Everybody likes to talk about great shots they have made at long distance and with small caliber.I have killed dozens of deer with rifles ,shotguns,bows,and muzzle loaders,but I have also missed some.A couple of years ago I shot a nice buck, maybe B&C, with a 300 WBY.The shot was about 100 yards,freestanding.The bullet knocked the deer down where he stood and he kicked dirt in the air for a few seconds and was still.As I walked to him he jumped up and ran a few feet into the trees and disappeared.Only a few drops of blood that stopped after about 100 yards.I looked for the deer for two days with no success.I can only guess at how far off I was and which way.Last year I shot at a nice 8 point at about 200 yards with a fair rest and completly missed him.Just pulled off when I squeezed the trigger.But,as I said earlier, I have also been successful probably 95% of the time and have the wall mounts to prove it.And that percentage is probably average for the guys I grew up hunting with who have collectively killed many hundreds of deer over the past couple of decades.Seems like a lot of decisions about equipment are based on the perfect shot,but I don't think that is always the reality of it.
Anybody Willing to Talk About Their Misses?
- Thread starter ZeroJunk
- Start date
Southern_guy
New member
I once missed all six shots in my revolver at a target 6 feet away.
About 13 years ago I snuck up on a deer feeding in a wheat field, got to within 50 yds. I sat up to take my shot, the deer got uncomfortable and started moving straight away from me. I shot for the base of his skull at about 70 yds and missed clean. I was so sure I could not miss at that range, I looked for hair or blood for almost 2 hours until it got dark. Checked the zero on my rifle the next morning, and I was shooting 4" high at 100 yds, so I must have shot just above his head.
Came back the next day and poked him at about 150 yds, dropped and never twitched. Go figure, I missed a gimme shot and made a longer one.
Came back the next day and poked him at about 150 yds, dropped and never twitched. Go figure, I missed a gimme shot and made a longer one.
Hah, had a cowboy action shooting match last year where I missed 27 out of 30 shots with a pistol! You want to talk about frustrated!
Got home and discovered that the barrel was so leaded up it looked like a smoothbore. I'm a fanatic cleaner so to this day I don't understand how it got so bad but it sure was a reputation killer ('cause you know, I have SUCH an amazing reputation as a marksman <grin>).
The other (in)famous one was trying to shoot a rat with my uncle's .22 semi-auto back when I was a kid. I hadn't yet learned that a startled rat will run, then pause if you leave it alone so I opened up and kept shooting. 20ish rounds of .22 short and never touched the little beast. My uncle was laughing his butt off saying it was like watching John Wayne in a war film running along with the bullets making divots along either side as the "hero" ran to safety. We called that rat "the Duke" for the rest of the summer.
Got home and discovered that the barrel was so leaded up it looked like a smoothbore. I'm a fanatic cleaner so to this day I don't understand how it got so bad but it sure was a reputation killer ('cause you know, I have SUCH an amazing reputation as a marksman <grin>).
The other (in)famous one was trying to shoot a rat with my uncle's .22 semi-auto back when I was a kid. I hadn't yet learned that a startled rat will run, then pause if you leave it alone so I opened up and kept shooting. 20ish rounds of .22 short and never touched the little beast. My uncle was laughing his butt off saying it was like watching John Wayne in a war film running along with the bullets making divots along either side as the "hero" ran to safety. We called that rat "the Duke" for the rest of the summer.
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I was squirrel hunting a couple decades ago and saw one standing on a limb about 50 yards away. I fired and he dropped like a rock. I sent my father (who kept telling me I missed) in to get the squirrel.
Come to find out, I did miss. I twitched at the last second and the round went low, cutting the limb right between the squirrel's legs. He'd dropped, but grabbed the tree and headed out of town.
Come to find out, I did miss. I twitched at the last second and the round went low, cutting the limb right between the squirrel's legs. He'd dropped, but grabbed the tree and headed out of town.
If this had not happened to me I wouldn't believe it so here it goes. I was duck hunting with another guy and shot a duck.....retriever went out and got it and as it was coming back I noticed the head of the duck was up but that wasn't that unusual.......went to grab the duck as the dog let go and off flew the duck 
.....we still get a chuckle out of that day!
.....we still get a chuckle out of that day!I have had quite a few clean misses on ground squirrels in Cali a few years back.
I didn't feel too bad because they were beyond 500 yards on a buddy's Savage 22-250.
Got a good laugh at how high those critters can jump when the ground under them explodes. Then they scamper up-hill and stand up as if "WTF was that!"
I was too busy laughing to even risk a shot after that.
Another time I thought I skipped a rise in the ground and just wounded a pig.
Talk about feeling terrible. :barf:
Over a giant varmint! Guess I'm a softy.
Turns out it was just the turbulence off the bullet ripped up some grass tips.
She tasted good.
I didn't feel too bad because they were beyond 500 yards on a buddy's Savage 22-250.
Got a good laugh at how high those critters can jump when the ground under them explodes. Then they scamper up-hill and stand up as if "WTF was that!"
I was too busy laughing to even risk a shot after that.
Another time I thought I skipped a rise in the ground and just wounded a pig.
Talk about feeling terrible. :barf:
Over a giant varmint! Guess I'm a softy.
Turns out it was just the turbulence off the bullet ripped up some grass tips.
She tasted good.
ArcherAndShooter
New member
Ducking deer
I've twice had deer duck my arrows. :barf::barf: Darndest thing I ever did see - I would not have believed it until I saw it.
Perfect aim, easy, 20 yard shots, but by the time my arrows got to where the deer had been, the deer was about 18 inches lower, perfectly willing to get a scratch across the back in order to get away.
I've twice had deer duck my arrows. :barf::barf: Darndest thing I ever did see - I would not have believed it until I saw it.
Perfect aim, easy, 20 yard shots, but by the time my arrows got to where the deer had been, the deer was about 18 inches lower, perfectly willing to get a scratch across the back in order to get away.
rantingredneck
New member
I was walking to my deer stand one morning. I was running a bit late so it was already daylight. As I skirted the edge of a field on the way to my usual morning stand I spotted a nice 8 pointer about 50 yds away. He had his nose in the soybeans and didn't know I was even there. I took a knee behind a small sapling and got a stable rest. Fired my .30-30 and missed. Deer looked up and then put his nose back in the beans. I racked another round and missed it too. Missed six shots total and the deer just stood there looking around. I could see dirt kicking up behind the deer. Was shooting over it. I had apparently knocked my scope pretty good. Finally put the rifle down and pulled out my Ruger SRH .454 from the shoulder holster. The deer saw this motion and bounded. I took two running shots on it before it cleared the field and hit the tree line. I never touched it with any of the 8 rounds I fired at it.
My father in law and brother in law gave me hell that day.
My father in law and brother in law gave me hell that day.
I have a friend who used to swear that he had never missed a dove. I told him it must be that he had never shot at one. He wouldn't come clean so I invited him to come out to my farm for a dove shoot. I think he died a little that day. (at least his pride did)
For my part, I missed a huge buck @ 100 yards and I was shooting a true MOA rifle from a dead-solid rest. I checked the zero on the rifle later and it was 18" high and right. I missed another big buck @ 300 yds because I didn't hold high and shot under him... twice. I've also missed two other deer because I held too high or not high enough. In the later two cases, I nailed them with a second shot.
For my part, I missed a huge buck @ 100 yards and I was shooting a true MOA rifle from a dead-solid rest. I checked the zero on the rifle later and it was 18" high and right. I missed another big buck @ 300 yds because I didn't hold high and shot under him... twice. I've also missed two other deer because I held too high or not high enough. In the later two cases, I nailed them with a second shot.
FirstFreedom
Moderator
I've missed a deer twice with a bow (same deer) in one minute. It was raining and I *thought* it was about 25-27 yds away, but it was really about 35 yds. One shot hit a tree branch I discovered later, since the arrow had a torn fletch, and it was on the ground way short. The second shot went under the deer, and she took off. Since I didn't see where the first shot went (between the rain and it getting deflected down), I missed with the second shot, not knowing the range. I'm not proud of that, so I'll never try a shot again at a deer with a bow unless I know the exact range. Luckily I didn't hit it at all - couldn't find any blood. I also never found that second arrow - blows my mind because I looked and looked on 3 occasions.
When I first started hunting I missed deer...lots. Practice took care of that and this year was good.
I have a story that is worse than a miss because a shot was never even fired. Closing day of white tail season we were going to a spot where we had seen a doe twice and were getting desperate for a deer. We came over the hill started down and a deer burst from the bushes infront of us. I yelled STOP before i even saw how big it was...it was huge. I was out of the truck dropped a round in my gun and had him on the ground before the truck stopped with a single 150 grain .270. At the sound of my shot another deer burst from the bushes...bigger than huge. I was tagged out and couldnt shoot and he made it about 100 yards and turned perfectly broadside and stood looking.
The driver of the truck got out and said hand me a gun hand me a gun...NOW. his son in the back seat handed him a Lee-Enfield with open sights, he worked the bolt shouldered the gun and.........CLICK. He's still threatening to wrap the barrel of the .303 around his sons ears and that was three or four years ago.
I have a story that is worse than a miss because a shot was never even fired. Closing day of white tail season we were going to a spot where we had seen a doe twice and were getting desperate for a deer. We came over the hill started down and a deer burst from the bushes infront of us. I yelled STOP before i even saw how big it was...it was huge. I was out of the truck dropped a round in my gun and had him on the ground before the truck stopped with a single 150 grain .270. At the sound of my shot another deer burst from the bushes...bigger than huge. I was tagged out and couldnt shoot and he made it about 100 yards and turned perfectly broadside and stood looking.
The driver of the truck got out and said hand me a gun hand me a gun...NOW. his son in the back seat handed him a Lee-Enfield with open sights, he worked the bolt shouldered the gun and.........CLICK. He's still threatening to wrap the barrel of the .303 around his sons ears and that was three or four years ago.
FirstFreedom
Moderator
Oh, I just remembered a funny story someone told me. Seems that whoever told me the story went hunting with another guy who was using a .30-30 levergun that was new to him. And I think the guy with the levergun was also fairly new to hunting in general. So the more experienced guy says to the newb, go over there by that tree about 100 yards or so away. So that they could both see each other's general positions, if not actual sight of each other.
Deer walks by the experienced guy's location, and he decides to let it pass, as it's going toward the newb guy, to help him get a deer. Deer goes on over, mulls around, keeps right on walking slowly through the woods near the newb guy. First guy is watching the deer.... Why in the hell ain't he shooting that deer, I wonder? He had better not be asleep! But he hears some kind of noise....
So after the deer is gone, he walks over to the newb - he's awake - "Why didn't you shoot?"
"Hell, I tried - [cussing] damned rifle doesn't work [cussing, cussing]!" Six .30-30 rounds that were in the chamber & mag of his gun are on the ground beside him. What in the world is going on, thought the experienced hunter......
Crossbolt safety.
Deer walks by the experienced guy's location, and he decides to let it pass, as it's going toward the newb guy, to help him get a deer. Deer goes on over, mulls around, keeps right on walking slowly through the woods near the newb guy. First guy is watching the deer.... Why in the hell ain't he shooting that deer, I wonder? He had better not be asleep! But he hears some kind of noise....
So after the deer is gone, he walks over to the newb - he's awake - "Why didn't you shoot?"
"Hell, I tried - [cussing] damned rifle doesn't work [cussing, cussing]!" Six .30-30 rounds that were in the chamber & mag of his gun are on the ground beside him. What in the world is going on, thought the experienced hunter......
Crossbolt safety.
I also took a friend hunting who hadn't been since he was a kid. In his home state, they always used shotguns and he didn't have a gun to use here. (I had several that he could have used and I should have insisted.) Someone at work heard he was going deer hunting and decided to "help" by lending him a Ruger 10-44 carbine. He shot three times at a doe less than 50 yds away before the gun jammed. The sound and motion of him trying to clear the jam finally scared the deer away. When I got him down out of the stand, he handed me the jammed gun and told me the story. I cleared and safed the gun and then noticed that the rear sight was folded down. He was pretty animated and that part was fun to watch.
Lesson learned: when you take someone hunting, make sure the know how to operate their gun and have them sight it in while you watch.
Lesson learned: when you take someone hunting, make sure the know how to operate their gun and have them sight it in while you watch.
WeedWacker
New member
Unfortunately I have experienced almost all of these scenarios. My most notable miss was when we were hunting in Wisconsin deer season and from the box blind we see a few deer across the valley. I pull up the trust .30-30 and take aim. BANG! missed. Take aim again. BANG!!! Darnit missed again. Aim. BANG!!! again I missed. My sister pulls up her 20 ga Mossberg 500 ported muzzle slug gun. BOOOOMM!!!!! shoots it in the leg. At 200 yards. So our precision lever .30-30 gets outshot by my two years junior non-hunting/shooting/gun fanatic sister and her shotgun. Fortunately we have peek through scope rings on the .30-30 and I made the kill shot when we got close. So I guess I redeemed myself. Even though again I took aim. BANG! Missed... Bang! Missed. Bang! Missed. Bang. Missed. All through six rounds. Then I aimed at the belly. BANG! Took out the spinal collumn... Needless to say we were at the rang the next day zeroing the gun again. 
Needless to say we were at the rang the next day zeroing the gun again. kickshot85
New member
Invincible ducks. I know we hit those things.
Three buddies and myself were hunting duck late in the season one year and a little after shooting started a huge flock of Mallards and Canvas Backs came in on a low straight on trajectory. We all shouldered out shotguns and . . . . .we all missed, each of us shooting at least twice, I shot all three. That was depressing. Our best guess is that since they were flying head on, we were overshooting them.
I've had many misses on rabbits that were pretty funny. It's kind of like playing rabbit ping-pong. The bunny runs out from my left, I shoot too far ahead of him. He 180's on me and bolts back to where he came from, I shoot again. And again the bunny does this Olympic class double back flip with a half twist and bolts the other way. And the last shot usually ends up behind him, out of haste to shoot. It's always a good laugh. Once while hunting with five other guys, a rabbit somehow managed to dodge 13 shots from four different hunters. Then it made the mistake of crossing the oldest among us, he shows no mercy.
Three buddies and myself were hunting duck late in the season one year and a little after shooting started a huge flock of Mallards and Canvas Backs came in on a low straight on trajectory. We all shouldered out shotguns and . . . . .we all missed, each of us shooting at least twice, I shot all three
. That was depressing. Our best guess is that since they were flying head on, we were overshooting them.I've had many misses on rabbits that were pretty funny. It's kind of like playing rabbit ping-pong. The bunny runs out from my left, I shoot too far ahead of him. He 180's on me and bolts back to where he came from, I shoot again. And again the bunny does this Olympic class double back flip with a half twist and bolts the other way. And the last shot usually ends up behind him, out of haste to shoot. It's always a good laugh. Once while hunting with five other guys, a rabbit somehow managed to dodge 13 shots from four different hunters. Then it made the mistake of crossing the oldest among us, he shows no mercy.