How far is the furthest shot you missed an elk?

How far is the furthest shot you missed an elk?

  • 300 yards

    Votes: 12 14.3%

  • 400 yards

    Votes: 4 4.8%

  • 500 yards

    Votes: 13 15.5%

  • 600 yards

    Votes: 10 11.9%

  • 700 yards

    Votes: 5 6.0%

  • 800 yards

    Votes: 3 3.6%

  • 900 yards

    Votes: 4 4.8%

  • 1,000+ yards

    Votes: 4 4.8%

  • Never Missed One

    Votes: 29 34.5%
  • Total voters
    84
Founder

Founder

Founder Since 1999
Messages
11,681
Who's got the guts to answer this one? :) It's just for fun. I'm sure many of us have taken shots that were just plain too far. The question here is, what's the furthest shot you've ever taken on an elk and missed?
 
400 yards, but I thought it was 500, I asked my son how far while I was setting up, and he said 4 or 5, I only heard the 5! I adjusted and got it after the miss
 
Missed out right is 300ish yards.

But my first year hunting using my brand new Browning A-bolt in .270, I had a herd with a rag horn 5x5 break out in some open cedar county and I missed a few shots but ultimately ended up getting him. It was before I had a range finder, I really had no idea how far away he was and I was shooting off hand. (I was 14 and really excited, lol) I went back several years later and ranged it. He was between 500-600 yards, and I hit him 3 times and missed several more than that. I ran as fast as I could over to him and had to put one more shot into him to finish him off, but I ended up getting him. Most of my rifle elk hunts have been in the thick timber, so shots really are not too far. The one flat-out miss at 300ish yards was on a big general season utah 6x6 bull that stepped out of the timber in an open clear cut, I missed two shots on him off hand that I wished I had back, lol, still pretty young around 18 I believe. I've learned quite a bit since then lol and do things a bit different now.
 
Ya under category for me. I missed a cow at 178 gun was way off. Killed a buck the day before at 40 yards. Borrowed tc bone collector don’t know but my buddy said it was way off at longer range?
 
I took a punch at a big bull after my son filled out on his first at 12 years old . Awesome morning. Maybe some dads can relate?

Had a tag wasn’t really interested after he piled up a raghorn at 80 yards, and still , we had elk at 200 yards bugling hanging around.
Just took it in !
Snowing like crazy ! Packs off and ready to quarter. I finally figured I would look up and see where the elk were causing a ruckus ?
A monster came over this saddle with cows - a long way up. and a rack I saw without a scope. built like a buffalo
Thought the shot was farther. First time I was wondering where the 338 hit?
I think I would have quit if he tipped over after that.
 
I’ve never missed one. Lost a few. Since I went to my 300 win mag, haven’t lost an animal. I probably don’t shoot much more than 400 yds. Lost a bull once with my muzzle loader. I made a wrong decision on shot placement many years ago. It was a good 6 point at 40 yards. I’ll always regret that one.
 
I haven't shot at an elk with a rifle since 1982. hahahahahaha

This year I missed a number of shots from 387 to 408 yards at a cow with my rifle. Not saying how many :)

Busted out laughing when I realized I was using the bdc circle below the cross hairs instead. So it goes for a bowhunter who's used to lining up the round housing and round pins for 40 years :)

Just in case you need to remember, cross hairs aren't round or something you see through.

Most won't get what I'm on about, but for some of us oldmanitis folks who shoot bows most of the time, it's pretty funny

Cheers, Pete
 
Never have missed with a gun. Different story with a bow. Missed at 65 yds is the longest. I had a hit at 35 yds that I wish would have been a miss!
 
Furthest rifle miss was approx. 40-50 yards! It was a quick shot in heavy timber. I knew before I pulled the trigger that I didn't have a shot :cry:.
Furthest archery miss was approx. 22-23 yards. I am still trying to come up with a credible excuse for that one :unsure:!
I learned a long time ago the folly of "long" shots with rifle or bow. At close distances, large bull elk turn my brain into :poop:.
 
Missed one at 120 yards… but he decided to stop and look at 500 yards when I got my chit together. pretty easy to do when your don’t zero your turret back out after checking dope on rocks the day before.
 
Trix4me said:
How bout the shortest shot that you have missed??
Click to expand...
Now that you mention it, my last shot at an elk with a rifle was in 1983 not 82. Back in those days the Elk Horn mtns of Montana weren't a limited entry draw tag. Was hunting with some buddies when a herd of elk came running down the hill right past me at 15 to 20 feet. Literally right in my face.

You ever try to aim at an elk that's that close running right by you? Needless to say after seeing all hair at 30... 20... 10... yards.... Boom as I looked over the top of the scope lined up with the tip of the barrel on his shoulder. &@(% right over his back !!!

I quickly jacked a round in, sat down, took a breath as the spike stopped at 75 yards. CLICK, nothing as I perfectly squeezed one off.

Again needless to say the werewolfing of 4 letter explicatives started as the elk went out of sight and onto another planet.

Turns out my old Ruger M77 270 would let you eject a shell casing and not go far enough back to pickup the next round. All my buddies bought me that gun and a 4x power bushnell scope for 'our' wedding present in Aug that year.

Oh to be 20's again and have even a fist full of the moron things back that I've done when hunting over the last 40 something years :)

Cheers, Pete
 
Missed two on my last muzzleloader hunt one over 100 never could get a range on them . And one at under 100 probably 80 to 90 yds on the same hunt . Quartering shot and missed clean. The icing on the cake was the big 6x6 i jumped right out of his bed at about 15 feet . I was working up a ridge and he was on the other side of a juniper. Got the binos up not the gun for a look and then he was gone.
 
I think I have missed them at most of those ranges earlier in my hunting life until I could afford a scope and range finder and had my gun dialed in. I probably wouldn't shoot past 350 yards, but now I expect everytime I pull the trigger under 350 for something to die quickly.
 
A couple seasons ago, I was in on a nice WY bull but he was 575 yds with the herd bedded. Decided that was far and we could get closer. I had practiced plenty at that range and was confident in my setup, but there was no rush. We moved down a wash and peaked over the rise to see a cloud of dust and elk headed out. They stopped in a low spot and milled around, still about 575. Again too far and I passed. The guy watching through a spotter said another bull came in and caused the ruckus. They calmed and sidehilled back to about 450, so I drilled him with my 300 win and Barnes 175 LRX. Front leg and 1 lung as he was quartered more than I thought. Herd spooked with him in tow. 4 more misses on the move with lots of cursing and sweating. After I dug one more out of my pocket, he had slowed and I got a range, 575. One more and he was down. A calmly, well executed shot at the original 575 was probably the better choice here.
 
Oh boy, this is going to set me back in my therapy by several years at least...

2014, Mt. Dutton late rifle, 396" bull, 300 yards away in a very small opening, me shooting off my knees... You can guess based on the thread title how this one ends.

Governors tag holder killed that bull in January.
 
I’m just amazed that no one is talking about what they observe on the mountain. Most that hunt are ridge line hunters. Maybe not on this board but in general hunters gather on ridge lines. When animals are scarce -many a time I’ve seen everyone on the hillside open up on an animals and almost all of the time - misses. And it’s not always at short ranges.
The longer the range =more misses.

I wonder what the shot to hit ratio really is in reality ?

I’m really happy and commend all that have never missed - very rare. And for all of you that have missed (myself included)- for telling the truth…………
 
Missed one walking into the cedars at 150 yards last year after my sons gun misfired twice while the elk was at 75 yards.
2 years ago I killed one at 685 yards.
 
BigChiefJ said:
A poll asking the longest range where you knew it hit, but never recovered would be interesting...:)
Click to expand...
I was just thinking that reading this thread ?.

This past season I knock down a bull at 1180yds fell right on his nut sack. Then after about 2 minutes made a couple kicks started to slide down the mountain for about 300 to 400 yards finally stopped in some deep snow stood up ......and took off like a dart WTF lol we found some minimal blood in deep snow about 1/2 mile away followed tracks for another 1.5 miles thought maybe we bumped him so called it a day.. When in the next day to track to make sure he was either dead in his bed or okay somewhere, hiked less than 1 mile found him in thick timber and BAM he took off like a dart again at this point I figured he was fine and went home .... Still baffles me... Then heart shot my bull at 508yds a week later..
 
I was watching 2 bulls this year in the evening and waiting for a shot. The bulls starting looking below me. I looked down to see what they were looking at and I saw my buddy walking my way. I freaked out and pulled up and shot. It was a clean miss and told myself, you idiot focus. I bared down the second shot and made a good shot and dropped the bull. That was the first bull I missed and it was only 200 yards. I think if I didn't have a suppresser the bulls would have been gone.
 
Had a very nice 6x6 Roosevelt Elk at about 300 yards.......actually skinned the hair off. (found out later). Then, on the second shot....clipped the top of his neck about 1" down. He ran off. But, then, due to his herd of cows, came back....but was about 175 yards. Third shot connected well.
Buck fever was the cause. I just could not hold still.
 
only had 7 tags so far and hung 4 bull 2 good ones and 2 broken racks one's. Been lucky with the shots so far.
Missed alot of other stuff. Those Roosters are fast.
 
I have only shot at one elk & fortunately I didn’t miss. I shot him 3 times between 325-350 yards to drop him.
 
Missed more with my bow than a rifle.

Shot a bunch of shots at a bull we ended up killing after my brother in law missed. He took off running out through the open and so I took a couple shots. No idea the range.
 
Last day I could hunt on either sex elk tag. I had the contents of my pack spread out all around me in a circle after morning sit on a hill overlooking nice meadow. Eating snacks and enjoying the morning when a cow comes running full tilt through the middle. I got to my gun and tripod just before she hit the woods and stopped at 350 yds but at a weird angle. I sent one with little hope at top of her back . Clean miss.
 
I have 3 misses, I will provide the crazy one. It was day 9 of my elk hunt and I was exhausted. We spotted a huge bull 4 miles away. Another hunter and his son also saw the bull. I agreed to take the son in to hunt the bull. The young man in his late 20's was using his grandfather's rifle. We were climbing down a cliff to get in sight of the bull. I told the kid get ready, as he took the rifle off his shoulder, his scope fell off. I wanted the kid to have first shot. The bull was in sight broadside 100 yards, I missed off hand. The bull was 400 class, dwarfs my 380 Nevada bull. Then a 4 hour walk of shame to the truck.
 
I missed a small five point this last season on the Utah general hunt this past season at 217 yards. I still don’t know what happened.

I went back two days later and killed him at 119 yards.
 
Missed a bull with my bow at 60 yards, thought I hit him so I took a follow up shot at 90 and zipped one right through him.

B75CB29C-2818-4278-889D-5F4BC45A021E.jpeg
 
Drew first elk tag (cow tag) in 2021. Missed what I thought was the last cow blowing up out of a draw around 510 yards away. Disgusted at myself for missing I started to move and saw 3 bigger cows coming into view (they were the last of the group) from timber in the bottom. Reset and got one about 520 yards.
 
I had a late Utah tag in 2007 (drew with 1 point). Opening morning I missed a bull well north of 400-inches at 450 yards. Unfortunately in my younger years I was a much better shot with my bow than my rifle. We were able to watch that bull for 3 hours the day before the hunt started. I wish I had something to take pics back then with my spotter like we do now. Then again I'm not sure I could bare seeing it over and over......kills me to this day thinking about it. Looked for that bull for another 5 days without a sniff.
 
roadrunner said:
I don't want to think about the big muley's missed on the Jan bowhunts "back in the day" with the equipment we used to use. 60 yds was flinging arrows!
Click to expand...
Luckily I started archery hunting after all the new stuff started coming out (late 90’s). Even then the arrows were slow as heck and could literally watch them flying to the animal. Made string jumping a lot easier. I remember a hunt in the early 2000’s, maybe 2004 or so. Stalked to a nice mature buck. He stood up out of his bed at 30 yards, perfectly broadside. I shot, saw the arrow disappear into what I thought was his chest. My brother watched the whole thing and thought I smoked him. Waited till he got to me to go to where the deer was at when I shot. No blood, no arrow, just tracks. Followed him for about two miles, but never saw him again. Confused, went back to retrace shot. My brother stood where the deer was, me where I shot from. Walked directly to the spot, and about five yards in front of the buck, in what was dark shade when I shot, was a lone yucca stem sticking up, with my arrow 3/4s of the way through it. Boy was I disappointed. I for sure thought that arrow burried in his chest. That’s what is fun about archery for me. All the variables. I have only lost one animal that I’ve hit. And that is a horrible, gut wrenching feeling. Perfect shot, bright red blood with bubbles, gave him 45 minutes. Figured he would be dead within 100 yards, but he dropped off the side of the mountain we were on. Could see spots he tumbled down the mountain, blood spraying everywhere. Eventually lost blood, too many tracks, and grid searched for days. Never found him. I know he was dead, and I know I was close. Just never stumbled onto him with all the underbrush. Punched my tag and considered it a kill at the end of the hunt.
 
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Trix4me said:
How bout the shortest shot that you have missed??
Click to expand...
Closest shot I ever missed was with a muzzleloader. Mule deer hunting. Desert unit in southern NM. had my muzzy sighted in at 200 (was expecting long shots). Buck got up at 25 yards, quick decision to shoot, had t even thought about practicing that close, straight over his back.
 
Archery, missed at 50 yds. Well, thought he was 50 yds., turned out to be 65 yds. Was before we had all these fickin electronic gizmos to tell you how far, up/down, humidity, wind speed, moon phase and the size of their pe@i$! Meant horn.
 
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I missed a cow at like 10yds or under with a rifle. She came up behind me while I was moving uphill, thought I had her dead to rights, scope was no good that close but I felt pretty good making the adjustment. Led her as she was moving slightly to my right and uphill at a jog and ended up taking down a nice little tree instead. I've not even attempted a shot beyond 220 yet on an elk.
 
scpaisley said:
I missed a cow at like 10yds or under with a rifle. She came up behind me while I was moving uphill, thought I had her dead to rights, scope was no good that close but I felt pretty good making the adjustment. Led her as she was moving slightly to my right and uphill at a jog and ended up taking down a nice little tree instead. I've not even attempted a shot beyond 220 yet on an elk.
Click to expand...
She didn't loose her life but she probably lost her hearing.
 
The worst miss I have ever had was in ID on a mule deer hunt. Both of my kids 8 & 11 at the time had tags as well, we spotted a big 180 class buck from a couple miles a way with the spotter. We drove down the road to get to the approximate area where we watch the deer disappear. Both boys and I hiked all the way up the mountain, about 1200' of elevation to get to the bowl the deer disappeared in.

My oldest was set up to shoot but the buck wasn't there, we saw a doe some my youngest decided he would try to shoot the doe. He couldn't get on her and she made her way out of range, about the time we pulled the rifles down I caught movement from the corner of my eye. I looked over and saw that big buck at about 150 yards sneaking out of a brush patch and side-hilling out of there, I grabbed my 280AI from my 8yr old son and shot right over that buck's back, I ended up emptying the rifle on the buck and didn't even scratch him. We walked over the ridge and he had vanished into the brush again.

The worst part is that my oldest could have easily made that first shot and got a great buck, buck fever got the best of me and I still feel horrible about taking that shot away from the kids to this day and they defiantly won't ever let me forget about missing that buck! Even worse, I missed with my Ackley which is dialed in at 1K and has killed dozens of big game animals in the hands of my wife and kids and is an absolute tack driver.
 
My son threw 3 shots at a bull this last year at 900 yards. Same bull I told him not to shoot at 600 yards earlier that day. He went off by himself and the next thing I hear are 3 shots. Needless to say, he missed but I still made him walk across the deep canyon and check. :):)
 
Drew a coveted Nevada tag. Day before season started we rounded up a 350-360 class bull pushing cows around and bugling. Opening morning went up the hill and he walked right where we thought he would. Well I forgot hearing protection and my brother was calling my shots. Shot over his back 3 times at 475 before he made it over the hill. Muzzle brakes are no joke. After the first shot I couldn’t hear my brothers call outs. Buck fever to say the least also. Ears rang for 3 days.
 

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