decided we weren't a threat.

People talk whitetails brushing up, my experience with blacktails, in some habitats crawl in farther.

Ah yes, the pellet gun safaris... I remember those days.