Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game How much time….

… do you feel you really need to make a solid, well-aimed shot?




You guys that have 'been there' know the deal: sometimes you have lots of time, sometimes the opportunities are sudden and brief. How much time do you need to make a confident shot?

I have made shots where there was less than 5 seconds between the time I saw the moose and the boom. Maybe 2-3 seconds to get on target and squeeze one off.

Prefer more time than that though if I can get it..Id love to consistently have 10 seconds to make the shot.

For me, it's directly related to rifle fit.....I'm fussy as hell about fit......no searching for scope view.....no extraneous bubba equipment hanging on my rifle. I grew up hunting whitetails in thick woods....much like wingshooting.

I would have to say distance is certainly a factor as are such factors as can I get a rest. If it's relatively short (and you can get a rest or sling up), I'd say 3-5 seconds, but every situation is different as you well know

Sometimes having too much time can be a worse enemy.

Given my druthers I'd rather take a good rest and a deliberate shot. It don't allways work that way though, my last whitetail buck a 4x6 I took from offhand at 65 yds, the buck was running for all he was worth left to right, total time less than a second just like shotgunning on flushing birds you run on instinct or forget about it. That rifle an I been together for 45 years so I can get away with saying I am familiar with it. I am not telling anyone else how to do their shooting, I've shot a fair amount of running game and got the job done contrary to the advice of some internet experts on the fire. Some folks hunting out there just don't have a kill mode and screw around forever trying to get a shot off. Lack of skills, lack of experience, whatever can't talk for anyone. It isn't my problem on anything I'm after sitting, standing, walking, running, or flying I operate off instincts. You asked Magnum Man

I can either take the shot within 8-10 seconds, or I have to wait for a minute (or more) to get my adrenaline and breathing to a manageable level.

No right or wrong answers here….sounds like plenty of honest expressions, and that counts a lot.

It depends. If you need to range the animal and try to read the wind it and take a rest can take a while. But this year I saw a buck at 40 yards. I got the crosshairs on him and they settled down quickly on his neck. From the time I saw him to the time he was dead was 4-5 seconds. You don't have a lot of time in thick stuff.

Not as long as I thought, in general terms. My best buck this past year was a huge 8 pointer I shot offhand at a lasered 325 yards. He was courting 6 does when I spotted him. 2.5-3 seconds later he was on the ground. I surprised myself on that one, but was quite deliberate in my aiming, even while rushed. It was a nice heart shot. I practice a lot though,so the shot was do-able. Yep, I've missed some too before!

The last deer I killed was a 151 yard offhand shot with my .280AI.

It took about 10 seconds from the time I first spotted him to the time he was down.

Depends on the rifle. If it fits right, it's no different than one of my bird guns. I have killed a number of deer in very much the same fashion over the years. But...

I have also had to set up several times on a deer with a decent fitting rifle because it just didn't feel right. suppose how much I have been shooting lately makes a difference too.

Some people seem to walk the same trails….. (I probably shoot wrong, but I know how to be wrong consistently. )

The last 3 moose have gone down in 5 seconds or less. Took so long on that double tined one (3rdone back) because of antler restrictions..... All were standing still inside 100 yards. Tho I do admit that one back on Nov 2 at 30 yards I was already set up across the snow Machine seat as rest.. The second bull coming up over the bank and overlapping him slowed me down a bit..had to make a blink observation and a decision.....

I have killed a few(3-4)in around 3 seconds. Mainly because we saw one another at the same time and it had to be done quick. No time for precise aiming...aimed at center mass and pulled the trigger. powdr

All depends on distance, game, rest...
I grew up hunting quail which is like fast-draw with a shotgun so am used to getting on target and getting the shot off as soon as the sight picture looks right.
With an alert animal, you may only have 2 seconds so if you are not set up for a confident shot, your opportunity may be gone.

Distance and conditions play as big a role as anything else. It can vary from "oh schit... boom!" with very few seconds elapsed to waiting minutes for the perfect angle.

I took a decent 8 this year at about 75 yards. Total elapsed time from seeing the buck to squeezing the trigger was well under 10 seconds. I've taken others that I know were in about 1/2 that time, and one last fall that had to be in range and with me waiting for exactly the right shot for over 5 minutes.

It has varied from as quick as 3-4 seconds to as long as three hours waiting on a bull elk to step out from behind a tree. I once stepped off my horse and shot a buck as he jumped some brush going dead away and he hit the ground so hard it broke his lower jaw. Probably four seconds from time I saw him till he hit the ground.

Fred

I've never understood how a person could be successful if they couldn't get off a decent - not talking a 0.6525" precise- shot within about 3 seconds. It is truly painful to watch a person have to 'get set up', then take 10-15 seconds or better to get everything pointed 'right,' while the quarry saunters out of view.

I well remember a time when 'meat' was spotted and rifles were flipped off the shoulder as the bull walked up through scattered trees. There was no time for 'exactifying' anything: boom, boom; bullets 'whapped', and the third guy was still standing there with his rifle across his back wondering what just happened.

Another fellow who was a rather annoying acquaintance….I helped him look for a nice caribou. We found a good-looking bull - along with three or four lesser animals. The distance was perhaps 200 yards, if that. He was shooting a borrowed 300 mag with a 3-9x on it. He was looking through the scope. I asked him if he could see the bull.

"I can't see it."

"There's a cow coming up first, then a smaller bull; the big one is right behind that one. Do you see him?"

"Yeah, I got him. I think I better hold over."

"No, hold right on him; the rifle is sighted 1" high at 100. It's good."

BOOM………..snow sprays over the back of the small bull.

"You held over didn't you?"

"Yeah, that's a long ways."

"Well, that was the smaller bull anyway. The big one is right behind him. Hold right…." BOOM

The small bull fell.

And this was a fellow who had repeatedly bragged about his old military rifle he was so good with and could hit grapefruit at 300 yards with irons……offhand….

Needless to say, I was not much surprised when he later Gerbered himself while attempting to skin the animal.

Klikitarik;
Good evening to you sir, hopefully the week has treated you and your fine family well.

Once upon a time my hunting partner noted that I was the fastest shot he'd ever hunted with - and when our girls started hunting I told them both that on average we'd get a 5 count on a whitetail buck.

I'll note that old mulies before the rut don't hang about any longer than they need to either, especially if the wind isn't in one's favor.

Anyway sir, we've got point restrictions and multiple species to deal with where we hunt - but I'm fairly confident in saying that if the animal is within my comfort zone for distance then I'll be able to get a shot off in no more than a five count.

As others have noted, the rifles I head up the mountain with are set up for me and that's a huge benefit when one is trying to shoot under pressure in a timely manner.

Thanks for the interesting read tonight sir and all the best to you folks this spring.

Dwayne

I go crazy in front of the TV watching the nimrods wait until the animal is perfectly broadside and stopped dead still. Watched someone pass on a quartering walking shot at 100 yards on a caribou and wait until the animal was close to 300 yards away before he gave the right presentation. I was jumping up and down yelling "Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!"
Guess I'll never be on one of those hunting shows.

I've never timed it but...I carry a single trekking pole while hunting. Besides being a good steadyizer, it also makes a great improvised shooting rest. I can from standing to sitting with the pole braced against my leg in seconds. Another way is to grab a tree twig and the pole in one hand and rest the rifle over my wrist. The pole controls vertical movement and pulling against the twig controls windage. It works great.

I've used very similar technique when standing on my tip-toes in squishy/wobbly tundra, trying to see above alders or willows. By grabbing the tips of branches from a 2-3' circle of branch tips and pulling them together into a cluster, you create a cone type of effect that helps with both lateral and vertical stability by a surprising amount. It also works with long stemmed stiff grasses. It's not very ideal, but you have to work with what you have. It sure beats wobbling off shots with nothing more than wishes to guide them.

Goodmorning Klik,

I have found that I generally have 3 to 5 seconds or a minute or two. Accordingly I practiced until I could get a mopp (moment of pie plate) at 100 yards - free standing in 3 to 5 seconds. I'm sure many can do better but even with my two favorite rifles this has taken a fair amount of practice to do-for me.

^^^^^


This.

Many have been under 5 seconds and that's chambering a round.

I've never understood how a person could be successful if they couldn't get off a decent - not talking a 0.6525" precise- shot within about 3 seconds. It is truly painful to watch a person have to 'get set up', then take 10-15 seconds or better to get everything pointed 'right,' while the quarry saunters out of view.
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You've just perfectly described how I feel when I take my nephews or son-in-law or Daughter #1 antelope hunting.


My nephews in particular interpreted "bet on your bellies and crawl to the water tank" as "bend over at the waist and keep the antelope in sight as you hustle to the water tank". Of course that meant my nephews were in sight of the antelope and the antelope did the predictable.

Can't get my nephew or daughter to practice with the bipod so they have to fiddle with it every time. I've lost count of the lost shot opportunities.

This fall I'll have Daughter #3 antelope hunting as well and Daughter #3 will be elk hunting in addition to antelope hunting. Since I wait until last to fill my tags the prospects are dim...

Longest I've waited is 6 hours. Fastest shot was probably 3 seconds or thereabouts. Most are somewhere in-between. A minute or more is not uncommon at all as I tend to wait for broadsides.

CH, you've raised the other side if the deal too; the 'take as long as you can to make it most probable' side of the equation. And that gets into having some understanding of what to expect. Knowing that you can likely get close as long as you stay out of view, or knowing that you can be visible as long as your movements resemble something else (not human) if you're making the correct sounds, or whatever, can all be important. So can knowing how 'concerned' animals move. It's difficult to see someone watch a certain species move away, knowing that they will often/usually stop momentarily long enough to present a shot opportunity, often brief, periodically (like fox often do). But you can't just stand and watch and expect to make a shot when they do.

Caribou can be funny animals and often easy targets, if you know and are ready. If they are spooked, they'll run without stopping as if their tails are in fire. However, it they are concerned or alarmed, they'll often trot or walk away, but stop and look back. When they do, it is common for them to turn broadside. Depending on what the leader determines, they may move quickly again, so one has to be ready to make the most of the opportunity if it comes. It's kind of a "take your time, but be quick about it" deal.

That's early in the season, Mark - but after they have been run hard by snowmachine a few times, it's balls to the wall for miles!

I really wish the locals would stop that form of "positioning" as AKDF&G so euphemistically puts it.

Dead on, Mark. Being able to "read" the animals (including other than caribou) is vital. I wish I was better at it, like some I know.

Thing is up here, after the first few days when the 'bou first cross the Sound in their southward migration, they go balls to the wall for miles at the mere sound of a snow machine.

That's because some locals run 'em down with their 100 mile per hour machines,so they can head-shoot them at a few feet, pretty much ruining the hunting for everyone else days after the initial crossings.. F&G euphemistically calls this "positioning" in the regs. There are ways to "position" without flat out chasing, but some don't seem to get it... and with real thin enforcement..... well!

That's why I try to knock down 3-5 the first time out on the first wave. Short but effective for the freezer.

As far as the time thing, I prefer quick. Adrenaline sucks! The first time I ever got buck fever was after a 2 year hiatus of hunting anything serious. I had several minutes to wait for the animal to get into shooting position. It was my 23rd caribou....

That busted leg slowed him down, enough....

Yeah, I know exactly what you're saying. (That's why I left an 'out' with the "often" term?) I remember one time riding the necessary 200 miles - via better suspensions than Bravo - and finding a few animals as we topped a hill. They were over a mile away. And, though we killed the engines (and lights) immediately so we could discuss strategy, they still bolted. We ended up with three, but I was aiming at air and hitting ass every time….except when I aimed for air and hit air.

I much prefer true positioning. They are often quite cooperative when you don't chase them…pretend you're just sight-seeing, riding past them. Stop. Watch. Sometimes they'll approach. Sometimes you have to work you way around them. Wait. Knock down one or two. Begin skinning. Often a cousin or several wonder why "Blitzen's" stomach is lying on the ground…."smells like food too. Hey, let's go have a closer look." So you have to knock a couple more down from 50 -100 feet. (Self defense of course. )

I watched a guy out of Barrow in the mid-90's do it right - one of the ways anyway. He picked out a single animal and just idled slowly after it.. It ran of course, but not all out, this way and that way (keep in mind there were several hundred animal all around) but after some time- maybe 20 minutes - the bull determined the hunter wasn't that much of a threat and let him get inside 200 yards.

Bad idea!

I can live with that kind of positioning.

This

By the time I bring the gun up I have already assessed all necessary factors: distance, wind, angle, assurance of a clean dispatch & aim point. From there, I'd say 3 seconds maximum if it's going to be a snap shot.

My last WT whack was one of a pair of does & a yearling. When I fired she dropped and the other doe just moved off a few yards. Her & the baby stood and watched me gut her friend. I felt very bad about it. Can't imagine what she was thinking.

Caribou quite often return after making a short dispersion if they were otherwise not disturbed. I've often wondered if they're thinking, "Hey, that sure looks like Fred, but it (the stomach contents) smells like pureed food." Herd animals do seem like curious creatures.

Antelope will sometimes do the same.

Last year Daughter #1 and I were watching a herd that was intent on wandering up a valley. She missed a shot and they ran off but within 30 minutes they were back. All told I think they ran off and came back 3 times that day, all within the space of a couple hours.

Growing up jump shooting whitetails with Dad and Grandpa in your neighborhood Dwayne, that seems about right. After I turned about 12 years old, and deemed "old enough to shoot with the adults" I wasn't given the any considerations anymore. If I didn't shoot quick, and by quick I mean quicker than Dad, then I didn't get to shoot....

I would think that I've got a fair number of whitetails tipped over WELL inside of 5 seconds from first seeing them to trigger tripping.....

Which is contrary to a stone sheep a couple falls back, where we watched him and his buddy in their beds for hours, trying to assess if the other was legal.

I fall into the "is-he-big-enough-can-I-hit-vitals-kill-him" camp personally. And usually in the time frame it takes to read that.......

Fit and familiarity are critical to making a well placed shot quickly.

One of my most memorable shots was when I was 17. I was hunting woodchucks with my Savage 34M, 22 magnum, a gun I bought with trapping money at 13. I rarely ever walked out the house without that little rifle. It was part of me.

I spotted a woodchuck at 175 yards, way farther than I would push the 22 magnum today, but at 17 I had to push the envelope. He had me flat footed. I couldn't get closer without risking loosing the shot. He was facing me, standing upright and looking hard at me. In one motion I dropped to a knee, mounted the rifle, found the chuck, elevated the crosshairs and broke the trigger. Probably only 2 seconds elapsed. I took the chuck through the end of the nose and the bullet exited the back of his head.

I'm a proponent of taking the shot presented to you, within reason. I had this really brought home to me when I missed an opportunity on a spectacular mule deer buck the year before we moved to Alaska. I was working the rim of a small, steep sided, little canyon and spotted this buck 250 yards out, looking right at me. He was one bound from rocks that would shield him from me. Stupidly I tried to make it to a boulder a few feet in front of me for a rest. You know the rest. Buck bounds, no shot, next time I see him, he's 600+ yards going straight away. Rapidly. I've kicked myself for years for not taking that shot. An offhand shot on a standing buck with the rifle I was carrying was highly doable.

At what, with what, from where?
I can drop to prone and hit a man with iron sights from 500 in less than 15 seconds.
That's doped and KD.

One season I set up in mid-day across a meadow from a timbered ridge where I knew there was a bull moose, or more. I put my partner on the meadow. Near sundown, after 8 hours of me calling every hour or so, he whacked a bull as it came fast-trotting across the meadow toward my position.

He had maybe 5 seconds to make the shot. And a good one it was.

It's a good spot, but I've timed two moose just WALKING across the meadow in 21 seconds.... ya gotta pay attention!

But he bitched about sitting there "8 whole hours"......

If I am by myself easing along pretending I can sneak up on game, I hunt with a cartridge up the spout and my finger on the safety. Just like I would when hunting upland birds or rabbits or jump shooting ducks with a shotgun. I do a lot of shotgun shooting.
I have taken quite a few deer and a couple elk and moose under those conditions where there was certainly no more than three seconds or so between spotting the game and the shot. But the shot has to be close for that to work, under 100 yards. If any farther range or if hunting in a group situation, it takes far more time, load, take a rest, aim carefully, maybe 10 -15 seconds or so.

It depends on my mental state, and what I've already decided to do or not.

If it's last day of deer season and I have determined that I am killing the next legal animal, period, then about 2 seconds is all it will take.

If it's opening day and I'm being picky and a bit lazy, I will hesitate a lot. It usually takes me a "few days in the woods" to get that sixth-sense killer instinct back anyway.

I did once lay in a field after a stalk for over 3 hours, just waiting for the big one to stand up and give me a nice easy 40-yard shot.