missed opportunity elk hunting today

[muleyslayer]

So this morning I was hunting and i came across a legal elk, but he was on the run. I shouldered my rifle and did a cow call to try and stop him but he wouldn't stop. I shot three times at him on the run and on the thrid shot he completely changed direction from going up hill to down hill. I tracked but I never found any blood. It also started raining pretty hard so any blood might have washed away. I just hope I missed I would hate to wound something and not find it.

[Crunchy]

its no bueno to shoot at animals on the run.  But it happens.  Hopefully you will get another opportunity.

[muleyslayer]

Yea I kept thinking I should have tried something else to get him to stop.

[hornhunter1987]

its no bueno to shoot at animals on the run.  But it happens.  Hopefully you will get another opportunity.

I couldn't disagree more. If you practice and are confident I do not see a problem with it. My freezer would of had a lot less meat in it and a lot less trophy's on the wall if I never took a running shot.

[longrangehunter338]

how does one practice shooting at a moving target that can change direction at any given point of time when being shot at, in the woods with standing timber between the shooter and the animal? What kind of shot are you making on the animal when shooting at it when it is running? vitals, gut shot, wounding the animal where it dies and goes to waste.

[muleyslayer]

Well lets just say this is the thrid animal Ive shot at on the run and the other two were shots behind the shoulder but this one I hope was a complete miss.

[mfswallace]

its no bueno to shoot at animals on the run.  But it happens.  Hopefully you will get another opportunity.

I couldn't disagree more. If you practice and are confident I do not see a problem with it. My freezer would of had a lot less meat in it and a lot less trophy's on the wall if I never took a running shot.

 

[pianoman9701]

This should get good. Sorry you didn't get him.

[PlateauNDN]

  5......4......3.......2......I need popcorn!

[runamuk]

I need a drink to heck with popcorn, "I hope I missed" that really bothers me shooting and KILLING something on the run does not.

5......4......3.......2......I need popcorn!

This should get good. Sorry you didn't get him.

 

[elkoholic1]

I need a drink to heck with popcorn, "I hope I missed" that really bothers me shooting and KILLING something on the run does not.

5......4......3.......2......I need popcorn!

This should get good. Sorry you didn't get him.

 

              

[scottcrb]

 

[ldjbuff]

How many yards was the shot?  I don't think shooting on the run bothers me as much as people shooting from 700 yards and calling it hunting

[Curly]

Sometimes there is absolutely no blood.  The shot could be high enough to not allow blood to fall out onto the ground, or could be a gut shot where the bullet doesn't exit.

Lets hope it really was a clean miss. If you have a dog, you might take it for a walk on a leash in the area you "missed" the elk and see if the dog picks up some scent. (You probably will want to leave your gun in the truck when you take your dog for a walk though.)

[muleyslayer]

He was 80 yards away on a full sprint coming in and out of brush. I think I could have been more effective with a semi auto rifle

[206dawgfan]

Sounds like a bad shot. Sounds like this situation is one that may cause someone to not take running shots. Might not be worth the what if.


"Honey; Hunting is free meat". She'll never know the truth.

[D-Rock425]

Where does one practice a running shot?

[D-Rock425]

                                          

[muleyslayer]

Ive never practiced the running shot but I know I once read an article of a guy you still hunted mule deer in timber and he was very successful. He practiced running shots off-hand at tractor tires with targets in the center of them.

[cbond3318]

Where does one practice a running shot?

Same place you practice still shots, except I like to have at least 30 to 50 yds of free space to get up to a decent jogging pace which will be more representative of actual conditions.

[Bob33]

I just hope I missed I would hate to wound something and not find it.

I just hope you learned that taking low percentage shots is not a good idea.

Sorry to hear you didn't get it.

[vandeman17]

Only running shot I have ever taken was on a whitetail. It was a follow up shot after my first shot which I was confident in being a good hit but tried to anchor him before he got in the thick stuff. Pretty sure I missed by a few feet but the first shot was true and he only went in a few yards and piled up.

Personally, I will never take a moving shot at an animal unless it is close and the movement is walking or a slow trot. Best part is I am mainly an archery hunter now so that takes moving shots completely out of the equation for me.

[gee_unit360]

I have a hard time believing any of the people who say a running shot is bad have not ever took one... just saying...

[cbond3318]

I have taken a few when I was younger, never hit anything so I decided the were not feasible, not out of ethics but of low 0% hit ratio . If I had had success, it may be in my bag of tricks.......

[pianoman9701]

Where does one practice a running shot?

Iraq, Afghanistan?

[jrebel]

Taking a shot at a moving animal is a personal decision one should make based on experience and the circumstance at hand.  For me an animal running at full speed is a safe animal as I will not attempt the shot.  I also have a hard time believing that people taking these shots have a true understanding of their backstop.  They are concentrating on the animal and calculations of where they need to aim.  They are not looking / thinking beyond that.  It is a scenario that happens fast and can lead to bad decisions.....wounded animals, shooting toward other hunters, ricochet, etc. etc. etc.
 

[vandeman17]

Darn good point Jreb. Maybe you are following that deer or elk so intently you don't notice that he has just skylined himself and then you end up lobbing a shot into who knows where. I have followed moving animals in my scope and had them run in front or behind other animals. If I would have shot, who knows if my timing might have lead me to kill or injury a different animal.

[Bob33]

Anyone who has hunted long enough has missed a shot, is extremely lucky, or a liar.

That said, you should have enough respect for an animal that every shot is taken only when you are extremely confident of the first shot hitting vitals and resulting in a quick, humane kill.

When you miss, you should be absolutely stunned.

I’m a hunter and kill animals, but I also recognize that animals feel pain and don’t wish to see any unduly suffer because of my carelessness or poor judgment.

[bowhunterwa87]

That sucks. Hopefully you get another opportunity.

[270Shooter]

I had a similar thing happen to me a few years ago. Shot at a spike running. Didn't hit it but I realized how tough it would be to put a good hit on him. Yes you can caught up in the excitement of seeing a legal animal and want to shoot right away but you must learn to have the restraint to hold off. It's not worth the guilt of possibly hitting and losing one. I will only take a shot at a running animal if I have already hit it now.

[mfswallace]

Anyone who has hunted long enough has missed a shot, is extremely lucky, or a liar.

That said, you should have enough respect for an animal that every shot is taken only when you are extremely confident of the first shot hitting vitals and resulting in a quick, humane kill.

When you miss, you should be absolutely stunned.

I’m a hunter and kill animals, but I also recognize that animals feel pain and don’t wish to see any unduly suffer because of my carelessness or poor judgment.

I'm stunned everytime someone else tells others how they should feel 

[jrebel]

Anyone who has hunted long enough has missed a shot, is extremely lucky, or a liar.

That said, you should have enough respect for an animal that every shot is taken only when you are extremely confident of the first shot hitting vitals and resulting in a quick, humane kill.

When you miss, you should be absolutely stunned.

I’m a hunter and kill animals, but I also recognize that animals feel pain and don’t wish to see any unduly suffer because of my carelessness or poor judgment.

I'm stunned everytime someone else tells others how they should feel 

  

I bow hunt and have to say some of my misses have not stunned me.  I realize my mistake and laugh it off (miss judge distance prior range finder days).  Then I go retrieve my arrow and push on. 

[BOWHUNTER45]

I may agree a little with some of the comments but when I was growing up in PA I have to say if you could not hit deer on the run then you ate a lot of tags ..back when I was a kid and being in the woods opening morning when the gun fire started you best have been on your toes and gun in hand , I really can not explain how crazy it was but you would hear 100's of shots from all direction and can not say I ever remember anyone getting shot 

[vandeman17]

I may agree a little with some of the comments but when I was growing up in PA I have to say if you could not hit deer on the run then you ate a lot of tags ..back when I was a kid and being in the woods opening morning when the gun fire started you best have been on your toes and gun in hand , I really can not explain how crazy it was but you would hear 100's of shots from all direction and can not say I ever remember anyone getting shot 

Elk hunted with an old timer from PA and boy did he have some stories. He said that come shooting time opening morning, it actually sounded like hours of fireworks because you wouldn't go more then a few seconds without hearing a gun shot and basically all heck broke loose.

[pianoman9701]

I may agree a little with some of the comments but when I was growing up in PA I have to say if you could not hit deer on the run then you ate a lot of tags ..back when I was a kid and being in the woods opening morning when the gun fire started you best have been on your toes and gun in hand , I really can not explain how crazy it was but you would hear 100's of shots from all direction and can not say I ever remember anyone getting shot 

I had more than one bullet come close hunting in the NE. It's unbelievable there aren't more hunting accidents back there.

[hornhunter1987]

If you don't know your surroundings before a shot than I don't know what to tell you. You should be constantly taking these things in while afield. If you see a animal you should be able to tell his surroundings before you put your scope on him. Close to the top of a ridge don't shoot simple as that. As far as practicing at moving targets that would be nice ( rolling tires with a target in the middle is a great way but not a lot of people do it) but I do not think it is necessary. Shooting in general of any kind is great practice for all types of situations. Its all about putting a bullet where you want to put it when you want to put it there. A animal can change direction of travel at any time just the same as a stationary animal could move at any time. If a animal is running you make your best guess where its going to be when your bullet gets there and that's what you shoot for, with 100% confidence. Shooting clay pigeons with a shotgun helps with lead even while shooting a rifle. You got to be confident. With all of this said, in thirteen years of hunting I have shot four animals on the run. All in the front shoulder (to much lead but better than not enough). In my hunting career I've lost one animal. Shot low and hit it in the leg (station target, one of the "easiest" shots I've had. To tell someone that they shouldn't take a shot at a running animal is wrong in my opinion. Unless you know him/her and there shooting capabilities.  There is plenty of people out there that have no business shooting at any animal due to lack of practice and adrenaline while shooting. Animals are lost every year that's the way it goes. I lost my first elk that i ever stuck this year. NO FEELING IS WORSE!!! but it was not due to lack of practice or low percentage shot ( I challenge anyone to a target or 3d shoot out). S***t happens. plenty of animals get killed and retrieved every year from running shots and plenty of animals get lost from stationary shots. Don't choose one to complain about.