question to buck hunters?

[bigbucks]

Good luck to you BLACKJACK & everybody else this weekend. Leaving work about 3:00 to go jump a couple potholes before 4:00 & then heading to the bow stand. Should be a good day for both.

[LOWguy]

As I read this there is no mention of how the deer relates to the hunter. You could be 50 ft. up in a tree and still be shooting up. If you have to even think about it its probably not safe. Lets not forget there could be someone outside the house. BECAREFUL AND BE SAFE

[LuciandTim]

That deer was dead the day you opened this topic.....

[96trigger]

Ok, just a little information for all of you. I teach science in SEMN and this question really got me thinking. So I did some investigation and some calculating. I had to assume some things so here is what I did. I assumed the height of the tree stand was 15 ft. and that the bullet hit the ground at 75 yards, not the deer. I also assumed that it was a clean miss. In addition, I went to the federal HSOforum and got ballistics for a sabot federal shell with a muzzle velocity of 1400 ft/sec and a velocity of 1260 ft/sec at 75 yds. I then, with the help of some advanced kids, found the angle of the ricochet based upon the height of the tree stand and the distance to the deer. The anle of ricochette will be the same. Much like the angle you hit the side of pool table with will be the same angle the ball will take after ricochete. This angle was calculated to be 3.16 degrees. This is an extremely small angle and I didn't think that there would be any way that the bullet would hit the house. So we then determined how long the bullet could stay in the air given its velocity. Time of flight was given by its vertical velocity and the effect of gravity on it. Gravity was acting at 32.16 ft/sec. Anyway, the bullet has the capability to stay in the air for 4.3 more seconds. Long story short, the bullet had the ability to travel another 5,409 feet or roughly 1800 yards. I know tht there is some error and that it is highly unlikely for a bullet to travel that far and that there is always forces acting upon the bullet that were not calculated for. But just given the calculations there is a high likelyhood that if that bullet ricochetes, it will have enough velocity to hit the house. Before I did the calculations I would have taken the shot, now, no way man. Also, thanks for the scenario, my students loved it, but they thought that I had hit somebody's house.

[paceman]

One thing to remember is that the velocity of the bullet is not a constant 1260 feet/second. It will slow dramatically. I say no way it will travel over half a mile. However I would wait until the deer cleared the house.

[tripper]

I had a case that the deer was at about 100 yards moving rifle not shotgun) across hay field at a run, two house 40 acers away. I waited until the angle of the shot would put the bullet well off to the side of both houses into the wood line along the field.

[buzzsaw]

WOW, good thread! I personally wouldn't take the shot for safety reasons. I have young children and my whole thought process has changed. My heart would be pounding and I'd be hoping that buck didn't decide to bolt.... I'd wait til he cleared and wack the rack! For whatever it's worth, I highly doubt that a slug can go 500 yards.... but I'm no expert.

[bigbucks]

tripper, you definitely did the right thing, I'm assuming there wasn't heavy woods or a huge hill in between the deer & the houses.

[tripper]

No, nothing between the deer and houses, there was a slight down hill angel but a person just should not fire in the direction of a house or anything that may contain domestic animals. Once you pull that trigger you no longer have any control over where that bullet or any part of it may go.

[fishnhooks]

Who's house is it? If it was mine.......

[76k20]

Bigbucks,

Is it possible that this owl hooting in the woods was carrying away your deer? This could be a determining factor as to whether or not I would shoot. j/k had to rib since you posted of a small deer, I think almost everybody has "knocked the spots off one" at one time or another.

[bigbucks]

76k20, possibly...

You're right about that & some of us have knocked the spots off at one time & "then some others..." Oops, nice shot man! it takes talent to hit something that small.

[Browning83]

There isnt a buck in the world that is worth a possible fatality. Also when you shoot a slug/rifle the bullets dont fly true after hitting the ground. So even if the buck wasnt in the line of the house it could still fly that way. But a 500 yard shot with a slug is quite a ways. I'd still wait til its a ways from the house....especially if its in a field.

[JoshM]

I would shoot simply becauce even if you would aim at the house your slug would never make it that far but that is just me

[JoshM]

I must agree with stockchopper though just wait a few yards and the deer will be out of line with the house.

[jbjr]

As years of bow hunting has taught me WAIT for the Perfect Shot and ALWAYS be aware of whats in the background

[Big-Al]

Quote:

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As years of bow hunting has taught me WAIT for the Perfect Shot and ALWAYS be aware of whats in the background

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I sure agree with you there. I started bowhunting at the age of 12 and shot my first with a bow at 13. I never picked up a gun to hunt deer until I was 21. I think it has made me a totally different rifle hunter than if I had never bow hunted. Having had hundreds of deer within 25' sure gives you the ability to wait.