Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game When is the last time you missed?

When did you last whiff on a deer sized critter(or bigger) and what was the situation?


The Gimme Shot thread(Gunwriters), got me to trying to remember when the last time was I actually missed.....


I will admit to wounding a couple deer on the first shot but a pretty quick death followed on the 2nd or 3rd shot.


But a total miss?




Merry Christmas,

Ace

Sam;
Good afternoon to you sir, I trust this finds you folks keeping warm, well and dry in these last few days of 2015.

In 2012 I'd been seeing a pair of whitetail bucks - a little 3 point first rack and a 4 point second rack for 4 weekends in a row, but couldn't connect with either one.

On the second last weekend of season the 3 point came grunting up out of some heavier brush into a grown in cut and I watched him come up to about 80 yds where he stopped broadside. I was sorta prone-ish - lying in the snow and shooting across my pack.

Anyway I touched off the .270, he spun around and bounded off back the way he came...

I was so sure I'd hit him I didn't even chamber another round - though he didn't stop where I could shoot again anyway. I tracked him out a good ways in the snow and there was absolutely no sign of a hit.

When I checked the rifle at the range later on that day it was off, but not far enough to miss the whole deer at 80yds.

No clue as to what happened there Sam - but I surely did whiff that one.

As my cousin used to say, "It's much easier to hit the rest of the world than what you're aiming at...."

All the best to you folks in 2016 Sam.

Dwayne

Last year on opening day in another state, just after shooting time, a buck came over the ridge and stopped in some pines, just his back was showing over the high grass.. Plus it was a state with points restrictions, put the crosshair on his back and squeezed.. Knew I shot over when I pulled the trigger..

3-4 years ago. I was sitting under a tree on a hillside. A buck ran across the hill 15 ft behind me(surprised me). Turned and shot, probably shouldn't have. Missed. It ran 300-400 yards and my buddy shot it. Pretty decent 8 point.

Dwayne good to hear from you, hope you guys have a great 2016!


Wyo, same to you!


Thanks for the honest and interesting replies.


Ben, you were rattled!

There ain't any critter so big ... or range so close that I can't miss it

Seriously, I maybe ten years ago, I was freezing my ass off in a ground blind on a friends farm near Water Valley, Alberta. A decent 140-sh whitetail showed up at about 100 yards, so I placed the crosshairs behind the shoulder and fired.

And he ran off across a snowfield.

He stopped at about 200 and I couldn't see any blood on him or the snowfield, so I dropped down on my bipod and just plain shot him under the ear. He died BANG-PLOP.

He had a single bullet hole in him ... just under the ear.

For all I know, the first bullitt is still in low orbit of the earth. It's a total mystery.

Before that, I prolly had 25 years and a couple hundred++ big animals killed with absolutely no misses and no needed second round.

Blessings,

Steve



Here's a photo of the "missed deer."

Missed a doe about eight years ago at 150 yards or so. We had a half dozen club members looking for blood, etc. Nothing. .???

Tried to shoot off a male Knat mounting a female one.

I missed and shot her instead. The male did loose an important part of his anatomy though.

I shot a big mule buck off a doe one time in Alberta. Half of the locals thought it was funnier than hell ... half thought it was the dirtiest trick anyone ever played.

He was a fine buck ... bet he thought it was an unreal climax

When I showed up the next year, the neighbor said, "YOU'RE the one who shot the fu*king buck!!!! And he laughed so hard that we all thought he'd have a heart attack. (A shot of whiskey fixed that)

Blessings,

Steve

A few years back I was sitting in a tree stand. Had a doe walking through at approximately 40 yards, if that. I placed the cross hairs on her right front leg quartering and squeezed off the shot only for her to run off without any reaction or blood trail. This from a 30.06 using a 165 BTSP. To this very day I can only think that it may have been deflected by a twig? It was humbling to say the least.

Two seasons ago. Cow elk at 300.Sat down and promptly sent two rounds over her back. Third shot spined her fourth finished that whole sorry tale.
I think I had a little elk fever.

That is a good one Steve!



Great replies so far from everyone.

This Oct. Not a rifle but a Crossbow, 20yrds, off a shooting stick, red dot sight! 6pt whitetail buck, broad side! shot, he mule kicked and ran off, fig dead deer have killed about a doz. with this set up! arrow had a few hairs under one vane, looked all over 4 of us, he must have ducked, shot the Xbow and it was shooting 4" high at 20yrds, go fig. resighted it in the following week killed a big doe same spot, and a 8pt. in a diffrent spot, guess you never know.

Calling coyotes years ago. Set the caller out, good set-up over looking a large field surrounded on 3 sides by woods w/ a small steep creek bed zig zagging across it. Caller was about 100 yds away, about 15 yds on opposite side of creek bed from me.

I just knew I was going to get some action on some coyotes working their way down that creek bed and popping up in front of the caller! I hit the remote, nothing happened. Again, again, again..... Started walking towards the remote pressing the button, finally got it kicked off about 60 yards out.

Quickly walked back to the little scrub brush that was my shooting position, sat down with my rifle and scanned the field in front of me. Before I made the first sweep with my eyes, I caught movement out of the corner of my eye to my right. I look and a coyote is looking at me from about 15 feet away - apparently laid up in the same scrub brush I was sitting in, drawn out by the call.

The coyote looked away from me, still not moving, towards the caller. I lifted my rifle to get a shot and the stupid coyote stood there. The rifle went into shooting position and I had left the scope at 16x (I use to really like a 2.5-16x42...). I couldn't make out squat through the scope! I finally thought I had the crosshairs on his shoulder and squeezed off a round - complete miss.

The coyote finally "woke up" and switched into high gear, making for the wood line on the right. I tried in vain to get the crosshairs on him, but couldn't see him. I set the rifle down, cursing under my breath at my own stupidity, knowing full well what had happened. Turned the magnification down to 6x and looked up to see a coyote pop out of the dry creek bed about 100yds right in front of me. Appreciative of the quick opportunity at redemption, I quickly threw the rifle up to drop the chip shot and missed cold! Coyote ducked into the drainage, never got another shot off.

That wasn't the first time I had a problem from leaving the magnification cranked up on my variable, but that was the beginning of my conversion to the fixed 6. Lately I've regressed and been running 3-9x42's.

David

Missed a bull at 125 YDS with a ML 3 or 4 years ago, have no idea what went wrong. Killed him about an hour later.

The last I recall was 5-6 yrs ago. I was meat hunting, legal otherwise it didn't matter.

A nice adult doe showed up les than 100 yds, "done deal". Tikka T 3 270, chip shot. Bang, she left post haste. No time for a second shot, no blood, no hair, NO idea!!!

Over confident. Humbling.


Jerry

This year.

I took a dumb shot at a nice buck and paid for it. Thankfully it was a miss.

This year in Missouri I missed the first shot at a nice buck at 250 yards from a bog pod. It was an awkward angle and just as the shot broke I wobbled. He didn't survive the encounter ultimately...

Not once, not twice but three times at the same buck Sam. I was hunting on my lease in deep s. Texas and was out corning my senderos in the early afternoon. I came across a large buck standing on the edge of the sender hooking the brush above his head and making a scrape. I stopped the truck, got out and rested my gun on the open door. I aimed a little high as I guestimated the distance at 300 yards. I fired 3 times and missed him every time. He never ran but after the third shot he just moved off into the brush. I redeemed myself the next day as he walked out in the sender at 323 yards. One shot and he was down. A nice 163 class deer. powdr

With a rifle, Dec 25, 2010, I missed a running doe. Ive killed about 25 deer and an elk in a row now so I am due. However I don't shoot much anymore unless I know I will hit it.