Hunting Running Game

[PerH]

https://schmidtundbender.de/en/downloads/data-sheets/category/444-running-moose-ii.html?download=1347:running-moose-ii-4-16x50-klassik

This is a reticle for running moose targets , but if speed is the same in the field it work well . On each turn you put the dot on the «beard» of the moose as aimpoint

Mil Dot scopes with dots can be used the same also .

 

[skydiver386]

Shooting running game is akin to using a rifle to break clays at the sporting clays course. And not the normal sized ones, the much smaller mini ones.
View attachment 648162

Most Sporting Clays courses will have a running rabbit type thrower somewhere on the course. Think of it as a clay target thrower mounted on its side, launching a clay target that is flat and solid instead of dome shaped and hollow. Although not the same as shooting a rifle, firing a shotgun at Rabbit Clays will allow you to practice the same fundamentals as running boar. Like Beemaa stated above, crossing targets like the Midi and Mini clays can be excellent practice for running game type shooting.

 

[HankBuck]

All deer and bear drives in the northeast are done with rifles. Some states use to be shotgun slug only but buckshot isn’t legal.

@375Fox - deer drives in South Jersey were very common from the 1940s thru 1980s when NJ was a Buckshot Only State for deer. It is a very effective way to shoot in tight cover and 00 buck is effective out to 30-40 yrds at a running deer. In Maine, semi auto and pump rifles have been commonly used on running deer that are often tracked for miles in the snow and then “jumped” & shot on the run - several fast shots being most helpful. Maybe not the “cleanest” kills but effective.
As for Me - I’ve only shot at running deer when following up an already wounded animal or on coyotes. A friend in Canada who had taken several bucks on the run or “trot” told me he developed his skill at hitting running game with a rifle by shooting “jack rabbits” with his BLR in .243….I’ve read that guys out West got that same type of practice and would guess that’s about as “perfect” a practice as you could get to shoot running game with a rifle.

 

[WAB]

Are there any books that discuss shooting technique for running game? In much of the US it is almost unheard of. I am also interested in the aspects of offhand shooting at stationary game. Drifting the sights into the target instead of trying to hold them there.

I’ve looked, but have found little.

If you google it you will find many resources on shooting running boar competitions and hunting wild boar. Top competitors are using a system of improving aim which results in faster more accurate shots. A good friend was the UK running boar and sporting rifle champion a number of times. To see him at work on the range is somewhat daunting!