Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire What is the closest you have ever shot a deer?

What is the closest range at which you have shot a deer, and what is the closest they have ever come? Tame deer and deer farms (same thing) don't count.<BR> <BR> The closest range that I have taken a deer thus far is 50 feet. When they are that close, I take head shots so as not to ruin the meat.<BR> The closest they have ever come in the wild, is about 8 feet, while I was squirrel hunting.

....less than 10 yards, once with a bow and another time with a shotgun....both real Bruisers!<BR>DS

Havn't shot a deer at close range. I saw 6 does at 10, maybe 15 yards last year.

With a rifle, about 30 feet.<P>I had one deer walk by me while I was sitting on a large rock leaning against a large tree. I heard it long before it passed by me. I could of reached out to my left and touched it as it went by. Once it got about 20 feet past me it suddenly turned and looked at me. It was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud. It then bolted and ran about 50 yards, stopped, looked again and quietly walked off into the woods. <P>Ahhhh the joys of hunting. <P>Don

good question,<BR>my closest shot was 25 yards with my 308 at a 2 point mule deer. that was the very first deer I had ever shot. I remember it like yesterday. I landed 4 shots in him with a group of about 2 inches, I wanted to make sure he did not leave and I was trigger happy that day, my luck.<BR>86

I took a whitetail at less than 10 yards with a bow last year while still hunting.

Youngbuckaz-That was one dead deer!<p>[This message has been edited by dsnoek (edited June 05, 2001).]

About 15 feet. Hip shot him with an '06. It had been previously wounded. One bullet in the hip, and mine in the shoulder. Not much meat on that one. I've killed several others at ranges of 10-40 yds. Lots more than I've killed at over 300 yds. E

I've also crawled within about 4 feet of a young fawn, as a teenager. NOT a smart thing to do. Mama would've made short work of me. E

About ten feet. After a frustrating morning bow hunting from my stand seeing several deer none closer than 50 yards, I decided to hang it up and started out. After a few minutes I caught some movement ahead of me and I got behind a Sycamore tree. A ten pointer walked up the trail I was on and when he passed me I let him have it. He ran about 60 yds and folded.<P>Wall

A 10 yard straight on shot with a 6in .357 kept a buck from running me over. One step and he was down from a good run.

Shot about twelve feet. I was sitting on a tree limb and he was directly below me.<P>Touched a live wild deer once. Or rather she touched me. She was running from a buck and ran into me sitting beside a bush.<P>When I was young and stupid I used to catch fawns on a regular basis. Easy if you know how. Mama won't bother you.<BR>BCR

Ten or twelve feet.

About 20 feet almost straight down! While hunting from a climbing stand an eight point buck walked right under my stand. That was the only time I have recovered a Nosler Partitioned bullet. I hit the deer right in the spine between his shoulder blades. The bullet was just under the skin near his sternum. Needless to say he dropped on the spot.

About 10 feet. I was BP hunting last year. I was sitting next to this downed oak tree when I heard something coming over the ridge behind me. I got up and looked through the branches that were still attached to this downed oak, and thought "Man it's a doe". So I'm still standing there kinda hunched over watching this "doe" came up to my 9:00. Well it gets clear of the branch obstruction and low and behold, a 4 pointer. The buck looks right at me, I'm not moving, or breathing, and keeps on trucking. When he turns his head back toward the trail and turn and let him have it. He was so close, that when I hit him he must of pee'd himself, I could smell it. What a trip.

About 10 feet. A 5 point with a 15" spread walked right up to my stand and stood there. I leaned over and hit him with a .280 in the chest. He ran about 50 feet. I have had does and yearlings walk over my legs before while I was sitting against a tree. I did not want to spook them in case the buck was following. Crushed up pine needles rubbed on you works pretty good to hide your scent. Good shooting. Bob

See does and young bucks very close every year from a couple of stands, located at funnels in their path from food to bedding area. Shot one last year at 12 feet, straight down, with a muzzle loader. Could have dropped the rifle and hit her on the head. Needless to say, not much of a tracking or packing job on that one. TM

Several over the years were under 15 yards in thick cover. Have had several more pass within touching distance in my time. Always a real adrenaline rush if I took the shot or not. I just loved the thick woods any time I could be there! <P>The absolute closest I took was a 7 yarder with my .32WS. A head shot and he dropped like a stone. I hate hunting wounded animals and always tried to get close so as not to have to, although have had to hunt a couple same as everybody else. <P>------------------<BR><B>T LEE</B><BR>Remember: There is no such thing as OVERKILL. Just a generous margin of SAFETY! <P><B>APATHY!.........Freedoms greatest enemy!</B>

Probably less than 3 feet. Was sitting under a thick hemlock one buck season, with 30-06 on lap. Had butt in left hand and forearm in right, looking at the rifle when two young bucks came out of the brush, full tilt boogie, coming right at me..windy, never heard them coming. <BR>Snapped off safe with left hand, raised the forearm and squeezed the trigger with left hand, all in the space of a split second. Shot one through the shoulder as it went by. Still get razzed about this one. One of my kin found the dead buck near my stand, while I had hustled back to the cabin for my camera, so luckily I had a witness of sorts. <BR>He couldn't figure out why there was a dead buck within a few yards of my stand, and I wasn't anywhere around. BTW, I'm right handed. Guess who they pin the luckiest shot on, when we're swappin' stories before each buck season? I've had doe within 5 yards of some of my tree stands when archery hunting, never shot one though.

I shot a buck at 39' a few of years ago. I have also had numerous 25yd. non hunting encounters, but that was the closest one I shot.