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

A small buck feeding in a side-hill gulley at about 10 feet. I was close enough to hear his teeth grinding. Nearly decapitated him when he lifted his head to look around.

Normally would have passed, but the rest of our party had tagged out and were anxious to leave.

Archery tree stand hunting, 10 feet nearly straight down a couple of times. Each time the deer was curiously tracking me in to my stand, much like a wary bird dog.

1st time may have been my first archery deer a decent 4x4 buck.

2nd time was a big doe that was really on to something being wrong.She had snorted down wind of me & I was sure the days hunt was over. Had a double doe tag. 5 minutes later I filled the 2nd doe tag with a 30 yard shot on another curious doe.

Does hitting one over the head with your rifle butt count?

A couple around 12-15 feet and one probably 3 feet give or take. All with rifles.

Sometimes they just do not see you. My buddy Mike 'n' I were coming off the mountain one day probably 30 years ago in his Ford Ranger. A doe crossed partway across the road in front of us and stopped. He pulled up behind her and started honking the horn. I don't recall .. he might have even turned the headlights on. She was fixated on looking down the road away from us absolutely ignoring the truck that was less than a foot from her. Weird stuff happens.

3’ , buck tangled in a barbed wire fence . 357 mag.

Pizzed on one accidentally from my dining room window when I'd had a few too many beers. Call it 15' or so.

I was hunting with a buddy of mine back in the late 70's When I was stationed at Ft. Benning Ga. I didn't see anything all morning. I told my buddy I would meet him back at the truck at 1030. I got down from my stand at 1000. I walked about 100yds in the direction of the truck. I decided to sit down at the base of a big oak tree and wait for my buddy. I had my 12ga 1100 across my lap and I dozed off for a few minutes. I heard a noise in front of me, I opened my eyes and saw a 4 point Buck about 20 yds away walking straight at me. I knew if I moved to put the gun up I would get busted. So I figured I would wait till he turned off the trail and I could get a broadside shot off. He never turned, he just kept coming straight at me. I froze and waited till he was about 10 feet in front of me. I threw the gun up in one quick snapshot like I had just jumped a quail and put a Brenneke slug in his chest. He fell about 8ft from my boots.

10 yards. Spike mule deer with my bow when I was 16.

A couple of inches from my gun barrel. The first was with a 280. I saw it coming up the ridge towards me and was hoping it would head straight up to my nephew as it was his first year hunting deer. The buck did not go the way I wanted and when it got closer, I could see it had been in a nasty fight and had a massive eye infection. I let it walk right up to my gun barrel and shot. In the autopsy, it had a fractured skull too.

The other as just a couple of years ago. A 243 from maybe 3 yards. The TSX shed its petals but all went into its heart. Not much of a blood trail but I found it.

I’ve killed two at less than 10 feet. Both 4 pointers. One was my first deer. I had been sitting for 10 minutes and thought it was going to be easy from there on out. I was wrong

This little guy just about walked over me. 15 feet or so with a slug. I left the scoped shotgun with sabots home for iron sights and smooth bore.

About 12 feet, maybe less. The only time I've ever cussed a scope on a hunting gun. Despite being pretty well hid in a brush blind I didn't want to even breath let alone fiddle around with a stiff power ring. I remember just looking down the side of the barrel and mashing the trigger. Blew his shoulders out with a 240 XTP and 100 grains of FFg as he turned just enough broadside to walk around me toward the doe feeding on the slope up behind me.

Shot a buck that was coming straight at me. He fell so close to me that I could reach out and touch his nose with the barrel of my rifle. Have killed several that were under 15 yards, and that’s not including a couple of bow kills that were close.

Maybe 12 feet? Heard it running towards me through the brush as I was taking a piss. I stopped, picked up my gun (14".358JDJ Contender), about that time it realized he screwed up and I gave him the bad news. Gotta shoot the dumb ones.

Whelenman, where did you shoot that deer? Wi banned buckshot in 1939. I don't care but I hope it was your own back forty?

Five feet from the end of the barrel to the deer. I walked up to the top of a draw. He was bedded down just below it. When I got to the edge he stood up and looked at me. I saw his antlers and looked down the side of the barrel and shot before he bolted out of there.

No really short ones on deer, but pronghorn at about 25 feet.

Self-defense.

I donno…pretty damn close. I shot. Doe that got powder burns. She damn near ran me over

10ft, last day of season, I was sitting on ground under a tree. Doe got curious, walked all the way up to me.

This year, I shot a fine 9 pointer at 7 feet. The muzzle of my. 35 Remington, Model 760 was closer... He got powder burns and I " got some on me". Got my bullet back too!
The LORD does provide!