Missing?
 

I'm curious how others treat missing an animal with their 1st shot?

Does anyone let the animal walk? ie. they beat you this time?

or oh well and keep shooting? and if it took you your 2nd or 3rd shot to hit the animal, what are your thoughts/feelings on that?




I strongly try to hold myself to a 1st shot/hit routine, although I did miss an antelope on my 1st shot once and then made a clean kill 2nd shot.

I know no one's perfect, and that's hunting, I honestly didn't beat myself up over it or anything like that.

just was curious what other hunters outlook on missing is...?

TOTALLY DEPENDS ON WETHER OR NOT I AM CONFIDENT IN MY ABility to make the shot. if I am not I stand down and let it go.I have made shots I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND ALL TO DO and I have seen others make shots I WOULD NOT HAVE TAKEN.

for me it is better to go home empty handed then to wound an animal and have it suffer. even if I end up finding it and killing it in the end,if I did not make a clean shot I am am not happy.

If I get a first shot, chances are I can get a follow up shot.

That is my thought also.

Depends what the animal does. If it stands around wondering what that noise was, sure, I take another shot. Usually however a miss would be followed by a hail mary at a running animal, then I pass.

Only if I know the reason that I missed and if the animal gave me another standing shot.
For example, I took a shot at a buck last year that resulted in a clean miss and I still am not real sure why. I knew the distance, had a prone rest off bipods, and the buck was broadside and unaware of me. Shot felt great, but the buck just startled a bit and then stood there looking around. I could've taken a second shot, but I didn't because I didn't know why I had missed. I checked the zero on the rifle afterwards and found that it was shooting about an inch low, but that should've still resulted in a vitals hit at the distance I was shooting since I always hold for center of the lungs. I simply didn't get off a clean shot or there was possibly a light charge in the factory cartridge that I used. The latter is probably wishful thinking, lol.

Typically you dont get a second chance at another shot...I did manage to get two missed shots at a deer with my bow :(...I was sitting and took one shot it stood there and took another shot and was low again....no third chance there. Id try again if the animal sticks around for a second shot.

Yes sir!!!! I've let a lot deer walk cause I didn't feel comfortable with shot...especially bowhunting.
And I do it with the rifle too.

My basic rule is if the animal stands there, I'll send another round downrange. But if it runs and it was a clean miss I normally hold fire. After all if I blew the first shot at a motionless animal I would probably blow the shot on a moving animal. The odds of wounding on a moving animal are a lot greater that in it is standing still. However, if I think the first round hit and the animal is moving I'll shoot again immediately. I guess I would have to take it on a case by case basis. I wounded and lost a big bull elk once by taking a shot I should have held off on. Learned my lesson.

will let you know when it happens! no I have missed, have missed a lot, but it depends
as most of you know I do a lot of hunting or to some just shooting animals at long distance, in that situation, if there is a miss, I'm done, I put all my knowledge and tools into that shot, did the calculations best I could, if its a miss I can do no better, until I find out exactly what caused the miss its no use shooting more.
now if I jump a deer and am offered what I consider a decent shot, I'll take it, if its a miss I normaly know the instant the gun fires what went wrong, I will take a second, possibly third shot, I once killed a deer on the 4th shot with a muzzleloader.
RR