Luckiest or best shots you've ever made?

[txheartshot]

42 yard head shot on a fox with my HeliM, in the dark. I had already put my arrow in my quiver, and was sitting extra late to see if the pigs would show up. I saw a rabbit run from my right to left so I scrambled to get my arrow nocked, thinking it might be a bobcat. Fox came trotting in towards the feeder, the straight away from me down the 2 track. I gave him a smooch to get him to stop, completely guessed at the distance thinking he was about 40 yards, and let the arrow fly. I saw my nock as my arrow ricocheted up and into the brush. Thinking I’d missed I went to take a look and found the fox lying there. I ranged the pop-up from where he laid and it was 42 yards. I’d rather be lucky than good!




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[xman59]

shot a doe coming down hill toward me, 32 yards with a bow.. i had enough confidence to make the frontal shot and i knew she had seen me and started the head bob thing trying to get a better view...when i took the shot she dropped like she had been shot right through the head,, walked up the hill to her and found my arrow had gone right through her eye ball, out the back of her head and took out about 6-8" of spine just in front of the hind quarters,,,, i hit exactly were i was aiming,,, she just happened to keep her eye on the arrow!!

[RifleBowPistol]

I used to like to take long shots, I had one long shot go bad, lost a nice buck. I was a lot more careful what long shots I took.

Years ago I was working on a ranch one summer, I was 15. After I was done with work for the day, I would do some hunting. One afternoon, I took my Ben Pearson 50 lb. draw weight compound out, to try and shoot some jackrabbits. I don't remember finding any jackrabbits that day, I was walking back to camp, it was getting late afternoon. I saw a cottontail up on the top of a hill, below a big old live oak. That piece of property was mostly coastal field and corn fields, very few trees. I knew I probably could not sneak much closer. I got about 90 yards or so from the rabbit, took my best guess and the hold over, took a guess at how much to compensate for the wind. Then let the arrow fly. I watched the arrow go up, arc, then fall towards the rabbit. As it was coming down, it looked like it was going straight for the rabbit. Then it hit and the rabbit flipped until dead. I managed to hit the rabbit with a perfect shot to the chest, likely heart shot.

Some years later, we were taking a tripod out to a old peanut field, trying to find a place to set it up, figured it would be a good place to hunt. On the backside of the field, we saw a coyote trotting across the peanut field. We stopped tossed the tripod out of the bed of the truck. I let my buddy go up the tripod, gave him three shells and my 7mm. I called the shots, he fired off all three rounds, did not hit it. I told him to leave the rifle up on the tripod. I grabbed three more shells, went up the tripod, guessed at the holdover and the lead. Squeezed off, the first round was about 2 ft. low, the lead was a bit back, was below his rear legs. So I lead more, increased the holdover and squeezed off a second round. That shot was close. I could not see the dirt kick up. But it looked like it just grazed his belly. So I kept close to the same lead, but added a little more, then held over a slight bit more and squeezed off the last shot. The coyote disappeared.

It took a long time to find the coyote, it was a lot farther than we thought, we finally found it. Perfect shot dead on the shoulder. Standing beside the coyote and looking back at the truck, across a flat peanut field, it had to be at least 800 yards, but I really don't know. It was a long shot. It was definitely the longest shot I ever connected on. I had previously shot two different bucks, years apart, both somewhere in the range of 600 yards.

When I was a teenager and through my 20s and into my 30s I shot a lot, I shot air rifles a hell of a lot. Shot rifles and pistols, typically for a few hours a day, multiple times a week. I also shot my bows, for numerous hours a day, multiple times a week. I did not do this all year, but at times of the year, when I had time. The other thing I used to shoot a lot, from when I was about 6 years old to my early 20s, was sling shots, or wrist rockets. I was pretty good with a sling shot. I used to find beer bottles, put them in the sand, with the neck facing towards me. I would adjust the bottle, so from about 20 to 30 ft. I could see straight down the neck of the bottle. I would line up as many bottles as I could find. Typically four to six bottles. I would use marbles when shooting bottles. I got pretty good at shooting a marble down the neck of a beer bottle and blowing the bottom out of the beer bottle, from 20 to 30 ft. I was deadly on rabbits and birds. I eventually discovered 00 Buck. That increased my range and lethality a lot over marbles. One of my best shots, I shot a bird off a limb from about 40 yards, with a 00 Buck. That 00 Buck was much flatter flying than anything else I ever used for ammo and hit much harder, more so at longer ranges. I shot multiple rabbits with the 00 Buck. The first one I shot, the ball zipped straight through the rabbit, then I could hear it cracking brush as it zipped through the brush on the other side of rabbit.

[jdg13]

I was invited on a duck hunt with some clients last year. Most of them couldn't shoot that well and were joking with me about killing all the ducks. A gadwall landed at least 60, closer to 70 yards out on the water. I was on the end closest to it. The guide said "y'all wanna try him?" No one stood up. I slipped a 3" Hevi Shot #4 into my 870. I've swatted plenty of birds 40+ yards with the stuff, mostly cripples, but can't hit well with it flying since they are super slow. I mounted the gun, rested it on the blind, and acted like I was doping a scope, all were laughing. Held over just a hair, popped one off, and killed that duck stone cold dead. Everyone was standing there in disbelief. The guide asked if I was shooting lead, it definitely wasn't steel he says. Don't think I'll top that one anytime soon unless I break out a rifle

[Abu_dude]

Best I got is I guided a turkey hunt for a first time shooter many years back. Struck up a couple of gobblers and called them in from a ways off. 5 gobblers rolled in to our set up and I tell him to pick one out and let him have it. He fires and 3...THREE toms him the ground stone dead. Turns out the dude didn't have a choke in the shotgun at all and would have been luck to hit a barn door at 30 yds.

[Hoss163]

They are all lucky and good in my opinion if it’s a kill and you recover them .

[JustinJ]

Shot a mouse with the bow once. He was under the feeder and I was bored

[ultrastealth]

A buddy of my dad's had just bought a flintlock pistol and talked my dad into accompanying him to the range. He talked my dad into shooting it first. My father said, you see that paint can on that post over there? (over 100 yards away). He held way high and pulled the trigger. After a relatively long delay, the paint can rocked and the sound of a hit came back. His astonished buddy said "do that again!" My dad said, "nope. I showed you how to do it. My job is done here".

[Tbar]

Two bobcat with one 12ga shell.

[gander]

Back in high school when the limit during early teal season was only 4, I killed my full limit on my first shot of the day.

Also back in high school during Conservation Snow Goose season, my brother and a group of 4 other of our friends crawled a rice field and 4 of them only shot twice each and one guy shot 3 times, so 11 total shots and after it was all said and done they finished up with 146 snow geese.

3 years ago the marsh around here held huge numbers of bluewing from September all the way to the end of duck season. Limits of teal were almost a guarantee. One morning the first group that came in I had a pair break off about 15 yards out and I pulled the trigger when they both flew together and knocked them both out with one shell. The following group did it almost the exact same, this time two drakes split off and grouped up right when I hit the trigger and they both fell out. I decided I had to try and do it again. I passed on the next several groups because I never had a pair line up. I finally got it and knocked two down again, the last barely being winged, but down none the less. 6 bird limit with 3 shells.

I was sitting in a pop up blind with my younger cousin at a family friends place in Roosevelt. We were trying to get him his first bow kill. We had a group of axis does come in and I told him to get ready. I was telling him which one to shoot at and he released the arrow. It made a very loud noise and I saw the arrow go well below the one he was shooting at. I told him he missed and then saw where he had hit the blind itself. He said, no I didn't, look. I looked up at that time to see the axis fawn that had been standing behind them get wobbly and tip over. When the arrow went thru the blind, the blades deployed, the arrow went under the intended doe, skipped off the ground and cut the fawns throat as it went past her.

[riverbowman]

Purple Grackle out of the air with my daisy pump bb gun. Probably more excitement over that than any critter I've ever taken.

[saintsfan]

Some of my three best and luckiest shots.

1) Rifle hunting - we lived in Midland and were invited on a hunt on the Kenedy Ranch in the Jaboncillos division for Nilgai and whitetail. For the entire drive from Midland, my buddy and I are giving each other grief about our shooting (even though we are both pretty fair shots). The other guys in the truck were thinking these guys are full of it. We get to the camp around 1:00 and start driving on the high rack pretty shortly after that. Within 30 minutes we pull up on a small herd of nilgai cows, after all of the talk on the way down I had been chosen as the 1st shooter. I picked up the .325 wsm as the cows started running. I aim at a cow in the middle of the pack and squeeze the trigger. Between the recoil of the rifle and the dust kicked up by the herd, I could not tell exactly what happened. As the rest of the herd ran off there was dirt floating in the air where the herd had been. We drive the 80-100 yds and there was a nilgai cow down. The 200 grain .325 bullet caught her in the neck half way between the head and shoulder, folding her up like a cheap suit. Of course I played it cool and explained that if the guys needed any more shooting demonstrations to let me know.

2) Bow hunting - I was hunting my favorite tree on the farm in Illinois which is on a major intersection. There is an active scrape to my left (South) about 30 yds. That year I had committed to filming all of my hunts, for my personal enjoyment. So I have the camera on an arm over my left shoulder and the bow on a hanger over my right shoulder when a 2.5 year old 6 point walks from behind me and to the scrape. I catch him as he is walking in and I position the camera to film, but forge to hit the "record" button. I grab my bow and turn to my left in order to take aim but the camera is now blocking my shot. I then rotate the camera out of the way and re-adjust so that I can now see out of the digital display, still not hitting the record button. I settle the 30 yd pin on his shoulder and release. Immediately all hell breaks loose, I did not realize that my lower cam was just above the arm rest of the lock on stand, so when I released the cam hit the arm rest and kicked the bow up, striking the camera arm. I look up and the deer is hauling but straight south of me until I loose sight of him behind a big oak tree to the south of my stand. Being frustrated and confused I sit down and collect myself.

After a few minutes I get my binoculars out and start looking for the lumenock. I see it right behind the scrape. This is GREAT! I then look and can see blood, even better! So I get down from the tree and as I am walking to the scrape to retrieve my arrow I look up and see the white underbelly of the buck from 70 yds away. I get to him and there is blood everywhere, the rage had sliced his liver and he passed away in seconds. So fortunate that that things worked out but I always replay this scenario when hunting out of lock on stands with arm rests.

3) Shotgun - me and a buddy hunting a small pond in Oklahoma when 2 mallard drakes and a hen come into land. As they are about 2 feet off the water I call the shot and then stand up and shoot. All three ducks fold. I look at my buddy and ask him if he shot. He says that he did not. So 1 shot and 3 mallards, that was the only shot fired that day.

On a side note, we should start at "most memorable misses" thread. I could definitely contribute to that one.

[okrattler]

Some of my three best and luckiest shots.

1) Rifle hunting - we lived in Midland and were invited on a hunt on the Kenedy Ranch in the Jaboncillos division for Nilgai and whitetail. For the entire drive from Midland, my buddy and I are giving each other grief about our shooting (even though we are both pretty fair shots). The other guys in the truck were thinking these guys are full of it. We get to the camp around 1:00 and start driving on the high rack pretty shortly after that. Within 30 minutes we pull up on a small herd of nilgai cows, after all of the talk on the way down I had been chosen as the 1st shooter. I picked up the .325 wsm as the cows started running. I aim at a cow in the middle of the pack and squeeze the trigger. Between the recoil of the rifle and the dust kicked up by the herd, I could not tell exactly what happened. As the rest of the herd ran off there was dirt floating in the air where the herd had been. We drive the 80-100 yds and there was a nilgai cow down. The 200 grain .325 bullet caught her in the neck half way between the head and shoulder, folding her up like a cheap suit. Of course I played it cool and explained that if the guys needed any more shooting demonstrations to let me know.

2) Bow hunting - I was hunting my favorite tree on the farm in Illinois which is on a major intersection. There is an active scrape to my left (South) about 30 yds. That year I had committed to filming all of my hunts, for my personal enjoyment. So I have the camera on an arm over my left shoulder and the bow on a hanger over my right shoulder when a 2.5 year old 6 point walks from behind me and to the scrape. I catch him as he is walking in and I position the camera to film, but forge to hit the "record" button. I grab my bow and turn to my left in order to take aim but the camera is now blocking my shot. I then rotate the camera out of the way and re-adjust so that I can now see out of the digital display, still not hitting the record button. I settle the 30 yd pin on his shoulder and release. Immediately all hell breaks loose, I did not realize that my lower cam was just above the arm rest of the lock on stand, so when I released the cam hit the arm rest and kicked the bow up, striking the camera arm. I look up and the deer is hauling but straight south of me until I loose sight of him behind a big oak tree to the south of my stand. Being frustrated and confused I sit down and collect myself.

After a few minutes I get my binoculars out and start looking for the lumenock. I see it right behind the scrape. This is GREAT! I then look and can see blood, even better! So I get down from the tree and as I am walking to the scrape to retrieve my arrow I look up and see the white underbelly of the buck from 70 yds away. I get to him and there is blood everywhere, the rage had sliced his liver and he passed away in seconds. So fortunate that that things worked out but I always replay this scenario when hunting out of lock on stands with arm rests.

3) Shotgun - me and a buddy hunting a small pond in Oklahoma when 2 mallard drakes and a hen come into land. As they are about 2 feet off the water I call the shot and then stand up and shoot. All three ducks fold. I look at my buddy and ask him if he shot. He says that he did not. So 1 shot and 3 mallards, that was the only shot fired that day.

On a side note, we should start at "most memorable misses" thread. I could definitely contribute to that one.

Someone started a thread about missing after this one was started. A few people have contributed to it already but not as many as I figured would have. Might still hurt to talk about some of those.

[catslayer]

Two shots come to mind…

One killed a coyote, running, in the dark… with a scope that we realized was broken and would move at least a foot after every shot

Second was a follow up shot on a doe I had hit the spine… all I had was a practice tip I use on coon… drilled her at 30 right in the back of the head for a follow up.

[bowmansdad]

I’ve got a couple. Way back when hunting near Luckenbach, a buck started across the road about 125 out, I put my rifle up and fire and he folds DRT. Got him back to camp and hang him up and the only mark on him is a slight mark on his neck, no hair and a little flesh strip gone, guess it was enough for the .280! 😊
My best was around Kendalia, we had a bunch of big gobblers running around and everyone was seeing/ shooting them except me. This went on until December and everywhere they were, I wasn’t!😱😱 Finally, my son and I were hunting and I saw the big boys walking toward the feeder. I let them start feeding and picked out one and rolled him with my 25-06, they scattered and 2 came my way, I picked one out and lined him up like a shotgun and folded him up! Got my son as a witness! 😂😂