Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Did You Ever Lose The Chance At A Follow Up Shot...?

If you are finding yourself a fan of spray and pray, you need to re-evaluate your manner of hunting.

This is a good summation of what goes on here. Dudes are always like "I would never.....!", or "If you do......you're irresponsible!".

I grew up in PA, and never killed a deer from anywhere but a tree stand until I was a grown man. One time my father lamented that all us kids had come up not really knowing how to deer hunt as he'd learned, but rather how to deer sit. That's what stand hunting is to me now, deer sitting. Due to the number of people hunting 60 acres though, stands were the only option we had to give everyone a place to hunt. My uncle gave me a deer stand location on his place as a birthday gift when I was a kid. I was thrilled and honored. I was definitely a product of my experience. As an 18 year old I would've told you proudly and cluelessly "This is deer hunting!" Fast forward a few years and I've moved to southeast Alaska. Now I was hunting blacktails in brown-bear ridden rainforest. The bag limit is 6 per year, and due to where I live I'm allowed to shoot on other people's tags. There are no tree stands here, and no itsy bitsy parcels of private land to navigate. The hunting here is either early spot and stalk in the alpine, still hunting, or calling. Did I say still hunting? I mean lots and lots of still hunting!

Having paid attention to others who had actual experience hunting this place, I started deer hunting here with a .45-70 guide gun and 400 grainers at 1750. After a year I switched to a .375 H&H with 300s. Both these picks were made because I wanted a bear-capable rifle, but I soon learned they worked really well for this style of deer hunting. I found that opportunities at these deer often came with bonus factors like odd angles, through brush, and on the move. If you waited for a "just right" shot, there was no shot to be had. A medium or large bore bullet that will shoot through a deer at any angle can be very helpful. I've shot deer coming and going, in the head, in the throat, straight down through the back, and nearly straight up through the brisket from below.

Years ago one of my brother in laws came up to deer hunt. I took him to several of my best spots. He flubbed one opportunity after another. We'd get into a place with hot sign and I'd say "Be ready to shoot, I guarantee you there's a deer within 100 yards of us right now." With his rifle slung, and hands in his pockets he'd say "I'm ready." It seemed that he was just walking and walking until we came to a stand to sit in. Multiple times I'd say something like "Right there, shoot it.". To his credit the man had no interest in taking a shot he considered unethical, but he was totally out of his element, as I had once been. I finally couldn't take watching any more good meat escape. As we snuck along a side hill a bedded doe and I saw each other at the same time. She looked at me, craning her neck over her back, and took off down the hill. My 9.3 came up like a shotgun, and the crosshairs swung by her chest at about 35 yards. I rapid fired three times and saw her stumbling as she went out of sight, carried along more by downhill gravity than her own efforts. My BIL said "What happened?!?! A bear??" He said he'd seen bushes moving after I shot, but refused to believe I'd just killed a deer until we walked up on it. He was also incredulous when I told him before we walked up to it that I had missed once and there would be two holes within a few inches of each other at a quartering away angle.

In essence, I try not to get spun up about ignorant people making statements based on zero experience, or seeing everything through the lens of their limited experience. I'm just happy they're buying licenses, hunting, and passing on the heritage to others.

What type of deer hunting do you do? What sort of experience do you have?

I don't spray and pray anything, but you can bet that when I start shooting at a deer I don't shoot once and then pause to admire my handiwork. I can call my shots and generally know exactly if I connected and if so, where, but I often keep shooting because it's a good practice. I can shoot moving things, so I do.

The way these guys hunt in Maine is just about how we do it here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyT1pyF8HhY

Now I know where you got that idea from! I bought mine in Pennsylvania (Tioga County) too and really, it was the only one I ever saw. I saved my money for a year until I could buy it but can't say I was ever happy with it for reasons I already mentioned. Just not my cup of tea. I tend to move a lot when I deer hunt so the cold steel was a big issue to me but probably not to someone that is in a stand.

Yeah, semi's and pumps are allowed for waterfowl in PA.

That Sako is a beautiful rifle!

I'm a reloader too and just couldn't find "the load" that made me happy. This is back in the mid 80's, I'm not under 50 and where I hunt is north of Williamsport, hill country. Most of my deer hunting was with a bolt action 22-250. Killed a lot of deer with it, never lost one but thought I needed more gun so I bought the 760 in 308! lol! Yeah, my expectations were pretty high after shooting a 22-250 all my life and that 760 was accurate enough to kill a deer but I just wanted it better. Our doe season at the time was always two weeks after Thanksgiving and it always seemed to be a cold spell. I didn't like wearing gloves but it seemed like I had to with the 760.

Recently had the same issues with a Marlin 1894 in 44 magnum, I couldn't get anything to shoot well in that either...

I've killed two bucks with a S&W 29 44 magnum. Now that was hunting! :-) This years goal is to kill a deer with a rifle with cast bullets. I have three choices, 450BM, 350 Legend or 308, all CVA Cascades, all accurate and comfortable to carry. Should be fun!

I've never needed a follow up shot 1 & done for the past 40 yrs

I spent a lot of years participating in Drives and shooting at running deer. I remember sometimes having missed the first shot and the follow up shot was everything. I just can't remember if a bolt action would have cost me anything in those instances? I did tend to use pumps and levers back then.

My first whitetail. 1970. WBY V-Master .22-250. After firing, opened the bolt, which fell into my hand. Guessing the plunger was frozen in the depressed position. Luckily, had a killing shot and the death spring came to an abrupt end.

No. I can work a bolt action plenty fast for follow up shots. My problem is making those follow up shots count, there's been several times when I would have been better off slowing down on my follow up shots. One semi-fast but well placed shot is better than 3 or 4 very fast poorly placed shots. You can't miss fast enough.. I guess.

Thank you all very much for all this feed back! I have carefully read every post and I really enjoyed what you all have shared.
Rest assured, my education in this matter is happening! You guys are the BEST for your willingness to help with information!
To be clear, I much prefer to still hunt. Seeing a deer appear and stalking as close as I can is the MOST exciting part of it all!

When in on a Pa Deer drive, and they are on the run…which isn’t always the case….often the experience is much like the videos. Many times a second wouldn’t have been needed, but a Deer on the run often doesn’t do a DRT even with a solid first.

Hunt that way and it won’t be long until you will be using more than one.

So true. And that is why the Remington 760's were so ubiquitous. Although some Pennsylvanians apparently never saw them in the Woods 😂

Not so much slow to reload but a fired case did not eject...story:

6mm Remington with handloads developed in 85-90 degree Temps with 96g RWS Conepoints and near max IMR 4350 charge.

Hog hunting in Central California on a early March cool-cool 35 degree morn just past dawn. Fog rose in mists, hiked to a rise and guide saw group of hogs in a low valley about 1/4 mile away (with bare eyes!) with two paths to choose.

They were circling and guide bet a dollar they would move on trail away from us...to our surprise (and an earned buck!) they came our way.

Lined up like a row of battle ships, about a dozen were walking single file 50 yards away - all broadside.

I took the first shot - to my dismay, none dropped but I saw water spray from reeds about 200 yards past.

So, jack another round in and shoot you may say...did that only to find case did not extract!...now had a loose round behind the stuck one. Dropped magazine and worked action faster than a machine gun, about 10 seconds later "ping" - case flies out.

What about hogs?...after that shot they picked up their pace. Meanwhile my buddy used a 30.06 w Hornady 150g Spire Tips and at 50 yards blew a big hole through the side of one of the larger ones.

I slapped the magazine back in...still had 3 rounds, chambered one and caught one of the tail end hogs - clean heart shot.

Guide Tom grunted "wuz them handloads?) You know the feeling when a guide is disappointed when he walks away shaking his head and just says "let's go get them dead hogs..."

Summary: gun was really cold and combined with hot load resulted in stuck case. Lesson learned, now...l don't chase fps anymore, have two 7x57's that shoot great in all temps with standard loads...hot, cold whatever - 7x57 is not fussy.

Bolt action was fine, just other factors can cause game loss, in my case a handload mismatch to conditions.

Not so much slow to reload but a fired case did not eject...story:

6mm Remington with handloads developed in 85-90 degree Temps with 96g RWS Conepoints and near max IMR 4350 charge.

Hog hunting in Central California on a early March cool-cool 35 degree morn just past dawn. Fog rose in mists, hiked to a rise and guide saw group of hogs in a low valley about 1/4 mile away (with bare eyes!) with two paths to choose.

They were circling and guide bet a dollar they would move on trail away from us...to our surprise (and an earned buck!) they came our way.

Lined up like a row of battle ships, about a dozen were walking single file 50 yards away - all broadside.

I took the first shot - to my dismay, none dropped but I saw water spray from reeds about 200 yards past.

So, jack another round in and shoot you may say...did that only to find case did not extract!...now had a loose round behind the stuck one. Dropped magazine and worked action faster than a machine gun, about 10 seconds later "ping" - case flies out.

What about hogs?...after that shot they picked up their pace. Meanwhile my buddy used a 30.06 w Hornady 150g Spire Tips and at 50 yards blew a big hole through the side of one of the larger ones.

I slapped the magazine back in...still had 3 rounds, chambered one and caught one of the tail end hogs - clean heart shot.

Guide Tom grunted "wuz them handloads?) You know the feeling when a guide is disappointed when he walks away shaking his head and just says "let's go get them dead hogs..."

Summary: gun was really cold and combined with hot load resulted in stuck case. Lesson learned, now...l don't chase fps anymore, have two 7x57's that shoot great in all temps with standard loads...hot, cold whatever - 7x57 is not fussy.

Bolt action was fine, just other factors can cause game loss, in my case a handload mismatch to conditions.

Very cool stuff to read from you guys! Thanks very much!

No.

Fuggin off the chance at the first shoot.... yes!

Them dead clicks are right sickening...

I've racked my brains and can't recall a follow up shot I've actually not been able to take because a bolt-action was too slow. I can recall a time when it happened with a single shot: the deer was crossing from left to right and as I fired it dropped into a small gully, so my shot went over. I might have got another shot with a double or repeater as he kept going, but by the time I reloaded he was gone.

There was another time when I had a double rifle in my hands, and put both barrels into a buffalo as it was about to run over my mate, turning out the lights on him with a handful of yards to spare. I'm not sure I'd have got the second shot in with a bolt action in the time available. My mate was pretty pleased with the outcome.

Usually a bolt action is fast enough. Some are a mite better than others. I've got several pigs out of a mob with bolt actions before they got away, on more than one occasion. Sometimes even had time to stuff a couple more rounds in and get a couple more as they run away.

I'm a big fan of dry practice, something others have mentioned. Getting your technique to be a muscle memory, so that you mount, aim, fire, cycle, and reload, without thinking about it, pays dividends.

To expand - my one exception, to my recollection and no time frame there- all my second shots were insurance shots from a few yards out

Scart t myself twice on "dead" moose prior. I iearn slow, but I do learn. .


Fast cycling was not an issue, ever.

PaBucktail; quoting you “I n essence, I try not to get spun up about ignorant people making statements based on zero experience, or seeing everything through the lens of their limited experience. I'm just happy they're buying licenses, hunting, and passing on the heritage to others.”

We said sir.!!

In Alberta we have the opportunity to hunt in a huge variety of cover from super thick to wide open, from rugged steep terrain to so flat that 10 feet is a huge gain or loss in elevation.

I have shot deer as close as 8 yards and over 300 yards distance and if I had the skill and inclination could have shot them a lot further away. I’ve shot them standing, running, walking, I’ve even shot three from a tree stand, one rifle two bow kills. I’ve still hunted, spot and stalked, sneak and peaked, stand hunted, driven deer, plunked my butt on a fence line or edge of a clear cut and waited.

I’ve made difficult shots and missed easy ones.

Learned a good many years ago not to judge how others do things until I’ve been onto the ground where they hunt and tried to kill a deer. It sure changes one’s perspective.

I’ve had the privilege to hunt rain forest habitat in BC and the Hilo side of Hawaii, the barren grounds of the NWT, southern Texas, the Highlands of Scotland, Namibia, the hills of the Eastern Cape and the Limpopo. Every new experience allowed me to learn and learn a good deal because I tried real hard to keep my biases to myself and see how folks go about things on their ground.

The more I’ve learned the more I’ve realized the breadth and the depth of my ignorance.

As per the original question from BigFiveJack.

I do not recall missing a follow up shot with a bolt gun that I could have gotten with a semi auto. I do recall cases where a semi auto or a double could have given a quicker follow up shot.

That being said I have only hunted with bolt guns, single shots and bows, so I may have my head firmly up my rectum.

I do practice fast aimed follow up shots every year. When I hunted singles shots, Browning Low Wall in .260 and NEF rifled 12 gauge with saboted slugs, I practiced follow up shots. With the NEF I was almost as fast on aimed follow up shots as my brother with his 870.

My favorite way to practice follow up shots is with water jugs set up at varying distances and angles from me. Either shoot far to near or near to far depending what I’m training for. I also shoot running gophers (richardsons ground squirrels) whenever I can.

Interesting thread, thanks for starting it. And to all who have chosen to respond.

In Northern MN and Northern Wisconsin Swamps?

YUP...

Looked for blood droplets, but unless there was snow on the ground, that was pretty much impossible to see...

Deer up there could be half way to Canada at the drop of a hat...

Northern Mid West at Cold temps can be some hard hunting... deer hang out in the swamps to keep warmer... and stays pretty thick brush in there...

but a bad day hunting, still beats a good day at the office...