How close is too close
Moose
Over the years I have had clients shoot bulls at 3-11 yards. This year I had a 36"-40" bull come to within 10 feet of a client that was standing with his bow at the ready, the camp man and I were down on the ground waiting for the arrow to fly over our heads. The bull was standing broadside to us all. The client let down, the bull was too small for him. I gave a quiet little grunt and the bull turned to take a step toward us. Making the bull less then 6 feet from the camp man who was crouching on the ground. That is when I stood up, raised my arms, not making a sound. The bull stopped dead in his tracks and looked at me and slowly turned and walked away into the woods. Only to reappear behind us in the swamp grasses 15 yards away grunting in the company of a spike horn bull. For 10 minutes we had both bulls grunting and presenting multiple shooting opportunities at 10-25 yards for the client who stood at the ready but never choice to go to full draw.
Just want to hear about other close encounters and how you handled the situation. Most hunters do not know when they are getting into trouble and do not know how to get out of it.
My bull this year was under 3 yards running at me hard. I barely made full draw he spooked past me at 4 feet and stopped at 6 yards for the shot. It was too close.
Another bull, I was slowly hunting my way through the timber to a park. I was slowly walking and cow calling until I got to the edge of a little park. At the edge I sat down (on the trail I had been walking) in the willows. I let out a single cow call and then a little bull bugle. Before I could finish my bugle the trees errupted behind me and I turned in time to see antlers plowing the brush. I dropped my bow and ran to the side. The bull managed to step on my quiver and break 3 arrows. with his back feet. Needless to say if I had stayed I would have been ran over. I never saw the bull again. He was really confused when there were no elk in the park. I figure he had been folowing my cow call for a bit to the park then when I bugled he was not letting the cow go.
Last year I had 2 dinks walk in at 4 yards . . . which was pretty cool. Didn't take a shot but that is as close as I care to get.
This fall I was out taking moose photos in mid September. I located a nice bull and moved in on him to good photo range, with my big lens. I was about 40 yards from him, setup and started shooting.
I guess I must have been paying close attention to what I was doing, as I heard a close grunt and turned to see two small bulls within 4-5 yards of me. And one of them did not seem happy. I slowly picked up my tripod and moved away from them. When I was about 10 yards, I snapped this photo with the camera that was hanging around my neck and the one I use for close shots.
Of all the animals I photograph, moose are the animal I fear most. I have had two very close calls and several other incidents that made me very uncomfortable.
Moose, both male and female, can be very aggressive durning their rut.
Have a great bow hunt. BB
This little dude answered some cow calls and walked up with 4 yards while I shot video. I finally had to push him off when he got too close.
My last bull was shot at 6 yards. I was on my knee and shooting a longbow. The bull was doing a major antler-rocking display and grunting with each step. He was close enough that the shot angled upward from the bow. Pretty much felt like I was elephant hunting
Having a bull moose charge and blow by me at 5 feet with my arrow in him last year was close enough for me:)
Watching a cow elk 10 feet from me as she stepped between my buddies legs was also close enough for me, too close for him.
Bowhunting on the ground will eventually get you too close to some animals that can hurt ya. It is part of the game and fortunately ends up not getting us hurt most of the time.
BB, That sure looks like an evil glint in his eye to me !
drycreek, if you think that one looks evil, then what about this one! Ha Ha It was taken the same evening and very close in proximity to the other photo.
I really thought this one was coming, so I back off slow and he went back to eating.
Have a great bow hunt. BB
aside from the danger being to close has some real disadvantages getting a shot. ten yards is about as close as I would want to be,
-been a few yrs,-back in wisconsin, in a groundblind.-small buck walked so close to the open window,he was stepping on the bottom edge of my blind. i had the camera, my buddy took an arrow and promptly just poked it where it needed to go.-confessed at the registration station,and was quickly ticketed and given a ridiculously huge fine for illeagally taking a buck.-this is a true story, and my friend has not bowhunted since.
