Up close and personal

[Brad1974]

I recently had a discussion on here regarding long range shots on mule deer and got some great feedback, but now I'm interested in going the other direction... I'll preface this by saying I am in no way anit-long shots. But as impressive as those long shots are, I am just as impressed (or even more impressed really) by the guys who get extremely close. I am an avid hunting podcast listener and there were a few that really stood out, with one being an old guy named Jerry Stout, a trad bow ule deer hunter. The podcast host asked him something along the lines of "what is your max distance you'd shoot at a mule deer, about 20 yards?" and his answer was "20 yards?... no, I'm a better hunter than that". Another guy I believe was Brian Koelzer, who is a trad bow hunter who had quite a few mule deer kills that would be measured in feet instead of yards. That kind of hunting is simply awe inspiring to me.

So my question is, what is the shortest shots you've taken on mule deer?
Was it with a gun or bow?
how did/do you do it? (tricks/tips/tactics, spot & stalk, ambush, etc)
What type of terrain and what time of the season? do you think that plays a big part of why you can get that close?

My closest was a spot & stalk on a bedded mule deer, & the shot was 30 yards. It was in high desert wyoming on sept 5th. Then on October 31st this year I tagged a whitetail buck from 12 yards away, but that was definitely not something I planned.

 

[Macegl]

5 yards still hunting with a rifle…almost entirely luck.

 

[J.B.]

3 yards with a bow, buddy was 20 yards behind me bawling like a fawn in distress. Doe came in hot and I shot her frontal.
Stalked a couple bucks sub 20, couple more sub 40.

 

[willfrye027]

Closest mule deer 13 yards, with a bow. Was a young forky in California and essentially fed into me while still hunting timber.

Closest big mule deer was Arizona low desert about a year ago, 21 yards. I stalked in to about 60 yards and the group got up and fed right to me down the wash.

With a gun closest and biggest buck ever was 30 yard running neck shot, high desert Nevada. Actually heard the deer walking up behind me while glassing, heard him start to take a piss, stood up and had a short stare down at about 25 yards. He bolted and jumped and I shot with my crosshairs on his neck.

Bouncing off your long shot thread..it pays to be a well rounded “shooter” if you want to be a good hunter IMO

 

[Brad1974]

Bouncing off your long shot thread..it pays to be a well rounded “shooter” if you want to be a good hunter IMO

Absolutely agree 100%. That was a big part of the reason I wanted to have that discussion in the first place. Back home in MO I am primarily a bow hunter, but I do rifle hunt during the 10 day or so gun season. I have alot more success during bow season, which seems to be the opposite of most. I also practice with my bow all year long. So far, my only mule deer tag was an archery hunt this past September in WY. I don't even want to hunt the rifle season in WY, but I am hoping to get an early rifle tag in CO soon. I do go to the range several times per year with my rifle, but I absolutely need to start putting more time into my rifle hunting.

 

[Brad1974]

3 yards with a bow, buddy was 20 yards behind me bawling like a fawn in distress. Doe came in hot and I shot her frontal.
Stalked a couple bucks sub 20, couple more sub 40.

That's pretty close! trad bow, compound, or gun?

 

[J.B.]

That's pretty close! trad bow, compound, or gun?

Those were all with a compound.
Rifle shots have been from 70-450, I don't range discriminate lol

 

[highcountrymuley]

I have killed some bucks at close range. Early season rifle hunt I sneaked up to within about 75 yds of the whole group of 5 bucks. Wind shifted and the biggest buck ran out from below me at about 10 yds. I didnt get shot til he angled away at about 75 yds.
2ND great buck at 40 yds. I had bumped him out of bed while slowly still hunting through a brushy area near his bed. He didn't like going out into a meadow and circled back 5 min later. 3rd nice buck I had watched him and his friends swimming in the lake (!) at daylight and got around the patch of timber they went into. There were only a couple of exit points. I picked one and the biggest buck popped out at 60 yds and continued feeding toward me til I got a an angle quartering towards me shot at 40 yds. Shot though neck and into vitals. Bullet was under skin at far flank area. Another very close buck was a smaller 4 pt at 17 yards. He fed right toward me as I still hunted through some aspens.
I've posted pics over the years but here they are again.

 

[highcountrymuley]

I think the reason these shots happened so close is because I know these spots well and I know what the deer do. I spot and stalk the area where 1st and 3rd buck were killed (11kft, basin with a lake and timber) and still hunt where 2 and 4 were killed ( 9500 ft, meadows, aspens and timber). I am very patient because I have hunted these spots many times and I know they are or will be there. I hunt extremely slow because I am walking around in the kitchen and bedrooms of these bucks.
So fun but also extremely nerve-wracking because I am at full readiness about 99% of the time.

 

[Idhunter777]

I recently had a discussion on here regarding long range shots on mule deer and got some great feedback, but now I'm interested in going the other direction... I'll preface this by saying I am in no way anit-long shots. But as impressive as those long shots are, I am just as impressed (or even more impressed really) by the guys who get extremely close. I am an avid hunting podcast listener and there were a few that really stood out, with one being an old guy named Jerry Stout, a trad bow ule deer hunter. The podcast host asked him something along the lines of "what is your max distance you'd shoot at a mule deer, about 20 yards?" and his answer was "20 yards?... no, I'm a better hunter than that". Another guy I believe was Brian Koelzer, who is a trad bow hunter who had quite a few mule deer kills that would be measured in feet instead of yards. That kind of hunting is simply awe inspiring to me.

So my question is, what is the shortest shots you've taken on mule deer?
Was it with a gun or bow?
how did/do you do it? (tricks/tips/tactics, spot & stalk, ambush, etc)
What type of terrain and what time of the season? do you think that plays a big part of why you can get that close?

My closest was a spot & stalk on a bedded mule deer, & the shot was 30 yards. It was in high desert wyoming on sept 5th. Then on October 31st this year I tagged a whitetail buck from 12 yards away, but that was definitely not something I planned.

I have shot two mountain mule deer bucks at around 60 yards and an elk at 30 yards all with a rifle. I had seen both bucks on different days. One I was tracking and we ended up walking toward each other. The other I got antsy waiting for the buck to crest onto my side of the ridge I had seen them on a couple days before. The elk I had bugled at and it came in hot just tearing through the brush.