Thread: Up Close / How Close

In todays world of Long Range / Distance measured in many hundreds of metres hunting , I thought it might be interesting to take a 180 degree turn and talk about “ How Close “
It’s becoming that my most satisfying hunts are now measured on how close I got .
Notice is said “ satisfying hunts “ not “satisfying kills “ , because I’ll be honest and say I’ve blown a few real easy kills by trying to get that 10 metres closer just to see if I could .
To date my best/closest is 7 metres on a Pig with no cover higher than my knees .
This change in attitude has partly come about by hanging out and hunting with some Bow Hunters who obviously need to master the art of the stalk.
Yes I have started to learn the ways of the Bow , but haven’t hunted with one yet until my skills improve, but the up close and personal mind set has really invaded my rifle shooting and I’m really loving it .
So how close is your closest kill been and are you a sneak up and touch them kind of a guy ?

Originally Posted by Ground Control

In todays world of Long Range / Distance measured in many hundreds of metres hunting , I thought it might be interesting to take a 180 degree turn and talk about “ How Close “
It’s becoming that my most satisfying hunts are now measured on how close I got .
Notice is said “ satisfying hunts “ not “satisfying kills “ , because I’ll be honest and say I’ve blown a few real easy kills by trying to get that 10 metres closer just to see if I could .
To date my best/closest is 7 metres on a Pig with no cover higher than my knees .
This change in attitude has partly come about by hanging out and hunting with some Bow Hunters who obviously need to master the art of the stalk.
Yes I have started to learn the ways of the Bow , but haven’t hunted with one yet until my skills improve, but the up close and personal mind set has really invaded my rifle shooting and I’m really loving it .
So how close is your closest kill been and are you a sneak up and touch them kind of a guy ?

Shot a red stag a few years ago with barrel almost touching the neck.
He was trying to get me tho

I don't try and get close to be fair It just ends up that way due to the country I hunt.
I have shot 99% of my deer inside 200 yrds and probably 80% of those well within bow range of 60yrds.
I think the hard thing for bow hunters is being presented a kill shot. With a rifle you can bang them over in the neck or head up close when facing you. Not a good shot with a bow.
I have never had an interest in Bow hunting and have even less of one having guided few bow hunters.

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A deer at 2 metres. I'm not kidding! Came around a bush and there she was. Can't claim I sneaked up on the animal because I didn't know she was there. In the second between seeing the deer and pulling the trigger, I contemplated jumping on it and doing some knife work (probably would have ended badly!) or taking another step, leaning forward, putting the muzzle virtually on the animal and pulling the trigger rather than using the scope (also probably would have ended badly!). As it turned out, I used the scope and saw nothing but brown fur, pulled the trigger and all good. Nothing about it was "sporting", but it was an intense way to end a meat hunt.

Originally Posted by R93

Shot a red stag a few years ago with barrel almost touching the neck.
He was trying to get me tho


I think the hard thing for bow hunters is being presented a kill shot. With a rifle you can bang them over in the neck or head up close when facing you. Not a good shot with a bow.


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Yip barrel on neck is close
Your spot on about the difficulty of getting the animal to present a shot with a Bow , I watched a mate stalk up really close on a Deer through the binoc’s with his Bow and no matter what he did he couldn’t get a clear broadside shot at it .
It finally winded him and was gone , never to be seen again .
The Bow is really interesting though and I’ve started practicing with it after work every night for half an hour and its kind of a fun way to unwind and zone out . Also its cool to be able to do it nearby others , people are more interested than alarmed, which in this modern world is the reverse of shooting with firearms.

Shot a fallow buck couple months back at 10yds, have a video to prove it too, was about to give up thinking he had long gone and then I saw the tips of his antlers making their way towards me. Shot him with a $8000 purpose built long range rig too Haha

Originally Posted by Ground Control

Yip barrel on neck is close
Your spot on about the difficulty of getting the animal to present a shot with a Bow , I watched a mate stalk up really close on a Deer through the binoc’s with his Bow and no matter what he did he couldn’t get a clear broadside shot at it .
It finally winded him and was gone , never to be seen again .
The Bow is really interesting though and I’ve started practicing with it after work every night for half an hour and its kind of a fun way to unwind and zone out . Also its cool to be able to do it nearby others , people are more interested than alarmed, which in this modern world is the reverse of shooting with firearms.

I can shoot a compound okish to 60yrds. Have taken goats, grouse and vermin with one, but no deer sized game.
Not my cup of tea. I have had deer numerous times close enough to spit at but not by stalking skills just ended up bumping them that close.
My son is into his long bow but he is just starting out. He has got a few rabbits etc.
American bow hunters are the pits.
Great shots and all but anal about mythical scent control.
You can't tell them it's a load of gimmicky shit



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Originally Posted by R93

Great shots and all but anal about mythical scent control.

I think they're just being polite and not telling you you're a smelly old bastard

Welcome home anyway douche bag

I shot a pig with the barrel in its mouth when I was about 18. I crawled into a pig tunnel in heavy scrub and met an old sow who wanted to eat me. I haven't gone into one since! I shot a Thar at about 20 meters while climbing round a bluff, a hind in the bush at 10 metres, and a lot of assorted animals under 50 metres. I have scared the bejesus out of myself and a few very close (3-5metres) deer on bush edges in the evening but never fired a shot. They jump to their feet and take off while I try to get my breath!

Was walking along a track with real dense scrub on either side looking more ahead than side to side. Mate jabbed me in the ribs and pointed into the scrub on my side. There was a fallow hind standing dead still level with me about 2 metres away. I aimed as best as I could at her head and fired and she dropped.

Then 2 more fallow broke out of the scrub further along the track.
Mate and I ran forward and he shot a hind at about 100yds. At this stage they were on the other side of a clearing and had stopped when I whistled.

Spent a few minutes catching our breath and then mate headed off to gut his. I went back to mine.
By the time I got to her she was trying to get to her feet. I was able to cut her throat.

When I checked her over I couldn't find a bullet hole. I had totally missed and the muzzle blast must of stunned her.

Later on I felt sorry for her. Should I have let her get up and see if she recovered okay?

Originally Posted by kiwijames

I think they're just being polite and not telling you you're a smelly old bastard

Welcome home anyway douche bag

Probably right.


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shot a pig sleeping at 10 mtrs then got its mate at 25-30 on the run out of the fern.
shot a few reds at 20 yards.
shot rabbits with shotgun close enough to pluck head off eg under 5 yards.
last stag I shot my mate,the dog and I were at carcase when two of his girly friends walked past 14mtrs away!!!!! that was a thrill.
same day got INSIDE a mob of pigs in matagouri...kept seeing glimpses but not enough to shoot till 2 broke and bowled one at about 125 yards.
head shot a red yearling in spotlight using shotgun. all of about 15 yards.

Managed to shoot 3 sika stags last roar ranging between 10 and 20 metres away within 5 minutes of each other somehow. Love getting up close and personal. Spotted the first one cross a ridge below me about 70 metres away and stalked in toward him over about 15 minutes and shot him as he burst and the other 2 came in with my sika reel straight after. Doubt I’ll fluke doing that again!

Because of the areas I hunt (rather than deliberately trying to get close) the last deer I saw was broadside on about 15m away and stood there for 20 seconds or so - but I wasn't the one with the rifle. The previous 3 shots were all at about 20m, and I managed to miss one of them!

Cat at approx 3 feet.

Hit amidships with a 12 ga, but made it about 12 feet around a corner.

Full marks for perseverance.

I took a Uruguayan bloke out hunting and after he stuffed up a couple of beaut opportunities on two different stags we were walking out a creek bed right on dark when I spotted a yearling broadside with its head down behind a Bush grazing literally a few yards in front of us, I froze and tried to motion to him that the deer was right there in front of us, He just looked confused and couldnt figure it out, I knew as soon as the deer lifted its head it would be game over, was bloody frustrating trying to point it out and be silent and still at the same time and sure enough it lifted its head and he kind of picked up on it due to the movement but it bolted at the same time as he was fluffing round with the rifle (had my ar15 at the time) we let it run as he was definitely not experienced enough to take a running shot at it.
Once it had crested the hill and was out of sight I laughed out loud and two Hinds that had been there the whole time only a few yards to the left of us broke cover and bolted for the Bush line also. Bit of a bugger we went home empty handed after so many opportunities and a massive walk but I actually really enjoyed that day, plenty of deer seen, couple of close encounters and being in the co pilot seat was nice for a change