Shooting bedded animals?

C

chuck nelson

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I have no hard and fast rule with this and have taken bedded animals in the past. But sometimes you have to wait for them to get up. Here is a crappy photo of the Mule Deer I took this year. I elected to wait for him to stand given the screen of brush and lack of body I had to shoot at. But that comes with a risk as well. To get this close and really our only approach was to belly crawl at his altitude right at him. We got within 270 yds before we called it quits and decided to wait him out. Further away was not an option due to the curvature of the landscape. Trouble is, if he busts us or spooks he turns around and is over the top through that draw he was in within seconds. Probably gone forever.

What would you do?

 
Same as you, get as close as possible and wait for a confidence shot. I have no issue shooting a bedded animal if the shot is clear, I don't take any questionable shots at living game.
 
The one animal that I snuck up on while bedded, was a whitetailed buck. I was bow hunting & had to wait for him to stand up... He stretched several times & then stood up, took about 45 mins or so... I would have waited like you did.

Cheers
Jay
 
Without any more knowledge than what has been presented in that image, I would not have taken the shot even after he stood up.
 
ironsighter said:
Without any more knowledge than what has been presented in that image, I would not have taken the shot even after he stood up.
Click to expand...

It appears to me that he is skylined. I will not take a skylined shot.

It is very possible that there is a good backstop another hundred yards (or whatever) behind that and it is a safe shot. As I said, though, with only that image to make a decision... no shot for me.
 
ironsighter said:
It appears to me that he is skylined. I will not take a skylined shot.

It is very possible that there is a good backstop another hundred yards (or whatever) behind that and it is a safe shot. As I said, though, with only that image to make a decision... no shot for me.
Click to expand...

P.S. This isn't an attack or criticism. Just a personal choice. I am acutely safety-conscious, is all.
 
Bedded shots are low percentage shots at best. The size of the vitals is greatly reduced. If a person is close enough with a steady enough rest, the neck shot is an option for sure but trying to hit the vitals on a bedded animal is pretty tough and often a recipe for disaster. I have done it when conditions are right and time was of the essence but if time is on my side, I'd wait for it to stand.
 
Pretty small neck target at the 270 yards.
I would wait him out.
Less than a hundred yards, I would of gone for the neck
given the backstop was proper.

And no, not with a 223 either.
 
Shifting winds might make me nervous about waiting him out in case he bolts, I would probably try a call to get him to stand up and look, then drop him instantly.
Moose grunt, coyote woof. I usually have a couple coyote calls on me because I like to play with them once it’s dark and they start location howling.

A quick squeal on a rabbit distress call and he’d stand up.
 
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