Closest shot you have ever missed

live4muleys

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There was a thread in the elk forum that got me thinking about this question instead. What is the closest you have ever missed an animal at? What animal and what weapon?

Mine is deer at 30 yards with archery.
Seen my nephew miss a giant muley at 12 yards with a bow. Heartbreaking.
Brother missed an elk at 25 yards with a rifle after tracking 1.5 miles, Super rushed in thick timber, hit it perfect 2 seconds later.
 
Closest miss was my very first real brush with "buck fever". I was bowhunting for deer on the Fish Lake unit in Utah on my very first hunt at 13 years old. My Dad got me in on a bachelor group of bucks and they came past us at just under 20 yards. All of the build up seeing those bucks come to us got me worked up something fierce. When I shot at one of the nice 4 point bucks in the group, I was shaking so bad and was so full of adrenaline that I think I used my 50 yard pin. Shot several feet over that nice buck!

Wish I would have killed that buck, but the experience is one I will never forget and forged a passion that can't seem to be suppressed!
 
Almost 50 years ago, on a beautiful fall day, I totally missed a small 4 pt buck on top of Shenandoah Mt in Virginia with my model 66 S&W. He was broadside, standing still at about 10 feet. I couldn’t believe it. I continued my hike for several miles and was on my way back to my camp and there he was again. This time at about 100 yards. I drilled him between the eyes and he fell like a sack of bricks! Probably had no business shooting at a deer at that distance with a .357 but it worked.
Mackey
 
I stalked into a bedded buck in a depression, less than 10 yards above him, when I drew he blew out, I tried to swing and shoot, the arrow went clanking through his antlers, so technically not a miss, but I sure didn't hit what I was aiming for! The crazy part is I did it again several days later. The same story, both shots were at moving bucks even though I was right on top of them, but I should not have taken the shots, saw some velvet flying off the second one. not good to get that close, they can hear the draw, probably knew I was there before I drew
 
10 yards on deer and 25 yards on elk, both arrow deflections. Got in a hurry and didn’t wait for a clear shot. Looking back, they weren’t going to get away had I waited…
 
Bull Fever

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38 yards with a muzzleloader..... had him dead to rights, standing still, perfect broadside, peeing in a scrape, not a tree or bush within 50 yards of him..... no way I missed him. but I did.
 
Less than 30 yards had two 180 bucks running right at me. I was a bit over 20 years old. I think I tried to flock shoot saw the lead buck arch his back as the smoke cleared. So nervous saw them coming at me for 400 yards I couldn’t even whistle or anything. After I missed I got on the radio and said I missed. They stoped looked at me then just started walking I didn’t have another load for the gun on me.
 
I stalked into a bedded buck in a depression, less than 10 yards above him, when I drew he blew out, I tried to swing and shoot, the arrow went clanking through his antlers, so technically not a miss, but I sure didn't hit what I was aiming for! The crazy part is I did it again several days later. The same story, both shots were at moving bucks even though I was right on top of them, but I should not have taken the shots, saw some velvet flying off the second one. not good to get that close, they can hear the draw, probably knew I was there before I drew
Was he still depressed when you got on him again the second time?
 
30 yards mz this past September. Hiked around and above him. Peeked over edge of huge rock I was on top of, he was staring at me with no shot at his vitals. A couple seconds later he turned to trot away and I aimed at top of his back and think I shot over top of him. He got inro trees about 60 yards away and flickered his tail before walking off.
 
I missed the world record elk at 15 yards with my bow. I still haven’t swallowed that pill….it’s big.

I know he's the world record because a lady shot him with a muzzy two weeks later and he's the muzzy world record currently.
 
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In a very well known but undisclosed ? Idaho location- I saw a nice Buck heading into some trees. He switched direction and I had maybe two seconds at 65 yards when he popped into a short open spot and he was loping along. I missed with my .270 at 65 yards with an offhand spot. I left my scope at 12 or 14x and the objective being small didn't help my terrible miss.
 
Whitetail buck out of a tree stand 3 times under 30 yds about 40 yrs ago. Doe came along a few minutes later. I had one arrow left and thought to myself I might as well shoot this arrow into the ground too. Let it go and right in the heart. That was with a Darton SL50. Had lots of fun with that bow.
 
Two times, about the same yardage and within 100yards of being the same spot.

In 1989 my uncle finally got tired of me fondling his pre-64 .338 and gave it to me. That fall I was tracking a nice bull, saw that he was quite a ways ahead of me and took a short cut. I saw him from about 125 yards in a tiny clearing. I sat down, calmed a bit, then....'click'. I didn't pull the bolt back far enough to chamber a round.

Two years later, I was headed that direction in my truck, an old 1983 F250 with a cornbinder motor, to set up a couple hundred yards away. I was trying to find some fresh tracks and looked up to see two huge bulls, with antler tips darn near scratching their butts, hauling across a park. They had about 70 yards to make the trees. Missed all four times. The biggest bulls I have ever seen in that area for 50 years.

This year, same area, one shot under the chin from about 425 yards on a good 6x6.
 
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Two years ago I missed a 360+ bull in Arizona archery hunting. I had never shot in a pop-up blind before and was sitting water when he came in. I didn’t realize it till after but my top cam hit the roof of the blind and shot right over the top of him at 23 yards. Rookie mistake instead of the shooting from my knee I tried to stand up and crouch to shoot through the window, to make matters worse two days later another guy in camp shot him so I had to look at the Bull every day in camp for the rest of the hunt. Lol
 
Many years ago now, I was hunting in a snowstorm, and decided to shoot a forky that was less than 30 yds. I was hunting with a .308 win. w/ a 4x scope. My 10 yr. old son was with me (he's now 38). About the time I was going to shoot, he said "Dad! A big one!"I swung in amazement on a heavy -racked buck, so close his head and rack filled my scope! Bad shot, but I took it (I think I shot under his chin!). He found a seam while I reloaded. I still remember trying to get off another shot, but all I could see is that rack rushing through the brush! I hunted in that area for several more days before settling for the same forky, but never saw another buck!:eek::confused:
 
With my brother muzzle loader hunting stopped in a small Grove of Aspen to eat some lunch and in walked a 4 by 4 mule deer less than 10' in front of me shot straight underneath him as the deer turned to run my brother double lunged him.
 
Missed a really nice bear a few years ago at 40 yards with an open sight 30-30. He had no clue I was around and was just standing there broadside. Not sure how or why but I missed! It still stings to think about that one.
 
Oh boy. I think of this hunt every season.

First time bow hunting big game , 1997, shot my first bull rifle in 96.
Same area, It was opening morning , perfect walk in and up the two mile or so loop , into the dark timber blue bird day break no wind or thermals messing and shadows. Quite a few fresh rubs and it smelled sweet. One of those nasty little bastard squirrels piped off and I froze.

Big bull and I were head to head on a game trail. Top Gun Maverick action.

40 yards …(top gun reference . I think I’m gettin a hard on )

He was coming down - sun in his eyes .
Kept coming, then ducks low really got low to get his rack under the low hanging limbs…..
25 yards !
Well he kept coming down his trail and I knocked and drew
I guess it was 8 yards (paced off after ), perfect broadside in the sun all his glory.
Talk about broad side of a barn!!!!

The 20 pin was too much even holding low, but over the back it went

He stood there and looked where the arrow hit and not where it came from????? Never moved .
Unreal
Knocked a second and on the draw the arrow came off the rest .
Ting….he whipped his big rack back and looked at me , my neck swollen smelling off estrus and pissing myself. Busted
And he was gonzo.
Jumped off the side of the mountain in 3 gallops
 
Turkey at basically zero yards with a shotgun. I guess it woulda been a few feet but not many! I’d moved ahead of the decoy setup and he and a few of his marble brained friends rushed me ! I got caught up watching them charge instead of killing one. At how close he was, it woulda been like trying to hit his tiny head with a rifle as the pattern from the jellyhead choke in my shotty woulda been tiiiiiight!
 

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