Recovering from a botched shot.

[Shangobango]

So, long story short, after hunting my butt off, literally, for the last 9 days and passing on many decent bucks, the largest racked buck I have ever shot at shows himself at 250 yards and I underestimate the distance and botched the shot. I found a little blood, a little hair, no bone, no muscle. I called a buddy with a blood trailing dog that has an exceptional record of recovering deer. The dog trailed the deer about 200 yards farther than where I found last blood and then lost the trail itself.

All in all, from the shot until the realization that the deer was likely alive and well was almost 6 hours. So I feel like we did our due diligence in looking for the deer. The conclusion that we came to from the sign on the ground was that I shot low grazing the deer.

I am having trouble forgiving myself for this. I have been told a dozen times that it happens. As true as I know that is from experience, it doesn’t really help. I have replayed it all in my head over and over. I know that isn’t helping.

When it took me longer than usual to find where the deer was standing at the shot I was worried. When I found where he was standing and looked back to my stand I immediately realized I underestimated the range on the deer. I can see the crosshairs plain as day on the deer and I know I did not hold high enough for the distance. I had a rangefinder with me but didn’t feel as if I had time or need to use it. This is actually the first year I have had a rangefinder. The lane that the deer was standing at the edge of was only 30 feet wide. Most of the time the mature bucks stand in the edge of the lane surveying for does and danger and then proceed directly across. At least in my experience

250 yards with a solid 2 points of contact rest is usually a fairly routine shot for me. I did not rush. Everything felt perfect except the fact that I judged the distance as 190 to 200 instead of the actual 250.

I am just sick. Sick for the deer being wounded and sick at the missed opportunity at what is a buck of a lifetime in this area.

I will shoot the rifle before I go back hunting to check zero. I am 95% certain it is not off.

I go back to work tomorrow. So no chance at redemption until next weekend.

 

[MTLabrador]

I’ve been there for friends that have lost animals before, but this was the first year it happened to me. There was no excuse, just a pulled shot that raked an elk across the top of the back above the spine. It fell, got up, and ran off. I followed tracks for over a mile with the only blood being where it fell. I beat myself up for a while about it.

The only thing I can say, and it didn’t make me feel any better either, is that it does happen. It sucks and I hated it, but it happens.

 

[Gerald Martin]

If you shot low and didn’t find the deer with that effort, odds are pretty good he’s still chasing does.
Beating yourself up won’t help. Hunting isn’t always an exact science. You make the most responsible decisions you can with the best information you have at the time and learn from your failures.

 

[3855WIN]

You should be zeroed to hit the deer at 250 when holding on the body.
Run some cameras and see if he turns up. And look for buzzards. Hate it for you. Good chance he turns back up.

 

[Shangobango]

You should be zeroed to hit the deer at 250 when holding on the body.
Run some cameras and see if he turns up. And look for buzzards. Hate it for you. Good chance he turns back up.

I have always zeroed at 100 yards due to the thick cover a lot of my hunting is in.

I usually have no issues shooting at longer distances with that method.

I shot 60 rounds through this rifle at distances from 50 to 400 yards prior to the season. New rifle and practice never hurts anyway.

I just messed up.

Once I can get some more rounds that I want to shoot in this rifle I am indeed going to zero this one rifle at 200. This whole ammo shortage thing stinks. I have plenty of rounds just not in what I have been shooting in this rifle.

The property is well covered with cameras. Neither me or the other person that hunts in the area has any pics or other sightings of this buck. You know how new ones tend to show up this time of year.

I think he is still out and about doing his thing.

 

[Bulldog0156]

I shit the bed on a shot on a giant bull during archery this year. Did everything right except I shot him when he was bedded. Thought I had enough of his side that I could sneak the arrow in but I guess not. Hit him in the dead zone above the lungs and below the spine. Learned my lesson but I can still see him running away when I close my eyes. It sucks. If it doesn't bother you when it happens, you should probably find something else to do with your time.

Use it as a lesson.

 

[3855WIN]

Shango, I wish you didn’t have to go back to work. The way to recover is to go duck or squirrel hunting. Big game hunting can be a grind. Put some fun back into your hunting.
The positive for your situation is that the blood dog gave up on the track. This means that the deer is alive.
I know of a buck that was shot with an arrow the other day. Blood dog reacted the same as your dog did. A week later, another hunter killed that buck.

 

[tzone]

That difference in distance shouldn't make much more than a few inches difference at that range. So, unless you aimed extremely low or high to begin with, you had that "the fever".

I would agree you did what you could do. Probably more really, since you used the dogs. I think you'd be surprised how resilient they are.

I would be more concerned if you didn't feel bad about it.

 

[Pucky Freak]

It’s a tough pill to swallow no matter how you slice it. Some of the memories of deer I killed years ago are starting to fade from my memory, but not the ones I wounded and lost, and it still stings a little. If it didn’t bother me, I probably shouldn’t continue hunting. After it happens I’ll beat myself up for a little while, running the scenario through my head 1000 times, and consider the what-ifs. But after a time, enough is enough. I refocus that energy into learning more, sharpening my skills, and keeping my equipment in good working order. You can’t be perfect, but you can always become more efficient, proficient, and knowledgeable, to have a better chance at a clean kill your next time around.

Re: distance to sight in IMO it’s whatever distance for your caliber and round that gives you the top of arch as 2” vertical height, e.g. 2” high at 100 yards, 0” at 200. Then you never have to hold low on big game. I don’t see much advantage to sighting in closer for big game, because targets at greater distances require more calculation.

 

[Hunt&FishCO]

These situations happen out in the field - the more experience we have the less frequently these situations occur.

Had variations of this happen to me on whitetail, antelope, elk. It sucks but it’s cemented my resolve to be the best hunter I can be next season. This is a real world situation - not TV; so try and not hold yourself to that standard of perfection.

Lastly - your reaction shows how much respect you have for the animals you pursue, have some pride in that.

 

[Guy]

I think most of us who have done much hunting have messed up a shot or three. I sure have.

You did a good job of trying to find the deer. Now it's time to chalk it up to "lessons learned" and go forward.

I made a poor hit on a mule deer a few years ago, at last light. My hunting buddy wisely said that we should back off, then be out there again at first light. That's what we did - and found the buck dead as a doornail within 50 yards of where we'd stopped searching the night before. I think if we'd have continued pushing that night - we might have pushed him to run farther and farther and maybe get away. I think...

The night was cold. The meat was still in great shape. His antlers hang above my loading bench.

That's one shot I blew - there have been a few others.

Hang in there, and give it another go when you can!

Guy

 

[Shangobango]

That difference in distance shouldn't make much more than a few inches difference at that range. So, unless you aimed extremely low or high to begin with, you had that "the fever".

I would agree you did what you could do. Probably more really, since you used the dogs. I think you'd be surprised how resilient they are.

I would be more concerned if you didn't feel bad about it.

On this rifle with this round, the difference in 200 yards and 250 yards is 4 inches. Doesn't leave a whole lot of room for for even a slight error when you shoot for 200 yards and the target is 250. 4 inches low from where I was trying to hit the deer in the heart is borderline at best.

There was no fever. Just a flat mistake. I saw the buck step to the edge of the lane. I already had the rifle oriented in that direction. I said to myself that is a shooter for sure and never looked at the rack again. I got a good steady rest. I took time to control my breathing. I just did not aim where I should have aimed. I can see the crosshairs at the moment the rifle went off clear as day sitting here now. I watched the deer bolt in the scope after the shot.

Lesson learned.

We are extremely slow at work. I am almost caught up already. May make an evening hunt today and get to hunt most of the day tomorrow if things stay like this.

 

[elkantlers]

Did you have a range finder?

 

[thusby]

I have had this happen once when I borrowed a rifle. It is the only time I have hit and wounded a deer and it felt terrible. I feel for you but you can be pretty confident that deer survived.
I didn't take a 300 yard shot this year just because of a few twigs in front of a deer that had me nervous. 98% of the time that shot makes it through and it is a dead deer but there is the off chance that a twig sends the bullet tumbling and I would feel terrible.

 

[rjthehunter]

That difference in distance shouldn't make much more than a few inches difference at that range. So, unless you aimed extremely low or high to begin with, you had that "the fever".

I would agree you did what you could do. Probably more really, since you used the dogs. I think you'd be surprised how resilient they are.

I would be more concerned if you didn't feel bad about it.

That's what I was thinking, unless he's shooting a slug there isn't much drop at only 250 yards. Being off 50 yards at that close of a range would only equate to just under an inch of bullet drop for my 338.

I lost a young buck I shot with a bow when I was 14. Hit the shoulder blade. Still upset with myself on the shot. My dad ended up killing the buck 4 years later. My muzzy 100gr broadhead still in his shoulder. He grew up to be a mature buck and is all of 5.5 years old when my dad shot him. He was old and gray! I'm sure the deer is alive and well out there

 

[2rocky]

"Getting back on the horse" is the medicine. You can forgive yourself.

One year my BIL hit an elk high and dropped him. Then he got up and ran off. They trailed him over the hill before they lost the trail and gave up. He too beat himself up over it. A couple days later he killed his first elk. The Next Year, I was hunting in the same "Action Alley" I hit a bull on the run at 50 yards and he piled up. He had a scar on his withers where my BIL had shot him the year before.

I missed a bigger bull than I killed on my Once in a Lifetime Valle Vidal elk hunt. I kicked my ass 10 miles back to camp that night. The next morning I killed the first bull we saw more to prove to myself that I could make a one shot kill. That broken up 5x5 though means so much to me because of everything that went on with the hunt and around it.


I think in LA you can kill 6 deer? Go shoot a doe for a confidence booster.

Season limit is six, not to exceed three antlered OR four antlerless deer, EXCEPT Deer Area 4 season limit is three (not to exceed two antlered or two antlerless deer), and EXCEPT Deer Area 10 season limit is three (not to exceed two antlered or two antlerless deer).

OR take a page out of basketball....the best scorers in basketball have what's called shooters amnesia. They don't think about the shot they just missed. It isn't part of their reality. Focus on the next thing. Don't tie your self esteem to your last shot.

Watch this....

 

[Shangobango]

"Getting back on the horse" is the medicine. You can forgive yourself.

One year my BIL hit an elk high and dropped him. Then he got up and ran off. They trailed him over the hill before they lost the trail and gave up. He too beat himself up over it. A couple days later he killed his first elk. The Next Year, I was hunting in the same "Action Alley" I hit a bull on the run at 50 yards and he piled up. He had a scar on his withers where my BIL had shot him the year before.

I missed a bigger bull than I killed on my Once in a Lifetime Valle Vidal elk hunt. I kicked my ass 10 miles back to camp that night. The next morning I killed the first bull we saw more to prove to myself that I could make a one shot kill. That broken up 5x5 though means so much to me because of everything that went on with the hunt and around it.


I think in LA you can kill 6 deer? Go shoot a doe for a confidence booster.



OR take a page out of basketball....the best scorers in basketball have what's called shooters amnesia. They don't think about the shot they just missed. It isn't part of their reality. Focus on the next thing. Don't tie your self esteem to your last shot.

Watch this....

Awesome! Thank you.

 

[Shangobango]

Did you have a range finder?

Yup. First season with one and didn't use it. I have ranged various trees and stumps on the side of the lane.

 

[TheGrayRider]

Life is full of pleasure and pain, and in between - disappointment and ecstasy.

You are not alone...

 

[Harrier]

I’ve been there, and it really sucks. I shot a trophy-size axis buck that made it onto the neighboring property, and I never recovered it. The disappointment and guilt almost made me quit hunting. But as others have said, keep at it and prove to yourself that you’re still a good hunter, and eventually you’ll realize that the real problem would have been it it hadn’t bothered you at all.