Passed up on a shot.

Passing on a shot because you worried it wouldn't be clean makes for a better hunting story than grazing the beast and losing it. If only everyone ran through that check before firing!
 
Generally speaking,a good idea not to shoot,if your not comfortable with the shot.Not any difference if its an arrow,or a 222 or even a 30-06.These can all be marginal in the wrong hands,just as they can be more than adequate in the right.
 
Good call on passing up on the shot. I took a quartering away shot on a whitetail a couple days ago and never recovered him. No blood trail to find. I went back the next day and searched the area to no avail, no ravens around either. Now I'm kicking myself wondering if hes off dead in the bush somewhere or hobbling around wounded. It was a tough call on whether to take the shot or not, I knew if I didn't I might not get another crack at him. I definitely learned from the ordeal, and in the future I will only take a shot if I'm 100% sure its going to result in a quick kill. I'm looking for a round that leaves a good blood trail after this mishap, I've read Nosler partitions do a pretty good job. Hopefully hes ok and it was a clean miss, although I doubt it. I let the excitement get the better of me and am now regretting it...
 
i have passed on a shot because of concerns over were the bullet would end up. it was a coyote at a range of twenty yards and the rifle was a 270. i wished for a shotgun as i could have made a safe shot were the rifle was too much gun for the backdrop.be careful what you wish for .
 
Major Sights said:
Yes, I have wished I had a bigger rifle I could trust at the further distances. When I shot my deer last week I wished I had a scoped rifle bigger then the .223 that was in my hands... he was 120m away. :D
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Not trying to be a #### here, but I have to ask. If you're not confident with that setup much past 100 yds on medium sized game why did you have it with you? I'm going to guess you're CF by your location and apparel, 120yds with a 556 through a 4x Elcan and an old C7A1 should be a gimme on a Deer sized target providing you passed your PWT1, let alone that bolt action .223 and that beejesus scope, so I'll assume ability to make the shot wasn't in question. Coyote hunting and he came out? Regardless, koodos for taking your time and making sure the shot counted.
 
I estimated his range at about 400-450ish.
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That in itself is a good enough reason to pass. A 308win will certainly kill a deer at those distances, but if you aren't sure of the range, at those distances, the odds of a clean one shot kill aren't good.
 
Very good call on not taking this shot. You seem like an individual who exercised sound judgement given the parameters involved - Long shot, moving target, low light and probably very limited time to set up for it.

I would have done the same no matter what the caliber. It's not a question of rifle power - certainly the .308 has the power to get the job done but the difficulty of making that shot into a humane one shot kill under the conditions involved.

I'm sure lots of people - I won't even call them hunters would have blazed away off hand and missed or worse yet wounded it and thought nothing of it.

You Sir, can hunt with me anytime!!
 
Good call on passing up on the shot. I took a quartering away shot on a whitetail a couple days ago and never recovered him. No blood trail to find. I went back the next day and searched the area to no avail, no ravens around either. Now I'm kicking myself wondering if hes off dead in the bush somewhere or hobbling around wounded. It was a tough call on whether to take the shot or not, I knew if I didn't I might not get another crack at him. I definitely learned from the ordeal, and in the future I will only take a shot if I'm 100% sure its going to result in a quick kill. I'm looking for a round that leaves a good blood trail after this mishap, I've read Nosler partitions do a pretty good job. Hopefully hes ok and it was a clean miss, although I doubt it. I let the excitement get the better of me and am now regretting it...
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Thanks for being honest BCbandit. Lots of people don't want to admit to a hunting/shooting mistake and will only talk about the long shot kill that they got lucky on.
 
I just passed on a shot this week on a nice little buck. I called him in to about 30 yards but he was just behind a small hill in front of me. All I had to shoot at was his head and a little bit of his neck, and mind you I was hunting with my Benelli m4 with 3" rifled foster slugs. I did not want to take the chance of maiming the animal on the off chance that I missed my intended target on his head. Although I was disappointed, I tell myself there will always be another time.
 
buy a scope with exposed turrets and learn how to shoot long range, i can accurately shoot out to five hundred anyday, and push it out to seven hundred under ideal conditions.
 
well then start practicing in the bush and not on the range so much. Practice makes perfect.
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I knew you would say that of course and you're missing the point but I am glad most other hunters on this thread are seeing it including the OP. Maybe the trend (substitution of living animals for paper targets at long range for self gratification) is starting to turn. For the sake of the image of the sport in the eyes of the public, one can only hope.

I guess I've just seen one too many deer with missing parts hobbling around. Makes me Ill!!

I have practiced in the "bush" by the way and it's quite different to static KD range shooting (of which I gathered many trophies) - The experience was humbling and educational hence the conservative approach to shooting at game.
 
well the fact is a .300 win mag will just as well miss if you're not a good shot at farther ranges. Compensating by getting a bigger caliber isn't the answer. Understanding how to use what you currently have is a must. Plus a .300 win mag is overkill, you don't need that to kill a deer. The point i was trying to make is the fact the .308 has plenty enough energy. And if you don't think so, shoot a heavier bullet with magnum powders.
 
I think Stubblejumper nailed it quite well. If you are not sure of the range and your trajectory once you get out past your point blank range, it's better to pass. Just guessing the hold over can lead to a long trailing job or worse regardless of cartridge.
 
of course ranging is another issue, both calibers have the potential to properly dispatch a deer out to 500 yards no problem. What i'm trying to say is if all other variables were accounted for, the .308 can do it.
 
Passed on a bruiser yesterday. Was walking away from me at about 200 yds. Just didn't seem that important to shoot it without an optimum shot placement. Could have tried for a neck shot or the ole Texas heart shot but that wouldn't have sat right with me if I'd have wounded such a great animal. Dreamt about that one all last night,lol.
 
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