SHORTEST shot

DarkStar11 · April 2002

OK, we all hear the brags about the longest shot made, killed a gnat at 1500 yards, etc.

What about your SHORTEST shot, or successful hunting bloopers?

Mine was my first year hunting, 12 years old. Sitting there in my stand with a .30-30 since 4:30 AM, thinking about eating that sandwich I got for lunch even if it is 8 AM. I see a 7 point and a couple of does walking towards me, with no hesitation. I get the gun ready. He keeps coming closer. He follows the trail,until he's literally on the other side of a big rock from me (less than 5 yards away). I'm ready to pee myself (heck, I'm 12!), see brown hair as he walks into the sights, and pull the trigger! The bullet smacks him in the jaw, makes him twist his neck so hard he breaks it and drops right there.

I ain't proud of my marksmanship on my first kill, but I'm still proud of the deer -- and it is my shortest kill ever. If you don't count the shrew I killed with a stove poker because the girlfriend was freaking out....

DarkStar11"Now is the test of the boomerangtossed in the night of redeeming"

Big Sky Redneck · April 2002

Shortest shot I made was on a tiny doe at about 10 yds. We was making a drive and it ran up to me from the lowside, I got the gun up and it stopped behind a tree. When it stepped out I had to shoot her looking down the side of the barrel. I shot her with the 7mm mag, I could see the hole in the shoulder after I shot, she picked up her leg, looked at me like she was askin "what did you do that for?" and ran downhill about 100 yds before she croaked. we never could explain that shot, she only had shock damage into the ribs but no visible wound channel or exit hole and no bullet recovered. Somebody tell me where that 160 grain Sierra gameking went?

twins · April 2002

Shortest shot was 2000 feet, one hand behind my back, one eye closed, standing on one foot, one front sight and no rear sight, with a 15 mph cross wind....it was a chipmunk too I might add, with just his head out of his burrow, did I mention it was a 218 I mean 22 pistol. To be exact, my Jennings J22, slide will come off when trigger is squeezed, mini bayo, with granade launcher attached Jennings!

Seriously though, I don't think I have had any under 30 yards and nothing over about 85 yards. I LIVE IN IOWA FOR GOD'S SAKE. If its any closer I would be to shocked to shoot it and if it's out past 100 yards you may as well forget it. (no high power allowed here)

gunpaq · May 2002

About 10 yards +/- felling a doe running directly towards me down a trail when I was 14. Kept thinking she would see me or veer off to one side. Shot from the hip, more on instinct than fear of own safety. Was using my grandfather's Winchester M94 .38-55 with octagon barrel. Earlier that same year I shot a pheasant at about 10' with a 16ga from atop a creek bank - those two drum sticks were pretty good as that was all that was left.

Pack slow, fall stable, pull high, hit dead center.

Tailgunner1954 · May 2002

Right about 5 feet also, soaking wet gopher with a 22, not a easy shot considering how hard I was laughing.
I'm assumeing that you don't want to count the "contact" shots I've made to put animals down (dogs, cats, pigs, horses, cows etc).

Some guys like a mag full of lead, I still prefer one round to the head.

Sawz · May 2002

Calling coyotes one morning had my back to a dead fallen tree crotch when I heard a "wind" behind me and out of the corner of my eye saw a yote coming round the side of me and did a button hook and stop right in front of me broadside at 20 feet he was looking at my partner who didnt even see the dog I raised slowly and slammed him to the ground. scared the sagebrush out of my partner who was unaware of the whole thing till I shot. There was snow on the ground and I paced off the tracks behind me at 7 feet where he came in behind me Im hard of hearing plus had a knit cap on so I knew it had to of been close.
That same partner a year or two later shot one about same distance on the other side of a tree. That was coming in at a dead out run trying to get ahead of his other two dog freinds

"Respect your Tools"
"Freedom is not Free"

n/a · May 2002

Approximately 22 feet on a She Elk w/a .58 cal Thompson Center "Big Boar". The shot wasn't challenging but the stalk sure was. Perfect conditions, wet ground about a 3-5 MPH wind in my favor. Knew the herd was in the immediate area, I could actually smell them. Topped a ridgeline and there she was. Boom. Food in the freezer for a long time. Sweeeeeeet.

I have several better Elk tales but this was the short one.

Lt the Elk slayer

"We become what we habitually do. If we act rightly, we become upright men. If we habitually act wrongly, or weakly, we become weak and corrupt" - *ARISTOTLE*

**Like Grandad used to say--"It'll feel better when it quits hurtin"

XP100 · May 2002

My first Tom turkey at 18ft. got so intrigued watching it come in I didn't shoot until it was that close. #4's in my 12 guage took its head completely off. Now I try to take them a little farther out.

William81 · May 2002

During the 1998 deer season in Illinois, I had very limited time in the field due to a family illness. I figured that at best one day was it so as not to cause a hardship on anyone else at home.

Ten minutes after sun up 6 deer came walking down the water way next to the ground blind I had set up in a cornfield. There was a very nice 8 point and the rest were does and yearlings. The buck took off into the corn without me firing a shot. The other five worked their way down and stopped right in front of me. I had two permits that year, so I shot the first doe at 8 feet, she dropped like a rock. The rest ran back up the water way and stopped about 65 yards away.
I lined up a second doe and dropped her also. So I ended up with 2 does in less than 10 seconds and was home with in an hour and a half.

This year I passed up on a similar short shot from the same location on a small 6 pointer.

hacker · May 2002

dove hunting many years ago. walking across field when bird flew up from between my feet. swung muzzle of side by side 12 gauge up and fired from hip with bird no more than 12 inches from muzzle. should have let it go. all i found was the wings. rest of the bird could not be found except for a few feathers.

i never make misteakes.

dobieman0690 · May 2002

analope hunting in eastern montana laying on my back in a ditch and having a 151/2 in buck walk right up to edge of ditch and looking me in the eyes shot at 3 feet fell on me

wipala · May 2002

3 feet Was 14 out deer hunting and nodded off with a 30-30 angled across my lap leaned back againt a tree. Opened my eyes and a little spike buck was looking around the tree at me. Just swung the muzzle up and fired. Stupidest thing I ever did. The muzzle was about 6" from my left ear. So I still can't hear right in that ear.

muley · May 2002

dano.....I get it. Can't wait to hear the details later.

n/a · May 2002

Some of you may not like reading this Parental Guidence is advised

My shortest shot was about 18 inches.

Place :Vietnam

Circumstances: Viet Cong overrunning Position,

Rounded the corner of a bunker and low and behold face to face with a vietcong , bang went the .45, Ya cant appreciate the old colt .45 until you see what it really can do. Saved my bacon that day.

austin247 · May 2002

I couldn't have been more than 9 or 10, and for the first time my Dad was letting me go rabbit and squirrel hunting for myself, without him along. We had 40 acres up in north Texas, so I got up before sunrise one Saturday and set out with my Dad's old Sears 20 gauge.

As I walked past an old brush pile, a cottontail ran out of the brush directly in front of me. Startled, I raised the shotgun and fired. I believe I was using #8 shot, and I fired when the bunny was 6-7 feet from me. All that was left were some feet and fur and a big soggy red mess.

That taught me to let 'em run a few more feet before you shoot 'em with a shotgun.

CAndres35 · May 2002

shortest shot with bow was the first one. deer actually ate leaves off the tree limb i was standing on. i shot him at about 15 ft. little six pointer. closest deer was about 3/4ft. i had to lean over the gaurd rail and shoot straight down,shot between the shoulders. i have also had some very close ones with squirrels where the scope on my trustee 10/22 was filled with animal and hard time figuring out where to shoot. CARL

v35 · May 2002

I was standing in the pines by a noisy salmon stream in Maine, tying a fly when a weasel sprang out of a hole between my feet and froze. I slowly eased my HiPower out, fired and missed. Range, less than two feet.

pickenup · May 2002

Years back I raised alot of different kinds of birds, indoor and outside variety. One morning I went to feed and water them and found nothing but leftovers in the pigeon loft. Got to looking aroung and a raccoon had managed to get in and killed every last one of the pigeons, (some people would say that was a good thing). Because of the way the pen was constructed he could not find his way out. I went back to the house for my trusted Ruger 10-22, hand fed a 22 short and pulled a bead right between the eyes. Can you guess what happened? Yup, sure enough the darn thing bounced right off that thick skull of his. Dazed him but that was it. Second shot was in the throat that one worked. Not hard to hit at about 5 feet.

If I knew then, what I know now.

andersk · May 2002

Well, my shortest shot was about 2 inches ... my .356 Winchester model 94 sure stopped that rabbit with one shot in the eye. Even though I was really hunting deer, I had to do it. When I first saw him he was three feet away, then he ran about 30 yards away. So I says to myself, don't be stupid. It isn't worth it and all the deer in the area will be alerted. Then he comes back and sits down beside my boot ... well, a rabbit that dumb won't make it through the winter. So I ended his misery. He sure tasted good, too!

Shortest shot on a whitetail deer was about 10 yards. I saw him when my gun was on the ground (for a good reason). He walked off ... I grunted and picked up my rifle, and he came back. All I could see was the head and the antlers. Bang in the head (I must be into head shots!) and he (Medium sized 6 pointer.) sure tasted good too.

Ken

legn4 · May 2002

Years ago * hunting one nite with my dad. He was trying to hold the lite and I emtpied my Ruger six out as the * came down the tree (fast).I just grabbed the barrel & wracked him in the head with the grip end.Then the dogs took over.That last shot(wrack) was to close!

Work'n like a dog all nite

interstatepawnllc · May 2002

The shortest shot/kill I ever took was back in Florida when I was a teenager. You see in Florida we got some REALLY big cucarachas, (cockroaches) well I would take a .22 lr round and bite the bullet off the end being careful not to let the powder to fall out. I would then press the cartridge into a soap bar about 3/8". I would then hand load the round into my rifle and take aim at my pesky little target. Blammmo, shortest kill was about 18", damn roach particulate everwhere. I was quite the resourceful laddy.

Pup · May 2002

Two seasons ago while deer hunting I was sitting in a fence line just inside the field lane when a nice little 8 point we had been working finally came right by me. Pulled up the Super Redhawk and saw nothing but brown fur in the red dot. Looked down the side of the barrel and lined it up and capped him. Distance was about 10 feet, and it was in the morning with the sun to my back and a snow covered field behind the deer. Shot went throught the neck and the bloodspray was quite impressive. He staggered about 20 more feet when I put another just behind the shoulder that dropped him dead. For awhile I'd been thinking about getting a Ruger in .454 Casull, but after seeing what that .44 did I realize I don't really need one. Now I can put that extra cash toward one of those Jennings I keep hearing about
Twins....what part of Iowa you live in? I'm stuck in the northwest area.

Politicians, like diapers, should be changed often and for the same reason.

BoltactionMan · May 2002

Shortest shot made, button buck. Stand was 10 ft off the ground, buck was 9 feet off of the ladder. So maybe 15 feet in a straight line. In my defense, I had to shoot left handed because he was so close.

Shortest shot missed, yearling doe. I was in a stand about 6 1/2 feet off of the ground. Deer was directly underneath me, missed and 8 foot shot with my .41 Mag. Too cocky, figured how could I miss? She made two hops and stopped to look around, holstered my gun. She won fair and square.

KC

twins · May 2002

Pup,

I live right on the Iowa / Illinois border ( the Mississippi is about 3 min from my house) about 30 min from Davenport,Ia - Moline & Rock Island Ill. Technically South East Iowa.

twins

DaRoosta · May 2002

My shortest shot was on my very first bull elk on the first day I ever hunted by myself. The bull was beginning down a draw as I stepped out of a thicket of little pine trees, running at full stride. I stopped with my open-sighted 30-30 Winchester. I lost him for a second. He turned and ran back up the hill, then turned and started running straight towards me, weaving in and out of the trees. My grandfather had spooked him from the next canyon over. I was knelt down and had the rifle ready to go. As he got closer and closer, with his head down, I was wondering how I was going to get a shot off and if he would run me over. He got to about 40-feet from me, picked up his head, snorted out his nose and I popped him in the chest. He jumped over a log and all I could think was a 30-30 isn't big enough for a one-shot kill. I jumped over the log to run after him. It was straight downhill and more than 2' of snow. After I jumped over the log, it was apparent that he hadn't gone far by the sign he left. He slid down the hill on his chest in the snow and rested beneath a tree about half way down the draw. I had just reached him by the time my grandfather made it to the top of the ridge. He yelled "did you get him" and I yelled back "I think so, he's laying here". A perfect 4x4 Rocky Mountain bull elk. I'll never forget it.

Shootist3006 · May 2002

One-day rabbit hunting, stopped to relieve myself. Must have surprised the heck out of Mr. Cottontail because he sure took off from the clump of grass I was irrigating.

Quod principi placuit legis habet vigorem.Semper Fidelis

varmit hunter · May 2002

Skunk,Thee yards,12ga,There was no winner.

A unarmed man is a subject.A armed man is a citizen.

old single shots · May 2002

I also learned the skunk thing the hard way.About 10 feet away with a Colt Delta Elite 10 mm.I will NEVER do that again.

wipala · May 2002

I almost shot a skunk on the wing one time. I had a big male brittney lock up on point when quall hunting. My nephew and I came up slowly behind him and I watched in horror as the dog broke point lunged in grabbed a skunk and tossed it back over his head and hit my nephew in the chest with it. He and the dog rode home in the back of the truck. He was around 13 and his momma was so mad she wouldn't let him go hunting with me again for 2 years. Not about the skunk but because I made him ride in the back of the truck with the dogs

Rickstir · May 2002

Opening day of the 2000 deer season. Eight pointer walked right under my stand at 6:10am (pretty dark). Scared the bejabers out of the other two guys on the farm. Could'nt bother the deer though, they took bucks too a few hours later.

Shortest non-shot??? Quail hunting with my yellow lab Budweiser. He jumped a bird and caught it in his mouth about a foot off the ground. Really improved the bird/shell ratio that day! Good 'ol Budweiser!

Like in the NFL, defense is the key.

ONG · May 2002

Was the day before buck season. Was going down to the neghbors to sight in the 2 12 gauges. One of my daughters 7 pet chickens (this one was a rooster) was standing on top of the wifes car. Chased the chicken off the car, it left a mark. It acted like it wanted to hop back up. I decided enough was enough. Put the one gun in my pickup loaded a slug in the other, shot rooster in chest at 10'. Gun was sighted in fine. Should have gone for a head shot. It "rained" chicken for a couple of seconds, peices parts fell all over the place. Feathers in a 3' circle. Had to get a yard rake to get chicken in a bucket before my daughter caught me. Only thing that you could recognize were the the 2 legs and the head. Went into the house and confessed to my wife. She had seen it all, had tears in her eyes....from laughter. No one missed the rooster, especially me.

ONG

YankeeClipper · May 2002

Less than 10 feet off the end of my old .25-35 94 Winchester.

5db · May 2002

I thought my 8-10' shot on my first Bobwhite with my Dads 30" full choked 12 gauge at the age of 10 was pretty close, but after reading Classic095 post, Cripes! he gets my vote! Glad your here and able to share such classics. Love that .45!!! (those lesser calibers gotta go bang x 2!)

If you have one shot...Accu-Shot Website

iron sights · May 2002

When I was twelve years old, shot an alligator gar three feet away. Our back yard was on the bayou. We had a high diving board six feet over the water. I was on the diving board looking to shoot gars that come to the top in the heat of the day. The alligator gar back and head was on top of the water, lay down on the board holding myself with one arm and reaching with the other arm shot the gar in top of the head. This gar was over twelve foot long and my 410 shotgun did not kill the gar.

Dupont · May 2002

Praire dog at 10 feet, scared him and me! I lived he did'nt!!

hunter280man · May 2002

With a bow I'd have to say about 3 feet from the riser; after mising 3 earlier shots at the same deer. It kept running away from the arrows that hit brush on a very windy day with lots of leaves falling. It walked fast down a runway with one sapling between us.

With a gun I'd have to say about 8 feet left-handed while lying on my back. I was rudly awaken from my morning nap with the crunching of acorns on the other side of my pillow...an old log. Just point and pull!

Though I was born to royalty, I was snatched at birth, so treat me as the noble I am!!!

Mr. Lobo · May 2002

I was about 25 and going out to talk to a man about a horse...As I squatted by a large rock, my pants at my ankles, out came Mr. Nosholders...well my 38 was in my back pocket, cause we always saw Mr. buzztail around, the only problem was that when your pants are around you ankles and you are trying to distance yourself from buzzy it is hard to draw a revolver from the back pocket. I shuffled about 8 feet with you know who hot on my trail. Finely got the darn gun out and on target. Maybe 6 feet but at that point in life it seemed like 1 foot. I now have a darn nice hatband... Guess who won the race.

Jim

cowdoc · May 2002

closest deer shot was out the back window of my garage at a trophy buck big heavy wide racked 5 point (ten point as the eastern people would call it) at about 20yds.... me, brother and brother inlaw had been hunting about all day hadnt seen anything worth shoot decided to call it a day with still about 1/2hr of legal shooting hrs left any ways we where sitting in my garage bsing and i looke out the window of my garage and there he had just stood up from the weeds in one of my cow lots that i winter cattle in i grabed my rifle out of the pickup and stuck it out the window and hammered him.
closest dangerous thing i killed was a 3 1/2ft long rattle snake with a vice grip...
i clamped them right behind its head as it stuck its head out from under a tool box i had managed to get on it (it was under a hay windrow so didnt do any good to throw the tool box at it) ....you do need to be rather quick to do this :-)... i know none of you will believe me on this one but oh well.
doc

I dont give my guns without somebody getting hurt!
I know where my beef comes from.do you know where yours comes from???....mexico,austraila,the UK,south america...???? dont know do you, demand country of origin labling for your food!!!!

Edited by - cowdoc on 05/03/2002 22:17:13

superxjeff · May 2002

quote:
OK, we all hear the brags about the longest shot made, killed a gnat at 1500 yards, etc.

What about your SHORTEST shot, or successful hunting bloopers?

Mine was my first year hunting, 12 years old. Sitting there in my stand with a .30-30 since 4:30 AM, thinking about eating that sandwich I got for lunch even if it is 8 AM. I see a 7 point and a couple of does walking towards me, with no hesitation. I get the gun ready. He keeps coming closer. He follows the trail,until he's literally on the other side of a big rock from me (less than 5 yards away). I'm ready to pee myself (heck, I'm 12!), see brown hair as he walks into the sights, and pull the trigger! The bullet smacks him in the jaw, makes him twist his neck so hard he breaks it and drops right there.

I ain't proud of my marksmanship on my first kill, but I'm still proud of the deer -- and it is my shortest kill ever. If you don't count the shrew I killed with a stove poker because the girlfriend was freaking out....

DarkStar11"Now is the test of the boomerangtossed in the night of redeeming"

superxjeff · May 2002

While pass shooting starlings on the edge of a creek, I had a full grown nutria slide out on the bank not 3 feet from the downward pointed barrrels of my browning citori. After paying vet bills for torn up Labradors all these years I have a particular hatrid for nutrias. Needless to say it wasnt pretty.

quickslvr982 · May 2002

Muzzleloading in Colorado a couple years back three does walked out from timber and brushed agaist my blind. If i had a license i could have easliy put a 54. bullet into the first one at about 6 inches!

SHORTEST shot

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