Running Deer Shoot

[nighthunter]

Our local gun club holds several running deer shoots in the weeks prior to deer season. The "Deer" is a cardboard silouhette that crosses on a wire at 100 yards. The deer travels at approximately 10 miles an hour. The shooter gets three shots from 100 yards away. My question is how far is it necessary to lead the deer to score chest shots? I am using a 45/70 with my bullets travelling about 1600 fps. I know it can be calculated with basic physics but you have to remember that class was nearly 40 years ago and that info has been replaced by more important things like mold design and powder burn rates and good places to score wheel weights.
Thanks ... Nighthunter

[Nrut]

Well nighthunter...you are lucky that you had a basic physics class 40 years ago ...I did'nt and I'm still trying to figure out which way is up!!...cheers mic

[trooperdan]

About three feet, if you aren't 'tracking' the target.

[Scrounger]

Ten miles an hour is just under 15 feet per second. If your bullet is traveling 1400 feet per second,(remember that is muzzle velocity and it starts slowing down as soon as it leaves the barrel, so don't get hung up in the numbers) it travels the hundred yards in about one-fifth of a second. So the lead should be about 36 inches (one-fifth of 15 feet). I think I'd try the method skeet shooters use: Start the gun (sight) behind the animal; swing smoothly and pass through the animal, pulling the trigger as you pass through his chest. Try not to stop the swing as you shoot. It is virtually impossible to hold a sustained lead on a moving animal. Most people have an instinct (after having practiced for a looong time) about where to shoot; basically they 'point shoot'; that is pick out a point in front of the animal and shoot. Their brains don't concisley compute the math, it is just instinctively done.

[NVcurmudgeon]

If a deer doesn't stop within range, I look for another deer. Walking has always been easier for me than calculating!

[KCSO]

Shooting running almost always depends on practice and your particular form. I pull through and touch off as my sights pass the animal. Since at our last running animal shoot I put heart shots in the antelope, deer and wolf targets and I can occasionaly connect with a yote I figure this works for me. My father in law always held dead on and killed more running yotes than anyone I ever knew. He would say just keep 'er moving when you shoot. My brother holds ahead and this year he beat me by one target. He said he holds 1/2 an animal ahead of the target. Get a big enough target or get close enough to see where your shots go and then adjust accordingly.

[nighthunter]

NV ... this is just a game at the local gun club. Costs $1 to shoot and the club pays 50/50 to the winner of the relay. The other half goes to the club. Most people just consider it a donation to the clubs taxes. Its all in fun. Oh yea .... the wire the deer runs on is attatched to a modified bicycle behind a huge dirt mound ( totaly safe from shots ) and many members donate a younger hunter to power the deer. Most are usually good for a relay or two. Kids today get too tired out too quickly. Its a lot of fun and I used to be able to win my relay many many years ago.
Thanks for the replies guys and I'll maybe post later on the results.
Nighthunter

[NVcurmudgeon]

nighthunter, I know that running deer shoots are all in fun. So was my somewhat irreverent comment. My former club used to have a running deer event that drew enough people to take over the rifle range for a whole day. (They also used to have a rifle range, too, but that's another story.) It was a very similar serup to what you describe, the only difference was that the "deer" was black, and was labeled "TAXI" in large white letters!

[David R]

I belonged to a club that had a running deer just like you speak about. It went from left to right at various speeds. We would practice on it every tuesday night. With the 45 Auto, I needed to lead about 3 deer if it was going fast. With the rifle, 1/2 deer was plenty. 2 years after that, I saw a 6 point buck running left to right about 150 yards. I pulled up and shot (peep site) and hit it right in the lungs with a Savage model 24V 222/20ga. All that practice made it like second nature. I didn't even think. If I had, I would have missed for sure.

David

[MT Gianni]

If the power is a kid on a bike the speed formula is out the window. Even if it's a downhill glide human nature says we will pedal or drag. More important is the knowledge that you can hit running targets and it takes practice. Have fun with it. gianni.

[Four Fingers of Death]

A few years ago we had a shoot with the Deer Assoc club. We shot at 300 yds prone, 200 kneeling and 100 off hand, then at 25mtrs at a running target. These were a yellow square about 18" with a 6" black square bull, nailed to a piece of pine and carried by five volunteers. I sounds easy, but mine kept bobbing up and down and was hard to hit. Everybody else's went left to right smoothly. I was having a bit of a grumble to myself and I though I'd tell the guy so he didn't mess up the next shooter. I wasn't going to complain, but just try and get the guy working properly for the next detail. As the 'deer' came out from behind the mound, I saw the third guy, who must have been the guy carrying my target, walk out with a horrible limp, he had one leg shorter than the other and a big boot on one foot. I don't know how he managed to run with the target. I didn't say anything naturally and walked off with a big grin on my face feeling a bit sheepish.

[carpetman]

4finger Mick---You are lucky the guy pulling your running deer target was only crippled and made your target bobble. Had he been blind,he might have trampled you.

[Scrounger]

A few years ago we had a shoot with the Deer Assoc club. We shot at 300 yds prone, 200 kneeling and 100 off hand, then at 25mtrs at a running target. These were a yellow square about 18" with a 6" black square bull, nailed to a piece of pine and carried by five volunteers. I sounds easy, but mine kept bobbing up and down and was hard to hit. Everybody else's went left to right smoothly. I was having a bit of a grumble to myself and I though I'd tell the guy so he didn't mess up the next shooter. I wasn't going to complain, but just try and get the guy working properly for the next detail. As the 'deer' came out from behind the mound, I saw the third guy, who must have been the guy carrying my target, walk out with a horrible limp, he had one leg shorter than the other and a big boot on one foot. I don't know how he managed to run with the target. I didn't say anything naturally and walked off with a big grin on my face feeling a bit sheepish.

You really don't want to feel sheepish when CarpetMan's about; that could really hurt...

[nighthunter]

well ........ I guess I dun good. I hit the deer 9 out of 9 shots. Oh yea ...... I was using a Ruger #1 in 45/70. Guys there said they had never seen someone with a #1 get off all 3 shots when guys with bolts get only 2 shots off fairly often. But I also hit the deer every shot. I love that 45/70.
Nighthunter

PS .... Sum a you guys had a lotta fun with thisun

[grumble]

That's pretty impressive, Nighthunter. I know I couldn't do that with my No 1 in 45-70.

My compliments.