how quick have you had to take shots

[Indyal]

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.

 

[Wrench]

Everything sub 30 yards is a ticking time bomb. Everything 500 and beyond has been shooting targets.

 

[Dos Perros]

Every elk I've shot at has, for the most part, been an urgent situation. Mostly bow, only one rifle.

 

[Dave_]

Pretty much all my elk kills were split second. Usually him walking though thick timber with very narrow shooting lanes or poping up close looking at me.

My first muzzy bull I was watching for 5-10 minutes before he gave me a shot. But again he was following a cow and I had to shoot quick before he turned or went back in the timber.

I attribute alot of success to being ready to take advantage of an opportunity. Most times you only get one one.

Ive screwed up several opportunities because I didn't have my bow or rifle ready to go and watched the animal walk on by while I reach for it, never to return.

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[woods89]

I'm not an expert on elk at all, but the bull I killed in '21 was a very quick opportunity. We knew he was in a little bowl, with a mix of burned and unburned timber in the bottom. We could not see him, so with about a half an hour of light left we circled around and started aggressively still hunting up from the bottom. We found him, at 60 yds, and afterwards I was glad I had shot a bunch of drills that summer with a focus on speed, as there was very little margin.

I realize this is about elk, but I killed a MO whitetail last year that was a very similar shot. Thankfully I was shooting my 223 trainer, which I'm quite familiar with, and was able to get a bullet in the heart/lungs within a few seconds.

It's fun to shoot at extended distance but these 2 situations have added some perspective to how I practice. I feel for me it's just as or more important to be fast and efficient at moderate ranges.

 

[RuggedYogi]

When using a rifle, I’ve never been in a situation when I felt rushed. I’m typically set up and waiting for an opportunity. When the shot opportunity is presented, I have to act quickly but am ready.

Archery on the other hand… always quick.

 

[BigE]

Our group had 2 elk taken in '21 and both were 50 yards and in, so the shots were quick. Not much time to setup with walking and stalking. '22 was a bust with no shots fired, weather and area just didn't have the critters due during that season.

 

[Bachto]

The elk I killed this last year was a 60 yard off-hand shot.

 

[Macintosh]

Of my extensive experience of 1 (ONE) elk, shot was only about 60 yards and I had time to watch him exit the woods into an opening, see where he stopped, and shift into a more stable kneeling position before taking the shot. Other times while hunting other critters, hiking, etc I have had elk encounters that could have been shots had I had the correct tag--most of those have been pretty quick similar to what I'd expect when still-hunting for whitetail deer closer to home, or a few were at longer range (400-500 yards or more) and would have had plenty of time to find a position, settle in, and shoot.

 

[cnelk]

In 2006 I was slipping thru the timber with an arrow knocked. I suddenly smelled elk and slowed way down with the thermals in my favor.
Came around a small tree and saw this bull bedded about 5yds away.

I drew and shot him in his bed. Quickly knocked another arrow and shot him again before he got up.

 

[87TT]

The last two rifle cows I shot were bedded in some choke cherries up a draw. I moved in and flushed them like quail and shot them at 50-75 yards offhand when the stopped to look back. Same patch, three years apart. The last bull I shot came charging in pissed off and I barely had time to draw my bow before the shot at 10 yards. I had a rag horn come in hot that I didn't have time to draw without him seeing me. When he was less than 10 yards and about to run over me, I drew, he slammed on the brakes and as he spun, I shot. clean pass through and dead elk.

 

[S.Clancy]

Some have been very quick, like sprinting down a ridge, diving on the ground, and shooting, like 5-6 secs. By far most have been much less urgent, able to setup and take your time. Of the 4 elk kills I was part of this year, only one was "urgent" and that was only because it was a second one shot out of the same group. The others were multiple minute setups, my bull we sat there for 15-20 minutes. Of the 13 elk over the last 3 years, only 2 or 3 needed to be really quick.

 

[Formidilosus]

This is the 2022-23 season on elk. Most were filmed.

1. Elk, 515, 45 seconds, prone, timed out
2. Elk, 608, prone, sub 20sec, timed out
3. Elk, 640-680y, prone, 40’ish seconds, timed out
4. Elk, 850y, 45 seconds, prone, timed out
5. Elk, 910y, prone, 16 seconds, killed
6. Elk, 628y, prone, more than a minute, killed
7. Elk, 644y, prone, 8 seconds, killed
8. Elk, 994y, prone, 24 seconds, missed
9. Elk, 373y, sitting on pack, 11 seconds, killed
10. Elk, 373y, sitting on pack, 8 seconds, killed
11. Elk, 418y, prone, 20’ish seconds, timed out
12. Elk, 350’ish, prone, 5 seconds, killed
13. Elk, 287y, 5 seconds, prone, killed
14. Elk, 458y, prone, 6 seconds, killed
15. Elk, 490y, prone, 30’ish seconds, killed
16. Elk, 488y, prone, 30’ish seconds, missed
17. Elk, 550y, prone, 9 seconds, killed
18. Elk, 80’ish, standing offhand, 4’ish seconds, killed
19. Elk, 558y, prone, 17 seconds, killed
20. Elk, 560y, prone, 17 seconds, missed
21. Elk, 280y, prone, 13 seconds, killed
22. Elk, 970-980y, prone, rodeo of more than 40 minutes, killed

 

[alecvg]

I would say most of my elk have been somewhat rushed, but the only one I feel I wouldn't have had another shot opportunity on would be one I tracked in the snow. I had spotted the bachelor herd bedded at about 50 yards in heavy timber, was trying to crawl around to find a shot angle when the wind swirled and they stood up, I missed my first rushed shot, and connected on the second as they took off. Took the one and only shot I would have had, and put him down, was able to run up about 20 feet and put a final shot into him.

 

[Laramie]

This is the 2022-23 season on elk. Most were filmed.

1. Elk, 515, 45 seconds, prone, timed out
2. Elk, 608, prone, sub 20sec, timed out
3. Elk, 640-680y, prone, 40’ish seconds, timed out
4. Elk, 850y, 45 seconds, prone, timed out
5. Elk, 910y, prone, 16 seconds, killed
6. Elk, 628y, prone, more than a minute, killed
7. Elk, 644y, prone, 8 seconds, killed
8. Elk, 994y, prone, 24 seconds, missed
9. Elk, 373y, sitting on pack, 11 seconds, killed
10. Elk, 373y, sitting on pack, 8 seconds, killed
11. Elk, 418y, prone, 20’ish seconds, timed out
12. Elk, 350’ish, prone, 5 seconds, killed
13. Elk, 287y, 5 seconds, prone, killed
14. Elk, 458y, prone, 6 seconds, killed
15. Elk, 490y, prone, 30’ish seconds, killed
16. Elk, 488y, prone, 30’ish seconds, missed
17. Elk, 550y, prone, 9 seconds, killed
18. Elk, 80’ish, standing offhand, 4’ish seconds, killed
19. Elk, 558y, prone, 17 seconds, killed
20. Elk, 560y, prone, 17 seconds, missed
21. Elk, 280y, prone, 13 seconds, killed
22. Elk, 970-980y, prone, rodeo of more than 40 minutes, killed

You guys shooting long range intentionally?

 

[Marble]

I've taken several standing, off hand, with no rest. I've also missed like this. My practice is to get a rest and then shoot. Most of the time, the urgency you have is a little self created, and hunters should take just a few moments to get a rest.

It is also one of the reasons I hunt with a single walking stick. It has worked well to use as a rest a few times.

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[Formidilosus]

You guys shooting long range intentionally?

Nope. I’d like them all 10 yards and broadside. There are a few factors for the longer ranges. The first is terrain. Mostly where we hunt elk is either extremely thick with openings across draws and valleys; or in very open areas with almost no trees. The second reason, is that we/I will take the first opportunity with a high likelihood of success. We have too many tags to be artificially passing up on demand shots to try to close the distance.

With bulls we are hunting areas where passsing on a 400-600 yard shot to get closer means a thousand vertical feet down, and the a thousand plus vertical feet back up, and when you do that after the 2-4 hours it takes- the elk aren’t there. With cows, their in herds of 50-300 in relatively open terrain, and getting inside of 300 yards with that many eyes can be very difficult.

Basically the king and short of it- I’m not going to pass a shot that is inside the on demand ability, for some arbitrary reason. If conditions or scenario makes it not an on demand, then I’ll do what it takes to change those factors- very often getting closer.

 

[Beendare]

Every elk I've shot at has, for the most part, been an urgent situation. Mostly bow, only one rifle.

Same here….all bow.

 

[207-12A]

I took a Copper River bison this fall at 38 yards, the stalk didn't allow me to get a shot until I popped out of the treeline directly in his line of sight that close. After a frozen stare down for what felt like 60 seconds (it was dark and hard for either of us to see clearly) he turned to walk in the woodline. I'm guessing I had about 2-Mississippi to get the rifle up and get that shot off. Easily the most rushed I've ever been in the woods.

 

[5MilesBack]

This is the 2022-23 season on elk. Most were filmed.

How do you get 22 elk tags in a season?

For me, every rifle elk kill I've had were quick free hand shots at 250 and under.....several of those were within bow range. With my bow, every single one of them has been quick. I generally hunt solo, do my own calling, and I'm always on the move......so shot opportunities happen FAST. I know when I'm close, so usually have an arrow nocked, but not always.......because they can come running in in a hurry from a ways away.

I had a 6x6 a few years ago that was above me and going away while bugling. I screamed at him, nocked an arrow, and ran about 50 yards straight up the slope. I stopped at a small opening, and I saw black legs moving through the timber above me so I came to full draw. He walked right into my sight picture and I was releasing an arrow less than a second later, with my 30 yard pin where I wanted it. He didn't know what hit him and crashed after running 37 yards from where he was hit. If I had waited to nock an arrow, or drew when I actually saw him, there's a good chance that bull would have been gone by the time I got to full draw. At those distances it doesn't take much movement to spook them.