How To Stop a Moving Buck Deer

[Flint.]

Assuming it's October-December and the running or walking buck has not been spooked, he can be stopped by making the doe sound: BAaaaaaaaaaaa . He hears it as: "Hi big fellow". It's worked for me many times.

When I tried that he took off like he had a double load of 4F under his tail.

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

One of my hunting partners simply says, "STOP!" I have seen him freeze many bucks that way.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[megasupermagnum]

When I started deer hunting the people I hunted with used dogs which I do not care to do now. I shot several deer hunting with these people. I knew how much to lead a running deer with a substained lead. At fifty yards I could hold flush with his chest and the bullet would be in the kill zone. If the deer was running away from me at fifty yards or a hundred yards. I held just about center of the head.I used a 30 06 back then.The reason I mentioned this is when I got into B.P rifles I had one hard learning curve. The lead is quite a bit more when a bullet is traveling fourteen hundred feet a second opposed to twenty eight hundred feet a second. I wouldn't shoot a deer running wide open with my B.P. rifle now. If the deer is walking or in a slow trot that is different.

My guess is you are stopping your swing, a very common thing with pretty much anyone who doesn't regularly shoot shotguns. There really isn't that terribly much lead required for a muzzleloader ball at reasonable ranges. At 50 yards, a .490 ball with a MV of 1450 fps will take about 0.122 seconds to reach the target. If we assume a deer is moving 25 mph, which I've clocked them doing next to the truck, and that is booking it, then the lead required would be 4 1/2 feet. Unless you are shooting deer in an open field at a full sprint, more realistically a running deer is probably doing 15 mph. At that speed, lead required would be 2.7 feet. This is inline with what I've seen in the field, where based on instinct I'll hold just in front of the chest, and that centers the lungs.

 

[megasupermagnum]

When I tried that he took off like he had a double load of 4F under his tail.

I've seen the same thing. When they get in close, I find it best to not make any sound.

 

[Billy Boy]

Assuming it's October-December and the running or walking buck has not been spooked, he can be stopped by making the doe sound: BAaaaaaaaaaaa . He hears it as: "Hi big fellow". It's worked for me many times.

We've always just put a round one thru their boiler room..

 

[Nuthatch]

When the rifle is up, I'm focused on the shot. But I've managed to call a few does in by snorting. Here in CA & in AZ (mulies & blacktails), a short snort is kind of a "Hey, you!" by deer. I've heard it done by does to each other and fawns as well as to get a buck's attention. But a long, full snort is a "Let's all get out of here!" So if I jump a deer and want to stop it or call it back, a short but loud snort into my hand gets them to stop & look. If they're walking by and not spooked, I've gotten a handful of does to come walking my way a couple of times, presumably out of curiosity for this strange sounding deer trying to get their attention. This past season, I tried it on some deer I couldn't identify in the brush. They all calmed down enough to start a stalk. One happened to be a decent buck. But some other hunters came through and I never got a shot. Saw him pass behind a tree at about 80 yards (archery season).

 

[Bob McBride]

I’m glad you guys are good shots but not only do I usually have to help my ‘shoot em on the move’ buddies track their wounded deer at least once a year but on the days before the open I have to set through the story of the one good shot they made a few years back and then I nod my head in the affirmative as they insist this is the year that their luck will turn…

That being said, I’m sure there are places one could stop a deer by speaking English to it, but rural TN is not one of them. I do believe it would probably work in TX, for instance, where they are considering a Ball Peen Hammer season between Archery and Muzzleloader so those Texas boys will have a realistic shot to actually put some Venison in the freezer.

 

[LME]

My guess is you are stopping your swing, a very common thing with pretty much anyone who doesn't regularly shoot shotguns. There really isn't that terribly much lead required for a muzzleloader ball at reasonable ranges. At 50 yards, a .490 ball with a MV of 1450 fps will take about 0.122 seconds to reach the target. If we assume a deer is moving 25 mph, which I've clocked them doing next to the truck, and that is booking it, then the lead required would be 4 1/2 feet. Unless you are shooting deer in an open field at a full sprint, more realistically a running deer is probably doing 15 mph. At that speed, lead required would be 2.7 feet. This is inline with what I've seen in the field, where based on instinct I'll hold just in front of the chest, and that centers the lungs.

Your figures are close. As I said I use a substained lead. I have no problem at 50 yards or less hitting a deer. At our club we practiced rolling a car tire down a hill of dirt beside a irrigation pond. with a 30 06 i could hold almost center and hit every time. with a round going at 2200 feet per second . I had to hold on the inside rim of the tire , with my M.L, at 1400 feet a scecond i had to hold the outside edge of the tire to hit near center. As I said before I don,t shoot running deer anymore. I still know what to do but age and illness has put a stop to shooting deer period. It was not by choice.

 

[TCMonts]

Choot 'em.

choot im Lizbeth! choot im!

 

[Stykbow]

That being said, I’m sure there are places one could stop a deer by speaking English to it, but rural TN is not one of them.

You’d be surprised. I’ve killed two East Tennessee bucks because they hit the brakes when I yelled “hey”. No idea what had spooked either of them, but they didn’t have to worry about for long after they stopped.

 

[Bob McBride]

You’d be surprised. I’ve killed two East Tennessee bucks because they hit the brakes when I yelled “hey”. No idea what had spooked either of them, but they didn’t have to worry about for long after they stopped.

Bow, I’m not saying it can’t happen, deer not understanding English and whatnot. I’m more picking on folks who’s instinct isn’t to make a ‘natural’ noise a deer might expect but rather to say words one’s pretty cousin might expect. All in good fun. Who knows, yelling ‘Upon Saint Crispin’s Day!’ might be scientifically the best sound to yell at a buck disturbed as they are by ‘other matters’.

 

[Stykbow]

@Bob McBride I get it now. That joke went right over my head. I’m a little slow sometimes. I’d imagine any loud noise would work since you’re just trying to shock them into stopping.

 

[Bob McBride]

@Bob McBride I get it now. That joke went right over my head. I’m a little slow sometimes. I’d imagine any loud noise would work since you’re just trying to shock them into stopping.

My humor is the cause of many a wifely eye roll, this I can tell you. I must admit to never trying any sound but the soft ‘maaa’ of a doe, the way I was taught by the old man. Between my old Pop and me we take half dozen or more deer a year here on the farm. I have cause, especially in archery season, to freeze deer many times a year and have never, that I recall, had one not respond to a ‘maaa’. One of the reasons I find the ‘hey deer!’ thing funny is that the deer in my area will bolt and huff at even the smell of my footprints on the way to the stand and are wildly skittish of people sounds.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Ya all could try come ere deer, I shot a few just walking, but if it passes through a rather fast trot I just sit still, sometimes that deer will circle around the area and try too see what spooked it, at that point he is sneaking along and usually results in a dead deer. Last year early muzzle loader season had a high 6 pt. zoom bye did just that sit and stay quiet deal about 10-15 mins later along comes a nice 8 pt. walking right where the 6 pt. came through a .62 cal round ball at around 50 yards ended his trip.

 

[megasupermagnum]

Ya all could try come ere deer, I shot a few just walking, but if it passes through a rather fast trot I just sit still, sometimes that deer will circle around the area and try too see what spooked it, at that point he is sneaking along and usually results in a dead deer. Last year early muzzle loader season had a high 6 pt. zoom bye did just that sit and stay quiet deal about 10-15 mins later along comes a nice 8 pt. walking right where the 6 pt. came through a .62 cal round ball at around 50 yards ended his trip.

That tactic works fine if you are hunting a deer. It does not work if you are hunting THE deer. Unless you are retired, or somehow can otherwise hunt an entire season, you only get to see a buck you are after once. They don't come back.

 

[appalichian hunter]

I am retired and hunt a lot, depends on the area you hunt, the area I hunt is not pressured at all, I have seen nice bucks in the beginning of the season that most hunters would take on site and let them walk. Usually bye the end of the season if nothing bigger comes bye, I will shoot one. Example last year regular deer season first day left a nice 6 and later a nice 8 walk, went back the first monday and shot a big 8 a lot bigger than the 8 - I saw on opening day. I hunt a mountain that I have all too my self, the nice thing about the area I hunt is I am only about a half mile from the Pa. line our season comes in on a saturday, Pa. season on a monday so those Pa. hunters push the deer my way also. I run a trail camera also and can pick and choose at times, seen too many gut shot, legs blown off that type of thing deer too not shoot a runner. And yes I have had them come back you just need too wait. Now mulies are a totally different ball game, but still would not shoot a runner no matter how big.

 

[megasupermagnum]

Well, sure younger bucks come back. There must be fifty 6 and 8 points, for every true big 10+ rack buck.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Go get em, good luck hunting.

 

[Okie Hog]

Yep, i'm a much better than average running game shot. However, i prefer to shoot an animal that's standing still.

This buck stopped at the BAaaaaaa sound:

The sow on the left was shot running at a lasered 226 yards. The other two were killed with one shot while standing :

For about 15 years i located wounded deer and elk for other hunters. Most were gut shot.

 

[Jay Templin]

One of my hunting partners simply says, "STOP!" I have seen him freeze many bucks that way.

ADK Bigfoot

As You Were Island in Lake George got its name from a British officer hunting there on holiday in the 1880s. He missed a shot, and when the deer started to vamoose, he bellowed “AS YOU WERE!” And it stopped in its tracks like a good soldier.
Jay