Shoot or No Shot. Episode #5

[WapitiTalk1]

OK, last one for awhile    Tale of the tape: Rifle season!  Bull only area.  You're across a steep canyon and this guy comes over the far ridge in your direction. He stops in the spot you see him in the picture (to smell where one of his cows whizzed) but will soon head down into the thick bottom where his cows are heading. Range is 275 yards and you're armed with a scoped rifle capable of flat shooting and has good knockdown power. Mark your spot if you're gonna shoot. If not, please explain. Bull tag area, fifth day of your eight day hunt. This is the first mature bull you've seen. You're across the steep canyon where the red X is placed. 

Shoot or no shot here for you? If you say shoot, please place a dot or X where your bullet is heading.

Reminder that if you save the picture to your desktop and open in MS Paint, you'll be able to place a spot, X, or whatever on the critter before you save it back to a jpg and add the marked up pic with your post.

[Rainier10]

Rifle?!, I think I am out for this one but will watch and see how it goes.
Thanks for doing these, it has been a blast.

[tonymiller7]

Finally you gave me a boomstick.  GOODNIGHT!!!

[6haase6]

Same place just wait till he picks that head up to clear those antlers. Would be real grumpy to have a mishap and blow part of them off!

[Woodchuck]

The pic looks like he is above me slightly. I hold slightly lower, wait for his head to come up, click, boom.

[zackmioli]

no shot, i wait for him to move off from being skylighted, never know where that bullet could go with a pass thru or miss. once i had some earth as a background id fire away right at that shoulder.

[RadSav]

The pic looks like he is above me slightly. I hold slightly lower, wait for his head to come up, click, boom.

My exact first reaction

no shot, i wait for him to move off from being skylighted, never know where that bullet could go with a pass thru or miss. once i had some earth as a background id fire away right at that shoulder.

My arm chair quarterback reaction.  And probably the right one.  Though I have been known to have some trouble thinking straight with horns in my scope.

[Rainier10]

no shot, i wait for him to move off from being skylighted, never know where that bullet could go with a pass thru or miss. once i had some earth as a background id fire away right at that shoulder.

Great point.

[tonymiller7]

Just for the sake of argument, but after that bullet slams into that shoulder and then travels through 3-4' of elk that bullet is not traveling any distance of significance if it leaves the elk at all.  If  it gets through you'd be able to throw it farther than it would travel.  No waiting for me, your first shot is usually your best. 

[pianoman9701]

no shot, i wait for him to move off from being skylighted, never know where that bullet could go with a pass thru or miss. once i had some earth as a background id fire away right at that shoulder.

I teach hunter ed and missed that completely. Great call, Zack. No shot.

[Tbob]

I'd wait just a bit.. My only thought is if I miss then yep that bullet is sailing on into the unknown.. The second I have a backdrop... Booyakah!!

[6x6in6]

No shot.  If not a skyline job, I'd smoke him as soon as he picks his head up.

[MtnMuley]

5th day of an eight day hunt is my dilemma.  If I kill this bull, I'm tagging out on a bull under 300".  Unless this an OTC bull hunt, I pass on that thought with 3 days left.  Other factors come into consideration too, like other hunter pressure and what's it going to take to get this bull out. Although this is the first mature bull I've seen, I work off the motto, "you're not going to kill a great bull by not being able to pass a good bull.......................................pass. 

If I had decided I wanted this bull, I would be prone ready to touch off as soon as he lifted his head clearing his antlers and moved slightly under the skyline.  I would then go for the high shoulder shot and placement would be determined by angle.

[Old Man Yager]

No shot.  If not a skyline job, I'd smoke him as soon as he picks his head up.

[Fishnclifff]

Just for the sake of argument, but after that bullet slams into that shoulder and then travels through 3-4' of elk that bullet is not traveling any distance of significance if it leaves the elk at all.  If  it gets through you'd be able to throw it farther than it would travel.  No waiting for me, your first shot is usually your best.

The bullet will have little to no velocity left after it exits. It will fall harmlessly to the ground in the canyon.
I would shoot a little lower, after he lifts his head.

[RadSav]

No one ever misses a 275 yard uphill shot at a bull I am assuming

[Greg Mullins]

It looks like I'm about 10 yards away WHAMO. Right in the forehead now I just need to dodge the piss stream as he's rolling down the hill.

[Hunterman]

With a good rest, and his antlers hit the ground the same time he does.   

Hunterman(Tony)

[Shawn Ryan]

"but will soon head down into the thick bottom"

No shot because of the horizon--I don't know my back stop.  Since I think he's headed down, I'm waiting for him to take a few steps so my exiting bullet hits the dirt. 

For those that took the shot, I don't think that is a bad choice. I agree that the bullet energy after traveling across the canyon and plowing through the elk is minimal, so it doesn't go far.  Still an unknown, though, and I like control.