Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Bow Hunting => Topic started by: blindluck on April 02, 2015, 08:26:59 PM

Title: What was your closest shot
Post by: blindluck on April 02, 2015, 08:26:59 PM: My first elk I shot at 3 steps, a cow and her yearling ran right to me in the windfall, as they were passing by I swung my bow and shot her at 8 feet. blew thru her and buried the broadhead in a log. It was freakin awesome!!
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: Crunchy on April 02, 2015, 08:31:31 PM: Mine was maybe 7 yards on the lead cow. Was also my first bow kill, and third shot opportunity I had that morning.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: MLBowhunting on April 02, 2015, 08:33:12 PM: 8 yards. 5pt raghorn bugling
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: Dan-o on April 02, 2015, 08:44:02 PM: 3 or 4 yards on a cow elk with my muzzleloader.

It was pretty cool.

Heard them coming for a while. they were mewing and wandering. Couldn't believe they walked right up to me.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: kentrek on April 02, 2015, 08:49:59 PM: 5 steps....

Passed on one head on that was 3 steps to his tracks this year...put a neck and head in there an :yike:

Love it when there close :tup:
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on April 02, 2015, 08:55:08 PM: Shot a 15 YO boar bear out of a fir tree at 9' after I woke him up from sleeping on a creek bank, he got scared and claimed the tree when he saw me. :chuckle:
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: ghosthunter on April 02, 2015, 09:06:22 PM: 6 inches with a muzzel loader. I was in this blind. The elk a spike came around the tree on the left and stood in front of the blind. The inside went dark. I leaned foreward to see and saw he was a spike. put the barrel center of his back.

Darn near burnt the blind down. The flame caught it on fire. I saw him turn and run off with a large hole in his back. before the smoke filled the blind. By the time I got out and reloaded was 10 minutes. Found him 100 ft away.
Photo was taken two days before the season opened.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: HighCountryHunter88 on April 02, 2015, 09:08:45 PM: 3ft no pins required
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: jrebel on April 02, 2015, 09:23:43 PM: 15' maybe.....aka "Danger Close" as I like to call it. :chuckle:
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: Solohunter84 on April 02, 2015, 09:36:56 PM: 10 feet on a black bear with my rifle. My first bear. I spotted it and it walked right at me. Rookie mistake having the scope on 9 haha looked through it and seen the biggest ear I've ever seen... Lowered the gun towards the chest and letter rip. Bear made it about 75 feet before piling up. Good times
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: ouchfoss on April 03, 2015, 11:54:51 AM: I was walking a road during early archery elk and all of sudden a spike deer comes bouncing right towards me. I knocked an arrow and drew back and when it decided to stop bouncing, it was maybe 5 yards. Double lunged it and it ran maybe 10 yards back the way it came and piled up.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: Jonathan_S on April 03, 2015, 11:58:31 AM: Archery bull 2014, close enough to smell his breath :yike: probably like 9 feet
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: LeviD1 on April 03, 2015, 12:45:22 PM: 5 ft when I used to rifle hunt. Grunted a few times while I kicked the snow off a log I wanted to sit on. Barely sat down before he came running out of the tree line right at me. Had to shoot from the hip. Probably one of my best hunting memories. Of course it was about 16 degrees out so I was dressed to sit for a long peroid of time. That was a sweaty drag out.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: coachcw on April 03, 2015, 09:04:51 PM: I shot a bull at 20 ish inches .... let's just say he pinned me down. My brother was a lying behind a log o center and a buck came sneaking up the trail and picked his head up almost touching the barrel. He just pulled the trigger and hit him right between the eyes.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: ouchfoss on April 03, 2015, 09:15:13 PM: My dad tells this story all the time. During early archery back in the 90s, he ended up having a herd get spooked his direction by some other hunters and the whole herd started single filing about five feet in front of him while he was behind a tall stump. When he got a chance, he drew back and just waited while cow after cow keep moving in front of him. Finally, last elk to get in front of him was the lead bull and he just pointed the bow towards the chest and released ( it was too close to even try with the peep site). He figured the shot wasn't much further than the length of his arrow! The elk ran off and he looked down and the arrow was laying right there in front of him, like maybe five feet away. Not sure why the arrow didn't go any further than that because it was actually a perfect double lung shot and the bull made it probably 50 yards and tipped over. Ended up being his biggest bull ever at the time, P&Y minimum 5x5.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: RadSav on April 03, 2015, 09:24:59 PM: Spike elk on the run right at me. Knocked the bow out of my hand just after release. Bear with 444 Marlin about 8" from barrel. Quite a few bear up close under 10'. Deer broadside about 3 yards from bow. Kamikaze Pheasant with beak in the barrel, I'm pretty sure :chuckle:
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: Longbowz on April 09, 2015, 07:41:55 PM: Couple deer at maybe 8 or 10 feet. One while I was setting on the ground trying to look like a stump while he circled me.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: CAMPMEAT on April 09, 2015, 07:46:12 PM: Point blank on a Bobcat under an old homestead porch with my 22 mag rifle.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: h20hunter on April 09, 2015, 07:49:08 PM: Bear was about 30 yards with my .270, deer was about 12 steps with my bow.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: brew on April 09, 2015, 07:55:39 PM: archery hunting wet side...sneaking along a deer trail on the edge of a cut not long after sunrise in late September...stepped up on a second growth over the trail and doe stood up on the back side of the log...i can still remember seeing the dew drops on her eyelashes and whiskers around her muzzle...sun was to my back..never aimed just drew and released...she went about 20 yards
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: pianoman9701 on April 10, 2015, 10:07:50 AM: The buck I killed this year was about 5-7 yards away.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: Jonathan_S on April 10, 2015, 01:54:16 PM: Quote from: pianoman9701 on April 10, 2015, 10:07:50 AM
The buck I killed this year was about 5-7 yards away.

You mean the baby with spots? Just kidding, just kidding :hello:

Such a rush to get those close shots.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: pianoman9701 on April 10, 2015, 01:57:49 PM: Quote from: Jonathan_S on April 10, 2015, 01:54:16 PM
Quote from: pianoman9701 on April 10, 2015, 10:07:50 AM
The buck I killed this year was about 5-7 yards away.

You mean the baby with spots? Just kidding, just kidding :hello:

Such a rush to get those close shots.
Lol, I got it. No, but it did have mother's milk dripping from its lips. :chuckle:
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: h20hunter on April 10, 2015, 02:04:49 PM: P-Man....sounds like a tasty deer!

When bored and cruising youtube the up close shots and encounters are some of the coolest.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on April 10, 2015, 02:40:16 PM: Rifle - 10 feet on a whitetail doe, from the hip with Win M94 .30/30
Muzzleloader - about 2 inches on a ruffed grouse pecking on an apple, straight down one-handed while sitting in an apple tree crotch
Shotgun - 8 feet on a spring gobbler
Archery - 8 yards on a spike elk
Handgun - several cottontails and blue grouse under 10 feet
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: Jonathan_S on April 10, 2015, 02:44:30 PM: Quote from: DOUBLELUNG on April 10, 2015, 02:40:16 PM
Muzzleloader - about 2 inches on a ruffed grouse pecking on an apple, straight down one-handed while sitting in an apple tree crotch

:chuckle: once I was grouse hunting with the 12 ga but packing a .22 pistol too. I almost stepped on one that flew up and landed on a branch next to my chest. I pulled the pistol and capped it like it was in a phone booth. Felt like an assassination...weird.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: cedarriver on April 10, 2015, 02:58:49 PM: Always cool to be in the right place at the right time to have them that close. Never pulled the trigger but had a doe at about 6 ft browsing on the other side of a clump of sage brush, during archery season a lot of years ago. Did manage to draw on her twice just to see if I could get away with it.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: bigbeamhunter on April 10, 2015, 03:13:21 PM: Arrow barely got off the string
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: RB on April 10, 2015, 04:34:25 PM: Have shot two Deer at 10 steps one in Alaska (Sitka Blacktail) and one in Eastern Washington (Whitetail). Both times with 30-06 and both times they were bedded and they stood up as I was moving slow through the brush.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: mossyoak arrow slinger on April 10, 2015, 06:53:29 PM: Last year steelnducks called my cow into about six yards. That's was a lot of fun and made it pretty easy. That's by far my closest.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: Nice Racks on April 10, 2015, 07:57:09 PM: Anyone ever see the footage of keith mark standing his ground and shooting the bull moose at about 28 inches as it was charging him? His fletching hadn't left his bow as his broadhead was entering the bulls chest.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on April 15, 2015, 05:22:57 PM: Quote from: Jonathan_S on April 10, 2015, 02:44:30 PM
Quote from: DOUBLELUNG on April 10, 2015, 02:40:16 PM
Muzzleloader - about 2 inches on a ruffed grouse pecking on an apple, straight down one-handed while sitting in an apple tree crotch

:chuckle: once I was grouse hunting with the 12 ga but packing a .22 pistol too. I almost stepped on one that flew up and landed on a branch next to my chest. I pulled the pistol and capped it like it was in a phone booth. Felt like an assassination...weird.
I thought it broke my wrist! Won't do that again, 100 grains of pyrodex behind a 385gr buffalo ball. Glad I did it once though.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: BOWHUNTER45 on April 15, 2015, 05:32:14 PM: Mine was a muzzy spike I killed ..about 3 steps but when I was about 17 and in high school I was bowhunting and this whitetail doe walked past me inches away ...No I do not wear all that scent killer crap :chuckle: But as she passed I slapped her on the butt and u talk about scaring the scrap out of something !
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: Pete112288 on April 15, 2015, 05:46:40 PM: About 10 yards on my best buck to date, came in chasing a doe, heart shot while chasing her.
About 6-8 yards on a called in coyote, came around a burm and was right there, didnt have time to switch to buckshot, left a watermelon sized exit hole with the 12 ga slug
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: bolsen on April 15, 2015, 06:29:23 PM: Closest with a bow was around 5 yards, first archery kill. Rifle I killed 2 bulls in high school under 10 yards in some heavy rain storms. One was feeding under a blown down hemlock I was walking across a draw on. Scared the hell out of me.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: Tbob on April 16, 2015, 03:32:51 PM: My only buck was shot at 4 feet with a bow. He was on a dead run RIGHT in front of me. Double lung pass through. He took 2 bounces and fell dead on his face! Shot a Doe at 3 yards with my bow. She hit the ground like I hit her with my car. I couldn't believe how much energy that arrow had behind it. Had a HUGE Rosie bull sniff the end of my arrow one time while I was at full draw. Never got a shot as he walked straight at me and never changed course. I was Affraid to take the straight on shot so I didn't! It was totally crazy. I was actually a little scared!! Those things are really big when they are right in front of you with nothing in between you!! I also had a yearling deer ( spots barely visible) walk right into me one time. The look on its face was priceless. I also had a coyote walk over my feet one time while sitting against a stump.. Guess my camo was working that day!
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: Taco280AI on April 16, 2015, 03:34:28 PM: About 15 yards or so
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: Buzz2401 on April 16, 2015, 04:16:45 PM: 3 yards with a 7mm mag.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: Peskadot on April 16, 2015, 04:32:45 PM: 5 Yards... On a 300 lbs boar hog in Oklahoma. Shot him from the ground also...
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: shootnrun on May 30, 2015, 08:50:41 AM: I've shot three cows 10-12 yards head on with a muzzleloader. They were easy to find :chuckle:

Best shot was hitting a sow in the chest with a rock at 10-15 ft. I didnt wanna shoot her (44mag in my left hand).Stumbled upon her and her cub in the back country and she was livid. She charged us and I charged back and let the rock fly hoping I wouldn't have to squeeze the trigger. Luckily she turned away, got her cub out of the tree and they went their separate way.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: coachcw on May 30, 2015, 09:13:33 AM: Less than one arrow length and I only got about 1/2 arrow of the arrow in him right in the neck . crazy thing was i was full draw and looking through my peep i had my top pin at the base of his skull and hit him mid neck ..... that was the bull i tracked for 3 hours and the grizz got . woulda been good to have a rewind on that day . second thought i could imagine going back for trip two and finding yogi on the bull that might not have turned out too good since i wasn't carrying any side arm .
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: The Gobble-stopper on May 30, 2015, 09:26:08 AM: I realize I am on an archery topic, but a friend of my Dads shot a bear at negative 6 inches. Bear attacked him and he had no choice but stick the shotgun down its throat and pull the trigger.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: RadSav on May 30, 2015, 09:27:19 AM: Quote from: The Gobble-stopper on May 30, 2015, 09:26:08 AM
I realize I am on an archery topic, but a friend of my Dads shot a bear at negative 6 inches. Bear attacked him and he had no choice but stick the shotgun down its throat and pull the trigger.

I bet that was exciting!
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: Odell on May 30, 2015, 09:35:44 AM: I have shot ducks and pheasant at WAAAY to close and learned from those mistakes. There is something crazy about having ducks land on you in a layout blind.

Big game, not really that close. Killed a decent buck at 17 yards with my bow. Have passed on others much closer, usually barely legal small bucks.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: GoPlayOutside on May 30, 2015, 09:36:32 AM: Spike elk at 10ft with a bow, while a young calf was at about 4ft. Had to hold my draw for minutes while the calf cleared. All while the whole heard was surrounding me, and a huge 6x6 was bugling like crazy. That was my favorite day in the field ever.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: j_h_nimrod on May 30, 2015, 09:43:07 AM: Stuck a 200lb hog with a knife, that was the closest.

Didn't take the closest shot I could have. Tracked a young Sitka Blacktail buck along a stream trail from the bluff above and cut him off in the bend. Stood behind a tree and when he walked past I poked him with the barrel of my .375 H&H and yelled "BOO!!" He jumped about 10' backwards and then just stood there thinking he was dead for a few seconds before giving me a dirty look and trotting off with frequent looks back. I got a good laugh out of that.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: The scout on May 30, 2015, 09:56:10 AM: as I was glassing a group of deer about 500 yards away a nice buck snuck up behind me and I shot him at 4 yds with a 308. I shoot a lot at long range and was prepared to take a long shot on a deer if needed. funny sometimes it can unfold in a matter of hours or a matter of seconds
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: BABackcountryBwhntr on May 30, 2015, 10:14:39 AM: my buck 2 years ago at 6 yrds and a bear at 5 yrds.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: daddyelk on May 30, 2015, 10:57:27 AM: No shot but a few years back a hunting buddy and I had a herd of elk run right through us. They were spooked by another hunter and we just had to hide behind trees as they were running past. I hit a cow in the ass with my shooting sticks.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: coachcw on May 30, 2015, 12:08:01 PM: my brother shot a deer and never moved his gun . the buck snuck up the trail and picked his head up and placed the muzzle right between his eyes bro just squeezed the trigger ! pretty bad shot it was off center about 1/16 of a inch and the deer had powder burns on his face .
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: PolarBear on May 30, 2015, 12:28:16 PM: Less than 2 feet with my bow on a blacktail buck in a torrential down pour. I actually had to take a step backwards to draw behind the tree where I was hiding. Bow was set at 90 pounds, the arrow went clean through him, into the ground with only about 2" of fletching sticking out.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: Okanagan on May 30, 2015, 01:17:55 PM: Four inches or less, based on the powder burn on the elk's shoulder. I was 15, spike elk spooked by another hunter ran over me in a thicket. I heard him coming, raised my 30-30 carbine to shoulder, then pivoted my right foot and side back and leaned way back to keep his shoulder from slamming into the end of the barrel as I fired.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: carlyoungs on May 30, 2015, 01:18:07 PM: Mine was 12 feet in the face. It wasn't a bow but a 12 gauge slug. He didn't go very far.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: RadSav on May 30, 2015, 01:20:50 PM: Quote from: PolarBear on May 30, 2015, 12:28:16 PM
Less than 2 feet with my bow on a blacktail buck in a torrential down pour. I actually had to take a step backwards to draw behind the tree where I was hiding. Bow was set at 90 pounds, the arrow went clean through him, into the ground with only about 2" of fletching sticking out.

Were you worried about cape buffalo or charging elephants in your deer spot? :chuckle:
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: Bullkllr on May 30, 2015, 01:55:55 PM: I shot a little mulie buck at about 4' over on the Snake river breaks on a wide open hillside. I was sitting there glassing a far off hill and the buck and 2 others about ran me over.

I'm usually hunting thick wetside stuff, and in the most wide-open place I ever hunted I kill one at 4' :dunno:
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: JackOfAllTrades on May 30, 2015, 02:08:18 PM: 6' 44mag Blacktail buck. 10' Muledeer 30-338. Both during rifle season.

-Steve
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: RadSav on May 30, 2015, 02:43:00 PM: Quite the interesting thread. All these years I thought my experiences were something special. Now I'm thinking maybe not so much. Cool so many have had the opportunity to experience that level of excitement.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: Johnb317 on May 30, 2015, 02:49:13 PM: Rocky Mountain elk came within 3 feet, no shot because the arrow came off the string (I now shoot a dloop). Rosie under 5 yards, full pass through and stuck in tree on other side.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: PolarBear on May 30, 2015, 03:04:43 PM: Quote from: RadSav on May 30, 2015, 01:20:50 PM
Quote from: PolarBear on May 30, 2015, 12:28:16 PM
Less than 2 feet with my bow on a blacktail buck in a torrential down pour. I actually had to take a step backwards to draw behind the tree where I was hiding. Bow was set at 90 pounds, the arrow went clean through him, into the ground with only about 2" of fletching sticking out.

Were you worried about cape buffalo or charging elephants in your deer spot? :chuckle:
:chuckle: I was a powerlifter at the time and 90 pound draw was like 30 pounds. Besides, nobody in my hunting group could pull it back so I didn't worry about being asked if they could borrow it. It was the old style Hoyt/Easton sand cast riser with zero let off. 90 pounds at every point in the draw. That thing has blown clean through a bunch of elk.
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: RadSav on May 30, 2015, 03:33:08 PM: Quote from: PolarBear on May 30, 2015, 03:04:43 PM
Quote from: RadSav on May 30, 2015, 01:20:50 PM
Were you worried about cape buffalo or charging elephants in your deer spot? :chuckle:
:chuckle: ... nobody in my hunting group could pull it back so I didn't worry about being asked if they could borrow it.

Nice! Maybe I should go back to shooting 80-85#. I hadn't thought of that benefit :whoo:
Title: Re: What was your closest shot
Post by: Greg Mullins on May 30, 2015, 04:26:03 PM: All 7 pins on a deer.Apx 5 feet.