Did you miss an animal this year?

[Tyson]

Missed what would have been my biggest buck at last light a month ago, arrow deflected off a branch and went about 5 feet over his back. A little heartbreaking but that’s just bow hunting

 

[JBrew]

Missed what would have been my best whitetail bow kill, at 25 yards, broadside. Talk about disappointment! However, it may have been the best hunt I've ever had.

 

[87TT]

Had a big herd bull come charging in at me. He turned quarter to at 11 yards and let the arrow fly. Glanced off his upper leg and down into the brisket. Only penetrated 7" or so and fell out as he ran by me at 6 yards. Minimal blood after waiting 4 hours. Followed it until it quit and stayed on the mountain until dark. Went back the next day and several other times and no sign of him or birds so pretty sure he survived. Right after I shot, I was surrounded by elk including a raghorn at 30 yards. That was the only shot with a bow I got this year. I did take cow with a rifle later.

 

[Billy Goat]

Missed a coyote running dead away in tall grass about 250-270 yards. Had a good standing broadside shot, but some dumbass left his scope on high power and couldn't find the thing with the sun behind it.


Several deer so far without issue, that can change at anytime tho.

 

[Azone]

I’m still not ready to talk about it. Stupid freaking rangefinder.

 

[cday34]

Missed a stud whitetail from my climber. My bottom cam hit the side rail of the stand as I shot. Arrow went 3' over his back and my string derailed...

 

[BigDog00]

Missed a 5pt bull at 27 yards. I drew too early and tried to slip through a tight gap between two trees. Ended up deflecting off the tree.

Couple days later I cold called in a spot I had no intentions of seeing an elk...a rag horn snuck in on me while I was sitting on my butt not paying attention. I shot at 50 yards and the bottom cam hit my leg and sent an arrow to the heavens. I nervous grunted him back in....he wasn't very bright. Killed him at 40 yards.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

I’m still not ready to talk about it. Stupid freaking rangefinder.

Better than having friend call out range by eye and be way off. Well off by 215 yards. This with range finder in his jacket pocket.

 

[Q child]

I missed a cow elk. I aimed for her neck, and was a little high. Also, I scoped my forehead on that shot. It was a disappointing morning. I did not get another chance at a cow, so no elk for me.
I did kill a nice muley a couple days later though.

 

[JakeSCH]

I completely wiffed on my first shot on a bull at 250y off my pack standing upright. Such a big target at a close distance, but my mind went to mush hearing my buddy, "shoot it! That is a big one, shoot it!! Just shoot!!"

Fortunately I was able to get one more crack at it after running a few hundred yards, took a deep breath and used a juniper limb to steady and put one into both shoulders.

 

[Farmingdale's Finest]

I learned some hard lessons with the recurve and now fully understand why many call it the strugglestick. My confidence going into the season was very high ( I came in second at the state 3d championships my first year with a recurve.) but after the first few weeks of November it was at an all time low.

The first pic is a doe that I shot in the shoulder blade with the recurve. It flipped over and landed on it's back.. I have killed about 150 deer with the compound and never more than grazed the scapula but this was my second shot square with the recurve in it. I had 3 other deer flip like this one and all were dead either on the spot or within 30 yards. We lost blood after having good lung blood for 250 yards. Looked a total of 10 hours over two days and never found it or another drop after we came to the last spot from the day before.

The second pic is one of 5 bucks I had inside 30 yards and missed him clean. I shot one about this size that seemed like it was a perfect shot in the pocket chasing a doe. I grunted with my mouth and he stopped at 15 yards. He ran over a small hill only to come running back because he was being gored by a much bigger 140-150" 10 pt that had been tending a doe earlier. I think the monster thought this guy was trying to steal his doe. It was something right out of Drury outdoors until my buck didn't collapse. It coward under a pine tree for about 10minutes and then I lost sight after about 150 yards. I was able to track it to about 200 yards and then called in a dog. When he got there we discovered he wasn't mortally wounded and actually made a scrape while bleeding into it! Since then I have gotten calls from friends that hunt the same woods seeing him chasing does but he hasn't given them a shot.

I then shot and lost another buck when it jumped the string and as it was spinning away I shot him in the spine in the neck. He dropped like a lead balloon only to thrash around and get up to his feet and walk off with only about 15 yards of muscle blood. I came back the next day and went to where I last saw him near a field edge and did a grid search after not finding any more blood.

I went out before work a couple weeks ago with the compound and was able to take this young buck. I needed the confidence boost. I will be practicing my butt off and participating in leagues over the winter to work on where I was breaking down and will come back stronger next season!

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I've missed hundreds of times this year! 3 weeks hunting waterfowl in Canada and another 15 days back home here. My shot average is about 33%. I'm into case #7 of shells...I've probably missed 1,000 times this year. Wow I didnt need to see those numbers

I also missed a follow up shot on my elk. But given I hit 3/4 arrows I dont feel bad, it was thick. Probably didn't need to keep shooting he hit the dirt after the first arrow but was squirming around so I keep shooting until I was out of arrows. Never found that missing arrow either

Did the same thing on my biggest IA Whitetail 20 years ago. Hit him at 35 yards with old compbound bow and only got near lung. He ran across a road and over a hill with half my arrow bobbing (cutting) up and down with every bound. Gave him a few hours and came back and found him in middle of corn field bedded down. His head was up watching me, and as I approached to within 20 yards he lunged forward at me and fell. I shot 3 more arrows into him until he quit moving. Tough SOB kept trying to get up and take me. His last dying death roll broke/bent all 3 aluminum arrows.

 

[Fitzwho]

Off-hand 40-60 yard shot on what would likely have been my first 80" pronghorn. 2020 I missed an off-hand 30 yard shot on what would be my biggest mule deer by a 30" margin. Rifle/Muzzleloader misses. Need to remember to practice off-hand shooting a little bit.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Off-hand 40-60 yard shot on what would likely have been my first 80" pronghorn. 2020 I missed an off-hand 30 yard shot on what would be my biggest mule deer by a 30" margin. Rifle/Muzzleloader misses. Need to remember to practice off-hand shooting a little bit.

Shooting clays can build effective muscle memory for off hand shooting with rifles. Hones process of mounting the gun to the shoulder and quickly finding target. Making sure scope is turned down in magnification helps too.

 

[philos]

Since you are making me relive it…

Missed a nice 4x4 muley at close range but I did get his buddy at a more difficult shot further away just after missing the bigger buck. Perhaps the bigger 4x4 sacrificed his buck friend as they were together but I didn’t see both at the same time.

 

[jte5013]

Not the thread I wish I was contributing to but I missed a WT buck at 25. Either clipped a branch or just missed. Few weeks later missed a doe. Slightly odd position in my tree stand and after trying to re-create the shot I'm pretty sure I was looking above my peep, not through it.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Missed a WT doe last week...she was in ag field and range finder hit the wood line behind her at 365 yards dialed center the crosshairs on her head squeezed off a round right over her head...walk out to her tracks ranged back to shooting spot 225 yards. Sitting for 2 hours with no action lost my focus....

 

[yoopshoot]

Not exactly a miss, well grossly missed my mark. Had whitetail buck running does during rut . 34 yard shot, he paused and I shot. At shot he whirled into arrows path ( was dogging a doe and started to run her again.) My arrow struck him in head, penetrating skull and into brain cavity dropping him. One of the weirdest hunts I’ve ever had …. I’ll definitely wait next time for a closer shot or pass when they are rutted up and squirrely.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MallardSX2]

Went 5 for 5 on deer. All chip shots.

Last year I missed a good buck with my muzzleloader in the woods in illinois. I killed him the next day but it really bothered me that I missed. No idea what happened but it must have been a phantom branch.

 

[Fjellvei]

I posted this question on another forum and the replies were surprising!


As the topic says… did you miss an animal this year?
It’s okay… it happens to the best. I did.


I shot right under a WT doe at 40 yds during archery season - I thought for sure she would duck at least a little but not this time. Complete miss.

I went under a WT doe at 37y as well. High five for us, brother !