How far can a shotgun slug travel if ricochetes off a rock

[Deerstalker]

 2 years ago had a deer run along a stone wall about 20 yards from me .

Hesitated to shoot for fear i would miss and that the  slug  would ricocheting  off the rocks behind it and waited to shoot when it was a farther away and  away from the stone wall  Question is how far can a slug  bounce back if you hit something like a stone  wall  was I being overly cautious. 

Edited November 20, 2016 by Deerstalker

[mmiles]

I would shoot if your in wooded area. Wont come back at u


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[Doc]

I think I might have the same concerns with a rock wall for a back-stop. I really don't know what the worst case ricochet might be. I doubt if anyone really has done any study on it. But I don't think I would use a rock wall as a backstop for target practice, so I don't know why I would do so with a hunting shot. 20 yards is not really very far.

That may be overkill regarding safety, but that's kind of the way I am.

[growalot]

same thing could happen if you hit a rock in the ground...I shot at a blood soaked foaming at the mouth dog that charged me...No time to raise the gun it was literally thumb safety and hip shot...the slug missed and the dog veered off down the hill...but I heard a yelp and saw a hunched up dog run into our gully bleeding...I never even saw this other dog.. I called the cops who came out to investigate the scene and told him who I thought owned them...he got to the house and the owner was picking lead fragments out of his dog arse out in the garage. The slug  hit a rock and the ricocheting fragments struck the other dog

Edited November 20, 2016 by growalot