Passing on a shot

Mumptia

Mumptia

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LaCrete, Alberta
Ever pass on the shot of the buck you were after?

My son had to pass on a big 150+ whitetail this year beacuse the buck was 20 yds to far into another field we didn't have permission on and wasn't budging. It ended up staying in that field and then disapearing into the treeline.

He was a heart pounder. I hope to meet him next fall.

So have you ever passed on a shot? Why?
 
Multiple times this season.... 3-4 times on opening day since I dont like shooting at Moving deer ( alot of guys i hunt with would be blasting away).. 3rd day I shot a small 4 point and a doe and 60 ... Thurs ... during a run a nice small 6 pointer ran 5 yards almost under my stand... We were on Big bucks only so i Bappped at him and watched for 15 seconds while he looked at me all puzzles then ran off. 1 nice doe also came into me on friday 30 yards...Worked out fine cause i got my 3rd deer of the week a nice 10 pointer on sat morning :) Best hunt ever for me
 
I passed up a shot on the deer I been after for the past 3 years. this happened the last week of november 07. It was standing broadside about 150 yds from me, directly in line with a farm yard. The farm yard was about 300 yards beyond the deer.
 
No permission...no joy!

Hunting isn't fun if your always looking over your shoulder.
 
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Last year, James spotted a magnificent mule deer buck. Non-typical, spread much wider than his ears. A real heartbreaker.

The deer walked slowly along a new road into a cleared area that I was unfamiliar with. Lots of guys up north drag a mobile home onto their dad's property and I didnt know what was in that clearing.

Well, turns out there was nothing in the clearing. And I received permission to hunt it within 15 minutes but the deer was no where to be found.

Could have easily shot him on that access road (it was legal and on private property) but I wasn't sure what was beyond so I didn't take the shot.

Pretty tough to take, but it would have been tougher if there was a mobile home in there with kids playing in the yard. Sometimes ya just have to say " You are one lucky deer ".
 
if you take up archery, it will happen a lot.
Deer standing in thick stuff, deer that are too far, deer that are at the wrong angle.
It's a learning experience. I have to admit that if I'd been using a gun, most of those deer would have died. As it was, I got to watch, and learn a lot more about them, and myself. What I could, and could not do, without spooking them.
 
Never on a specific deer. But I have passed on more deer than I have taken. As hard as it is sometimes. I believe it's the ethical thing to do. IMO!

Dave.
 
This past Sept, I had a the biggest mulie of my life facing directly away from me at 45 yards (i.e., texas heart shot). I had him with my bow at full draw for like 30 seconds, but he did not turn like I hoped and then bolted. He was taken in rifle season and scored 182". Oh well....
 
I suspect that the absolute "best shot" most of us ever had was not taken, for reasons of personal restraint, ethics or laws. That really is cause for celebration, not regret. Hats off to all careful, ethical hunters. Let's talk about choosing our shots more, especially to non-hunters!
 
I took my finger off the trigger three times one an Eland bull this summer. The first was just too far, over 350 yards. The second was an obstructed view and the third was running.

I then botched the best shot I had at it running straight at me at 100 yards.
 
John Y Cannuck said:
if you take up archery, it will happen a lot.
Deer standing in thick stuff, deer that are too far, deer that are at the wrong angle.
It's a learning experience. I have to admit that if I'd been using a gun, most of those deer would have died. As it was, I got to watch, and learn a lot more about them, and myself. What I could, and could not do, without spooking them.
Click to expand...


X2 I hear ya!
Happened 3 x with one deer just in and out of range to me this year!
An sure to the day is long my dad goes out once and shoots the buck i have been watching all year LOL!

I think a lot of people pass on shots, I have many times lots of reasons wether it be not knowing were the doggers are or just not the right deer,, or as said not on your hunting grounds?
 
I passed on a shot at a nice medium sized buck. He was walking along the top of a ridge parallel to the ridge I was on. It was just under 150 yards but he was slightly higher than me and if I missed or shot through and through the animal the bullet would have taken off who knows where?
I waited and waited as he made his way along nibbling the vegetation. I figured he would drop down low enough on the ridge face so I could take the shot with a good backstop but he did not and ended up going over the far side. By the time I could get over the ridge he was gone. I probably made too much noise or he may have gotten a whiff of me, who knows...he was not seen again that season. Good news was the gang got two very nice does that afternoon.
 
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