Who has ever shot at a big game animal while its laying down??

Just wondering since i have never personally done this. Its probably directed more at people that have put the stalk on, just say a whitetail. Reason im asking, im thinking a laying animal puts the front shoulder more back on the animals vitals, IF you were broad side, so shot placement would have to be placed acordingly. Im guessing aproaching from a quartering away animal would be best.. school me please in case i ever run into this im my lifetime. ins and outs of bedded animals and bowhunting. what ya got??

 

I have never shot one while bedded either. Would love to learn more about this as well.

 

I have.. and yes the animal was broadside but I did approach from a slight quartering away direction.

Although it was not because of shot placement.. but rather.. I figured he just would have less a chance to see me coming.

 

What did the animal do apon impact Duke? This topic interests me.

 

Ran about 30-35ish yards and fell over. He was definitely surprised!

The 8 yard shot went in just behind the right shoulder.. into the heart.. and hit the opposite side shoulder.

 

I have shot two with my bow. One was a deer hit by a car. She was dragging herself along the side of the road with her two front hooves. I shot her behind her front shoulder quartering away. Laid down and died. Not a hunting situation but a shot nonetheless.

I shot a buck in a hunting situation. I had previously shot him and he bedded down. I noticed from a distance that the shot was high and the buck was losing control of his back legs as he walked. I had just barely hit his spine and the arrow had plunged down into his chest cavity with no exit hole. I waited for 30 minutes then got down from the stand and approached slowly from the rear. I launched another arrow behind his front shoulder. He thrashed around on the ground and died after a short while. He was hurt more than I thought from my first shot and his back legs were paralyzed.

 

I crawled across a wide open field in the snow for over an hour, risking sever froste bite injury to the peckerdermis to ge a shot at a 24" 10 pt in Kansas one season. After a perfect stalk and what I belived to be a perfect shot, the buck lived to see another day.
So myself having had a bad expierence all the way around the one and only time I ever did it, will never shoot a bedded buck again, especially if it envolves possibly losing some of my package.

 

I spined a buck and he sat straight down and fell as if he was bedded, my next shot went through the front of the shoulder and into the lungs. He died within seconds. A little different perspective, but the same shot none the less.

 

I shot a buck about 4 years ago that was bedded slightly quartering away. I snuck the arrow in about 2 ribs behind the closest shoulder and it exited through the forward side (thin part in front of that ridge of thick bone) of the shoulder blade on the far side.

The deer bleated like a donkey and ran 10 yards and fell over dead. He knew I was there when I shot him, he was watching me.

 

I shot a LARGE BB last year that had something wrong with his Left front leg from WAY ABOVE 45-48ft probably, while he was bedded with me being about half way between 10 and 11 o'clock to his front. The arrow hit just a hair high 2" maybe, and went through his spine and into his lungs, pretty much destroyed his Right lung and fragged bone particles into his left. He let out a growl, and rolled over twice and into a waterhole that had formed near the creekbed he was in from a tree being uprooted. That scenario doesn't quite fit what you're asking, but that was my experience. I'd tend to think that shooting a bedded deer, you'd be ok broadside or quarter away (at their level), but yes you'd want to keep the arrow down and away from the blade!!!

 

The only bedded deer I could have shot I got him to stand up and then I shot him. 30 yards quatering a way

 

Dang Doug, what was you in a Helicopter.:D

 

I shot my Pronghorn while he was bedded down. His leg wasn't tucked back in front of his vitals at all really, atleast on my side of the animal. Perfectly broadside 15 yard shot. He bolted on impact about 8 yards, stopped and shook his head like WTF was that noise?, took about 3 more bounds before toppling over. Maybe made it 30-35 yards and was gone. He never knew he was hit, imo. He looked around looking for what made the noise but didn't act hurt in the least bit until he lost balance and toppled over.

 

The only critter I ever shot with a rifle was in its bed. None of this thread really applies to that though since a .375 just doesn't care how they're laying, standing or anything else, it just flattens them right there.

For a bow shot you need to be aware that the vitals become compressed on the near side and elongated on the backside (becasue of shoulder protecting of the lungs, so it's better to shoot them from the blind side and you need to aim lower than you might think. It's definitely a tougher target than a standing broadside but by no means impossibly difficult.

 

Great storys everyone!!
Kodiac, thats some good information there, thank you for that!!!

 

No, I was about 33ft up in my climber and the deer was laying within 10ft of the creekbed about 40yds away. I was positioned out on a finger where I could overlook the intesection of 3 streams, and I had a little oak flat off to the other side of me. Looked like it should have been a great renedevous spot, unfortunately, that BB and the coyote I arrowed last year were the only animals I killed from that spot. Passed a few smaller bucks (110" or less), but the big guy came through just out of range from me one night.....

 

I never shot one with a bow. I did shot a bedded doe with my -06 once. She was bedded in a corn field and I stalked to with 10 yards and shot her in the mellon. Short tracking job!

 

I haven't done It myself but a few of the bear our hunting party has shot were laying down. For some odd reason penetration Isn't nearly as good while doing this. All of the bear I've saw shot while laying down never had a complete pass through. Personally I won't do It for that reason alone If I think I'll get a crack at the animal standing up. If light was an Issue I might do It though. All of the bear that were shot laying down all were recovered.

 

I've shot a few follow up bedded or spined deer. But at those times you are on all reaction & taking what you are given.

 

Exactly Rob. This is the reason I tell all my bear hunters not to shoot one laying down, only standing up.