shortest shot on a big game animal?

[pilsner]

My first pig hunt in Florida, i stuck a pig. Definitely not my cup of tea, that's for sure. I have zero desire to ever do it again, now still hunting pigs threw the swamps, that's fun

Did the same once in the Quataches Mtns of Arkansas. I got there before the strike/hold dog did. It was a rodeo to say the least but i got it done.
I did 2 tours of Iraq as a infantry medic and ive yet to see anything as hectic, loud, and intimidating as that medium sized hog fighting that sm/medium dog! I had zero desire to waltz in there and deal with either of them but i was already committed.

Definitely Class II fun that i have little desire to repeat any time soon.

 

[Mosquito]

I killed a black bear in Canada 25 years ago and i practiced all summer long with these big telephone pole aluminum arrows and 125 grain thunderheads. Anyways i saved 1 good arrow and never shot it just so it would be perfect . In Canada there must be a million chipmunks and when i was climbing my tree that 1 good arrow fell out and stuck in the ground. I looked through the bottom of my treestand and what i thought was a chipmunk was a bear smelling that 1 good arrow. I ended up shooting it at about 8 yards... after it finally quit messing with that da@* arrow

 

[Dunning Kruger]

Sure would like to hear more about the cougar hunt / I’m afraid I’d have to change my pants after either one of those encounters

Washington lion

Got this female lion in ferry county wa on dec 5th. Called her in making calm fawn bleats. Calling for about 23 minutes, when i noticed some really slow movement in my peripheral vision. She was creeping up on me on the other side of a thick bush just 5 paces away. It was my 8th or 9th...

www.hunttalk.com

 

[Mtnhunter1]

Closest Shot? Scanned pics from waaay back in 1988.

That year Montana FWP decided to not open the archery season due to the elevated fire danger us hunters would surely bring to the landscape. This was, dumb-as-hell in my opinion, but, it did allow me a few extra weeks to truly explore what the lovely state of Oregon had to offer.

Finally getting the word that Montana would be opening the season, I had time to check out one last backcountry area. That area was the West Fork of the John Day Wilderness.

Midday found me waiting out a bull and his cows that had holed up on a downfall infested bench. I was kicked back resting against one of the many downed trees just below the elk herd when I heard a stick snap below me. Glancing downhill revealed that a satellite bull was feeding and working his way directly to my position. After a time, the bull was within 20yds and only had two uphill options. Option #1 would have him going to the right of a double trunked tree that my boots were pressed against and stepping on me. Option #2 would direct his path around the double tree and that would place him roughly 4’-6’ feet beyond my stretched out legs. He chose option #2 and as his head went behind the double tree I nocked an arrow. He fed out and turned quartering away and when he swung his head behind his body I came to full draw and shot. The arrow buried to the fletching and the bull stiffened up and locked his legs. A moment later he pivoted on his rear legs and swung his front end around facing me. I remember thinking that this was not a good position to be in! I was still sitting on my ass with a fatally hit bull facing me,,, just a few feet from my boots. In a fraction of a second, the bull pushed forward, I sprang up and back peddled….flipping backwards over the downfall that I had been resting against! Lucky for me, the bull was done and collapsed against the double trunked tree and I didn’t get hoof strikes as he jumped on top of me.



The freshly removed bark on the downfall at the bottom of the photo was from my ass as I flipped backwards over the top of that downfall.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A week later, and with Montana’s season now open, I was deep in another beautiful wilderness area. I had a friend as a hunting companion on this trip. This friend, while a good hunter, had never had a chance at taking an elk with his bow. With this, I was hoping to help my friend finally succeed in his archery goal of arrowing a bull. An hour into the first full day found us in the middle of a rut fest with five or six bulls bouncing bugles back and forth. As luck shined, my friend arrowed a nice 5x5 satellite bull at about 15yds. I left him to begin the gut-n-gill chores and took off in pursuit of what I felt was the herd bull pushing his cows up the brush infested hillside. I had a hunch that the elk would post up on a small series of benches that jutted out from the steep side of the canyon. I circled up the canyon to gain the wind and tried to keep track of the bull’s progress via his bugles. The bugles finally went silent as the herd reached their resting place. I side hilled into the wind and slowly made my way towards the bench area. Closing in, I could see the ass end and ears flicker of a bedded cow but that was the only elk visible. With the cow located, I knew that the bull wouldn’t be far away. Slipping to within 30-35yds of the bedded cow, I then posted up to wait, watch and listen for any sign of the bull. An hour passed with only a few glimpses of additional elk viewed through the timber below me. Then a bull cut loose way up the valley and another responded above and behind me. These two bulls would bounce insults back and forth but no sign or sound from the bull that I felt was right below me. The bedded cow decided to relocate and disappeared downhill. I stayed patient and held my ground, even though I could not see an elk but occasionally could hear them moving about below me. Out of nowhere, a bull cut loose with a bugle within a few hundred yards above me. That got the bull out of his bed below me as I could see the top of a tree below me swaying and could hear horns slapping the trunk. I maneuvered above the swaying tree but still could not see the bull due to the dense brush and tree limbs. Tucking my bugle tube under my arm, so that the sound would carry behind me, I bugled. Before I could even complete the bugle, the bull plowed through the fir boughs growling as he marched up the slope. He would cross in front of me at about 10yds and I was going to shoot after he cleared a little fir tree directly cross slope of my position. But instead of clearing the tree and continuing up the hill, the bull decided to cut through the little tree and turn directly towards me. WTH? Nothing but horn and head were visible and closing fast! I leaned as hard as I could into the slope to try and gain a shot angle to his chest. When I had brow tines on each side of my bow riser is when I released the arrow. With the shot the bull whirled and made two or three lunges uphill. As the bull turned, his bows hit my riser and swept my bow to the side. The bull was bewildered on what had just happened as he stood there looking at me, broadside, at about 8yds. A bugle then cut through the confusion from above our location. The bull swung his head to the direction of the other bull and that gave me a chance to get another arrow on the string and complete shot number two. The second shot was perfect and I was able to watch the bull collapse within 30yds. After examining the bull I realized that the first arrow did not hit “The Hole” and the broadhead was buried in the scapula joint and would have been a wounding hit if not followed by the second shot.





That time of year is almost upon us and I hope that all of you have a safe successful adventure this fall.



Mtnhunter

 

[.270Rem]

I shot a doe as she ran past on a drive at less than five yards. You could cover the nine OO buck holes in her ribs with the palm of your hand.

 

[Buschy]

Last fall. Shot this 5x5 bull at 20 feet with a rifle.

 

[buffybr]

My shortest shot on a big game animal (and my only archery shot) was 10 yards on a 5x5 bull elk with a recurve bow.

My shortest rifle shot was probably a mountain lion out of a pinyon pine tree at maybe 5 yards with my Win Model 94 .30-30.

My shortest shot with a pistol was either of two black bears that I shot at 20-25 yards on spot and stalk hunts with my Gov't Model 1911 .45 acp and my Ruger SBH .44 magnum.

And my shortest shot with my .300 Weatherby was this Mozambique leopard at 50 yards.

 

[TheTone]

Javelina in 2019 at 2 steps. Friend of mine accidentally busted the group which proceeded to run right past me. I had to jump out of the way of the one following the one I shot

 

[kansasdad]

Alberta black bear 7 yards. Somersaulted and took two bounding steps (away!!) and collapsed. The air exiting his 12 gauge slug wounds sounded like a pneumatic door opening on a Greyhound bus.

 

[Jc2020]

I got a white tail doe at 5 ft was walking in to bow hunt saw it coming down the trail stood behind a big cotton wood at full draw as soon as it came past the tree I shot hit it right where the head and neck meet

 

[Guy]

Black bear at about 15 feet.

Another hunter had wounded it, and it went into the brush. As I was more experienced with that sort of thing, I went into the brush to find and finish the bear. Remember hearing it moving and not being able to see it. Then I could hear it breathing but still couldn't see it. Finally I got a glimpse of the bear and shot it at what felt like way too short of range. I had the scope set at 1.5x, but had briefly considered removing the scope and just using sights before I went into the brush. Either way would have worked. Ya, that was as close as I ever want to get to a good size, wounded bear.

Guy

 

[np307]

Missed what would have been my first buck directly under my stand with a muzzleloader. Killed a 4 pt (eastern score) at 15 yards with my rifle last fall. Had a spike at 5 yards but no buck tags left at the end of the season.

 

[noharleyyet]

Walking into the wind early up a ridge I spot cows moving perpendicular left to right at maybe 40 yards. Set up the monopod slowly and waited what seemed like an eternity & he shows up slightly quartering toward me. The Sako 300 wizzum is sighted 2”@ 100 & I aim at the fore crease on his right shoulder and miss high. He doesn’t move. The next shot hit him in the spine, almost missing again.

*pic added

https://flic.kr/p/2kjC3bf

 

[pklimpel]

No pictures, but shot a doe about 3’ from the base of the tree I was bow hunting in.

Good job

 

[pklimpel]

View attachment 150155
First rifle harvest @ 80 yards

Nice

 

[bullbugle307]

40 yds with a rifle on a pronghorn. He would've walked within 5 if I hadn't set up and shot him as he was coming right at me. My buddy had a pronghorn within ten yards of him right before he shot his last buck. Scared the dickens outta that little buck that was right next to him when he shot his buddy.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I shot a 12 point with my bow at the base of my tree. I spined him between his shoulder blades and he dropped in his tracks. He was laying against the tree after he fell.

I shot a doubled spurred turkey at 4 feet.

 

[wyoboypt]

My first elk was under 10 yards and my second with a bow was under ten also.
But I did have a rag horn walk right by me 3 or 4 years ago. I was calling him in for a buddy and he circled behind me, I was standing in the middle of the trail eating a snack and calling. He walks right past me and I have to move my head slightly so his antler didn’t brush my face. Thought he was gonna run me over but I stayed frozen. Way cool.

 

[WapitiBob]

post up pics if u got em

NM archery, maybe 2 steps.

 

[6mm Remington]

Rifle: Ruger 1B single-shot in 30-06 - 4x Leupold Scope.
Distance: From the end of the barrel about 6 FEET.
Animal: black bear

Hunting one early November day during rifle season. It was too dang hot and game was not active and hard to find. A friend and I decided to take a little drive up a side road just to poke around and waste some time. It was too early to start our maybe 16 mile drive down the mountain to where we had our camp in a couple drainages over. Thinking was we might see some critters just poking along as we headed out.

Got up to the end of the 4x4 trail and parked. It ended on a really steep hillside that had been logged recently. The hillside was about a 45- 60 degree slope or steeper and dropped clear down into the bottom and up the opposite side which was also steep. This was a clearcut of just guessing about 100 acres or so. We started to walk away from my Jeep and I mentioned that at least one of us should have a rifle so I grabbed my Ruger single-shot and we walked up the cut road about 1/4 of a mile. We had been standing there glassing for maybe 15 minutes when in a location about 250 yards away and slightly below us a nice fat black bear just appeared on this bare hillside out of nothing. We guessed that it must have a den there and was prepping it for winter. We watched the bear for several minutes to make sure it was not a sow with cubs. We finally felt confident that there were no cubs and I was set up over a stump to shoot.

In front of the bear was some light grass that covered the bottom half of her side it was so tall. I do not know why, but I was afraid if I shot the bear right behind the shoulder that there was a possibility that my bullet might be deflected and not hit where I wanted it to. I held more at the top of the bears side behind the shoulder just a few inches down on the side below the spine. I very carefully touched off and did not hear the bullet hit. The bear spun around like a lightning bolt and took a couple steps and disappeared just like that. Okay now do I have a wounded bear in a den, or do I have a dead bear in a den, or do I have a completely uninjured animal. Which do you want to fight one that is injured badly or one that is completely healthy. Hard choice.

My friend decided that he should probably approach this situation with me with his rifle in his hands and not sitting back in my Jeep. I kept an eye on the hillside while he went to get his rifle. A few minutes later he got back to me and we approached where the bear had been. He went up the hill about 25 yards to a second cut road on the hillside and covered me. I went on the cut road that would lead my directly over and then past where I figured this den would be. I had a round chambered with the safety on and carried another loaded cartridge in my left hand in case I needed a quick second shot.

I got past where I felt the hole was and did not see or hear anything. I then dropped down about 12 feet below the cut and started edging towards the hole location with my rifle at the ready. I got to where I was only about 10 feet from the hole and I could see just part of the bears head as it was facing out. I did not have enough head to take a killing shot so I was forced to drop below the hole in the hillside about 30 feet and side hilled across the ridge until I was on the other side. The hole was dug into the hillside at an angle that faced away from me. Once I got to where I needed to be I started stepping up the hill while holding my rifle pointing at the hole. I had told me buddy cover my butt as I did this. Once I got up to where I had a shot my head was about level with the bears head and my feet were obviously lower. If I had to run or move quickly it was also going to be very difficult with the steep uneven hillside and debris from the logging.

The bear was still facing out and I could not tell if it was hit. It was not making any sounds that might suggest that and it was not popping it's teeth or anything, or possibly huffing. I crept up to as I said where I my head and it's head were even. I had my rifle trained on the bear and as the distance was SO CLOSE that I could not use my scope. I had to look down the side of the barrel and aim. I told my friend that I was going to shoot and then I was going to try and run away. Good luck with that! I squeezed off and there was a loud boom and dust and I turned tail and made the quickest exit the I could. I put another round in and approached the hole again. When I got close enough I could just see a huge black mass in the darkness of the hole and the bears head was near the edge. I poked the bear in the head with the barrel and it never moved. It was dead.

I finally got to take a heavy sigh of relief and relax. My friend came down the steep hillside to join me. We looked the situation and the next question was how the heck were we going to get her out of the hole in the hillside. We reached around behind her skull and pulled in tandem short bursts and finally got the bear out of the hole just as you might imagine a seal coming up out of a hole in the ice. My bullet had hit the bear over the left eye right in the eyelid killing her instantly. I still don't know to this day which one would have been worse. A badly wounded bear that likely would not have been able to realistically do much or one that was completely healthy. This bear was completely healthy and my bullet had not hit her and went through the hair on her back that was about 5" thick! The bear ended up being a sow without any cubs and was dry. She was really fat and we estimated she weighed about 250 pounds and was 5' from nose to tail.

6 FEET that's my closest.