what is the closest.....

[silvertip73]

Just curious, what is the closest anyone has ever shot an animal from the ground and what is the story. Thanks!

[Bjorn]

Shot a cow Elk at 8 feet this fall. I heard hoofs coming down the hillside and I took cover by a bush. Three cows came rushing by; two of them ran around and one of them came to a momentary stop on the other side of my bush. My bow was already up, I came to full draw and shot her through the heart.

 

I could sense that she was aware of my presence and had decided to freeze.

[JRHunter]

Interesting thread; I shot a small basket rack 10 pointer that was close enough that when I shot him he spun on impact and hit a sapling that hit my bow. He was within maybe 2~3 yards or so. It was close enough and as far as I could tell he never knew I was there, never looked at me. I was still hunting up a deer trail and crossed another trail. As I moved past the second trail I saw movement in the brush, drew my bow. He was coming straight at me and when he got to the crossing trail he turned broadside and I shot. He did not go 30 yards straight up the hill, fell over and rolled back down to about 10 yards.

[Stumpkiller]

11 yards.  

I had been still hunting a long, narrow woodlot along a ridge between cleared cornfields and sat on a blow-down to eat my lunch.  As I finished and was watching the world I heard a noise and a nice little six point stepped out of thick milliflori rose that surrounds a swampy section of the woodlot around a small pond (large mudpuddle is closer).  He was 15 yards away and there wasn't a stick of cover between us.  I closed one eye and squinted the other to avoid eye contact (good thing, as I'm sure my eyes were popping out just prior).  He took a few steps and then looked back the way had had come.  I lifted the bow drew and released in one quick motion; while seated on that log (it's behind me in the image).  

He took a RibTek 125W on a cedar arrow through the back of both lungs and it split the diaphragm as he ran into the thick cover.  He piled up 35 yards in.

   

[Biggie Hoffman]

Monty Browning shot his then world record brown bear at 9'

I'm scared of a deer at 9'

[Thumper Dunker]

Can,t tell you was with a rifle . Died a foot in front of me. With a bow Ten feet a coyote.

[monterey]

Three feet.  A blue grouse that was sitting on a limb right in front of me and came into view as the day broke.  I came to about eight inches of draw and let er go.  Idea was that arrow would not pass through and never be seen again.  It worked, grouse fell on the ground along with the arrow doing a perfect Steve Martin imitation!

[Friend]

Used my arrow to poke the rear end of small 8 pt from my blind that I had rattled in. He was w/i 1 1/2 ft of my blind. His reaction startled me enough that I won't do that again.

** If you could put an arrow thru the blind port, then it would be difficult to miss.**

[monterey]

Friend, did something similar while elk hunting.  It was end of the last day and was exausted.  Sat in an aluminum lawn chair with white and green webbing near a water hole.  No blind, no cover.  Also, was hunting with ml so was wearing blaze orange vest and hat.  Buck came so close to me it could have stepped on my foot.  I said "hello" and he launched straight into the air all four feet at once.  Musta got four feet of air at least.  Landed and took off like greased lightning.

[silvertip73]

I love this, in an era where everyone is talking about how far they shoot, I believe the closest ones are the coolest. Thanks for the awesome posts!

[3arrows]

Back in 69 shot my first buck three rolls over in a corn field,6 to 8 feet i would guess.Didn't know how long before it would be before i shot another that close.

[YORNOC]

Durango Colorado, a cow elk at 10 feet.  Black Bear in Alberta just a bit longer at 12 feet(4 yards for those without a calculator!) at the edge of the Peace River. I was a little unnerved on that one, but got 'em..

[stiknstringer]

I didn't shoot it but I had a descent size doe start to eat leaves from the bush I was hiding behind.She just started chewing when she noticed me.Scared the heck out of me when she nearly turned inside out took off.

[Over&Under]

Last years elk came to cow calls and shot him at 7 yds as he started to leave the scene.

[Steve Kendrot]

Few years ago I was walking back to my car mid day when I saw a buck chasing a doe towards me in the hedgerow I was walking along. Dropped my stand and she popped out less than 10 yards from me. Heart shot her and she ran about 40 yards and piled up.

Had a sika stag within 4 yards on the ground once. Head on and too close to get a shot off. Spooked and circled around me, giving me a 10 yard broadside shot hat I made good on. Also killed a sika doe at about ten yards off the ground. And another sika stag at about 7 yards.  Jeeze. I keep thinking of more!! I won't tell you about the ones I've missed!

[Terry Lightle]

Forkhorn at 6 yards,let him walk by twice that day but they say third time is a charm so I let him have it.

[jsweka]

6 pt. whitetail at 8 yards.  This was the season back in my compound days when I dislocated my sholder right before the season and the doc said not to do anything over my head (e.g. climb a tree), but shooting a bow was OK.

[elkken]

Shot a young bull moose at about 15 feet, I was on one side of a spruce tree he was on the other. I had to bend over and cant my bow way over to shoot between limbs and double lunged him. Never knew I was there.

[Hill Hunter]

12 yard coyote.
this brings to mind another interesting topic,I will start another as to not hi jack this one.

[Sixby]

Several years ago on the last day of elk season after a hard year of hunting I had my wife let me out on a log road and had her drive three miles on down the road and wait for me to work my way around a canyon. I walked over to the edge and looked around a bit and heard some noises. I made a very low little bugle. Very low. I heard a bunch of animals jump up so I backed into a cedar bush and put an arrow on the string. An entire herd of elk ran up and stopped in front of me looking around. I had a huge elk right in front of me about 4 feet away and its head obscured by the bush I was in. I could not even tell if it was a bull or a cow but I drew back and put one through the boiler room . This elk turned out to be a mature cow ,. really a nice elk. She was so close I was afraid of being kicked when I shot. None of those elk ever knew I was even there.

The hardest part is that  I wasn't out of the truck over 5 minutes and still had to walk the three miles to the truck .
So 4 to 6 feet,.
I wanted seriously to stretch the distance to make Bjorn feel good but couldn't do it.

God bless you all, Steve