I'll go ahead and fess up, might get some help out of it

[Heavy Metal Guitar Hero]

made 4 shots on deer before thanksgiving.
2 horrible.
2 perfect. in that order.
getting way too excited, heart thumping out of chest.
the thing that helped me get the two perfect shots was dry firing on live deer with the crossbolt safety on and ensuring that I held steady. I caught myself pushing down, call it a flinch, at the hammer drop and corrected it. Yep, they heard it.
I spent all kind of time at the range, shoot very good there.
but I need to pick a spot and Im thinking of going down to 3x, I use 6x now.
The thing is, I hunt over feeders with easy shots, its not like I have to hurry. I just need to settle down and think.
so thats it guys. and gals.

[swany]

I still get excited every time trick is to watch the critter for a while until you calm down. If possible. Definately use the lowest power possible. I used to use a variable power scope for hunting, I find them useful but not practical on a hunting rifle. If I want to see something closer, I use my binocs or camera.

[Bestboss]

Guitarplayer-
Don't take anything I say as bad, as I am trying to sort out your question. I'm not sure what you are shooting, that is causing a flinch. What kind of a gun and load is it? How long have you been shooting it. You say your range time is good, so what's different?

I know that looking at something living and breathing when you drop the hammer, is a little different than a paper target, but think of the steaks. Forget the dizzy movies that corrupted us a children. At this moment, you are the preditor and the deer is the prey! In the real animal world, if you don't score, you starve. I think they missed that part in the movies?

Let us in on the details a little better and we can sort it out I'll bet!
Regards
Bestboss

[Heavy Metal Guitar Hero]

the first shot was with an ancient .300 savage, M99. iron sights. the doe was angling away and I just rushed it like a dummy. I've killed numerous animals with iron sights. Anyway I was horrified to walk up and find green stuff everywhere. First and hopefully last gut shot. Never did find the animal, looked that night briefly hoping it would sit down and die. Next morning looked more.
Next bad shot was .308 win, doe head on. Bad move, i thought I would poleaxe it with a spine/neck shot. wrong shot low I think, muscle/bone beet red sparse blood trail, let it rest. hoped it died, tracked far far back into woods. no luck.
Next shot (all different days by the way) after landowner convinced me to stay, 336 CS 170 grain right behind the shoulder, doe never took a step.
Next day landowner wanted me to take a seven point if I saw one, I did, perfect shot slight angle behind shoulder, buck spun around but plowed hard for about 30 yds, that with the .308 99.
so I was glad I turned it around and the landowner pepped me up.

[Papalote]

Sometimes your the windshield, sometimes the bug. I had a clean miss at 40 yards this year. Why? I shot from a poor position, one that I had not practiced. I know you shoot quite often but sometimes we rush shots or try to squeeze one off in the right moment. I took several other deer this year at 70, 90 and 160 yards. Conditions were right on these. If you have never missed, you haven't hunted long. Gut shot.....them too. Now that you are aware of what can happen you'll be ready to overcome it next time.

Papalote

[WyoStillhunter]

HMGH,

I call it "the Learning Curve." Don't feel badly...we've all been there if we will admit it. I've made perfect shots and not so perfect shots myself.

Last year I took a 5X5 elk at about 45 yards with a shot right through the spine. He was DRT, fell in his shadow without taking another step. Good for me! The truth is I was aiming for that sweet spot right behind the elbow. In other words I missed the intended point of impact by 18" or so on an undisturbed, walking, HUGE animal, using a 2.5X scope at 45 yards! And I've been at this game for 45 years!

Congratulations on taking two deer. Bear down, shoot more before the season next year, and go get 'em!

[Bestboss]

Guitar Player,
Well, it sounds like you are getting lot's of action! As for the poor shots, as we all seem to have, they will improve. Those ancient calibers like the 300 Savage and the 308, are more than ample for this deer game. In fact, they are really great to use! Bigger calibers and bigger scopes, will not a better hunter make.

I have hunted deer for nearly 40 years on and off, with a bow. In the last few years, I have joined the kids at our local archery shop. We take part in their video shoot with special tips on our arrows. Truth is, that I have learned more about good and bad shots, than I have in a whole lifetime of shooting. If you ever shoot a bow, you should definately check it out.

As far as losing game, that is a tragedy that all good hunters try very hard to avoid. This year on opening day, I was faced with a shoot/no shoot on a 6 pointer with a 357 handgun of mine. Something was not right with the shot. Close enough and I have had that shot work for me before. Can't explain why, I just lowered the hammer and let the old boy go. No regrets whatsoever. But I have chased too many deer across the county and decided in a split second, that this was going to be one of those times.

Work on the angles and kill zones and don't get in a hurry. I know that's easily said. But you will soon take pride in the ones you let by, as that is where the "ethical" part of the hunter kicks in. It is a lesson that more in the sport could learn. Enough said.
Regards
Bestboss

[Heavy Metal Guitar Hero]

heres the buck


and some speckled trout which of course have to start hittin during hunting season


thanks yall

[Nobody]

Per tradition, the night before the first day of deer season I went out to my friend's house to talk about the next day's event. While I was there he mentioned that a neighbor had seen a "trophy" buck. I didn't think too much of it because, realistically, there's a lot of hunters out there and they have as much of a chance at him as I did. I wasn't being pessimisitic, I just figured somebody else might get him.

First day I'm out at the same friend's house at about 6:30am and am walking downhill and across a large open field. In the dim twilight, I saw several white tails waving "So long sucker" at me as they ran toward the treeline. "Great start", I think to myself.

I finally get to the treeline where I then lay down to crawl under the sharp rusty barbed wire fence. My "sneaking around the woods" skills are not what they never were so I probably sounded like 4 or 5 guys as I tried to move across the dry leaves as I finally came to my favorite spot.

I stood there for an hour or so thinking of all the other deer I'd killed within sight of the big old Sycamore tree. Quite a few deer had fallen to the .264; one to a 308. No shots had ever been more than 100yds and no second shot was ever needed.

Well, being the "experienced" hunter that I am I went through my checklist. I got all my gear situated and then checked my rifle and scope. Since no shot has ever been more than 100yds I turned the front objective down to focus at 50yds then turned my attention elsewhere.

Stood there about another 45 minutes when I saw the first doe. She was acting mighty spooked. Head up, ears swiveling, walking that stiff legged walk - I fully expected her to bolt at any moment. Had she winded me? Had she seen me moving? I had no idea of why she was so jumpy. Just 10 or 15 feet behind her came another doe who didn't seem to have a care in the world. I was puzzled how one doe could be acting so spooked when the doe following her was completely relaxed. Then came the third doe - she had the same carefree attitude as the second doe.

Then...HE showed up. Not more than 60 yards away and a full broadside! I tell you boys...I got the fastest most severe case of buck fever I EVER had. Now I've shot my share of deer. A few years ago I got a mighty nice 18" perfectly symmetrical 8pt within sight of where I was standing. I don't know why I got the fever so bad but man, I knew I had it. I was literally shaking!!!! As I said, he was standing broadside to me, antlers white in the early sun. I brought my rifle up and looked through the scope...but I COULDN'T SEE HIM!!! Where the hell did he go? I bring the gun down a bit and look with both eyes - I see him standing there?! I bring the gun up again and look through the scope...I CAN'T SEE HIM!? *$&%$&#*##* I drop rifle a bit and look over it - there he is! I bring the rifle up a third time and this time, I'm looking at the target with my left eye and trying to get my right eye to find him in the scope. NO GO!!! The deer starts walking...THE DEER STARTS WALKING! but he still hasn't seen, smelled or heard me.

Remember how I said I adjusted the FRONT focus? Well, now I think of checking the rear magnification...it's set on 12X!! No wonder I can't see him! At 12x I can't see the *$&%$&@#(# forest for the trees! *$&$#&#&^$(*$ By now I'm flapping so bad that, despite knowing what the problem is, I DON'T try to fix it. For some reason, I decided that, OK, I know what the problem is but...I'm NOT going to fix it. Don't ask...I don't know why I decided not to make a fix...perhaps I was more concerned with making things worse somehow.

So here's me hiding behind a tree watching the biggest deer I'd seen up close IN my life walking calmly OUT of my life. And that's exactly what I was thinking - I was actually thinking "There he goes, he's walking right out of your life. Somebody else is going to see him and shoot YOUR deer and you're going to allow it to happen." I began to mentally will him to stop walking.

And he did.

And that's all it took. I brought the gun up one last time. The great .264 - the gun that has NEVER missed - my beloved brother's favorite rifle. This time I saw the target. I didn't try a fancy ear shot. Didn't try to bank it off that rock over there. Didn't even try a neck shot. I brought those crosshairs down to the biggest part of that deer I could find and I pulled the trigger.

The gun went off. I lost the target due to recoil but recovered quickly enough to see him bolt. But he wasn't running like a scared deer. No...it was as if he'd been frightened by a loud noise and then, having realized it wasn't a threat, he'd stopped running. I saw him run down into a deep narrow ravine but, although I couldn't be certain, something told me he wasn't going to run far.

I ejected the empty case and threw my hat down to mark the spot from which I'd fired. I began to walk to where I'd seen him last. He'd run about 25 yards and piled up against a small tree. The big 10pt was mine.

I broke so many rules that day. I failed to check both ends of the scope. I'd made too much noise. I'd moved too much. After I'd fired I didn't wait for him to lay down and die quietly so I wouldn't have to track him. Many mistakes were made that should not have been made by a guy with my experience.

When I hear people say they'd "rather be lucky than good" I look at them somewhat incredulously and wonder what they're planning on doing when their luck runs out. I simply don't believe in relying on luck although having written that, I acknowledge that luck plays a part in our lives. I've always been a instinctive hunter who believes in having my gear together - almost like a military operation. Perhaps if I hadn't heard that there was a "trophy" buck to be had, I wouldn't have mentally seized up, I don't know. All I do know is that when everything else went wrong, one thing went correctly. And that's frequently all it takes to go from looking like an idiot to looking like a genius.