What did you MISS your first deer with and what's your excus

270 win I was 15 and we were driving in to a spot. As soon as we pulled off the road and a buck jumped up and took off. We bailed out and shot. Three days later (and a few more misses at running deer) I center punched one feeding broad side at 250 yards off hand. My first few years of hunting sucked ass, road hunting all the time and pushing bush. It seemed all the shots were running shots. I hate hate hate shooting at running deer and to this day and will almost always use up my tags early in the season on feeding deer rather than waiting for big bucks in November that always seem to be running away from me.
 
With the bow for me as well... Misjudged the distance... Got it the next day at hte same distance, I didn't use sighting pins in them younger days...
Haven't missed one with a gun yet.

Troutseeker
 
I was 14 they handed me a 12ga full of slugs .I had no idea where it shot or how to aim it properly.As the deer went over the hill I swore that I'd never use a gun I didn't know again.That was 41 yrs ago and I havn't.
Rich
 
Just last year. Missed with my 243. She jumped us when we were driving to our spot. Just too damned excited! But got her on the second shot.
 
6 point buck, ran out of nowhere and then stopped and stood looking my way, broadside at 100 yds in the middle of a field - should have been an easy shot. I had seen deer the day before on the other side of the field and had foolishly left the scope cranked to 16X. This guy appeared and I thought I had no time, so I left it there (a mistake), aimed at a scope full of hide, and fired. The 243 has a hair trigger and it went off prematurely. He then bounded off, then stopped again for about 30 seconds at about 200 yds. I thought I had hit him and awaited his fall, which didn't happen - he just walked into the bush.

So, my errors were many: always leave your scope at the lowest power (if something farther away appears you have time to adjust, not the opposite); don't go near the trigger until you have your sight picture; remain composed, breath, and concentrate (easy to say in front of your computer); and if they run off, put another down the pipe and prepare for shot #2. Sometimes their reaction makes it obvious they were hit, other times, they just walk off and then fall - you might have missed.
 
I missed a nice mulie buck at about 80 yards with my .30-06. I can't remember how many rounds I got off, but my excuse was that I can't hit running game. The buck fever didn't help either :wink:
 
I shot clean under a roe doe on opening day about 3 years ago, I was using my 6.5 x 55 which I had always hit with and had just bagged 2 Fallow only 15 minutes before, damn deer was less than 30 yards away, you know how that deer will stay with me forever! I'm sure I got it 30 minutes later!
As for my 303 well lets just say that some serious load development has taken place and I shoot running deer at the range only!
My first deer I ever lined up on was a big fallow buck from a high seat! I used a 243 Ruger 77 full stock. Sod walked out of the bush to my right just as I was about to unload and climb down. I thought I had missed him but there he was 30 yards back into the bush!
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I missed a nice buck standing broadside when I was 16. At 300 yards it was too long of a shot for my old 38-55 but I didn't want him to get away on me! :roll:
 
scott_r said:
I always blame a miss on my rifle or scope, its never me :lol: Deer are usually pretty safe when Im in the woods :lol:
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I used to be like that with ducks, we have a short season here, september to Feb and no limit, but on our sunday evening duck syndicate it still took me 2 years to bag one, much fun had in the learning! Duck shooting after dusk is a real challenge!
 
Mine was way back in 19 (awt) 61. My first year of deer hunting (using an SMLE) at 15.

I'd already tried to shoot a 10 pointer with an empty gun, and had luckily bagged a doe at extreme range (15 feet).

I was with a group of watchers headed out to our stands, when a deer that the drivers had kicked on their way out almost barreled into us. Everyone had their guns up and started banging away. The deer ran off untouched. I think we were all rushing our shots trying to be the one to knock it down.
 
Had my dad's 22 Hornet and saw a blacktail buck in a valley bottom/gully/bowl type area in 1968 or 1969 I guess. I was 15 or something and couldn't really gauge the distance, though I think it was only 100 yards or so. I aimed right for behind the front shoulder and emptied the magazine at him and he never flinched, just walked calmly away when I was done.

I don't know what I did wrong, shot over or under I suppose.

Not too bright to try a body shot on a deer with a 22 Hornet anyway. My father always shot them in the neck.
 
First miss was likewise with my .303 Brit, but that was OK because the gun can't hold a zero for more than two shots. I've tried everything and just given up! Although the other two guys I was hunting with at the time both missed the same deer twice, two shots with a Win M70 in '06, and two more with a Rem M700 in .243, so I don't feel so bad. In fact, in a way, that makes me twice as good as them! :D
 
I've only missed two deer in the last ten years

first one was a medium sized 3x3 pt whitetail at 50 yards with my 30-30 m94. was WAY to dark to be shooting with open sights. lined up the sights in the snow below him and pulled up until it seemed to be centered on his chest. I heard a riccochet and must of put the bullet between the bucks legs.

second one was a HAWG whitetail at 150 yards with my m700 7saum. caught me off guard, I managed to almost chamber two shells at once, got the gun unjammed, lined up as he walked straight away at the back of his neck. at the shot the buck bolted flagging tails away, no sign of hit at all.


all a part of hunting I guess :lol:
 
1st big buck I came across in Canada was out on family property, BIG buck, I watched him for the whole month of Sept while haying, Opening day he is on the far side of 1 of our 1/4 sections, I am on the fence line on the other side of the 1/4. I was at the time shooting a 7 Rem Mag all set up for 1000 yard shooting, so was 100% confident of dropping him, afterall a 1/4 mile shot is easy, RIGHT?
Problem was figured out AFTER I threw dirt all over him, a 1/4 section is 1/2 mile across. Never saw him again DAMN! :oops: :mrgreen:
 
todbartell said:
I've only missed two deer in the last ten years

first one was a medium sized 3x3 pt whitetail at 50 yards with my 30-30 m94. was WAY to dark to be shooting with open sights. lined up the sights in the snow below him and pulled up until it seemed to be centered on his chest. I heard a riccochet and must of put the bullet between the bucks legs.

second one was a HAWG whitetail at 150 yards with my m700 7saum. caught me off guard, I managed to almost chamber two shells at once, got the gun unjammed, lined up as he walked straight away at the back of his neck. at the shot the buck bolted flagging tails away, no sign of hit at all.


all a part of hunting I guess :lol:
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Why Tod
I thought you never missed :lol:
 
First "miss" was with a Norwegian Krag in 6.5x55...didn't have a doe tag and ran right up the back end of three deer feeding with their heads down. By the time I figured out which one was a buck, they had bolted and left me no decent shot anyways... :?
 
Missed a beauty 4 x 4 white back a few years ago with a Marlin 336 in .30.30.

Excuse: Just took a bad guess at my yardage. Found white hair but no blood where the buck was standing. Guess that's why he jumped so god damned high in the air. :wink:
 
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