What is the best shot you've ever made on big game?

A few years ago I had a whitetail buck wait unit I almost stepped on him before he jumped up.

I was walking back to the house on an old logging road with my rifle butt first over my shoulder. I hit him with a Texas heart shot on about the second jump. I don't remember seeing the crosshairs.

It was eight paces from where I was standing to where he came to a sliding stop.

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Ignorance is curable but stupidity is terminal.

I once shot three whitetail in the time it took them to jump across a narrow overgrown logging road at 125 yards. I was returning to the truck, carrying my lever action 284 at port arms. To this day I don't know for sure what keyed me to throw the gun up - there may have been a fourth one that crossed first. They were sort of bounding across, not at a dead run, but faster than walking. They piled up at the edge of the road, all shot through both shoulders.

The best shot, though, was on a cottontail with an iron sight 22. The cottontail was at a dead run, jinking and kinking about 10 feet in front of my border collie, Boots. Right through the heart. I was 10 or 12, and a mighty hunter.

The worst shot does not bear repeating!

Don

[This message has been edited by Don G (edited 07-09-2001).]

Over the years I have made a good number of memorable shots along with some easyones that were missed that I try hard to forget but can't. I am sure that everyone who spends alot of time out in the field can relate. I find that the older I get and the more experience that I gain, there seems to be more memorable shots than bad ones. Most likely because I take less risky shots and my hunting skills are better. Plus I practice shooting offhand alot more.
Most recent best shot I pulled off was last fall while hunting moose for myself. We spooked a half dozen moose while we were riding our horses. By the time we spotted them they were heading over the mountain. We jumped off our horses and grabbed our guns. There was no time to tie up horses or to take a rest to shoot. I let 2 shots rip out of my 7STW at the largest bull and he dropped. A guy that was with me could not believe how far it was and commented that we should pack a lunch before we go over to where the bull fell. The bull measured 58" and upon field dressing found that I had hit him good both times. I was glad that the horse shoe I have up my @$$ had not fallen out yet.
So much (bullsh!t) for not taking risky shots.

Daryl

Hey"
The best shot I ever made,was the day I was sitting in a tower stand.It was overlooking a huge winter wheat field.It was 517 yds to the furthest corner of the field.It was the very height of the rut.I was watching this buck chasing a doe at the far end of the filed.This went on for about 45 minutes.She finally got tired and submitted herself to the buck.It was over in a matter of seconds.The buck wallked over to a fence post and lit up a cigarette,that's when I shot him.
1geejay
www.shooting-hunting.com

Best: New Mexico Pronghorn
Distance: Too far to be shooting in good conscience!
Weapon: .308 Win Remington 40xc-ks

Worst: South African Springbuck
Distance: Too close to be missing with a 1/4 minute rifle!
Weapon: .308 Win Remington 40xc-ks

JTG,
I've missed one real close too!
(Whitetail that is.)

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Ignorance is curable but stupidity is terminal.

[This message has been edited by Ol' Sarge (edited 07-10-2001).]

I bowhunt alot so when i hunt with a gun i tend to get close, I have no great annie oatly shots to tell.

I have dropped three caribou bang, bang, bang in 10 seconds or less,out to 350 yards with a 340 Weatherby, while on a solo caribou hunt on the Alaska Peninsula in November, for a week alone with the ravens, eagles and wolves. No witnesses but me.

My proudest shot was on Kodiak when a Sitka black-tail buck got up and ran along the side of a ravine, 150 yards out, quartering away.

I swung my 375 Weatherby Mauser about a body length in front of the buck and touched off.
He was hit in the sweet spot by a 300 grain Swift A-Frame and dropped dead, rolling down the side of the ravine.

I have seen my brother shoot a fast flying duck out of the air with a 22 LR revolver, and that was kind of amusing.

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Good huntin' and shootin',
RAB

My two best shots are a tie between a trotting whitetail at 20 yards with a Ruger Old Army .45 cap & ball revolver (first handgun kill),and a cyote at a dead run quartering away @ 300 yards with my .280 rem.

The worst was walking up on a nice whitetail buck on a logging road at 30 yards and forgetting that my new Knight rifle had 2 safteys, Gun went "snap", deer ran off.

JD 1,
That's why all my rifles (except one) are the same make and model.

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Ignorance is curable, but stupidity is terminal.

I hunted Moose in the Farewell Burn of Alaska in 1999. The hunt was supposed to be a horse hunt but it seems the biggest Moose in Alaska was on the wrong side of the Kuskokuim River and we could not get the horses over there. A hard backpacking hunt for four days got us within 75 yards of the quarry but the thickness of the brush and his direction of travel foiled any shot. He switched sides of the River, we got the horses and after two days of hunting and a four hour stalk, found us within 175 yards of an Amorous Bull with his nose stuck between the legs of his lady love, traveling at a fast walk. The lay of the land and thickness of the brush called for an immediate shot or another lost opportunity. I was shooting a .340 Wby with 250 gr. Barnes bullets, at 2900 fps. I aimed for the shoulder and hit him where the neck joins the shoulder and he callapsed with the shot and didn't twitch another muscle. You think an Alaskan Yukon Moose as plenty of target, but in some circumstances good shooting is still just that no matter the size of the target. This was the biggest target I ever shot at, as well as my best shot. Good Shooting.

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I once shot a crow off a fencepost at 100 yds with my M70 338. Pretty amusing. Vaporized him. My friend who bet me I couldn't just stared open mouthed. I had to turn away so he couldn't see MY open mouth!LOL.

I hate crows.

I center punched a Pronghorn facing me at 200 yards, while sitting. the (old machined jacket style) 130 Gr Nosler partition went between the lungs and out the brisket between his back legs. He did not even flinch.

He wheeled and started a 60 MPH sprint across the low Wyoming sagebrush. I nailed him running through the upper lungs at 350 measured paces, probably 325 yards. The friend that was with me just shook his head and did not say a word while we paced the distance.

My best shot was in Calif around Mono Lake while mule deer hunting with a friend. We were driving around in his VW beetle headed to lunch. When a coyote jumps and runs about 300 yds out.We stop get out in a hurry and move off the road. I take the first shot and miss he shoots and misses. The coyote jumps into a creek bottom and disappears. We get in and drive and again we see him dart in between brush headed for a opening. We get out and sit down. I tell my friend its his turn to take the first shot just as the coyote come out of the brush, he shoots and misses. My turn I hold about 6" over his back and fire, he drops. We pace it off at 492 steps from our position.My rifle a Ruger 77 in 7mm Mag. I could never do it again or won't even try.

The "Best Shot(s)" I ever made were on two caribou of the Mulchatna variety. The first bull was standing in some conifers at 350 yards, as paced off by my disbelieving hunting partner. I was sitting with my back against a small tree and the rifle resting on my knees. Just as I touched off my Ruger MKII/LH .300 Win Mag the 'bou turned to look away. The 200 gr. Nosler partition entered the back of his neck and came out the end of his nose. Now, this caused the group he was with to run back on their trail a ways and then along the base of a hill 175 yards away to my left. The trail bull, a real brute, ran along behind the cows. With him at a full gallop, I swung the rifle lrft, about 90 degrees off the first shot and brought the horizontal crosshair of my Leupold 3-9x50 to his shoulder. I continued the swing 'till the vertical was on his nose and I again touched one off. The bull collapsed while at a dead run and skidded about 5 yards. Both shots were less than 30 seconds apart and both 'bou didn't know what hit 'em. It is amazing how 30 seconds can stick with you, isn't it?

Just remembered another one. About 32 years ago I shot a pigeon out of the air with my buddies Crossman 760, FROM THE HIP! Neither of us thought it even possible.

Now, the "Best Shot" I ever witnessed was when I was 18 and hunting deer in New York with uncle. He shot a nice 6-point with his 20 gauge, '30s vintage Remington pump gun; bead front sight, using Foster type rifled slug. The deer was standing across a cut corn field. My uncle pulled his gun up and fired; the deer dropped his head and walked into the woods about 40 yards and died. My uncle went and got a tape measure (you'ld have to know him) and taped of 256 yards. Not bad for 20 gauge slugs, eh? I don't condone it, but I did witness it.

Best shot on deer, I was hunting muledeer in eastern Oregon and had a nice buck jump out of a clump of jack pines in an old clearcut and started running away and to the left, Nothing but wide open for half a day, so figured I'd take a chance. Fired the shot and figured I missed, the deer covered maybe another hundred yards and collapsed. We just looked at each other like we were seeing things. Paced it off at 312 paces to where I shot.
But the best shot was on a jackrabbit, running dead away dodging sagebrush with ears laid flat, hit him in the back right between the shoulder blades, paced off at 126 paces, blame the whole thing on dumb luck.

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456 yards on a Nevada mule deer. Bedded buck, all day to figure the hold, but high winds. My spotter couldn't see where I was shooting, I subsequently gut-shot the buck 3 times. I felt so good about the hold, I never changed but I was way off on the wind drift. I was holding for 18 inches of drift and the bullet was drifting almost 3 feet. I located the woundie and dropped him with a double lunger from 85 yards. Not my best shooting, but a good 450+ grouping.

My best shots have always been on springbok. I've got numerous 300+ yard kills on springbok and I also have a running kill at 350+. But I've killed a lot of 'bok so the law of averages comes into play.

My worst shots:

Missed an elk at 80 yards broadside.

Missed a trotting blacktail buck at 18 yards.

Missed so many coyotes at less than 50 yards that I'm absolutely ashamed to admit it.

Don Martin

Thats funny Don... about the coyotes, I can relate.
One of my "best" shots I made stemmed from a very bad one... I was calling coyotes and set up so that he would break-cover around 40 yards. So here he comes I swung on him and he was head on... I fired at 15 yards and didnt see him fall in the scope. I stood up and didnt see the dog on the ground... hmm I thought they usually drop when you length-wise them with a 22 mag, and he was kinda small. I searched the ground and found a 1" patch of bottom fur. I searched for 2 hours and never found him. 3 and half hours later I was calling in a huge wash I could see 3/4 of mile front and back. Here comes a coyote 600 yards or so out... in the scope his arm is swing'in loose and is all read... IT WAS THE SAME DOG I SHOT OVER 3 HOURS AGO. He stopped at 300 yards and was starting to trot back I told my friend to stop calling and I yelled at the dog, he stopped, looked back, I threw my rifle up to my shoulder and ripped off a round off hand... his butt had a seat and he was not going anywhere, hit in the spine mind you. He was about 350 yards off... boy I felt good that I had an opportunity to finish him off. What pure luck. Poor bastard must have been hungry.

typo red from blood on his shoulder

Sarge,
My best/luckiest shot was also the Closest Whitetail kill that I ever made.
I was easing down the hillside,looking for bedded deer in the heavy brush,and rocky ledges that cover that entire section.
I spotted one,but he was LYING down on his belly,with his head laying on his forelegs,like a dog.I walked right up to him from the rear,and gave him a gentle kick with my boot.There was NO reaction,I assumed that he had been shot,an then died overnight.
I put the safety back on my Krag,and leaned it against a tree.He appeared to be good camp meat.As I drew my knife from the sheath,I saw his eyes OPEN.
As quick as I could,I put the knife back,and reached for my rifle.As I raised it to my shoulder,the Buck,all in one motion,raised to his feet and jumped over the ledge.The ledge was about ten feet high,and he jumped about ten feet beyond it.My shot,strictly on auto pilot,hit him in the spine,just as he entered he brush,from above,and went out of sight.I had no idea if I had hit him,or not. I knew that he could not move from the area,I thought that he had impaled himself on a heavy branch.It took a while for me to unscramble my brains,and climb down to put him away.
That is the only Flying,Dead deer that I have ever shot

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Here is kind of an off story but one I like. I was hunting Elk with my DAD 4 or 5 years ago we were walking a small patch of trees very thick and very long which was between two lager open fields. It was late and we were on the way back to the truck but about 100 yards apart. I hear his 35 whelen go off one time and knew he got one. It was late and I said to myself he will need help and we will be hear all night. So in mid swing a group of elk put the brakes on in front of me like at 10 yards on and looked back as to say we got away. Since my 338 was pointed to where they stoped I could not pass up a shot like that. Well the Elk heard bang and on the run again. Both animals went down with a single X bullet less than 15 seconds apart and both went less than 20 yards before there dead. But it took us all night and the next morning to get them out.

oops I meant in mid swing to put my rifle over my shoulder so I could go help DAD

My best shot was actually during dove season.

I was on the side of a hill and two mourning doves flew down the side of the hill and were going parallel to it.

I had a 12ga Ruger Red Label at the time and fired one shot. Got both of them

It was kinda cool to be able to see the pattern kick up dirt around them.

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It is not enough to fight for natural land and the west; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it's still there. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends...Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much: I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those deskbound men with their hearts in a safe-deposit box and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this: you will outlive the bastards.

- Edward Abbey

Pheasant on the wing from the hip 12g

Coyote at a dead run 150yds out in the driving MT wind. .338win.

One of my favorites was the gopher with my 45-70 gov. not a spectacular shot at 25yds. But graphic!

My best shot was on a stag in Europe.

During rut hunting from a tree-stand, a 10-point-stag came sideward in front of me about 140 yards. So I took my Blaser R93 Luxury 10.3x60R with a 3-12x56-Zeiss scope and I shot one time. But the stag always walked. Did I miss him? I reloaded my rifle and I shot a second time and after the second shot, the stag dropped dead and rolled down.

After waiting twenty minutes I walked over to the stag. And you could imagine the surprise. Both of the shots where in the same place. It means there was only one hole. I hit him in the back right between the shoulder blades. Because of the walk of the stag after the first shot, the two 253 grains SM-Thun bullets sorts on two different places!! I hit him two times in the same hole!

Regards
Collani

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[This message has been edited by Collani (edited 07-17-2001).]

Three come to mind, none on big game.

1. Fast draw on a rabbit. 16 years old with a Ruger Single Six in a Buscadero low slung holster. Rabbit got up about 15 yards away running across my front. I drew and fired from the hip and nailed it with a perfect shoulder shot. As an aside, my friend later shot himself in the leg with that same Ruger trying to fast draw from that same Buscadero holster.

2. 125 yard dove. Same year as #1, Model 1100 12 gauge, I (irresponsibly in retrospect) swung on a passing dove a w-a-y long way away and fired one shot. That dove dropped like I'd swatted him with a tennis racket. One single #6 pellet had hit his brain. Even on a dove you wouldn't think a #6 pellet would have enough energy to penetrate, but it did. Counted 125 giant steps to reach him.

3. 110 yard tweety bird. About age 17 or 18 I used a Ruger 10-22 with peep sights to hit a sparrow in a tree, first shot. One shot and he seemed to jump about two feet back with feathers flying. Counted 110 long steps to get to him.

Note all of these are in my misspent youth. I don't try to take long or trick shots anymore, but try to get closer.

[This message has been edited by Jim in Idaho (edited 07-17-2001).]

The luckiest shot I ever witnessed was one my friend Ray made on our first pronghorn antelope hunt. We jumped a herd of about 30 animals at less than 50 yards on the end of a real sharp hogback ridge north of Jordan, Montana. A small buck stood up and looked at us and I dropped him. The herd took off in a tight knot, going flat out. Ray was using an old K98 8x57 with receiver sights. He threw the gun up and pulled the trigger. Snap. He had forgotten to load the chamber. By the time he worked the action the antelope were 300 yards out. At the shot the big buck in the center of that herd rolled. The entrance hole was inside his anus, the exit hole between his shoulders. Took off the top of the heart. One in a zillion!!!!!

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Ignorance is curable, but stupidity is terminal.

I was hunting quail in the chili fields near Hatch, New Mexico. I had a left-to-right going-away shot, and I must have been a little ahead, because there was exactly one pellet hole in the bird, and it was a perfect brain shot - in through the right eye and out through the left.

The luckiest shot I ever witnessed was when a buddy of mine cut a dragonfly in half with an overhead shot from the hip with his Crosman 760.

Worst shot and best shot followed within about 20 minutes of each other... shot at leopard standing on a tree branch (from a solid rest) made a marginal hit..the best shot followed after a short wait while the game scout and PH sorted out the trail and made a plan in which I was invited to participate....after a relatively short time, I think it was about 20 years or maybe 15 minutes, we came upon the wounded cat in some mixed but mostly short cover. The best shot ever followed quickly at about 10 yards with my .375....into the chest and made a new anus about 2" from the original. Actually turned the animal around and it landed dead facing the way it came. Lucky or good it is the shot I will always remember.

When I was about 12 years old. My friend and I were out with our pellet guns looking for some sparrows. We saw a lone sparrow sitting on tree branch 78 yards away. It was so far that the bird just looked like a dot in the tree. So I brought the gun to my shoulder held a little high and fired. Then to our surprise the bird fell. We walked over to it and I hit it directly in the head! We laughed for about 5 minutes because of the range and the fact I had shot off hand.

We didn't know the distance at that time but we were going through that area hunting recently so we used my laser range finder to determine just how far it really was. This all happened 15 years ago and we still talk about it once in a while.