Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting how many guys have decided not to shoot.

I can't say it was the rifle.

I have some personally imposed limits but it ain't the rifles fault.

I have gotten over waiting for bull elk to give me a clear shot...and if I can do anything but shoot them in the guts or rump I go for it assuming I am within range, have good position, etc.

Bearclaws and Partitions have made some of those changes possible.

I passed up a shot that I never expected I would.

That year my shooting club had set up a target at 450 yds and I practiced until I was confident at hitting it.
As fate would have it that season I had a shot opportunity on a cow at just about that distance.

I had conflicting thoughts. The overriding one being �Don�t do it!� while another voice in my head said �What about all the time you spent practicing that exact shot?�

I tried to get closer but I was too slow and they escaped.

No regrets.
To my way of thinking you never lose by passing on a shot, but if you cripple something then you carry that weight forever.

Never. At least for that reason.

"He was absolutely astonished when the bullets landed within a couple inches of where he aimed!" Mule Deer...

I've passed on many shots carrying my 30-30 but had a similiar experience when I started using the LeverEvolution round. I knew my point blank range was in the neighborhood of 250 yards but had a memory lapse on a 3x3. He ranged 187 yards so I held on his spine as if I were shooting regular 170 grain flatpoints. Stupid me! The buck dropped where he stood and when I got to him I realized the round hit right where I aimed. Broke his spine. Poor guy was bawling and I had to put one behind the ear to dispatch him. Learned my lesson about knowing ones trajectory!

yep- happened this yr . 06 180 grain corelok- new t/c venture sighted in for 3 in high at 100 so pbr like 325 huge 6x6 /350 classs bull in open meadow - at 500 + yrds = I say + because my rangefinder wouldn't pick him up accurately - scope 4x nikon - just could not squeese the trigger -- guess'n hold over never an option for me -

I do not think even a solid rest or tripod would have changed my mind -

Sorry to butt in with a deer hunt instead of an elk hunt but it is the same subject.

On October 1, 2012 I was up on the hill at dark thirty to poke a hole in some poor defenseless creature with antlers. I had been glassing with my wonderful Nikon 7-15X35 when I found something. I turned the setting from 7X up to 15X and tried to get a stable platform from which to really scope out what I thought was deer. Finally I made them but they were heading back into the woods.

Right then I decided to get some fixed power binoculars so I had to verify with the rifle scope and save some valueable time. Finally I did switche to the Savage .223 which had been rebarreled and chambered to .257 Weatherby (I just can�t seem to leave anything alone.) when I realized I was waisting killing time. I got behind the Bushnell 4200 4-16X and turned it up to 16X. I could see quite easily that one was a buck. The horns were somewhat odd forks. On one side the fork was about ear high while the other side was about twice as high as the ears. I had no idea how far they were, but guessed at least a quarter mile away. I didn�t bring the Leica 1200 because I figured I would be in the woods all the time. That won�t happen again.

The rifle came back from the funsmith on Thursday two days prior to opening day. There was only enough time to get a near maximum load that would work through the action freely on Thursday. On Friday I sighted it in about 2� high at 100 yards before I had to get back to the house for other chores. Normally I sight in at 300 yards. Then I fire at rocks clear out to 500 yards. But this time it didn�t happen. I had no idea where the Barnes 100 TTSXes would hit past about 300 with the near 3,700 feet per second load.

I decided to try to get closer. When I was within a couple hundred yards I had to get out in the opening and slide down the hill to get around some bushes to get a shot. The buck was already in the forest, but a doe was extremely curious what I was or was doing and started to take a couple steps my way before the absence of the other deer convinced it to leave also.

All this is to say I didn�t take a shot I would take in a moment if I knew the trajectory of the bullet like I now do with it zeroed at 300 yards.

Awesome. Glassing with your scope.. in 2012 of all years.

You, seriously, are the most bent individual on this site, and there's some real loons here.

That extra 1X the scope offered over the binos allowed him to tell it was a buck. And that was after this:

Rancho_Loco,

Tell us you have never scoped a game animal without shooting at it. Go ahead. We're waiting.

pointer,

Maybe you can kill something with your 15X binos but I need a firearm to kill something. I finally decided I didn't know the trajectory at that range and moved closer. I guess you didn't get that from the post.

Now I use a fixed 8X bino and switch to the scope as soon as I know it is game.

Gentlemen, let's not continue to hijack this thread.

I have NEVER glassed with my riflescope.

I have looked at plenty of critters with my spotter, binos and/or RF without going to the rifle.

I've also put my crosshairs on critters without shooting, but not because I needed what I thought was a better look. I knew what my target was, and was ready to kill it. I've never put my scope on a critter because I didn't know what it was.

Only idiots do that.

And you are a huge idiot, and the craziest assclown on this website.

Tell us which was safer: You looking at something through your scope and not shooting or me looking at something through my scope and not shooting?

Your inability to understand the difference is not surprising.

Seek help.

DFTFT

Please help.
What is the difference in you looking at a animal through your scope and not shooting and me looking at an animal through my scope and not shooting? I am curious, no extremely curious.