Author Topic: Missed! (Read 2244 times)

JonnyReb · « **on:** November 04, 2012, 03:12:53 AM »

Thought i'd start this thread so all those harboring old hurts from lost opportunity can get it all out. My own story, came together yesterday. As i've hunted deer very little in the past with a muzzleloader, i've never taken a blackpowder deer. The BP bug hit me hard over the summer and I aquired a .50 white mt. carbine for the purpose. I had a heck of a time finding a projectile it liked but settled on 370gr maxi's. I was in my stand saturday am and at 8am the largest racked 8pt i've ever seen came out of the mist and came straight to my foodplot. He stood broadside to me at 30yds and literally looked the other way as I carefully sighted and in my mind, I knew I was about to harvest my biggest deer ever and with a ML'er at that. When the smoke cleared, there was no deer, no blood, no hair...nothing. I spent 3hrs searching, half of that time on my hands and knees. I tracked his hurried flight out well past 100 yards and never found anything to indicate a hit. I was in shock, how could I have missed? Went back to the spot he'd stood in and under the leaf litter found the spot where the big slug drilled in the earth under the deer. I sat down, shot a 3 shot group into a stump and found that somehow, my open sights were hitting a full foot low at 30 yards. I'm still sick about it, although thankful for the experience and thought i'd come on here and cry about it:-)

bulletstuffer · « **Reply #1 on:** November 04, 2012, 07:26:30 AM »

What a shame! This will be on of your stories years to come. Hope the next one has a better ending for you, not the deer

I was out all day Saturday sun up to sun down. Heard a buck grunt first thing but never did see him that morning. Could have shot one of the two does I saw but waited for a buck like the one you saw to show up. Saw a bigger deer but was past shooting hours an a little to far.

Maybe later this week we will both have a chance at meeting MR. BIG

Best of luck to you on your next hunt!

Bulletstuffer

JonnyReb · « **Reply #2 on:** November 04, 2012, 08:41:33 AM »

Well hopefully so Bulletstuffer and best of luck to you too. You're right though, its an event i'll always remember and remind myself, that one can never be to familiar with your hunting weapon of choice and can never be to confident of success. Better skills and luck next time. On another note, my Dad, who lives in Rochester N.Y., called me the same afternoon to tell me of the 10 pt he'd held full draw on in the am. He never could get a clean shot and never released. Seemed an interesting coincedence. J

DANNY-L · « **Reply #3 on:** November 05, 2012, 03:29:45 AM »

It's all part of the hunting world and if someone tells ya things like this has never happened to them it's just that it hasn't happened yet,but will.

brayh92 · « **Reply #4 on:** November 05, 2012, 04:14:55 AM »

That's a frustrating thing I've had that happen with a scope before my wife dropped it and didn't tell me but the most frustrating hunt I've had a nice wide 10 point walked into a apple orchard I was hunting in during early archery with my recurve I shot him at about 30 yards threw a small hole in the in the brush and immediately knew I had put a good shot on him he ran about a 40 yard loop around me and came back in at about 20 yards stopped turned back bite my arrow and pulled it out and spit it out on the ground and ran off I tracked him for about a mile and the blood trail stopped I searched for about 3 hours and never could find him or more blood

JonnyReb · « **Reply #5 on:** November 05, 2012, 04:51:36 AM »

Thanks for sharing that story, making me feel better already. Allright, I know the rest of you has missed too, lets hear about it:->

Trebor Snave · « **Reply #6 on:** November 05, 2012, 09:26:29 AM »

Been a few years, but the first deer I tried to take with a handgun was memorable to me. A doe had walked out onto a sandbar in a mostly dry river channel about 50 yards in front of me; I could see water under and on either side of her, with thick river brush beyond that. At the shot, she just stood there; the report had bounced back from all the brush and she couldn't figure out what it was or where it came from. I was a bit surprised; I didn't see a splash so the options were either that she was invulnerable to 45 Colt bullets, or I had missed high. So I shot again - same result, but this time she noticed me. Since I was pretty well camouflaged, she came almost up to me (I was on the ground) and started stomping her front feet at me. The situation was so ridiculous I started laughing and couldn't hold the sights steady enough to be sure of another shot! At perhaps 10 yards I finally waved a hand at her, but she never did spook, just walked off.

I finally figured out that at 50 yards, my gun was shooting over a foot high. Both shots went right over her and into the brush behind.

FPH · « **Reply #7 on:** November 05, 2012, 02:53:37 PM »

I missed the largest Muley I have ever seen in person (12 pt, 38-40 " spread.) "Father" handed me his rifle by mistake and I missed from about 60 yds, with a good rest. I even had two shots at it. Came to find out the previous year the rifle had been packed on a mule that had taken a tumble. The scope was good on windage but shooting a little over 2 ft. high. ( and made me cry).

Spanky · « **Reply #8 on:** November 07, 2012, 01:22:57 PM »

Quote from: FPH on November 05, 2012, 02:53:37 PM

I missed the largest Muley I have ever seen in person (12 pt, 38-40 " spread.) "Father" handed me his rifle by mistake and I missed from about 60 yds, with a good rest. I even had two shots at it. Came to find out the previous year the rifle had been packed on a mule that had taken a tumble. The scope was good on windage but shooting a little over 2 ft. high. ( and made me cry).

Aren't you the same guy that said he'd shoot a man center mass at 1000 meters? If you can't hit a muley at 60 you surely don't have a prayer of hitting anything at 1000.

Heck... most guys could knock over a muley at 60 yds. with a single shot .22 LR.

Spanky

FPH · « **Reply #9 on:** November 07, 2012, 02:27:13 PM »

Quote from: Spanky on November 07, 2012, 01:22:57 PM

Quote from: FPH on November 05, 2012, 02:53:37 PM
I missed the largest Muley I have ever seen in person (12 pt, 38-40 " spread.) "Father" handed me his rifle by mistake and I missed from about 60 yds, with a good rest. I even had two shots at it. Came to find out the previous year the rifle had been packed on a mule that had taken a tumble. The scope was good on windage but shooting a little over 2 ft. high. ( and made me cry).

Aren't you the same guy that said he'd shoot a man center mass at 1000 meters? If you can't hit a muley at 60 you surely don't have a prayer of hitting anything at 1000. Heck... most guys could knock over a muley at 60 yds. with a single shot .22 LR.

Spanky

Read the whole post.

Spanky · « **Reply #10 on:** November 07, 2012, 02:45:08 PM »

I read the whole post and I have some questions...

1. You said "Father" handed you his rifle by mistake. Did you not realize that it wasn't your rifle? Even after taking 2 shots with it?

2. You said the rifle had been previously packed on a mule that took a tumble. Did anyone shoot the rifle afterwards to check the zero? Did anyone check the rifle prior to hunting season to check the zero?

Thankfully the deer was missed and not wounded with the errant shots... surely you learned a lesson and will check your rifles from now on... right??

Spanky

FPH · « **Reply #11 on:** November 07, 2012, 05:15:32 PM »

I realized it was not my rifle when it was handed to me. However, I was concerned that the deer would bolt, so I used it. The rifle is a Winchester pre 64 M70 in .300 Win Mag. It is his usual Elk & deer rifle.. I did not learn of the packing accident until later. Apparently, he had not sighted the rifle in after the mishap. I I now take all the rifles to the range before I go hunting with him. Unfortunately, a hard lesson learned. Was about 40 years ago.

Spanky · « **Reply #12 on:** November 08, 2012, 04:37:42 PM »

I would love to have a pre 64 in 300 Mag. It's alot more gun than I need around here but it'd be great to own. My local shop had a beautiful pre 64 in 30-06 last year and I didn't buy it... I should have.

Spanky

hillbill · « **Reply #13 on:** November 08, 2012, 05:02:07 PM »

if your wantin to talk about muzzy fumbles i got a good one. walked around a corner of brush and saw a nice doe, foggy and dim. raised up my penn hunter carbine, shot and the deer went thru the fence so fast hair exploded off it. i could not explain how i missed,walked over to where deer was and saw where i shot into a 4 inch blacjack sapling that must of been rite in front of the deer

FPH · « **Reply #14 on:** November 08, 2012, 06:47:44 PM »

Quote from: Spanky on November 08, 2012, 04:37:42 PM

I would love to have a pre 64 in 300 Mag. It's alot more gun than I need around here but it'd be great to own. My local shop had a beautiful pre 64 in 30-06 last year and I didn't buy it... I should have.

Spanky

He actually has two of them. All his other rifles ( 2 ) he has in .300 Win Mag. also. He is an avid Elk hunter.

Ranger99 · « **Reply #15 on:** November 08, 2012, 06:55:28 PM »

hate to hear that you missed, but
at least it was a total miss and not
a gut shot or the like. there's always
next time. . . . .
i'm always thankful just to be in the
bush. if i harvest something, that's just
a bonus. i did get to see and hear a doe
call a fawn to hurry up and come on.
never seen that before.

FPH · « **Reply #16 on:** November 08, 2012, 06:58:24 PM »

Quote from: Ranger99 on November 08, 2012, 06:55:28 PM

hate to hear that you missed, but
at least it was a total miss and not
a gut shot or the like. there's always
next time. . . . .
i'm always thankful just to be in the
bush. if i harvest something, that's just
a bonus. i did get to see and hear a doe
call a fawn to hurry up and come on.
never seen that before.

I agree, these days I like the "outdoor" experience more than "the kill".

Ranger99 · « **Reply #17 on:** November 08, 2012, 07:06:08 PM »

funny. . . . out of all the hunting i've
done i've never had a hunt like on
the " big whopper buck " shows where
they magically appear and you have
a minute to ready your gear provided
by the sponsor of the show then to
whisper to your companion " that's
a record buck! " and proceed to blow
him off his feet with a new-to-market
wonder caliber.
always been nice quiet watchin' god's
creation time for me. best medicine
there is.

jedman · « **Reply #18 on:** November 09, 2012, 02:35:14 AM »

My story about missing the BIG one happened to me last year. I have been deer hunting for over 40 years now and have never taken a really big racked buck.
I allways thought if I kept hunting long enough sooner or later I would get the chance at one. Last year I was in a ladder stand from a hour before daylight until about 9:30 AM and the rifle I was using had a reddot sight on it and several times during the morning I looked thru the sight to make sure the brightness was correct for the amount of daylight and all was good. I didnt see anything by 9: 30 so I thought I would get down and take a little walk to warm up . I went a couple of hundred yards when I heard several shots and they sounded close so I cocked my SS rifle and got ready in case something came over the hill to me. Nothing showed so I walked uphill a ways to where a old dump site was and it was all over grown with high weeds and lots of scrap metal junk so I stopped to relax a few minutes.
I had been standing in the same spot for several minutes when all of a sudden the largest deer I have ever seen jumped up out of the weeds not more than 20 feet from me ! It was a whitetail buck with a body that looked just as a well muscled race horse and big heavy main beams that had to go 24" + wide, He ran downhill into a revine and up the other side then stopped. The shot was no more than 70 yards , broadside, perfect ! But I'll be damned, No Dot !! Well the buck didnt wait for me to change out a dead battery and I had a feeling of disgust in being so stupid so I just quit hunting and left the woods.
The sight of that deer just when it jumped up with every muscle flexed and a neck as thick as my body is burned into my memory as almost a fairytale creature and it was almost close enough to touch !

Jedman

JonnyReb · « **Reply #19 on:** November 09, 2012, 11:11:41 AM »

I enjoyed that story much, Jedman, well told. I've been hunting whitetails for 28 years and this was the biggest i've seen, chances are I don't have another 28 in the woods so I guess i blew my big shot. As Ranger mentioned though, thank goodness it was a clean miss, losing the same animal wounded would have been far far worse. J

jedman · « **Reply #20 on:** November 10, 2012, 04:07:39 AM »

Thanks JonnyReb, I am leaving tommorow AM for the same hunting area as I mentioned in the story, I know at some point I will have to sneak over to the dump site just in case ...... Actually deer numbers seem to be down in recent years and I am hunting in one of the top 10 counties in the state for overall deer kills.
Jedman

brayh92 · « **Reply #21 on:** November 10, 2012, 08:01:33 AM »

well i hope he comes back while your walking thru jedman and hopefully your batteries dont die this time lol

searly · « **Reply #22 on:** December 04, 2012, 08:54:57 AM »

The day before Thanksgiving I'm hunting with my 9 year old son over a 2 acre greenfield from a nice shooting house in Hale county Alabama. At about 4:45 pm three bucks come onto the field, a spike, a nice 6 point and one of the bigger 8 pointers I've seen in a while, broadside too. My son, whose killed a couple deer before, squeezes the trigger of his 243 on the big 8 point. It falls and kicks a couple times then hops up and runs away with a hunched back into the woods behind it. Aside from alot of brown hair, fat and one small chunk of what looked like meat, we never see it or any sign of it again. We searched till about 8:00 pm, came back Thanksgiving morning for several more hours. Brought family, friends and a dog to help, nothing but disappointment. My son took it alot better that I did.
Searly

BBF · « **Reply #23 on:** December 05, 2012, 09:39:00 AM »

Quote from: hillbill on November 08, 2012, 05:02:07 PM

if your wantin to talk about muzzy fumbles i got a good one. walked around a corner of brush and saw a nice doe, foggy and dim. raised up my penn hunter carbine, shot and the deer went thru the fence so fast hair exploded off it. i could not explain how i missed,walked over to where deer was and saw where i shot into a 4 inch blacjack sapling that must of been rite in front of the deer

A real good reason to have a scope!

BBF · « **Reply #24 on:** December 05, 2012, 09:45:00 AM »

Two deer, one a Texas WT the other a big brute of a British Columbia muley. I didn't wait for a good angle and shot early. I lost both of them.

Dunno what happened to the texan, the other one got taken by wolves.