how quick have you had to take shots

[Mykolaivka887]

Depends. Sometimes there's plenty of time to nestle in and get comfortable for a 300 yard cross-canyon shot, and at other times it's a millisecond shot opportunity at a running bull in thick timber or dense junipers.

 

[Ross]

2000 opening day of rifle 20 minutes into season 220 yds away hear an elk moving in the brush..have time to range small opening get prone and he steps out boom all in about 60 seconds..nice lung shot goes about 120 yds

2001 archery bugle fest with a bull for two hours, he steps out at 14 yds broadside..had the window picked out finally, 10 seconds or less another lung shot

2002 so many encounters this season..late October rifle bugle fest..in a tight little basin heavy brush big bull steps out 240ish time to get on pack, slow breathing and punch his lungs about 45 seconds

2003 opening day rifle back to the basin from 2000…bull bugles at daybreak slips away…around 10am hear a bugle and brush breaking..quickly range out to 500..hear elk moving seconds later uphill at 475…get prone on pack cow, cow, cow, bull solid mature bull lung him…runs 50 piles up…about 2 minutes

2004 3 elk tags in hand…2nd season Idaho offered 2 Tags. Archery another two hour buglefest herd bull with cows he finally commits about 18 yds broadside in dense brush..lung shot goes about 50 yds..about 20 seconds to say finally he is committed and pick window….

opening day of rifle tag 2 back in at daybreak big harem master screams just after daybreak same mountain as archery bull..I scramble and get moving in dense timber he is pushing cows..cover about 175 yds in 10 minutes..sees cows filtering in the timber at 85 yds he screams again safety off he steps broadside two shots in quick succession lungs down he goes…had about a minute on this one..

then on to Montana was hiking two hours before daybreak bumped some elk…kept bumping them…10 minutes into the day 5 pt steps out at 40 yds boom lungshot…had been racing outfitter on mules to prime spot…I won this day..they showed up 20 minutes later they offered to pack out if mule open that day..said yes please…ate trendy hung the bull and napped all day…they come by 8hrs later empty come to meatpole and load Mule up Elk opps tend to happen very quick so best to have things ready, dialed in and well oiled. We get no do overs good luck this fall The rest of my best decade laterremember them like yesterday…make memories

 

[GetWestern]

I don’t know why but I’ve never really had to take but one quick shot on elk before. It’s always been mule deer that I seem to give me just a brief window of opportunity to make a shot.

 

[Flyjunky]

I’ve had everything from very quick shots at 75 yards to literally waiting 25 minutes for an elk to present a good shot angle at 678 yards and everything in between.

 

[2-Stix]

8-15 seconds on the last 4 bucks. 2 hop out of the rig and off hand 75 and 125 yards. 2 sitting and glassing, bucks pushing does 175 off a tree, I always stop at a tree for a rest, 225 range it, grab rifle and set it on glassing tripod...I just sat down and was getting settled.

 

[Fire power]

I would give her at least 4 hours on a marginal shot. If your are getting the rain that were getting here in RI, I might go out a little earlier so that you don't lose your blood trail.

 

[rayporter]

i can think of 6 that were under a hundred yards and moving because they knew i was there.

another was in his bed as i slowly crept towards him, when i finally spotted him he had me pegged. i got the shot off before he blew out and he fell upside down between two trees.

 

[Indian Summer]

This depends greatly on your style of hunting. If you still hunt timber your shot opportunities will be short. If you spot and stalk you see them long before they see you and you can have all the time in the world.

I’ve done both but I’ll take plan B. I love spotting bulls and saying to myself…. Well there he is. All you have to do is take one careful step at a time and he’s yours. Don’t F it up!

 

[11boo]

I rifle hunt timber, close and fast shots are the norm. Sometimes not fast, but usually close. Port arms, or the rifle slung patrol style.

 

[bummer7580]

Curious how quickly people have had to take shots. Of my hunting buddies and myself, the majority of our shots have been quick shooting scenarios and standing.

7 elk have been taken while standing where the shot window was only seconds to decide.

1 bull was taken while seated but it had been a repeated scoot and move situation as the elk were moving through aspens on one side of the canyon opposite of me in a foggy misting rain until I had an opening as the bull had paused in a small gap of the aspens. I had to squat on my rump and steady my rifle on a sapling. Again I had no more than a few seconds to decide on the shot.

There has been only one shot where I was able to creep into a spot to take a relaxed shot while sitting. I was slowly moving to cross a creek when I heard a cow chirp and then saw a herd about 250 yards uphill of me.

I have not had any shots where I had been stationary and glassing.

This is a great topic. and one more hunters should practice for. We've had hunters show up where you know if a snap shot is needed it aint gonna happen. There are other times where we have had plenty of time for a hunter to get lined up and I thought I would have to swat him between the shoulder blades to get him to pull the trigger, I'm thinking shoot shoot shoot, nervous the bull might bust us. Practice getting on target and be confident enough to pull the trigger quickly. Practice different field positions.

 

[Pony Soldier]

My hunting is almost always confined to dense timber. It's not the demand for a quick shot but they just appear and then you have to pick the shot that opens up. It can be a change of angle or just one more step. Often it can be a staring contest for seconds or minutes.

Over the years, there have been a few freebys where they just walk out and say I'me here. But the majority have been 10-50 yards where you get to pick which 4 inch hole you are going to shoot through.

 

[trophyhill]

I have had to make quick shots with bow and gun, this times I didn’t get a shot off is when I quit paying attention

2000 opening day of rifle 20 minutes into season 220 yds away hear an elk moving in the brush..have time to range small opening get prone and he steps out boom all in about 60 seconds..nice lung shot goes about 120 yds

2001 archery bugle fest with a bull for two hours, he steps out at 14 yds broadside..had the window picked out finally, 10 seconds or less another lung shot

2002 so many encounters this season..late October rifle bugle fest..in a tight little basin heavy brush big bull steps out 240ish time to get on pack, slow breathing and punch his lungs about 45 seconds

2003 opening day rifle back to the basin from 2000…bull bugles at daybreak slips away…around 10am hear a bugle and brush breaking..quickly range out to 500..hear elk moving seconds later uphill at 475…get prone on pack cow, cow, cow, bull solid mature bull lung him…runs 50 piles up…about 2 minutes

2004 3 elk tags in hand…2nd season Idaho offered 2 Tags. Archery another two hour buglefest herd bull with cows he finally commits about 18 yds broadside in dense brush..lung shot goes about 50 yds..about 20 seconds to say finally he is committed and pick window….

opening day of rifle tag 2 back in at daybreak big harem master screams just after daybreak same mountain as archery bull..I scramble and get moving in dense timber he is pushing cows..cover about 175 yds in 10 minutes..sees cows filtering in the timber at 85 yds he screams again safety off he steps broadside two shots in quick succession lungs down he goes…had about a minute on this one..

then on to Montana was hiking two hours before daybreak bumped some elk…kept bumping them…10 minutes into the day 5 pt steps out at 40 yds boom lungshot…had been racing outfitter on mules to prime spot…I won this day..they showed up 20 minutes later they offered to pack out if mule open that day..said yes please…ate trendy hung the bull and napped all day…they come by 8hrs later empty come to meatpole and load Mule up Elk opps tend to happen very quick so best to have things ready, dialed in and well oiled. We get no do overs good luck this fall The rest of my best decade laterremember them like yesterday…make memories

It's all about the memories. Funny how we remember the details. Love it!