Whats your Worst Miss Ever

LuckyShot

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LAST EDITED ON May-19-09 AT 10:38PM (MST)[p]Lets hear the worst misses we've all had but hate to remember. 17 years ago I had filmed a 34" typical buck during the summer. He came in opening night and I missed him from 30 yards broadside. Shot right over his back. I think my nerves got the best of me. Three years ago I had filmed a buck all summer long that I thought would be the new state record typical for Utah. He was a legitimate 200" buck. I snuck into his bedding area one morning after watching for a while and caught him in his bed. Had him for 40 minutes at 23 yards. Finally he stood up and gave me a 21 yard shot. I pulled back.....and thats when the wheels fell off. Long story short, I missed him by three feet!! Two bucks 14 years apart and I still lose sleep over 'em!! Worst part....I've got footage of both bucks, so I can go back again and again and see exactly what I missed.
 
I've never missed an easy kill shot its just not in my nature what can i say......sometimes i like to make the shots harder just because i can, more of a challenge that way.....did i mention i hunt with an atalatle
 
LAST EDITED ON May-19-09 AT 11:19PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON May-19-09 AT 11:18?PM (MST)

Oh, boy...thanks for the reminder. 2007 in northern Idaho I blew a wide open shot on a 340+ bull on the first day of my elk hunt. We had him pinned down in some timber and were working him over with the cow calls when he stepped into an opening. I was so wound up that it never occured to me to range him (the rangefinder was in my pocket). It was an uphill shot that I guessed at 40 yards, settled my 40 yard pin and drove my arrow 4" into the lodgepole right behind him. He didn't hang around after that. Gee...suddenly I feel sick to my stomach again...

Sorry this isn't a Muley story...


Raghorn Hunting Services
www.raghornhuntingservices.com
[email protected]
 
18 years old, last day of the season missed a Moster muley here in ID, well over 20 countable points with, get this double dropers!! that had soft ball size balls on the end of each dropper to many kickers to count and well over 30 inchs, and now for the bad part. Under 250 yards and missed 14 times broad side never took one step while I shot at him. That was a BAD day for me.
 
On a rifle hunt several years ago I missed a big ol general Utah nontypical 2x1 with a dead rest at about 30 yards. At the time that made me sick.

Archery hunts are the worst they will mentally break a guy if you aren't mentally tuff. You have to put in so much time, get so close, and then have it all fall apart at a distance you can smell what the buck ate for breakfast. I have missed a 200" nontypical buck at 35 yards with my bow. The cam got stuck in some brush and the shot went just high. The buck later went 220 something 2 years later.

I have been so dang close "70 yards or less" to several bucks that would gross between 180 to over 200 it makes me sick. I just couldn't get the shot off and always find myself dreaming of how it could have gone.

Too this day I have only killed one buck I patterned, filmed and set out to take the rest were just filler bucks.

Archery is a year round commitment!!
 
I can never forget the huge box rack on by far the biggest buck i've ever had the chance to kill. After watching him thru my spotter to see what he'd do from a half mile away, i carefully put a roundabout stalk on him that put me slightly above and within 200yds. As i finally peeked around this boulder that i had marked as my destination, he instantly spotted me and the majesty of his amble up that little finger basin simply took my breath away.

When he stopped broadside to look at me, still well within easy range...to my utter amazement, i missed! and i missed again and again. I perused him over a couple fingers into the next canyon where he mixed in with a bunch of smaller bucks and missed him 4 or 5 times more. I later found out that i had somehow gotten snow lodged up in my barrel and apparently the first shot at him caused a small bulge about 2" from the crown of my barrel that effectively eliminated any chance of accuracy.

That buck was only a Forky!! High, Very Heavy, and Wide. I'd put him at 34", a very mature buck that dwarfed the other 4X4's he was with. When i saw that buck, any previous thoughts of "score" did not apply. He was huge!!! The very next day i killed a 31 3/4" 180 class 4x4 with a borrowed gun that though pretty nice, IMO, was not near the buck that forky was.

Joey
 
in B1 in Ca walked up on a bedded buck only because he was wounded by me across the canyon and I did not know exactly where he was at only to see a huge fork of an antler poking up out a bush (that I had marked) I peeked over and made eye contact and we both flenched he stood up and started walking away...I whipped up my rifle and drew up on his neck and pulled trigger only to hear "CLICK" no bullets(as I fell backwards in the wild rose bush that had plnty of thorns) ...so 6 foot missed shot.
I did get him and he was avery nice 3x4 blacktail!

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Rackmaster
 
I have a few but the one that hurts the most was in NM on a deer hunt. I was hunting this great ranch for a couple of years and wanted to try to get a good buck with my bow during gun season. I spotted a 165 type 4 point bedded below me. I put my rifle across my body and had my bow in hand. I put about a 30min stalk on and got right on top of him. just as a went to step out in the clear to take a shot at 25 yards this monster buck that i had not seen feeds out behind a tree at 40 yards. I would have never tried to get that close if i knew there was a world class buck with him. In one fluid motion i tried to get my rifle of my body but i made a little to much noise. The buck knew something was up. So i said screw it i can hit him with my bow. Ranged him at 44 yards and drew back and was tucking in for the shot when i noticed a branch that i thought would deflect my arrow so i had the great idea to fall to a knee at full draw and shoot under the branch. Well you know what had to happen. I center puched that freaking limb. I was a head case for a long time after that. The buck was killed 2 days later by somebody not in our hunting group. He was a 32inch tp that was right at 200. I was so mad at myself and not to mention my whole hunting group was mad at me for dinking around with my bow during gun season. The next year i killed my best archery buck ever during gun season but he was 4 inches smaller in width and 18 inchs short in score but still a good buck.
 
Several years ago I missed a solid 180 muley buck at 46 yards with my bow. I had him perfectly broadside, his head down feeding - ideal situation. I was on my knees and had ranged him so I had the perfect yardage. I drew and calmly put the pin tight on his shoulder and smoothly released. As I let the arrow go I was thinking this is a dead deer and that I was a lucky sob - that's when all hell broke loose. Almost immediately after the release I heard the arrow deflect and then the sound of my arrow harmlessly clanking through the quakies 70 yards or so to my right. The buck lifted his head and waddled off, swinging his big butt, as he jogged away not having a clue what had happened. I learned a lesson that day - I was so concerned about my target that I failed to evaluate what was in between me and my target. Since I was on my knees I failed to pay attention to the numerous service berry branches and twigs about arrow level and obviously caught one of these when I released my arrow. I am still sick to this day about missing that buck and hopefully I learned a lesson that will prevent me from making a similar mistake in the future.
 
2003, 12 days into a tough Desert sheep hunt in Nevada. Roy Lerg (my guide) and I top out a ridge. Laying below us 75 yards away was a 160 class ram. By the time I get the rifle out of the pack, the ram is up and running. A 300 yard sprint to the edge of the canyon, and a quick shot nearly straight down. Another shot went high. The ram went out of sight shortly after. I felt physically ill. That ram still haunts my dreams from time to time.
 
Unfortunately a topic I am Highly qualified to comment on, 3 different occasions in the kofas in AZ. once I missed a Wide 4X4 at about 25 yards,I hiked up a mountain through a saddle and once at the top I sat down to catch my breath and I hear rocks rolling behind a palo verde, out steps the buck broadside I put the crosshairs on him pull the trigger and CLICK. The cartridge on my Bar .308 was not fully seated. I also missed a wide tall 2X2 at about 40 yards, the only shot I had was a neck shot because of the brush, nicked a branch and I saw him next at about half mile away. and for the third I missed a nice 4X4 at about 50 yards. I was walking through the Flats and jumped him up and had a good shot at him.... safety was on. Too many blown chances at desert deer. But I'm still going after them.
 
Hard to tell just how good he is, but I missed this big buck on opening day in Wyoming a few years back. Had found him scouting and he was again there on opening morning. Was trying to videotape the shot and just took a longer shot than I should have. I think he would have scored around 205. Never saw him again after that day....????
Missing big bucks sucks.
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Another memorable miss was 16 years ago in southern Utah. I missed a 35 yard bow shot at a really big buck. Another that I should have gotten. He was 30+ 5x4, 190ish type.

Brian Latturner
MonsterMuleys.com
 
LAST EDITED ON May-20-09 AT 11:26AM (MST)[p]Last year was my first year ever taking a shot at a deer because I'm just getting back into it from my childhood days.
On the second week of the bowhunt I had positioned myself in the trees with a clear shooting lane to a heavily used game trail below me. As I sat there, my friend had gone off around other side of the ridge. Shortly after I heard some noise up and to my left behind me. I looked over and had 3 bucks feeding their way through the aspens right to the game trail. I knocked an arrow and picked out the best of the bunch, which was a 4x4, 25 or so inch-wide, good looking velvet muley. There was also a very cool, big 3x3. I sat there trying to control my jitters. I'd never shot my bow at a deer, and have never shot at one with a rifle for that matter. As they were feeding towards me, at about 50 yards, my friend came mozying over the ridge and he was nailed. They all stared at him and I had to take my shot. I didn't want to shoot that far, and especially wished my friend's timing wasn't so terrible, and they just would have 20 yards below me on that trail. I ranged the big guy and took a shot. It was perfect height, but it went just behind his rear. Then they all blew out of there. Their exit of choice was of course the game trail. I could of taken another shot except for the fact they were going 15 miles and hour and bounding at the same time.
So that was my first shot experience. A short 3 hours later I was back into a couple of does and a small 2x2. I wanted to take him. I had a small clearing to shoot through between two huge bushes looking uphill. I could hear the deer coming from left to right. I drew my bow back and waited. The first doe stepped into sight 20 yards uphill, stopped at a bush up there and then walked around it, the second doe did the same, then the 2 point did the same thing. I aimed and fired. Exact same thing, missed shoulder high just behind his rear to the left again. AHHHH!!! I couldn't believe it. That one was a gimmie.
Since I missed both deer the same, I assumed I must've hit my sights and moved them. That was the last shot I took. I went back home and shot on my target to prove that it was missing left. Nope. Bullseye. It was simply my nerves. Oh well. What a rush, but a little dissapointing. The hunt starts again in under 3 months and I'll have my redemption, and hopefully first successful shot. Either way, I wouldn't trade the experiences.

>>>---->
For the love of the game
 
Calling Coyotes, 3 came in over my right shoulder. Spooked ,them, got one stopped in
a gully at 50 yards. Could see about ? of his face boom, he is down. Other 2 running as hard as a coyote can run, boom #2 down. #3 stops at 80 yards turns broad side looks at me?Boom ,?no idea where that one went. Easiest set of trip?s ever and I blew the Mulligan?..
 
Great subject for a post!

My most sickening miss happened when I was 19. I was hunting the general muzzleloader hunt in so. Utah. I'd seen a monster buck and had been after him the whole season with nary a sighting. The last day I was glassing his hillside and just at dark I looked up on the hillside one last time and to my amazement he was bedded 2/3's of the way to the top of a bare clay hillside. I have no idea how he got there without me seeing him, or how long he'd been there before I noticed him.

I had about 5 minutes before it was too dark to shoot, and it was the last evening of the season, so I took off running across a sage flat towards him. I ran across the 500 yard flat and straight up the hillside for another 400 yards. My lungs were burnt and I was gasping for air, but I couldn't stop or it would be too dark to shoot.

I climbed the last few yards to the finger where he was bedded and peeked over the small rise and to my and his surprise we were face to face at a mere 25 yards! I raised the smoke pole and tried to put the sights on him, but I couldn't hold them on him I was breathing so hard. I just knew he was going to blow out of there at any second so I raised the sights above him and let them fall slowly towards his back line till they met, then I touched it off.

As the smoke floated off I was amazed to see this buck running like hell to the top of the ridge apparently unscathed. I watched him disappear over the top.

I went to town and told the boys I thought I had hit this buck, just in case he was dead. As it was the last day of the season.

We went back out to the area an hour later with a spotlight and to my dismay he was out in a hayfield chasing does. Not a scratch on him anywhere!

Now for the part that makes me sick. He had 10 points on each side, and was over 35 inches wide, but not quite 40. He was heavy, and in my humble opinion he would have score somewhere around 230-240" gross. I'm about to cry again just thinking about this. The biggest buck I've ever had the chance to shoot during any season anywhere in my life.
 
Too long of a story and I don't want to go through the mental anguish I will encounter if I talk about it.
 
LAST EDITED ON May-20-09 AT 01:50PM (MST)[p]I miss more than I hit. Especially deer!

03' Missed 180 with rifle 250 yards. UT
04' Missed a 32" ish 200 buck 40 yards ML. UT Im still pissed!
05' missed a 170 with my bow 40 yards. UT
05' missed a 175 with ML 35 yards. UT

06' pass on all shots
07 pass on all shots

08' connect on decent ML. UT buck. I had to shoot him make sure I wasnt cursed

Bulls on the other hand I connect with all the time.

05' connect 5x5 ML. UT
07' connect 280" ML. UT
08 connect 340" ML. UT
 
Missed a 360" general season archery bull at 30 yards. Arrow sailed 3 feet over his back?????? Damn drop-away rest didn't drop-away! It was stuck in the upright position when I looked down at it. I can accept my mistakes, but equipment faluire......grrrrrrr! Went home cried, threw away the rest, cried again, went and bought a new rest.
 
September 21, 2008
Is the date I missed this buck at a distance of 25 yards!
I shot just inches over is back. Had I connected with the shot this buck might have become the next SCI New Mexico state record non-typical buck taken with a bow.
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January 2009
I missed this big typical at 45 yards. I shot just inches below him. He is the biggest typical I have ever had a shot at.
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So you tell me! How do you think I feel missing the biggest non-typical and typical I have ever had a shot at and very possible ever seen, all on the same tag just a few months apart. But hey, at least I have both of their sheds so I know exactly what I missed. I WILL BE HAUNTED FOREVER!
 
DON'T KNOW IF I MISSED OR NOT,BUT I DAMN SURE DIDN'T GET HIM!!!

MADE A SPECIAL TRIP TO SPORTSMANS WAREHOUSE FOR FRESH MAGNUM CAPS FOR THE SMOKEPOLE PRIOR TO SEASON CUZZ I LIKE FRESH STUFF!!!

OPENING MORNING 2000!!!

CRACK OF FRICKEN DAYLIGHT AFTER A 2 HOUR HIKE IN THE DARK!!!

THERE HE IS!!!

DEAD REST!!!

THIS BUCK IS IN TROUBLE!!!

SQUEEZE THE TRIGGER!!!

CLICK!!!

THE BUCK JUMPED LIKE YOU HAD FIRED A BAZUKA IN THAT CANYON!!!

I WAS ####ING MAD!!!

HEADED BACK TO CAMP & STARTED FIRING THEM NEW CAPS!!!

21 OUT OF 50 MIS-FIRED!!!

YES THE GUN WAS CLEAN!!!

HAD A GUY IN A MACHINE SHOP BUILD ME A CONVERSION BEFORE I SEEN ANY ON THE MARKET!!!

THE BITTCH NEVER FAILS WITH 209'S!!!

NEVER SEEN THAT BUCK AGAIN!!!

SHOULDA BEEN 2 30"ERS ON THE GROUND THAT YEAR,SOME NICE BUCKS HIT THE GROUND THAT YEAR!!!

YA,I STILL REMEMBER HIM!!!

THAT WAS MY WORST MISS-FIRE!!!

"I'M NOT COMPLAINING,I'M TELLING IT THE WAY IT IS,SOME OF YOU MAY NOT LIKE IT,THATS O.K.,SOMETIMES THE TRUTH HURTS & YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT IT,OR YOU FIND OUT WHAT THE FACTS ARE,STAND UP & VOICE YOUR OWN OPINION,THIS IS STILL AMERICA THE LAST TIME I CHECKED"!!!

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REMEMBER!!!

THERE'S ONLY ONE bobcat!!!
 
Northeastern Utah General archery drew back on a small 4x4 (monster for the area) and my nock came off the string and i ended up with just a stare down at 15 yards...not really a miss but disappointing at best
 
Funny how most of us are haunted forever by these missed opportunities. One of my most memorable was about 14 yrs. ago. After several days of hunting, and passing on a lot of small bucks, I surprised a small forky that looked at me broadside from less than 40 yds. I actually made the decision to fill my tag 'for the meat'. As I went to crouch to shoot, my ten year-old son said, "Dad! A monster buck!" Out of the corner of my left eye, I saw a heavy-racked big buck, blowing out of the sage and bitterbrush not 20 ft. away! I spun and the deer's head and horns were a blur, and seemed to fill my scoped Ruger M77. I shot, but flat missed. The buck managed to find a swale, and for the next fifteen or so minutes, I got to watch that set of horns sticking above the sagebrush while running along with him and trying to keep my footing, my breath, and senses and to get another shot, which never happened. To this day, I remember what I saw through the scope...I think the rushed shot probably passed under his chin...still can see the antlers bobbing along the top of the sagebrush in the swale. That was actually the last opportunity I've even had at a huge buck!!
Thanks for this post; although it's anguishing to recount, I don't mind sharing, and reading the other replies.
 
I had drawn a unit 10 Elk tag in Arizona. I called a 390+ bull into 8 yds, that's right 8yds. I tried to shoot through a 4 inch hole, my arrow hit the bottom limb driving my arrow over his back. I'm still in Elk therapy.
 
A few years back in Wy, I found a great buck, 30" main fraim 4x4 with nice brows and a kicker on his right g-2. Super heavy and deep, high 190's kind of buck for sure. Couldn't connect with the bow and went back 3 times with the rifle. There was a lot of snow that year which made access very difficult, I broke trail 4 miles in the last weekend of the season. Second to last day of the season I found him late in the evening, he had moved to the other side of the mountain, along with several other nice bucks. My cousin showed up that night and the plan was to be at the head of the basin at first light. Wouldn't you know it but my cousin forget his headlamp and we were about 10-15 minutes late. When I peeked over the ridge into the basin the buck was already feeding for the trees. My range finder wouldn't work and I overestimeted the distance. First shot high, second shot high, figured out what was going on for the third shot and dropped it too low. Ouch!!!!
 
I missed a 120" coues just this past Feb in Mexico. Still think about that buck every single day. Biggest coues Ive ever seen. 268 yards downhill with a raging case of buck fever, crappy rest, shooting downhill, and the buck was almost out of site.. all added up to me burning hair off his shoulderblades. An inch lower and I would have spined him.
Gonna give him another go this season though!
 
my first year of bowhunting i was 14. i was hunting alone and i spoted the herd buck spike! everything was big and excinting back then! i miss that feeling. anyway i put the stock on him, get in range and decide to shoot. i did not own a range finder at the time. i guessed him at 20 is yards, he was more like 35-40. shot was low, arrow skipped and hit him in the rump. maybe went in not quite as far as the broadhead. i am sure it stung, but not fatal. i found my arrow and never a drop of blood. good learning experience though. i guess thats a miss, i was way off at least. i didn't get my first buck till i was 16 by then i had a range finder.
 
Opening day 3rd season colorado in 2005 I was sitting on a bench watching some deer and glassing. I got a weird feeling and walked to the other side of the bench and looked into the junipers. A group of deer had just come out and I could see a buck looking right at me, his body and face exposed but not his antlers. I could see that he had good bases and appeared to be a really good buck but I thought that he would give me a look. Well you know he gave me a look, of his ass running back into the junipers. When he turned I just about chat myself. He was at least 32 wide with mass and points everywhere. Didn't even get a shot off because I was being a jackass and too picky. I had plenty of time to shoot hit before he turned, lesson learned.

Rich
 
I know this thread is about missing but I just gotta a share this one. I was hunting with deerbedead above timeberline. We snuck in on a BIG ole buck from two miles away. He was bedded under a ribbon cliff at 12,500 ft.My heart was soaring! I was the closest I had ever been to a buck of this caliber. At 20 yards the buck blew out below me and I put a 460 grain lead pill through his ear. It almost make me sick to think one inch diversion of that bullet would have been a clean miss. I am reminded of that each time I look at that beautiful mount on the wall.

In contrast I was hunting a limited entry unit a few years back.Their was a thick fog that would lift and settle quite frequently. I was cutting some draws on my way out of a canyon.Just as I topped one draw there was a doe staring at me. She finally eased over to into the next draw so I made my way over and came face to face with 3 good bucks staring at me across the draw. One of the bucks was real tempting but I eventually talked myself out of it. Finally, the wind shifted and the bucks blew out of there. I decided to shuck my 50 lb pack and rest a bit. Five minutes into my rest, I hear rocks rolling and here comes a big heavy buck with inlines sneaking out over the same ridge the 3 bucks were standing on. I draw down on him and ease into the trigger....click. I had not chambered a shell that morning. I racked another one in and in that time the fog had settled in and swallowed the buck.Makes me sick everytime I think about it. A guy killed that buck 2 days later and he scored a whopping 211.

Mike
 
Biggest buck I've ever missed was on the Kaibab in 1993. I was still-hunting with my bow when I spotted a giant non-typical feeding at 40 yards. Honestly, I really don't remember drawing my bow or even releasing the string with my fingers. But I definitely remember the arrow arching an inch or so over his back. I hunted that buck for 17 straight days and never saw him again.

His sheds were located by a friend later on the winter range........with an estimated inside spread of 23" it would have netted over 250" non-typical. That buck still haunts me to this day.

BOHNTR )))---------->
 
My worst Miss??......haven't seen her in 20 years...



great post/pic, thanks for sharing

JB
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I was 18 yrs old and still full of piss and vinegar. I couldn't control my buck fever back then and when anything with antlers would step out in front of me I'd aim and take fire.

I was hunting by myself and had hiked 4 hours straight uphill in the dark to a place where I'm almost guaranteed to see a buck. Well first light rolled around and I could barely make out a decent 3 point working it's way up through the bowl with a doe. Boom I fired off the first shot...boom...second shot...Then nothing it was like a fart vanishing in the wind and never saw him or the doe he was with again.

Waited about 30 min and finally the sun crested over the hill to warm my freezing carcass. Then out of the corner of my eye I could make out a two point prancing his way down the hill about 300-350 yards like nothing was wrong...well being young, dumb and full of....I fired off a shot and knocked him over. Wow you'd think I'd just killed the new state record with the way I was shouting...

Made my way down to him and proceeded to gut the little runt. About 10 min later I looked up and saw three of the biggest 4 points I've ever seen up until then running together not more than 100 yards from where I was positioned. Would've been an easy shot and they would've never seen me due to my position.

I still wake up in a cold sweat because of the nightmares.
 
I shot this buck twenty years ago in the Manson unit here in Washington. He had given me the slip for two days in a row. The third day I was ready for him and the five doe's that he was hanging with. I had a bit of the fever going on as this was the biggest buck that I had ever seen. They fed up to me to about eighty yards. The buck was facing away feeding. I slipped the safety off of the old Pre64 Mod 70 30-06 and when he lifted his head I put the crosshirs at the base of his skull and squeezed her off.
At the shot he turned broadside and I already had another round chambered. I gave him one in the boiler room. He staggered and fell. Then proceeded to roll downhill for quite a ways. It was later in the afternoon and I had to field dress him and get him to a place that the mule or pack horse could get to him.
My first shot had taken his left antler off. I never even noticed before or during taking the second shot.
So that was my worse miss. I had no time to look for the antler as we were packing out the next morning. I'm still glad that I had him mounted. He is just over 15 inches from the center of his skull to te farthest inside measurement.
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Age 14 third week in August, opening morning, first year with a 40 pound bow...very first deer I saw was at 20 yards and he is still the biggest buck I've ever shot at...high at 20 yards, low at 35 yards, 5 feet right at 60, and let a miracle in the dark shot off at about 75 yards uphill and was 8 to 12 inches low!! Then missed about 10 more 30"ers over the next couple weeks and finally slammed a small 3 point at 40 yards kuz he didn't get me excited and I remembered something...

I had gone thru a mental checklist shooting that bow all freakin summer long just to completely forget it when that adrenaline started a pumpin...

Live n learn...

~Z~
 
I missed a great buck, with the heaviest rack that, to this day, I have never seen larger thru a scope.

I was 14 and a lousy shot with my '06 Eddystone. It was big, heavy and kicked hard. That was 48 years ago. I have never missed a deer or elk with it again.

I took a shot at what I thought was about 120 yds. It was actually closer to 420. I learned some hard lessons that year.
 
LAST EDITED ON May-29-09 AT 09:02AM (MST)[p]There is one that will haunt me for the rest of my life. I was hunting in Nevada area 10 in the East Humbolts we had just ridden up a ridge almost to the top of the canyon. I spotted what I thought was a smoker of a buck step in to a small quakie patch about 175 yards up the hill. We got off our horses and statred glassing the quakie patch and the other guys thought I was crazy as 6 does and a small 3x3 came out the top side. I said I know what I saw and he did not come out yet so one of the guys said he would walk towards the quakie patch while we watched. Well two other smallish bucks came out and I had a perfect rest standing behind a large rock and more does came out and than he appeard. Two of the guys that we were hunting with that live in the Ruby Valley gave him a honest 33 - 34" but he was not high just very wide and heavy and a perfect 3x3 with eyeguards. He was walking straight away than he stopped and turned broadside and gave me a perfect shoulder shot. I touched one off and expected him to fall down and he just stood there so I jacked another round in touched off again and same result, than he started walking up the hill and I shot again, and again, and again.. mind you he was still under 200 yards away from me and I was shooting my model 70 that is like an extension of me. I seldom miss with that rifle and have all the confidence in the world with it.
Well the entire herd of deer finally got tired of all of the shooting and began running to the head of the canyon and than they started back down the other side so they ran right past us at 80 yards as they headed down the canyon. I believe I shot 16 or 17 shells at that bastard and my brother in law shot close to the same after I missed the first six or eight times. I have never been so disapointed with myself as I was that day. He was a buck of a lifetime for me anyway and I simply blew it. I was certain my rifle was off so I let the barrel cool down from the barrage I let loose I checked it and as always it was dead on. Even now as I write this and rememeber that day it bothers me like it happened yesterday.
I suppose if you killed every deer you shot at it would take some of the fun out of hunting. It's one of those hunts that I will always remember as long as I live.

Jim
 
3 years ago i was archery hunting in northern utah with some buddies. the night before i was out shooting my bow, with my jack russle terrier out with me, i walked up to my target and retrieved my arrows. when i cam back that damn dog had chewed my peep site off my string. well it was too late to get it fixed so i thought i could still shoot, i shot a few times and was still hitting the target in a 6 inch group out to 40 yards. well that opening morning we was pushing a ridge, that me and another friend had seen some good bucks on. well i was alone and walking really slow when i seen the buck 40 yards from me. i drew back and the only thing i could think of is dont miss, well i did shot right under him. later we filmed this buck and guessed him to be a 28'' typical 4 with 4 inch eye guards. score probably 185 i still feel my heart drop whenever i tell the story. the biggest buck i ever missed.















"Shoot Strait"
 
My Dad and I were hunting X-12 when I was about 20. Had hunted for 2 or 3 days without seeing much of anything. Driving back to camp one evening and spotted 4 or 5 bucks rounding a butte. We knew the road we were on led to the back side of that butte so we beat them to the back side and I got set up on the hood (I know, I should have been off the road to be legal but it was a dirt road!). I had buck fever in a big way. Sure enough, these bucks come around to our side of the butte and I put my crosshairs on the biggest one. He's just looking at me at about 200 yards. It was an uphill shot but a very easy shot. I must have jerked the trigger or something cuz I got my scope back on them and they were bounding over the hill. I wasn't sure if I dropped the deer or not so I ran like hell up the hill not sure what I'd find. I found nothing....no blood, no hair, no nothing. We went back to camp and I could've cried. I felt so bad. That was the biggest deer I had ever seen in California. Needless to say, we packed up and went home the next day without filling our tags. I wish I could have that shot back. To this day, on occasion, I'll feel the buck fever coming on and I re-live that day everytime. It gives me the ability to take a second, calm down and squeeze the trigger. Yes, that shot will haunt me the rest of my hunting days. It is a good learning experience though. I haven't missed an animal due to buck fever since....and that's been about 17 years.

Steve
 
well about four years ago me and a buddy split up on the archery hunt no less than 15 minutes later he radios me and says big buck coming your way, so I stood behind a big juniper to watch both sides and also to stay hidden a little and in just seconds to right of the tree there he is, I draw pull the trigger on my release and he sees me at the same time and ducks in his tracks and I shoot right over his back. I was sick it was only 11 yards my buddy radios me and says that sucks that you didn't get a shot he didn't see me because I was behind that juniper so I thaught to myself do I tell him I missed at 11 yards so I told him and he laughed so loud I could hear him from were I was that sucked. on_target
 
not exactly a miss, but 100 yards at an antlerless elk. i put it right on the shoulder and walked up to find i shot it through the eye.


Happy Hunting
 
1981, first trip to NV. 34" bruiser 70 yards, 300 savage over his back twice! Was I shakin, yep!......

Never had another opportunity at a monster like that since....
 
I cannot put myself through the pain of recounting the full story...

Let's just say:

P&Y buck-12 yards-cable slide on bow makes a little squeak at almost full draw-buck blows out of there. Agony,heartbreak, and pain whenever I think about it....

(Not technically a miss but might as well have been.)
 
I don't really have a worst miss,"knock on wood"
But I do have a worst hit, I was working a 370 to 380
bull he was out 100 to 125 yards in thick junipers,
and the last I saw him he was moving right to left,
To make a long story short, I catch a glimse of
antlers so I set up for the shot when he stepped out
I did not look through my binos and just took for
granted it was him.

When the smoke cleared, I heard him fall and gurgle
I was excited as hell until A bull screamed 75 yards
to my left and stepped out in the open, and it was
the big bull.

Needless to say that is the first and last time hunting with a muzzy that I will not look with the binos before shooting.
I found out the hard way, how great having a 4 to 10 scope is.

By the way the bull I killed was a 295 6 point, and
I still cant get over it, when It was a once in a lifetime
tag!
 

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