My best shot may have been a running deer going through heavy timber and darting between an opening at about 80 yards from me while running as fast as he could go and that opening was only about 3 feet wide. I could see the flashes of the deer between the trunks and branches coming from right to left and as soon as I saw the chest clearly I fired, about even with it's leading "edge". Shot was right behind the crease of the shoulder and exited the same place on the other side. 180 grain Remington Core-Lokt from a 19" barreled 30-06 Scout Carbine I made on a VZ Mauser. Sight was a 2X Burris Scout Scope.
I have made some very long shots with various rifles on targets (some at over 1200 yards), and I have made some very precise shots at prairie dog heads at longer ranges, and done them quite a few times, but that deer was the one I think of as my "bragging shot".
As soon as I'd done it was stood in disbelief that I was able to pull it off. I was a very good shot in those days, but that one even amazed me. It all just fell together, and I knew as soon as I fired that I'd killed that deer, but 1 second later I was thinking how impossible it was.
I can't say it was hard. It just seemed so natural in that fraction of a second, but I am sure I could not do that again if I knew I had the shot coming.
If I had tried it just 5 seconds later on another deer I think "hard" would have been an understatement. "Impossible" may have been a more accurate word.
But that shot just seemed to fall together easily and perfectly. That's the reason I felt so amazed.
Last edited by szihn; 10/16/18.
