do you take the shot?

How sure do you have to be before taking the shot?

  • almost 100%-I have to be almost certain of a clean kill

    Votes: 307 76.8%

  • 75% The odds are in my favor

    Votes: 80 20.0%

  • 50% I have even odds

    Votes: 10 2.5%

  • 25% I hunt on private land,and am good at tracking

    Votes: 3 0.8%
  • Total voters
    400
I hunt wide open, and I hunt jungles and everythign in between. The deer I shot last year was almost 400 yards away, in the open. 100 yards away? Jungle...

I like 100% shots, but I hedge my bets.

Even at close range, running shots on deer, I aim for the vitals, regardless of angle , and shoot. The TSX takes care of the rest;)
 
The last couple years, my deer have been close enough that I actually had to double check that the scope was on the right part of the side of the deer. 40-50 yards and less.

The deer tend to hear me coming, if I hunt on the move, so i have been learning (usually re-learning each year!) to find a good spot, sit still, and be quiet.

Makes for some high probability shots, on average.

I'll use a bipod or rest if at all possible.

Cheers
Trev
 
if I don;t think it's going to fall on the first shot, I don;t take the shot. the ethical dispatch of my game is far to important to risk the suffering and potential loss of such a fine creature. Game diserves our ultimate respect. there is no shame in passing on an animal. there is no greater sin then wounding and loosing an animal when you didn't do everything you could to avoid such an event.
 
If my cross hairs stay on the vitals I pull the trigger. That is my general rule for meat hunting or just filling a tag on a buck.


BUT If it is a 190" buck and he is doing mock 10 across a field, standing behind some bush or a long ways out I will shoot. People will try to come across like they are SOOO ethical but the reaity is when a once in a life timer is out there and the shot is hard people still shoot.
 
BUT If it is a 190" buck and he is doing mock 10 across a field, standing behind some bush or a long ways out I will shoot. People will try to come across like they are SOOO ethical but the reaity is when a once in a life timer is out there and the shot is hard people still shoot.
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Of course you are entitled to your opinion ,but not everyone will take such a shot,regardless of the size of the deer.I was presented with a 580 yard(lasered) shot at a buck that I estimated to be in the 170+ range with my spotting scope.I had practiced regularly to 500 yards but never farther,so I really didn't know where the bullet would strike at 580 yards.There was also a very gusty wind,and the buck was with a doe.I could have taken the shot,but I likely would have missed or wounded the buck,or worse yet hit the doe.Instead,I tried to get closer,and never did get a shot at that buck.

there is no greater sin then wounding and loosing an animal when you didn't do everything you could to avoid such an event.
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And doing everything you could to avoid such an event means passing on the low percentage shots.
 
stubblejumper said:
Of course you are entitled to your opinion ,but not everyone will take such a shot,regardless of the size of the deer.I was presented with a 580 yard(lasered) shot at a buck that I estimated to be in the 170+ range with my spotting scope.I had practiced regularly to 500 yards but never farther,so I really didn't know where the bullet would strike at 580 yards.There was also a very gusty wind,and the buck was with a doe.I could have taken the shot,but I likely would have missed or wounded the buck,or worse yet hit the doe.Instead,I tried to get closer,and never did get a shot at that buck.



And doing everything you could to avoid such an event means passing on the low percentage shots.
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Ya, well I would not have shot either, there is a difference between a hard shot and an impossibly stupid one.
 
After 100 votes it's over 74% for almost 100% sure,and we now have only two people that think that it's ethical to shoot if they feel that they are only 25% sure of a clean kill.I guess that the poster that prompted me to start this poll is one of only 2% of hunters that share the same ethics when it comes to shot selection.
 
How do shotgunners fit into this? Around here a goose limit is 28 birds. I've never met the person that could go 28 straight on geese. Unless my math is seriously flawed, that's nowhere near 100%. Does the 100% rule only apply to ungulates?
 
Dogleg said:
How do shotgunners fit into this? Around here a goose limit is 28 birds. I've never met the person that could go 28 straight on geese. Unless my math is seriously flawed, that's nowhere near 100%. Does the 100% rule only apply to ungulates?
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And there is a lot of wounding going on too. But it is ok because birds (and fish) don't have feelings therefore it is ethical and ok to admit on the Internet.
 
I was taught not to take iffy shots on game and the result is usually a one shot kill (with a second insurance shot now and then) Sure, things occasionally go awry after the bullet leaves the muzzle but I'll do everything I can before I squeeze off the round to ensure a clean kill. Now a running coyote or wolf at long range is gonna get lead poked at 'im regardless!
 
How do shotgunners fit into this? Around here a goose limit is 28 birds. I've never met the person that could go 28 straight on geese. Unless my math is seriously flawed, that's nowhere near 100%. Does the 100% rule only apply to ungulates?
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Everyone that hunts geese regularly knows that even if the pattern is properly placed,the bird may not always fall immediately,and a follow up shot may be required. Where geese are concerned, it is more a matter of ,do you only take shots that are well within the range of your equipment and your wing shooting skills?Or are you one of those people that regularly attempts 60 yard shots on geese,or are you a person that never practices by shooting clay targets,and never bothers to pattern your gun with your hunting loads?Of course,second shots to finish cripples are much more common than for big game.
Select the choice that most closely represents what you think your odds are before you pull the trigger each time.That being said,I do know people that average around 75% on geese.These people are skeet shooters that I used to shoot with,and they rarely miss,but they too do have to finish a cripple now and then.
 
Should there be a difference on how sure you are, whether it be geese or big game?

Why is it acceptable that some geese will be cripples that need the extra shots, and some will be ones that fly away, and die later, etc etc
Why if we will limit ourselves on big game, to being ____% sure, would we not want to be the same ____% sure witha goose or duck?
 
Should there be a difference on how sure you are, whether it be geese or big game?
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I do see a reason for some difference,that being that shotgun patterns do vary,from shell to shell,especially with the larger shot sizes used for geese,so it is quite possible that even a perfectly placed pattern will not result in the bird immediately folding in the air.You can control where you place the pattern,but you have no control over where each pellet may strike.In the case of a rifle,the shooter has much more control over where the bullet will strike.From what I have experienced,even the very best shotgun shooters have never gone 100% on geese,even if the geese are well within normal range over decoys.These same shooters are maintaining a 98+% average at skeet which involves a much smaller target moving much faster,yet even they can't provide 100% one shot kills on geese.As such,how can anyone else be expected to be 100%?
Out of curiosity,have you ever bothered to pattern your shotgun with you goose loads?Not just one shot,but several shots?
 
It seems more tolerable to have cripples and lost game, when it is geese, than when it is big game. Why??
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Because as I already posted,but you failed to comprehend,the shooter has a great deal of control over where his rifle bullet strikes.With proper shot selection,he can have almost 100% success with placing the bullet in the vitals.

In the case of shotgun patterns,they are not uniform,and the shooter does not have control over where each pellet strikes.As such,even a perfectly placed pattern can't guarantee that enough pellets strike the vitals to ensure a quick kill.If you shoot a smaller shot size to ensure more hits on the vitals,you give up energy,and the shot might not be effective.If you only shoot at less than 15 yards,the patterns will be more effective,but they will be smaller making proper hits more difficult.As well,if you shoot a goose at less than 15 yards with a tight pattern,a very high percentage of the meat will be inedible.
The bottom line is that you either accept the fact that it isn't possible to be quite as effective with a shotgun on geese as you can be with a rifle on big game,or you don't allow goose hunting.
 
As i afiled to comprehend! It's your theory.

How about buckshot then, should it not be used?

Shotgun patterns are not unform and the hunter has little control over where the the pellets will hit??? :confused:

Then why pattern?

If you pattern your shotgun, with proper shells and choking, I'd suspect that at a given range you should have pretty good precision and accuracy.

If I thought my patterns were not consistent, with a certain number of pellets hitting the target at a given range, then I'd give up.

When I pattern, I count for hits on the bird and hits on vital, and select shells based on that. Don't turkey hunters do the same?

My point originally was, that you accept cripples and lost game, basically based on the method you use. Shotgun or Rifle or bow etc..
 
As i afiled to comprehend!
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:confused:

Shotgun patterns are not unform and the hunter has little control over where the the pellets will hit???
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When you pattern,can you control where every individual pellet strikes?No,you can only control where the pattern strikes.And the density of the pattern will not be perfectly uniform over the entire pattern.If you doubt this,divide the entire pattern into equal sized 6" squares,and count the number of hits in each square.Are there the same number of hits in every square?Now do this for a dozen patterns with that load and choke.Does every shot put the same number of pellets in each square?I doubt it.
How many patterns do you fire with every load/choke combination?Probably one or two shots at most.

If you pattern your shotgun, with proper shells and choking, I'd suspect that at a given range you should have pretty good precision and accuracy.

If I thought my patterns were not consistent, with a certain number of pellets hitting the target at a given range, then I'd give up.

When I pattern, I count for hits on the bird and hits on vital, and select shells based on that.
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You pattern your gun to find the best pattern possible with the chokes and ammunition available.Unfortunately,as the shot get's larger in size,the patterns will have more holes in them regardless of the shells or the choke.With steel shot requiring even larger pellets,this becomes even more of an issue.
If you take a dozen patterns,it is quite likely that you will be able to manipulate a target the size and shape of a goose on one or two of those patterns,so very few if any pellets directly strike vitals in a way that will instantly drop the bird.
If a big game hunter shoots a deer through the lungs,it may run 50 to 100 yards before dropping,and the hunter often has no need or opportunity to fire a second shot.If a goose hunter sees that the bird does not drop at the shot,he usually shoots again.


Don't turkey hunters do the same?
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Turkey hunters use very tight patterns,because they aren't shooting at flying birds.The extra tight patterns help prevent holes in those patterns.They also usually use lead,so they can use smaller shot for even denser patterns.
 
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it depends on the game. If I was 100% I would only need a few shells in my pocket when I'm after ducks.:) This does not happen.:redface: I'm am more likley to take a higher risk shot at a coyote than a deer. If we only took 100% shots none of us would have ever missed. Ever miss a gopher, a duck,or any thing else? If so you are not 100% sure. we can be sure the shot is 100% safe. This is only me & my thinking. Some may not see it the same & thats OK:slap::) AJ
 
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