Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Hardest Shot You've Ever Made?

We've got a thread about your longest shot and one about your closest shot. This one is about your hardest shot.

What's the hardest shot you've ever made? What did you do to prepare for it? What were you thinking as you executed it?

Mine was offhand on a bull Roosevelt elk at 110 yards after my guide and I had jogged several hundred yards down a logging road to get in position for a shot before last light.

My preparation was months of practice making fast offhand shots from 50 to 100 yards. As we approached the place where I had planned to shoot from, I focused on breathing deeply to get more oxygenated blood moving and lowering my heart rate. From there, I focused on getting the safety off smoothly and getting a good trigger press.

How did it go for you?


Okie John

One of my running shots. I don't know which one as there has been a number. I've been in on a lot of deer drives.

running deer with long bow. 10 yards out and 12 yards down in a draw. cut the big art. running along spine. ran 50 to 60 yards and nose planted.

My first elk, running shot with a muzzleloader.

I also killed one on the run.....but with a compound. My cousin pushed 9 deer though the bush I happened to be sitting in that night. The big 8-point and 4 doe came through high about 75 or 80 yards away, then 4 doe came pretty much right at me but split up with 2 going high and 2 low. The first one heading low crossed a shooting lane and passed a tree that I knew was at 30 yards. I drew, aimed at that tree and when the second one hit the left side of the shooting lane, I fired the arrow down the right side toward that tree.

I heard a "crack" and thought I shot in front of her and hit the tree. A couple minutes later, my cousin gets there and we go look for the arrow.....No arrow in the tree. We head toward where they went and find blood. A lot of blood on both sides of the trail. She only made it about 75 yards and was down.

As It turned out, I had released a split second late and dead-centered her liver with a 4-blade Wasp Cam-Loc. Found the rear 7 inches of that 32 inch arrow still inside her....never found the rest.

This was nearly 30 years ago. It is the one and only time I have ever shot at a running deer with the bow. As we were standing over the deer, I told Dave the circumstances of the shot....ending with "That was stupid". He agreed.

Was trapping muskcrats in a one man made (me) duck boat, cold as he// very choppy with white caps, last day picking traps. I look over to another small bay, otter swimming back & forth playing around. Otter spelled $$$$$ about $120.00 back then, 90 yards, bobbing up & down in the white caps , dog spies the otter, wind at about 30 mph, (22 rim fire) right through the neck. About 51or 52 years ago, young stupid, would not even try the shot now!!!! Not because of better eyes, steadier nerves, not very responsible!??? Dad was happy till he heared the story. Took the wind out of my sails quickly. Live & learn.🐾👣🐾👣🐾👣

Whitetail buck off-hand @135 yards. Some pheasant hunters jumped him right toward me in some CRP. He put the brakes on when he saw me, I guess.

I had my Kimber Classic .243 up and ready but he wouldn't turn broadside or give me a better shot. All I could see was his white throat patch, head and antlers. For what seemed like an eternity, I swear, I was beginning to go to muscle failure, he just wouldn't move. Finally I just put the cross-hairs on the white patch and squeezed the trigger. I hit right where I was aiming, in the white patch just under his chin. DRT.

First deer.

16 years old, buck fever, 4 point 25 feet away- 16 gauge sweet sixteen, shaking like a leaf.

Got lucky and pulled off a heart shot - still not sure how I did it.

I called in a pair of wolves that had killed a large calf. The second wolf was about 100 yds behind the first. I let the first one come in to about 50 yds and shot it. The second wolf headed down hill from left to right as fast as he could go. I had previously ranged the bottom where the wolf was headed, at 200 yds. I led the wolf by an estimated 10 to 12 ft and fired. The bullet hit the wolf just in front of the last rib. He piled up at the shot, but hobbled up still trying to go. A second shot finished him. Having shot quite a few moving coyotes over the years had made me realize how much you had to lead em. And yes there was a bit of luck with that shot as well.

2013 Wyoming 6x6 bull. I was sitting on a rock outcropping and my guide was calling a hundred yards behind me.

The bull ran into a meadow and ran pretty much straight toward me, a little below and to my right. I got to my feet as he ran past me into some trees.

He apparently winded the guide and did an about face and ran back through the meadow, but stopped at 154 yards.

I made an off hand shot with a Kimber Montana in 300 WSM and he ran about 50 yards and folded up.

Lots of adrenaline used up on that one.

donsm70

Best one yet.

Shooting a crow as he was landing on a fence post...

Shot a couple flying crows with a .17 Ackley Hornet in an Anschutz I had built about 30 years ago. Called in my biggest blacktail, which took off when I stood up. He was hauling azz in spades and I piled him up as he entered the reprod at about 75 yards. I had spent all the prior winter shooting jackrabbits or I'm sure he would have gotten to cover. I was amazed how fast he was moving.

don't think to much about it, just make the shot, like fireball shoot lots of jacks real good practice

I was about 14 and on a mixed bag ( squirrel, rabbit, woodcock, deer, etc.) hunt with several uncles. Our little “mixed breed” terrier dog, treed a “cat” squirrel (grey squirrel), in a large, vine covered tree. My uncles were using shotguns, while I only carried my .308 Win. and my Browning Nomad 22 semi-auto pistol. As we circled the tree, attempting to get the hiding “cat” squirrel, to move. The squirrel got nervous, and made a sprint, up thru the vines, heading to the tree top. I saw it for a brief instant, and made a “snap” shot with the little Browning....hitting the running squirrel before anyone else got off a shot. Pure luck....you bet....but serious bragging rights! memtb

I wish we still had a “shootable population” of “jacks” here....they were great practice ( when running) with your big game rifle! I really miss those days! memtb

Now we need a topic of “greatest misses”....I could write a book! memtb

Running whitetail buck full speed at about 12feet.
The bugger ran through the scope so I had to re-scope him fast, a little ahead of the brisket and drove a 150gn Partition in behind the last rib at about 20 feet which came out center off shoulder.
Very fast shooting made it one of the toughest.

John

I’ve been thinking about this a couple of days now.

By far my hardest shotS have been while Rabbit hunting. For years I kept beagles and rabbit hunted before deer season and
after deer season. Our deer seasons are shorter than squirrel or rabbit seasons so running beagles and rabbit hunting gave me much
more FUN hunting.

That said, there have been TOO many hard shots while hunting Rabbits.
More than once I turned beagles loose in brush piles and had rabbits running in many directions at once.
Which one to shoot at first ? ? ? Lots of fun, some difficult shots.

Now we have many more deer and much fewer rabbits.


Jerry

Behind my back, over my shoulder, between my legs 1000 yards. Killed a fine sabor tooth tiger.