RE: would you have taken the shot
 

I would have taken it .

This year i shot a small mule deerbuck facing me at 70 yards . All i could see was his upper right shoulder and neck , I knew that my gun would shoot wherever i put my red dot . I put the dot at the base of his neck , dropping him in his tracks.

RE: would you have taken the shot
 

I am have second thoughts about it myself, never taken a deer and knowing that. miss 3 shots last year, knowing that. but all I can see know is my last range session and the deer over lapping



the target was at 50 yards. is 11" x 8.5" the total 5 shot group was 5" pritty much a line. the bottom hole was a SW a guy let me have aim point was the hole above it. it that front is only 7" at the yards I gave. oh well, he be out another day. so will I.

Before anyone ask, if I had do to over again. I would of taken the shot.

add one more thing, it was the second time I have seen one there, one in sept. and one today. scout it everyday I hunt and see half a dozen eaten apples.

RE: would you have taken the shot
 

Corey - I've been in the same situation as you. And like you did not take the shot when I had the chance. In my case I passed on one of the largest bucks I had ever seen in the wild. I had a monster buck come in. I was in my stand, nice and warm. I had my shooting sticks with me and the rifle in them.I wasnot nervous, excited, (well maybe a little), and new I could make the shot. The problem was, all I could see was his head because he was on the other side of a brush pile. I had my Renegade .54 caliber loaded with a roundball trained on his head, and when he turned to the side a little I was going to shoot him through his ears. Then I got worried I'd knock that monster rack off and I wanted this one on the wall. So I waited... and waited... and waited. Finally he turned around and putting his back to a large Balsam tree walked off and over the hill.

It was one of those cases where I wanted a wall hanger instead of a freezer full of meat. I later talked to my friend who is a taxidermist and he told me, "I could have put the horns back on him for you. Next time shoot him through the ears." Although I thought about that shot many times and I still think I did the right thing.

RE: would you have taken the shot
 

Corey, your gonna have to listen to that voice inside that is usually right. To stare you down at 15 - 20 yards for 10 minutes tells me that he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

RE: would you have taken the shot
 

yeah, your right bigtimer. I do think it was the one I saw in sept. I just got home from work, wind blow towards smoking, smelling like raw meat looked at me for 10 minutes as well.

RE: would you have taken the shot
 

I've been thinkin it over and over. It kinda reminds me of something that happened to me about 7 years ago when I was rifle hunting in kentucky. I was walking up a jeep trail when I saw what still is probably the biggest deer I've ever had a chance at. Probably would have scored in the 170s. He was maybe 40 yards away. Clear shot. Front quartering. I've made kills like that maybe 10 plus times since and at farther ranges. I raised handi rifle and tried to center him in my scope. The problem was that at the angle I was standing the sun was creating glare through the scope. I tried to reposition my self so the sun wasn't a problem. The deer just stood there but I couldn't get what I would consider a decent shot at the deer so I passed rather than shoot and injure the deer. If I had the decision to make all over again, I would have made the same decision.

My point is that you made the right decision not to shoot if you didn't think that you had a 100% or even 80-90% chance of killing the buck. Don't worry about hunting 3 years and not getting one. Deer hunting is like anything else. If you put you're time then eventually you're efforts will pay off. Good luck and good hunting.

RE: would you have taken the shot
 

your right. I should not kick myself for not taking it, if I seen him there 2 times already. I may see him there one more.

RE: would you have taken the shot
 

yes, I would have taken the spine shot, but I have been shooting and cleaning deer for 50 years and know exactly where I would need to hit him. If you have doughts it is better to wait and learn from it than to make a bad shot and have a wounded deer, you did do the right thing now study the anatomy; this might help
http://www.rubsnscrapes.com/Articles/shot_placement_anatomy.php
Lee

RE: would you have taken the shot
 

nope, would have ruined his smoke break. ;)

RE: would you have taken the shot
 

nope, did not even lite up, but it did end up smoking 2 afterwards