Closest kill

[PARA45]

The Gemsbuck on my avatar. We saw her about 800 yds out and we went after her, and closed the distance rapidly. When we came around some bushes, my PH froze and said take her, she was no more than 30-40 yds out, quartering and looking away from us. Took an angled shot, she ran about 30-40 yds LOL, and dropped. My first African animal was down, and it was a beast LOL!!!!

 

[Tbitty]

A couple of fun ones for me:

I once shot an old "cull" buck that had a messed up right side of his rack at just a few feet away. I'd spotted him in a draw of trees and so I worked my way in front of him on down wind side, and climbed into the saddle of a tree right off the main path coming out of where he was. Rarely does a plan work as expected, but on this day he came right under me and I put him down. To add to it, I also had a 2nd tag for antlerless. Immediately after my shot, for some unexplainable reason, doe came running out on a nearly identical line right at me. Shot her under 10 yards away as she veered away from the dead buck below me. Fastest one-two tag punch for a buck and doe I've ever had.

One of my other favorites is the shot I didn't have to take. I was pheasant hunting with my dad and brother when one of the dogs went on point. I was closest so I told the others to be ready and I went in to flush the bird. Stomped around in thick CRP grass for a full minute plus with no bird flush, but the dog locked on point the entire time. Finally I see the feathers of a rooster just buried under the grass and thought maybe it was dead and had been lost by other hunters. As I get right next to it, I actually see it's eye open and is very much alive. ...not sure if he was sick or injured, but for whatever reason I decided to reach down and grab him up since he would flat out not flush. He went biserk flapping wings and ripped a couple tears into my upland coat with his spurs until I could wrangle my hands around to ring his neck.

 

[Happy Myles]

I shot a wounded leopard in midair just before it mauled me, then shoved the hard hit cat off for a moment, stuck the barrel in the cat and fired again. Lastly, pounded it on the head with the barrel. The cat deserved better and I deserved to get mauled.

 

[Newboomer]

The Gemsbuck on my avatar. We saw her about 800 yds out and we went after her, and closed the distance rapidly. When we came around some bushes, my PH froze and said take her, she was no more than 30-40 yds out, quartering and looking away from us. Took an angled shot, she ran about 30-40 yds LOL, and dropped. My first African animal was down, and it was a beast LOL!!!!

I used to go down to the apple orchard after school and hunt partridge. I'd sit leaning back against a tree and wait for them to come in. Then I'd pop them with a 22lr at 20-50 feet.

This one day I got a real surprise- nice fat little doe came in and started eating apples at about 20 feet from me . I think I even forgot to breathe I was so afraid she'd see me and run. She didn't and when she put her head down to get an apple I shot right in the ear. Helluva thrill for a 10 year old kid. I was so excited I put 3 more rounds into her for fear she wasn't dead and would run. She was dead and didn't move. My first big game kill.

My closest African kill was my buf. We were driving around and saw two bufs off the side of the road about 20-30 yards away. My Ph and I were riding in the back and the resident PH was driving. Slammed on the brakes, "There's our boy." Out of the bakke and on the sticks. As he pulled away I was ready, my PH told me which one to shoot and I took the shot, head on at about 30 yds. He turned and ran, We found him dead about 75 yds away.

 

[MarkB]

I have two that jump out, both here in BC.

#1-Coastal grizzly at 10 ft, chasing a sow along the beach, I got caught between ocean and a rock face, shot it with 338 as it ran past at wholly spit distance. Sow jumped in ocean and swam 1 km across inlet. Both my son and I were shaking, scared or excitement I am not sure. It was a pucker factor hearing then seeing them coming down beach with nowhere to get out of way.

#2-Driving snowy rds looking for cougar tracks, found a smoking fresh good sized set. Off rd and sat in the salal bushes and started with the OMG the deer is in excruciating pain call. Very soon after the salal parted at 8ft and a big cougar head in full crouch appeared. Same 338 on knees, looking thru scope was fur, seen eyes lowered to guess chest and squeezed trigger. 225 gr accubond hit in chest and came out ass cheek.

Both now grace my room, cat a rug and bear life size. Glad they were some time ago, not sure if ticker goes that fast now. 3 bears have bluff charged me over many years but all in Africa has been planned, organized and somewhat safe, just the way I prefer it.

MB

 

[rinehart0050]

Lion at 15 paces with a 416 rigby CZ 550.
Elephant at about 25-30 yards with 470 NE double.
Multiple whitetail deer at 20-30 yards with compound bow.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

Early rut... Kansas... An 8 point I rattled in. It was a dead calm day. He was 12 measured feet, broadside, from the tip of my arrow when I released - no blind, nothing but air and a few small branches between us. How I drew without being seen or heard remains a mystery to me. It may be the only time in my life I've achieved ninja status. He now adorns the wall behind my flat screen. I have shot larger bucks. This one was memorable. Oh, and it cost just ten dollars to mount it.

 

[Randy F]

Early rut... Kansas... An 8 point I rattled in. It was a dead calm day. He was 12 measured feet, broadside, from the tip of my arrow when I released - no blind, nothing but air and a few small branches between us. How I drew without being seen or heard remains a mystery to me. It may be the only time in my life I've achieved ninja status. He now adorns the wall behind my flat screen. I have shot larger bucks. This one was memorable. Oh, and it cost just ten dollars to mount it.

$10?! Define mount.

 

[RTG]

Mountain lion about 25 feet straight above me with a Winchester 1894 .375, loaded with 38-55 255gr Buffalo Bore. A bit overkill on the load but an easy gun to carry for the inevitably long mountain hike. Cat was treed and quite comfortable up there. Beautiful to be that close to one. You would never see them without the dogs

 

[fourfive8]

Several at really close range- just pointing down the barrel and not using the sights, as others have mentioned. Sometimes too close... not because I might get stomped or eaten but because it gets hard to get lined up to shoot precisely. Closest have been right off the muzzle- more than once with coyotes. Actually had a coyote come in so fast and straight it brushed my right arm and snapped at me as it went past. I never got a shot off- just a big smile on my face. As far as regular big game? probably a bull elk I called in. It never stopped coming straight in and I shot it in the neck "pocket" with a muzzleloader at about 10 yards... before it got too close.

 

[Deleted member 40394]

Whitetail with hounds. 1 yard. 00 buckshot.
Also. Wild turkey at 3 yards with the 12 gauge.

 

[Brent in Az]

Nothing super close for me.

I was 16 years old, and mule deer hunting in the Dragoon mountain range near Tombstone, Arizona.
The area I was hunting was known as "The flats", a series of lowing rolling hills cut up by some sand washes, and small gullies.
I was approaching the crest of one of these hills, when a 3x3 mule deer buck, accompanied by a doe, reached the top at about the same time I did.
Not sure who was more surprised, me, or the deer. The buck was less then 20 yards away, and all I could see was hair in the rifle scope.
I put the crosshairs of my .308 on what I thought was the center of the chest, and squeezed the trigger.
It was an exciting moment for a teenager getting his first Arizona buck.

My second closest kill was a Black Bear at 30 yards with a bow.

A few times I have spooked Javelina out of thick cover, and had them run by within a couple few yards.

 

[yhc]

Kodiak brown bear at around 10 yards.

 

[K-man]

My closest was a pair of tom turkeys at 8 yds. I actually let the closest one walk away after he looked down the barrel of my shotgun. Waited until their heads lined up.

My closest big game kill was a cow elephant at 4 yds. I stepped aside as she charged but she headed for the game scout. She landed 6 ft from his feet. No one can tell me (or the game scout) a .375 isn't a stopping rifle. Actually a sad kill, no reason for her to die except she was charging.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

@Randy F ... I do not want to hijack this thread, but since you asked...

Disclaimers: I don't own a cellphone (for photos), my tablet takes crappy photos, and I am no Gizmo.

20+ years ago I had a taxidermy business on the side, with my teaching career as a day job. At the Kansas Taxidermist Association meeting that year I won a mannikin, ears, and eyes for 10 bucks at the auction. A buddy laughed at me - it was a medium sized set of supplies. He asked why I wanted it. I told him it was for one of my own deer I was going to shoot that next season. He laughed harder and made jokes about me measuring before I would shoot (nope... too big). Annnnd... I mounted up my 12 foot distance 8 pointer on it, just to make a point with him, for fun. I also tried to see how fast I could do one, just for fun, figuring if I screw it up, oh well - my deer, no money in. It took a hair under 4 hours start to finish.

Again, I am no Gizmo, but I was happy with it. And I'll say this: it hasn't changed one iota in over 20 years - no shrinking or cracking or anything. Note: I added the habitat later; that cost a few bucks more. The $10 was for the shoulder mount alone.

 

[Mountaineer]

5x5 bull elk at 9 yards with my 338 win mag. Called him in during the rut.

 

[C.W. Richter]

Numerous whitetails at 0 feet horizontally, and about 12' vertically (directly beneath a stand, using bows and a short-bbl Rem pump 3006. Mountaineer reminds me that several were called in!) 'Had a black bear walk right up to a blind once ('turns out it was trying to make it into a den, filling it with leaves the next day while we were gone), another climbed my treestand w/ me in it (while eating a sandwich that it wanted! I was not enthusiastic, as 'only had a bow in-hand with a head coming towards me!) and a herd of Oryx in Namibia at 15' walked right by us (but we wanted to enjoy 'em, nothing huge and didn't shoot.) Later got a 41" at ~60 yds. 'Countless close encounters, but only the big (or meaty) ones get shot...

 

[crs]

This 300 pound wet and dirty feral boar at 2 feet. The chase dogs had him pinned in a narrow creek and under a log - dogs either way. Standing on the cut bank, I leaned out over the mess of dog s and hog, and water and shot him in the spine just behind the head. Dog handler called them off and then waded into the water to drag out floating dead boar.

 

[Rell]

My closest African animal is 9 yards, 450-400 3 inch, cape buffalo, Mozambique in August.

The closest North American animals was a 400lbs black bear at 6 yards in a corn friend. My grandfathers pre-64 270 Winchester.

 

[R eight]

Kodiak brown bear at around 10 yards.
View attachment 444464

You’re lucky he didn’t wake up