shooting into brush

If that's a rifle, it's a good thing you didn't take the shot- you CAN NOT LEGALLY USE THAT GUN in Indiana! Were you by chance hunting in KY?

Read the Indiana regs a bit better- minimum of .357 caliber and check the case length specs.

If it's a handgun, it would be legal, but unless you are absolutely sure of the shot and what was between you and the deer, it's probably better you didn't take the shot. It takes very, very little to throw the trajectory of the bullet off enough to wound a deer versus kill it.

Yep.

If a 10 mph crosswind has enough effect to move a bullet *sideways* a couple inches over the course of 200 yards, imagine what a 1/4" branch that is somewhat solid will do.

At best, you'd clean miss. At worst you'd end up with a badly wounded deer. You can't always be 100% sure there's no sticks/twigs between you and a deer, but just remember it doesn't take much.

what do you guys think about head shots? I never hear of people taking them, but I did have a clean headshot on him. does that just make it hard on the taxidermist or is there another reason no one takes them?

A head shot does not ruin your mount for the taxidermist...but you will likely have to buy another hide to use for the mount as most head shots negate the use of the one you just put a bullet through.

A hole in the hide means that they have to stitch it shut...pretty much impossible to do that on a skull and make it look anywhere near good and not be noticed immediately by everyone looking at it. Trust me...if you want a mountable buck stick to a body shot unless you don't mind spending another $100 or more for another hide that may not be as large or as nice looking as the one you shot.

And a shot thru brush is never a good idea. Guns and Ammo had a guy do a "brush gun" test a number of years ago shooting through prepared dowels and twigs at a target at 50 yards with 30-30, 35 Rem and a couple other large calibers. Even just hitting 3-4 twigs the bullet would occasionally completely miss the 8 inch target!! That is a lot of change in your bullet path to take a chance with on a great looking deer.

Steer clear of headshots on deer. Small target that can move unexpectedly and most people dont realise where the cranial cavity really is, or that a straight- on shot can actually deflect off the skull.
You did the right thing by not taking the shot if you were unsure about it. It shows respect for the animal and good common sense, two things that seem to be sorely lacking among way, way too many "hunters" these days.

Now and then you'll have to decide whether to shoot "through" brush. To me, this means finding a hole through the brush that allows me to hit the deer where I want, but not hit anything along the way. The hole does not need to be very big, you just need to be confident in your ability to put the bullet in that hole.

Within 50-75 yards, I'll shoot through some fairly small holes with confidence. I'll also shoot if the deer is standing in tall grass. One thing to remember, the closer the twig is to the deer, the less it will deflect the bullet. I would not worry too much if a few small twigs were "in the way" if they were within just a couple feet of the deer.

An interesting thread as I had such an experience on Tuesday. I was hunting at Turkey Run SP. About 10:45am two does moved through my area at about 35 yd. I was hunting from a ground stand and watched as they moved quickly though the brush. I attempted to find an opening but couldn't so I passed on a shot not wanting to chance wounding one. Since these were the only deer I'd seen in the two day reduction hunt, I was a little bit disappointed. But about two or three minutes later I saw a third baldy moving along the same trail. This deer was moving a little slower and as I watched it, I saw a small (about two feet in diameter) opening ahead. I put the cross-hairs on the opening and when it turned brown I pulled the trigger. The .458 SOCOM dropped him (turned out to be a button buck) like a sack of potatoes. He field dressed at about 80 lb.

I totally agree with the advice being given here. Avoid shooting into the brush. Any small twig can deflect the bullet. Look for the openings.

You were right to be cautious. I told you about how shooting through a hole in the brush worked for me; here's a story of when it failed. My younger brother is a much better hunter than me. He is a bowhunter first and when he hunts with firearms, he uses a muzzleloader. Through the years it has truly been "one shot, one kill" for him. Three years ago he had an eight pointer come in to his stand from the back side. No shooting lanes there so he held his fire with his TC muzzleloader. The buck moved to the edge of the brushy area and Bill thought he had a hole to shoot through. He put the cross hairs on the chest area and fired. The deer reacted as if it were paunch shot. Bill decided to wait before getting down in case the buck was gut shot, which it was. When he did come out of his stand he found a tiny limb in that hole in the brush that he had not seen in his scope. The bullet had hit it. He searched past sunset but couldn't locate the deer. He went back at first light the next morning and found the buck. He'd missed finding it the night before by about thirty yards. It had been warm overnight. He field dressed it, tagged it and took it to a proccessor. The processor said the meat was ruined. Bill was upset about the whole thing for weeks afterwards. He tells me he has a higher standard for holes in the brush than he had previously. And in the last two hunting seasons he has cleanly taken two bucks and two does. Three of these fell to his bow. The morale of the story, show caution when needed.