Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Shortest shot on a deer?

orphaned calf caribou at 15-20 feet in heavy fog. mom was a gut pile ( someone else) 30 yards to my right. we had 3 people and 6 permits, so i burned one. calf would almost surely not survived anyway - quicker this way. It was making funny little noises, searching for mom.

A friend was sitting on a ridgetop rock one year when he saw a cow caribou coming toward him, rifle across his lap. He sat real still and when she passed in front of the muzzle with about 3 feet separation he squeezed the trigger.

I have taken a moose, a deer. and a ram all within 20 yards as well.

I remember a few right under my tree stand, 10ft? Archery, I took my first at 30ft and my second buck at 21ft. I had one buck walk right up to me, 6ft, while I was standing very still (camoed up) and when I moved my bow, ever so slightly, he jumped 6ft in the air and turned inside out (it seemed)! ha Ran off blowing to beat the band.

Archery—about 10 yds. My very first big game critter. 45# Ben Pearson recurve, 1971.

Rifle—30 yds, second biggest buck I’ve ever killed.

In Arizona, my closest was my 2022 coues at 138 yards.

In Texas, I head shot some does inside of 50.

The closest was a doe at around 5 feet. I was a stander on a drive through the laurels. I had a little opening where 2 trails crossed about 10 yards from me. Well, I heard the deer coming and caught a few flashes of brown, I aimed the Model 19 at the opening, and she popped out about 5 feet away instead of on the trails. She looked at me and caught a 158-grain soft point between the eyes.

I killed a doe once with the bow at 3 yards from the base of a tree. I was only up maybe 10 feet in an old Baker climbing stand. Also, a 3-point back in the day at 5 yards from the same Baker.

Not quite sure but could have stuck her head in pop up shooting tent if she wanted too. 380 Matrix bulldog crossbow

15-20 feet at a flat out sideways run.
Been as close at 10 feet watching a couple of spike bucks that walked towards me and stopped when they realized I just didn't look like I belonged there.

my crossbow numbers.

Shortest - 5 yards
Longest - about 50 yards done with a 270fps Excal
Average - 15 yards

Several that were almost straight down under my tree stands. Probably 3-4 yards or so. One on the ground with a rifle at maybe 6-7 yards.

My closest kill was when I was 16 and I used a home made thrusting spear. I stabbed a mule deer and it died, but I got hurt. My dad was not sympathetic either and heaped some sarcasm on me and that made the whole thing hurt more.
My closest shot on a deer was with a 270 at about 8 feet. (a 270 works better then a spear and I didn't get hurt at all that time)

Closest kill was maybe one yard from me, but only about 12 to 18 inches off the muzzle of my rifle, a Ruger 77RL in .250-3000 shooting a handloaded 100gr TSX at about 2790 fps. Wildlife biologist acquaintance of mine had told me that at the beginning of or during the rut, if you could find some fresh scrapes, still being used and freshened by a buck, you could urinate in them and the buck would think that another buck was doing it and would come looking for you. But, only do this when stand hunting off the ground, from a tree stand or shooting house.

Getting a late start on opening morning, just at daylight, I was easing along quietly, walking to my ladder stand along a deer trail that followed the top of a creek bank. About 90 yards along the trail, I found a very fresh scrape, so I stopped and urinated in it a little. I was very familiar with that area and knew if there was one scrape, there would be two to four more before I got to my stand. I traveled about 40 more yards and found another, so I urinated in that one some. About 35 more yards and there was another one, and my stand was only about another 35 yards further on, so I was in the process of urinating in that one when I heard a buck grunting loudly to my right. I looked and coming at me on the trail was a good sized buck and he was pi$$ed off at my pi$$ing in his scrapes. He dropped his head and full-on charged me, antlers aimed right at my lower abdomen. I barely had time to get my rifle off my shoulder, pivot and try to jump to the right, and fire from the hip as I spun.

At the shot, the buck reared up, grazing my coat with its left antler, fell backwards and sideways, falling about 8 feet over the edge of the creek bank, then ran about 40 yards headlong into thick brush and died. I was left shaking like a dog pooping peach pits and it took me a bit to regain my composure. The buck was a young ten-point and weighed about 280 lbs. The bullet entered the buck's chest but there was no exit wound. There was about a 5 inch diameter spot on his chest where all of the hair was gone, with the entrance wound right in the middle, from the muzzle blast. There was no exit wound and I looked for the bullet, but couldn't find it when dressing the deer.

5’

I took a very nice 8 point buck about 6 years ago from approx. 10 yards. I was in a ground blind and he was hot on the trail of a doe...

I shot a black buck antelope at 50 yds, broadside with a .257WBY and Swift Accu-Bomb bullets. I call them Accu-Bomb, because it never exited and was found under the off-side hide. The hydrostatic shock must have been something, because the inside of that antelope was pure liquid mush from stem to stern. Worst animal I've ever cleaned. I think I gagged the whole time.

About 12 feet. whitetail doe in a mesquite thicket

I had a combination license and was elk hunting when a mule deer buck presented himself @ 30yds.. A 275gr. bullet from my .338WM behind his ear instantly lobotomized him, didn't even blink just went straight down. There was a fist sized hole in the opposite side of his skull and the cranium was completely devoid of brain tissue. Hit a whitetail doe just below the spine with a 12ga. slug, she acted as though she had been struck by lightning.

Three paces. So about eight to nine feet. An average eight point hot on a doe. I had to yell at him three times to get him to stop and look at me. Spun around in a circle and fell over dead. 6.5 manbun 143 gr Hornady ELDX factory ammunition.

Lots of up close shots with arrow and rifle/shotgun both. The one that still stands out to me was in Moran, MI in 1989 or so.He walked straight at me with head down.Stopped a just a few feet away and picked his head up, looked right at me and turned quartering away and just stood there.
Nice 8 point
Pre (rifle) treestand days
Man I loved those days

Lotsa close encounters with sleepy deer in corn on windy days too. Fennville,Zeeland,Coopersville,Ravenna Michigan.
Grand River Marsh as well.

This buck was the third one I had shot and was at 5-6 yards. Spotted him earlier and cranked up the scope to 9x then got out ahead of him in the pickup. Was working along an overgrown creek bank when he moved into a small opening. Raised my gun up and only saw a patch of fur but I felt that I was on his shoulder so I fired. 30-06 with a 165 grain Corelock and the whole right shoulder came off with the hide when I peeled him.

Boy I remember that like it was yesterday. Out hunting up behind Lakeside, Montana when I was stationed there and shot a deer at about 30 yds, maybe a little less. Problem was I was using my 338 Win Mag and a 225 gr Hornady bullet. Gutted and damn near halved the thing with one shot! It does reach a point where you can use much more than needed energy! never ever shot another deer with that rifle!