Take a second shot?

If it’s not dead and it gets up. Follow up shot is the responsible thing to do. Worry about meat lost second.
This
 
I don't take running shots. What I have bow, crossbow, gun, muzzleloader...is not a factor personally.
 
If I would have take a second shot I'd have a really nice 160-165 inch buck in Iowa back in around 2014/15. Learned my lesson. 35 yds with shotgun....Dropped like a rock, he was squirming on the ground, I thought he was simply dying. Wirled up in one motion and was gone in seconds. Never found him. If I would have done a follow up shot when he was moving on the ground, he would be on the wall.
 
Yep, same here. Thought it was done just letting expire. Even had time to gather my stuff, get out of stand and walk up to it. It was, what I thought barely alive so I started getting out my knife. Then it flop into some brush and got legs. Never found it. I couldn’t believe it. As long as it’s safe , bow or gun I keep shooting now.
 
Yep, same here. Thought it was done just letting expire. Even had time to gather my stuff, get out of stand and walk up to it. It was, what I thought barely alive so I started getting out my knife. Then it flop into some brush and got legs. Never found it. I couldn’t believe it. As long as it’s safe , bow or gun I keep shooting now.

Reminds me of a funny story I was told. Guy was hunting with a shotgun with a rifled barrel on the military base I was hunting. He shot at a buck and it dropped. He walked over to the buck lying dead still with its eyes closed (should have been an indicator). He positioned the deer and laid his firearm across it and stepped away to take a picture. As he was talking the picture, the buck stood up. The sling got tangled in his antlers and the buck took off with his gun.

My best guess was that the slug grazed the head and knocked the buck out. The guy never saw blood on the deer as it was running or on the ground where it laid.

I can't personally attest that this story is true, but others that hunt on base swear to its authenticity.

Thanks,

Jack
 
I will not take a poor shot ever on purpose. If they are still on their feet I keep shooting if given a chance.
 
As long as it’s a safe shot and I feel I hit the deer the first shot. I will continue to shoot a deer as long as it continues to move. You need to be very careful when doing this as your focus can be not what it should be.
 
As Sheriff Grady Judd of Florida says about bad guys, "Shoot them, and shoot them a lot!"
 
No we do not shoot at deer that run after the shot. We shoot at standing deer only and except for deer that are extremely close we always use some sort of rest.
 
I think it comes down to finding the right balance between safety and ethics. None of us likes to shoot a deer and have it suffer more than necessary. We all want to recover every deer we shoot. We tend to feel that the meat is wasted if we don't, but it does go back into the cycle of life in some form. We also don't want to lose any more meat to bullet damage than necessary when we process the deer. There is a lot we can do up front, before we squeeze the trigger to minimize the chances of losing a deer, but things do happen and that is why they call it hunting, not killing. Having said that, there is nothing related to hunting that takes precedence over our safety and the safety of others. Follow-up shots should only be taken when it can be done safely.

A very good practice is to establish safe zones of fire for a follow-up shot before you take the initial shot. Ask yourself, if this deer doesn't go down, in which directions can I take a follow up shot if it runs and which are no-shoot directions.

Thanks,

Jack
 
I saw a deer at the processors this year that had a series of five holes running lengthwise along it's carcass. When I questioned the need for this, the processor showed me the rack. 170 typical. The guy kept shooting until the deer stopped moving lol. I might have too.
 
I know how the deer reacts if the shot was true (with gun). If You know it was a good shoot why shoot again? I don‘t get the shoot until it stops moving. Obviously there are times a second shot is needed but way less than are taKen. A deer twitching on the ground doesn’t need another shot.
 
I saw a deer at the processors this year that had a series of five holes running lengthwise along it's carcass. When I questioned the need for this, the processor showed me the rack. 170 typical. The guy kept shooting until the deer stopped moving lol. I might have too.

I don't know anything about the situation described, but I will say that when antler size takes precedence over all else, our sport is in trouble!
 
If you are worried about crossing lines I would shoot shoulder/high shoulder with a gun and you won't have to worry about it.Study the anatomy and it could help.
 
If you are worried about crossing lines I would shoot shoulder/high shoulder with a gun and you won't have to worry about it.Study the anatomy and it could help.

A scapula shot is a great rifle shot and deer usually drop in their tacks, but things happen if the field. Deer move, hunters flinch, wind gusts occur... Shot placement is a key hunting skill, but we always need to be prepared for the unexpected.
 
I am the one with the original question. I rifle hunt with a 30-06, very few deer make it more then a few steps. The deer in question I did take the second shot, because of having to track one onto the neighbors land last year. The shot was a good shot, and probably it wouldn’t have made it 50 yards, but I took the shot to be certain.
Jack as for safety, I know my surroundings. I am color blind, so your bright orange clothes don’t mean much to me. So I make sure my shots are well planned out. I know directions I can shoot, and where I can’t. Most of my shots are down, or into hillsides. Anyone hunting with me knows they need to text me, and make sure I respond to the text prior to walking anywhere near me. All my neighbors have my number, and will text me, and not randomly show up. I have deer hunted since I was 10, and learned early that I need to take special precautions.

I make sure of my target, and not shoot at movement, or shadows, and try to take as much precaution as possible, before hunting.
Now the random trespasser...
 
I am the one with the original question. I rifle hunt with a 30-06, very few deer make it more then a few steps. The deer in question I did take the second shot, because of having to track one onto the neighbors land last year. The shot was a good shot, and probably it wouldn’t have made it 50 yards, but I took the shot to be certain.
Jack as for safety, I know my surroundings. I am color blind, so your bright orange clothes don’t mean much to me. So I make sure my shots are well planned out. I know directions I can shoot, and where I can’t. Most of my shots are down, or into hillsides. Anyone hunting with me knows they need to text me, and make sure I respond to the text prior to walking anywhere near me. All my neighbors have my number, and will text me, and not randomly show up. I have deer hunted since I was 10, and learned early that I need to take special precautions.

I make sure of my target, and not shoot at movement, or shadows, and try to take as much precaution as possible, before hunting.
Now the random trespasser...

Sound like you've got things well in hand. :emoji_smile:
 
I am the one with the original question. I rifle hunt with a 30-06, very few deer make it more then a few steps. The deer in question I did take the second shot, because of having to track one onto the neighbors land last year. The shot was a good shot, and probably it wouldn’t have made it 50 yards, but I took the shot to be certain.
Jack as for safety, I know my surroundings. I am color blind, so your bright orange clothes don’t mean much to me. So I make sure my shots are well planned out. I know directions I can shoot, and where I can’t. Most of my shots are down, or into hillsides. Anyone hunting with me knows they need to text me, and make sure I respond to the text prior to walking anywhere near me. All my neighbors have my number, and will text me, and not randomly show up. I have deer hunted since I was 10, and learned early that I need to take special precautions.

I make sure of my target, and not shoot at movement, or shadows, and try to take as much precaution as possible, before hunting.
Now the random trespasser...
Oh crap another blind blue plater moving up here :emoji_grinning:
 
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