The single shot discussion has me thinking about times we may have missed the first shot, but still made the kill on big game.
What were the circumstances, game, range, terrain, and weapon used for you.



I remember twice for me, on PA whitetail. 1st was with a Savage 110 in 270. The sun rose on a deer in the field, a buck. My first shot went over him. He looked up, and gave me time to shoot again, I got him on the second shot. Any center fire action could have worked, maybe even a muzzel loader would have had time for a second shot. The range was 340 paces.

Second time was two years ago, hunting with a bow. In an open field at 30 yards, my first arrow flew wildly, I'm sure the broadhead opened in flight. She ran back to the woods, then came back, I spined her at 35 yards. I don't think I could have reloaded a crossbow without spooking the deer, so it was good to have a compound bow with a bow quiver.

I can also remember times when having a repeater didn't help. I was a teenager, around 1990, the height of deer overpopulation in our area. I was hunting with an old man, friend of Dad's, while Dad pushed for us. I killed a doe before the drive started. Dad's friend, Hib, came over to help gut when the herd came across the field. I think it was 28 deer, all in the field running. The first were leaving the field as the last were entering. I asked Hib why he only shot 3 times when his gun held 5. He said it took 3 shots to realize he wasn't going to hit a running deer.

I was bow hunting for whitetail and had dropped my release five minutes earlier while trying to turn and shoot a doe that had come up behind me. I swear it hit every step on the way down. As I was contemplating climbing down to get the release, another doe and yearling walked out strait ahead at about 33 yds. I decided to try the shot without the release. The doe was broadside and it looked like a clear shot so I let fly. About midway between us I saw my arrow hit a small limb and fly strait up into the canopy. Then the doe hit the ground and kicked a little. Apparently my arrow hit another limb and came back down, hitting the doe in the spine just behind her ears. Unbelievable, I know, but I got the meat. Only deer I've shot with a bow that I didn't have to track at all.

daniel77

I hoppe as soon as you recovered that deer you drove straight to town and bought a lottery ticket. With that kind of luck you would only need to buy one.

What broadhead were you using?

Not exactly the same. Missed the first three shots and did not make the kill. I can't figure out to this day what happened. I went back later and shot the rifle to check zero and it was on target.

I shoot a lot. I zero most rifles at 100 yds, dead on, as most of my shooting is done at two hundred yds or less. Rifles that shoot 1" groups or under at 100 yds stay, those that don't get sold.

I had a kimber 300 short mag with exquisite wood that would not shoot partitions, which happen to be a bullet that I like. However I had developed a load using either sierra or hornady's that shot under an inch at 100 yds.

I was at my deer lease by myself. It was a tuesday and the rut was on. I'd been in the stand since before daylight and it was getting on toward lunch time. I was getting ready to pack it in, but decided to take one last look around with the binocs. I caught a glimpse of something out about two hundred yds. straight in front of me where the trees opened up just enough to see. I waited about a minute or so and it came closer. Wow, best hill country buck I've ever seen in 11 years of hunting. It was a big bodied mature deer with heavy main beams and high tines. He was coming right at me. Needless to say I was jazzed. I waited until he came within 125 yds or so. He stopped and was in the open looking around and quartering to me. Easy shoulder or spine shot. I drew a bead and fired. It took a second to recover from the recoil. He was still standing there looking. He had heard the shot but not done anything but stand there and look. I couldn't believe it. That type of stuff don't happen to me (or so I thought then). So he is still standing there so I drew another bead on his shoulder and fired again. After I regained the sight picture, same thing. Well I was just about hysterical at this time. Best buck I had seen in my life, I've shot at him twice while he's standing still at 125 yds. I'm just about to have a heart attack by this time so I try one more time to nail him. I make a third shot and as I recover, he starts loping off. Not on a dead run mind you but at a pretty good clip. I couldn't believe it. I got out of the stand and scoured the area for a blood trail for about two hours. Never found the first drop. I was so disgusted that I would have wrapped that rifle around a tree trunk if I hadn't paid so much for it and the scope.
This same trip, next day, I was heading towards the back of the lease where I had seen another really good buck. I had the same kimber rifle with me. I was riding on my polaris with the rifle slung over my shoulder. I was going up hill and had just topped a rise when I looked up in front of me about 70 yds. There was the buck I was looking for just getting ready to cross the trail I was riding on. He was heading toward a juniper thicket, probably to bed down. I never carry a rifle with a shell in the chamber, but in my excitement, I stopped the atv, unlimbered the rifle, brought it to my shoulder, snicked off the safety, got the buck in my sights and "click". What a dummy. So I go to cycle the bolt, and being a short mag, the next round pops up and out of the magazine. So I try to cyle the bolt again and the same thing happens. Now I have two bullets on the ground. Got the third bullet chambered. However during the 15 or so seconds that I have been fumbling with the action trying to get a bullet in the chamber, the buck has been walking toward thick cover. Wouldn't you know it, just as I get ready to fire he dissapears in the trees. Talk about disgusted. Missed two good deer because of this rifle. I traded it that week when I got back to town.
GWB

I have a tendency to over judge distances. In 2006, I took a shot at a mule deer that I thought was about 300 yards. I shot over him but I was able to get a quick reset and take a follow up shot. Dead right there on the second shot.

I have since invested in a Nikon Monarch 800 Rangefinder.

MThuntr,

Here in Texas I hunt at sea level to 2300 ft elevation. In Montana and Colorado I've hunted between 7000 and 10000 ft elevation. I thought I was a pretty good judge of distance until I hunted there. Distances that looked like 250 yds would be over 500 yds. I definately use a rangefinder there.
GWB

I had a very simple shot on a pronghorn buck years ago, but he shocked me. I had seen him with two doe a few hundred yards away, but in stalking I lost him. I was still 100+ yards from the doe, when the buck stood up out of the tall grass at about 50 yards. I didn't think I had any time to do anything but shoot, so I did. I believe I shot over him, using a 25.06 Rem with 120 gr. Sierra HPBT reloads. I was cursing myself when he ran off, but watched him stop at 325 yds beside one of the doe. I got down, set the Harris bipod, and fired. He never flinched, just dropped like a sack of grain off the tailgate of a truck, and didn't move. When we got to him I found I had hit him high, in the liver.

1) a running pronghorn, missed on first, killed on 2nd. 243 win
2) My best mule deer, missed on first three on a running buck spooked by someone else, killed him on number 4 when he stopped to look back at 150 yds. 270 win
3) dall ram, when I jumped him out of bed on mountain-top and he ran downhill and stopped at 100 yds, shot & missed, he ran a little further and killed him on second. 30/06 S&W
4) small mule deer buck, missed on first--he didn't move much, killed on second at 100 yds. 270 win
5) decent mule deer, missed on first as he was running , Texas heart shot on second. 270 win
6) caribou, running, missed on first, hit on 2,3,4 30/06 s&w
7) can't think of any whitetail that let me get a decent second if I missed the first
Have to think about hogs.

If I can't hit em with the second bullet I just give up on the animal. I had a 243 I bought, the darn thing wouldn't hit an animal no matter how close or far away they were. Wouldn't you know I let my brother try to shoot the gun, he was a killer. No animal was safe when he was packing that 243. Do any of you guys had a rifle that won't shoot for you.

This year i had a good buck come out in some pretty thick cover i knew the shot was pretty far and through some thick stuff. First shot didnt hit and the deer ran 15yds back the way it came. Second shot didnt hit and he ran a little closer to me, third shot pushed him a little closer same with fourth, by that time he had run towards me so the fifth shot was pretty close it was a frontal that took off the top of his heart.

When i came out of the woods my bro said was that you who shot 5 times? I said no i shot 3 and i really believed it, in all the excitement i lost count but i got my deer. This was the first time i have ever had to toss so much lead, but this rifle is pretty light which i find a little tougher to steady.

Two days later i ran into a doe and one shot at 35yds worked like a charm, that 358 win really does a number on em....

wasted a bullet on my elk this last yr,
alittle more wind than i allowed for.
stuffed him with the 2nd shot and filled the freezer.
2 yrs ago missed a slam dunk 120 yd shot on the biggest bull i've ever killed,tight shooting lane and clipped a branch.
bull walked into a bigger lane and....

I have missed on the first shot and killed the animal numerous times. Have also put additional rounds in an animal after the first shot hit on several different occassions. Sometimes the first hit was good, soemtimes not. But if they keep motivating, I keep shooting. I have doens this with numerous bolt actions and a semi-auto

Quite a few times on birds. Never with a rifle though, except possibly varminting.

I had quite a case of Kudu fever this past May. I was hunting in Namibia with Vaughan Fulton's PH Brian. We had just finished loading up my mountain zebra and were driving back towards a jeep trail, heading for camp, easing along the base of a rocky hill. The tracker in the back spotted a kudu bull and started tapping on the roof of the truck. We all piled out and Brian immediately planted the sticks in front of me and hissed "Shoot him!". I have very good eye sight, but I simply could not see this damn kudu! I stood there trying to get my gun loaded, straining under every bush, getting more excited by the moment. I finally saw the kudu when a second bull trotted out from the shade of the cliff above us. I had been looking intently under the sparse brush in front of us when the two bulls were actually 50 feet above hidden in the shade of the cliff. At any rate I botched the first shot off of the sticks, shooting over the bigger bulls back. Fortunately he stopped after a short trot and I got my act together and killed him with a shot to the base of the neck from about 70 yards. I haven't been that freaked out since I was about 12.

On driven hunts this is not that rare, even though I try not to shoot unless I am certain that I can hit the animal well.

When I start to fire, I continue shooting until the animal is down, in most cases however I fund them with several holes.

i have hunted with a longbow (and recurves) for 50 years, thus my handle here. i remember the first whitetail i killed was a doe. i shot under her with the first woodie, she trotted off and returned. shot under her with the 2nd woodie, she trotted off and returned. finally made a good lung shot with the third arrow after i settled down. GOD wanted me to kill that deer! hunting with a gun is ok, but for me, nothing compares to a stick and string. older now so the heaviest i draw is 50-53 lbs, but it'll still shoot thru deer and elk.