I missed a deer at 22 yards--OUCH.

[44man]

I had one come in and had the Bushnell dot right on the shoulder. She bolted and ran like crazy. Nothing, no hair, no hole in the ground, no blood and I went back this morning to search.
I went up and had coffee while I looked the gun over, nothing I could see. I took it down and only hit paper once at 50. I came back to the bench and the dot was not to be found so I quit. The black wire was broken at the switch. I fixed it and had a light but I had another Bushnell dot and put it on the SBH.
A friend came to shoot so I took the .44 down. I played heck to get it near center and groups sucked big time.
I quit so my friend could shoot but I loaded 3 shots and shot at my 100 yard steel off hand for the heck of it. He told me I hit every time so we went to see.
NO, it is not to be, it was crazy. I can not do that! I was steady with a good let off but this was not possible. I could not do it at 50 yards from bags!
I have no idea but this SBH is slated for an Ultra Dot.

[41 mag fan]

I've been told that people do occasionally miss.

But I'm the exception, I didn't miss at 12 yrds, the doe moved quicker than the boolit. :groner:

[white eagle]

I had that happen to me earlier in the season
I called it "Doe Fever"
but your deer your miss you call it what you will

[subsonic]

Bummer. How solid is the mount? You would think at 22yds if the deer was in the optic it would have been hit somewhere.

[Blammer]

you sure at that short a range with a high hold you didn't shoot over her? Dead on at 50 may mean 3-4" high at 20yds?

[CLAYPOOL]

Lost a nice 10 Pt. or so in Illinois second season. I sit all of first season ( 3 Days) and didn't shoot or see many deer. Not many shots @ a distance either. This deer was coming at a walk on a angle and in stead of waiting @ apx. 50 yards I shot and he spun and started crippling off. I shot 2 more times controlled but he kept walking. Didn't get another shot in prairie grass field and never found him after me + neighbor searched all the cover in a square 1/4 mile. No nothing. Went bac and discovered that I had winged a Hickory shoulder high and thats what screwed up my first shot and cripped him. I haven't lost or missed since 1987.

[CLAYPOOL]

Not a good feeling...but he could run in my hay field, so I'm hoping for the best...We had a really nice deer around here that limped badly in the left front also, but boy he sure could run wide open. I hope he's the one on neightbors trail cams....

[Lloyd Smale]

once missed a small buck at 15 yards with a 500 linebaugh out of a tree blind. I think what happened was the shot was just to easy. I probably was so confident i just pointed the gun and didnt use the sights.

[44man]

Something wrong with the Bushnell. I could not keep it on paper from bags.
It was the second one that I shot the group with and after a lifetime of shooting I can now honestly say I shot less then 1" at 100 yards off hand! :holysheep
But I don't trust this one either now. I have had these a long time before I found the Ultra Dots.
Please guys, can I now claim I shoot 1" groups off hand? :bigsmyl2::bigsmyl2::bigsmyl2:
No, I didn't think so but it would be fun telling tales! [smilie=l:
The mount is solid, nothing loose at all. I am thinking the rubber bushing has age hardened and the cold weather made it worse or the tube springs are no good. I had a hard time finding the dot when I shot at the deer, it was not near center of the tube. Seemed to be high right.
Hey fellas, I shoot 1" groups or less at 100 yards off hand! :takinWiz::takinWiz::takinWiz::bigsmyl2:

[btroj]

You need a bigger gun. I hear that with a big enough gun the bullet passing by the deer will cause instant death!

I don't remember which gun rag it was in but if I read it must be true!

[429421Cowboy]

Weeelll.... I suppose i can admit that i missed a basket buck at 15 yards with my 4-5/8 SBH off of my shooting sticks on Thanksgiving afternoon...

[white eagle]

don't feel bad missed a chip shot doe this am and missed another doe tonight 25 yds
all my groups are printing high @ 50 I suppose they went over them

[runfiverun]

well i finally figured out how to cure missing once and for all.
i just point them out to little girl and she handles the shooting,and some of the skinning.
of course i gotta do the driving,scouting,purchasing,re-loading,sighting in,cleaning. and dragging plus the butchering.
somehow she figures thats a fair trade off.
and o i don't miss anymore.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
That is why I recurve corn crunchers. If the silly critters are willing to get that close why wake up the neighbors and scare the squirrels. Plus I get 3 months to slice & dice and all the hunting I care to do.
Mike in Peru

[NickSS]

I have missed two deer in my life both with rifles at close range (under 50 yards). The first was a running buck that I fired 8 rounds at from a 303 enfield and never looked at the sights and never got close to the deer (first one I ever shot at and I had a bit of buck feaver). The second was a standing shot at 35 yards from a rest and I missed it clean with a 308 Model 660 Remington fitted with a weaver K4 scope. I found out after the fact that the scope was broke and the zero had shifted since I zeroed it before the season. That scope is now floating in a river in the north Cascade Mountains.

As for hand gun hunting I have never missed a deer I shot at but have killed only two with a hand gun. The first was a doe that wandered into our deer camp while I was cooking dinner. I shot her three times with a Smith model 36 snub nose 38 spl. She ran fifty yards and I finished her off with a forth shot as she was not quite dead when I got to her. The second was a nice black tail buck fork horn that I shot while working on the Mother in Laws well. He was 10 feet off the path to the well and I had my 1911 colt loaded with 200 gr Speer hollow cavity bullets at about 900 fps. I double tapped him and he started to run so shot two more at him as he disappeared in the brush. A while later I found him dead about 35 yards from where I shot him. I hit him all four times with the first two going through both lungs and lodging under the skin on the off side the third shot hit him behind the left rear rib and angled up into the lungs while the forth hit him in the butt and penetrated about 10 inches of meat. None of the bullets expanded I might as well have used hard ball.

[Taylor]

This brings to mind two stories,the first,my son and I were hunting.He was using a Hawkin .50,he fired and missed,while reloading(he was shaking and in a hurry,because the buck didn't run away),it stood there and watched,he fired,perfect hit,your could see the ball as it went down range.You could also see it bounce off the deer.We guessed that in the "heat of battle",he lost most of his charge.
The 2d is,yesterday the wife and I were in Hazel,Ky.We had stopped for a soda,and she overheard a conversation between two men:I got a deer this morning.What did you shoot it with?I didn't shoot it.Well how it you get it?I did shoot,but missed.I guess it was real scared,'caused it took off running,straight into a tree.Fell over dead.

[Lloyd Smale]

I dont know about everyone else but i allways have a tendency to shoot high when i dont have the presents of mind to remind myself of it when im about to shoot a deer. I do it with a rifle at long range and tend to do it with a handgun all the time. I think its just my mind working to fast and worrying about bullet drop. I dont ever recall an instance where i shot under a deer with a rifle bow or handgun. If i miss its allways high.

[canyon-ghost]

Hey fellas, I shoot 1" groups or less at 100 yards off hand!

You gotta have a good day with a special load sometimes, too?? Lol. That's a pretty tall claim to maintain.

I'd venture I can do that off sandbags, never seen it get that small offhand. But hey, you're tellin' this story, right?

[canyon-ghost]

you sure at that short a range with a high hold you didn't shoot over her? Dead on at 50 may mean 3-4" high at 20yds?


Think DJ has a good answer there, I was thinking the same thing.

[Baron von Trollwhack]

Analysis of the miss is the learning event as suggested above. Some scopes just poop out and you take a while to figure it out, sometimes it is other, subtle things. Good, not really gold plated equipment is a help always.

BvT

[1Shirt]

Like the lettering on the pregnant ladies sweat shirt said "PO-P0 OCCURS"! You have to admit that things like misses tend to keep us humble. Or at least I hope it does for me.
1Shirt!:coffeecom

[Frank]

Ultradot's are great. The Pan-V is nice on the .475. I only have 50 rounds on it. With it you gain lightness and ergonomics. It sits a little higher than the tube sight with low rings.

[44man]

You gotta have a good day with a special load sometimes, too?? Lol. That's a pretty tall claim to maintain.

I'd venture I can do that off sandbags, never seen it get that small offhand. But hey, you're tellin' this story, right?
Pure unadulterated luck! I just fell asleep for a few seconds! :D

[wallenba]

People miss. Buck fever? Getting out before dawn, I've seen many three legged deer standing in the road outside of town, or antlers shot off.

[legend]

I have been blessed through the years with being able to shoot just once at deer and elk.So i have hunted with only one shell with me(its amazing what shots you won't take....)
Then it happened...i shot at a huge running whitetail,missed,and he stopped broadside to me and just stared at me (35yards) then walked off.

I do carry a second shell now,and have never needed it.

there is a lesson somewhere here.

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
44MAN if it makes you feel better, I once shot 4 times at a deer with my rifle & missed.
Was mad ,drew my 44 SBH, shot once.
Deer stopped dead in its tracks from a run, turned its head & looked at me, then fell over dead.:Fire::Fire:

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Patrick McManus has a story in one of his books about having a shot no one could miss. Says the deer was just grinning at him while he was shooting and missing. It's such a funny story because we can all relate. There is a youtube video about a hunter that misses three shots before the deer runs off. Humor is good medicine.

[44man]

I sure have missed deer, no question.
This time, not so, there is sum-ting-wong with the Bushnell. I have it off the gun and all of a sudden the dot is back in the center while it was high right when I shot at the deer, I had a time finding the dot.
I can't get it apart far enough to see inside but I suspect the inner tube was moved from recoil and stuck sideways.
When I shot it from bags, I only hit the paper once, very low, out of 5 shots.
It is off my gun and I might set it up and shoot through it with the .500 for fun! :wink:

[bigdog454]

I haven't missed any;) BUT, a lot of deer nowadays I have found, wear body armor and the bullets bounce off. (that's my story and I'm sticking to it)

[44man]

I missed tonight with my Hawken. I wiped it out and snapped 3 caps before loading.
I snapped 3 caps on a doe tonight. I fiddled with the nipple by putting some powder in and using the pick.
I snapped a cap on an 8 point. He came back around later and I had a big delay before the thing fired. I shot under him.
Oh well, what can I say?

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Had that happen to me once with my .58 Zouave. Had loaded the musket 3 days before, went hunting, got home & had to leave right then. 2 days later got home late and went out next morning. Did not think to pick the nipple. Sat down on the creek lip long enough to get settled and there was 3 does walking the creek at 30 yards coming back from the corn. Got the nicest, loudest cap pop but no belching fire. The 3 does looked around and walked away. Got out my pick and recapped and had the nicest BOOM but nothing to chomp on.
Stuff happens when hunting. That to me is what keeps it so good for the well being.
Mike in Peru

[44man]

I reloaded the gun last night and went back this morning. It was still dim and I heard deer walking. I had one opening there and they both ran through it. They crossed higher up at about 100 yards but I could not see that far good enough.
I have seen the deer go through there a lot so was thinking of moving the stand. I sat there freezing. I looked to my left and there was a large doe, never heard her or seen where she came from, she was just there.
I broke both shoulders and a bunch more deer appeared from nowhere, never head a one of them.
It was hard to take off my coat and roll up sleeves in the cold. My stand was still covered in frost, very slippery getting down.
It is a pain to haul up a 9-1/2# Hawken, hold it and lower it again. How I miss the shoulder holster.
Now the worst part, I need to clean the darn thing! [smilie=l:

[Freightman]

Not much of a hunter but I went when I was much younger, had a big buck at 75 yds, had a new M94 Winchester, and a fence post to shoot off of, lined him up pulled the trigger. CLICK! shucked another round in. CLICK! emptied tube all CLICK! Deer looked at me and walked slowly off as if to say "it just aint you day but it is mine. Broken firing pin, still have that rifle never misfired again. This was pre '64 so that can't be an excuse.

[HammerMTB]

I have missed two deer in my life both with rifles at close range (under 50 yards). The first was a running buck that I fired 8 rounds at from a 303 enfield and never looked at the sights and never got close to the deer (first one I ever shot at and I had a bit of buck feaver). The second was a standing shot at 35 yards from a rest and I missed it clean with a 308 Model 660 Remington fitted with a weaver K4 scope. I found out after the fact that the scope was broke and the zero had shifted since I zeroed it before the season. That scope is now floating in a river in the north Cascade Mountains.

First day I ever got to go
forgot my mag for my Mod 88 .243 Win. Stuffed loads 1 at a time until I got too my pocketknife. That didn't seem to fit.
An' I wondered what was wrong with that little K4. It sure was rusty makin' it from the E side of the state to the sound.
Y'all shouldn't trick a poor impressionable kid. I don't do much scope trade nowadays, seeing's I won't buy someone's used sloppy seconds......
That and I ain't poor as the church mouse anymore....
but thanks for throwing me your leftovers! [smilie=l:

[white eagle]

man o man foe d foe
how long is yer seezon

[44man]

man o man foe d foe
how long is yer seezon
ML ends Sat and then a week of just archery. The last 4 days in Dec are doe days again.
I don't think I will shoot any more. I have 2 in the freezer and gave 3 to the neighbor ladies that let me hunt. They are poor to the point her phone was cut off and she had to wait for the SS check so she could keep the electricity on.
Now something strange about them, they don't live together, one is married to a real jerk that will not give her money and when the well pump failed he did not get it fixed. She lives far so I don't know if it ever got fixed.
The other only goes to the post office once a month to save gas and misses bills to be paid.
Get this now, they are both Mensa class genius types but have no common sense at all.

[white eagle]

That is a terrible way to live
its to bad
around here there is a certain point in the year where the power company can not shut the power off
do that have that there ??

[44man]

That is a terrible way to live
its to bad
around here there is a certain point in the year where the power company can not shut the power off
do that have that there ??
Not sure if we do or not.
Now they are nice ladies and I help fix stuff for them. I have been allowed to do what I want for hunting forever and I am the only one with permission but I can bring friends.
But I see off stuff they say, like someone steals trees from the woods and firewood. Then the truck gets damage overnight, the barn had the rear wall broken so someone can get in, etc. She is afraid to get rural mail delivery because someone might steal the mail.
Too smart and paranoid but they are very hard workers around the house, not lazy. They help each other at each house.
But there is something missing that I have learned to get along with, they can't help it.
And they just go crazy for venison!