This past weekend I had my first deer drive and when the moment of truth came by, I miss my deer. I shoot a 20 gauge with a 250g bullet. I wanted to know some tips as to how to aim at a deer when its on the move at roughly, 50 yards. Any help would be great, Thanks!
This! If it is running fast it will always be challenging. #1 try to stop it. #2 Guess how much if front you need to lead it by. Chances will be slim that you put a great shot on it.
If you want to make those shots,you need to practice those shots.An old tire,a steep hill,and somebody willing to get the tire rolling will get you started.But make sure there is no danger to any bystanders or your helper. And don't try those running shots until your confident you can put the slug in the boiler room,so if you can't get em stopped,don't take the shot.
lead the deer like you would a bird, aim in front of the deer or put your sight on the shoulder. This way you also avoid hitting it in the guts. Its a massive amount of lead and the deer will go down even if you hit it in the shoulder.
Do some research, and know how fast your slug is and how much it drops? How much ground does a deer cover during that time. Do some math to determine how much to lead at a given distance. That's what it took for me to start hitting dove consistently. That being said, a deer on the run is very erratic and your best bet is hoping they will stop or catch them sneaking along...
I am thinking with that small number, I think I would take the time to set up a tree stand and encourage your drivers to move slowly. That way you are not looking for deer on a dead run and with the drivers moving stealthily, they would also have an opportunity to see and shoot deer themselves.
If you don't follow the deer with your shot gun with a little lead like a dove, you will likely shoot behind it every time if it is traveling across in front of you. You will need to follow through with your shot also. If you get near a body of water where you can practice shoot, estimate 50 yards and shoot – it will give you an idea about how fast the slug travels. It will probably surprise you how much the slug has slowed down and dropped at 50 yards.
Man there is no proven way to make that shot. Every hunter out there that has fired at a moving target misses from time to time. If they tell you otherwise they are either lying or someone else was shooting the same time and he/she just claimed it. As an avid water fowler I can assure you that there is no easy way to hit a moving target. On deer it's just chance and it all depends on the situation. If the deer is less than 30 yards then I’ll aim at its shoulder (While running), but if it's around 50 yards I'll aim in front of the deer. If it’s less than 5 yards then I'll just pull out my knife and slit its throat as it passes by. jussayn.
If you are shooting from an elevated bank into a river or shooting in a pond and are sure of your backstop - Yes.
This is kind of obvious and I'm not sure what scope you are using but dial it out to the minimum magnification(you want the widest FOV possible). Red Dot shotgun scopes are great for this kind of shooting as well. Another tip in regards to the actual drive is always use the wind to do the drive. If you have small numbers like you mentioned have the shooters set up on the downwind side of the block or strip you are pushing and have the drivers sneak in with their scent blowing into the block you want pushed. If they move really slow and basically let their scent do the pushing often times the deer just try to sneak out slowly and quietly which provides the standers much easier shots. Going slow is crucial because deer get unnerved easy if they don't know where exactly the danger is, if the drivers stop frequently and are completely quiet a deer bedding nearby is much more likely to bail than if the driver is steady walking through the woods...in that scenario deer will often just lay and let them pass then sneak out the back door the way the drivers came from. Which leads to my next suggestion, when possible have a back stander, a stander that posts up near where the drivers go in and stagger the drivers. Good luck, if it makes you feel better we all miss sometimes...well not me but most everybody else does.
A few thoughts here....you have to practice it .... how far you aim has to do with your follow thru ... and NEVER shoot into water .... at 50 yards on a running deer with no follow thru you better be putting it two deer lengths in front ... and that depends how fast it is running ..... follow thru is the best method ... if you have ever bird hunted, you will understand ...... so many variables ..... and NEW .... LOL! Liar!
Take out drives and insert bowhunting. Drives are an extremely effective way to kill deer. It all comes down to the hunters involved. In many areas i hunt here in VA and NC the woods are so thick it is hard to apply common open woods/farmland tactics especially once gun season comes in and the deer are layed up not moving. I hate wounded deer as well but it comes down to each hunter taking shots within their own capabilities and setting up hunts/drives that slow push deer rather than have them flat out running for cover. FTR buckshot is legal here and much more practical for a drive or dog hunt.
