would you have taken the shot
11-16-2007, 06:30 PM
#32
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Staunton,Va
Posts: 3,713
RE: would you have taken the shot
well I am getting ready for rifle, the ml will not be taking a 2 week break. it will be with me when my bother in law won't be hunting with me mainly around home. I may take it tommarow the place I am hunting is only 1 or 2 mile from the range. so I may get some time in while out there.
in my heart I did the right thing, my brain says I could. I think in the back of my mind, I did not want to work on the deer tonite lol
in my heart I did the right thing, my brain says I could. I think in the back of my mind, I did not want to work on the deer tonite lol
11-16-2007, 09:56 PM
#34
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Edson, Canada
Posts: 216
RE: would you have taken the shot
I would have taken it and did yesterday on a nice buck at 50 yards. In the bush with a tree on each side of him. OH and Imissed, think I flinched with a small hang fire of a fraction of a second. He was about a 1/ wider then his ears with 12 G1 and a 4 (8 American) pointer. Would have scored about 135. Not big but still nice.
11-17-2007, 10:04 AM
#35
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Saskatchewan Canada
Posts: 6,921
RE: would you have taken the shot
I take shots that I am confident the outcome will be positive. Yardage, positioning, etcis important but if I don't have that confidence feeling going I simply back down. Sounds like you did the right thing.
11-18-2007, 10:42 PM
#36
Spike
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 72
RE: would you have taken the shot
This has probably been said already but I thought I'd chime in.
Would of you taken the frontal? Did I do the right thing? First question...yes. Second question...yes.
I'm not an old hunter, but I've been hunting 18 years. Every year I get better. Every year I see more deer. And every year I get a little less jittery when they do come around. You never know when the monster will walk by. Will you be ready? Will the situaiton be right? Practice, practice practice. As others have suggested, shoot that gun (shoot all of your guns) until it is an extension of yourself.Practice shootingfrom your stand. Know your yardage. Know your blind spots. Practice shooting off hand. The frontal shot has more tissue to penetrate but the vitals are all there behind the brisket. Practice so the next time you see that buck (and he's not giving you another option) you can just pull and fire like an instinct.
The majority of my hunting life (16/18 years)I've been a poor hunter. I used to shoot my gunthe month before the season to check my sights and then it was hunting season, then it went into the case for 11 months. I've missed many deer due to anxiety. I've missed others because I wasn't ready for when they arirved. I've even been woken up by deer waking by. I share this because since getting a muzzleloader everything changed for me. I go to the range often. I know what it's capable of and not capable of. I no longer flinch when I shoot because I know what to expect. And after all of this practice I cannot stomach the thought of sleeping in my stand.
But I missed a chance at a buck two weeks ago for similar reasons as yours. I turned my head in my stand to see a buck walking straight towards me at 50 yards. He busted me when I turned my head but eventually he put his head back down on the trail.I'm not yet very comfortable shooting off hand, especially with buck fever,so I tried to use my railing as a rest. This took some maneuvering and by the time I got my eye to the scope he was gone. In this case he was giving me that same frontal option. Did I do the right thing? I say yes, because I'm not comfortable off hand with a buck at 50 yards when there's another option (like a rest). But I learned a valuable lesson. Back to the range, without the sandbags. And hopefully next time I'm in that sort of situation I am better prepared for it. I'm willing to bet that the next time you see a buck under that apple tree you'll be better prepared as well. Tom
Would of you taken the frontal? Did I do the right thing? First question...yes. Second question...yes.
I'm not an old hunter, but I've been hunting 18 years. Every year I get better. Every year I see more deer. And every year I get a little less jittery when they do come around. You never know when the monster will walk by. Will you be ready? Will the situaiton be right? Practice, practice practice. As others have suggested, shoot that gun (shoot all of your guns) until it is an extension of yourself.Practice shootingfrom your stand. Know your yardage. Know your blind spots. Practice shooting off hand. The frontal shot has more tissue to penetrate but the vitals are all there behind the brisket. Practice so the next time you see that buck (and he's not giving you another option) you can just pull and fire like an instinct.
The majority of my hunting life (16/18 years)I've been a poor hunter. I used to shoot my gunthe month before the season to check my sights and then it was hunting season, then it went into the case for 11 months. I've missed many deer due to anxiety. I've missed others because I wasn't ready for when they arirved. I've even been woken up by deer waking by. I share this because since getting a muzzleloader everything changed for me. I go to the range often. I know what it's capable of and not capable of. I no longer flinch when I shoot because I know what to expect. And after all of this practice I cannot stomach the thought of sleeping in my stand.
But I missed a chance at a buck two weeks ago for similar reasons as yours. I turned my head in my stand to see a buck walking straight towards me at 50 yards. He busted me when I turned my head but eventually he put his head back down on the trail.I'm not yet very comfortable shooting off hand, especially with buck fever,so I tried to use my railing as a rest. This took some maneuvering and by the time I got my eye to the scope he was gone. In this case he was giving me that same frontal option. Did I do the right thing? I say yes, because I'm not comfortable off hand with a buck at 50 yards when there's another option (like a rest). But I learned a valuable lesson. Back to the range, without the sandbags. And hopefully next time I'm in that sort of situation I am better prepared for it. I'm willing to bet that the next time you see a buck under that apple tree you'll be better prepared as well. Tom
11-19-2007, 02:25 AM
#37
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Staunton,Va
Posts: 3,713
RE: would you have taken the shot
right know I am in the start of centerfire here in VA. it runs 2 weeks (west of the blue ridge). in a month late ML starts up but I think I may try to get back to the range maybe as early as today. if I go today (or when I get a chance), the goal is put finish sightin in my scope, off hand, and put 5 shots in a 4" X 4" target area
I have them in 5 3/4" X 5 3/4" area now
I have them in 5 3/4" X 5 3/4" area now
11-19-2007, 04:32 AM
#38
Typical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Lynchburg, Virginia
Posts: 503
RE: would you have taken the shot
ORIGINAL: cayugad
Let me commend you for not taking the shot. From your question and your actions its apparent that YOU were not comfortable with the shot. And based on that fact you made the wise choice. You wait, hoped for the shot you wanted, and took your chances. You were not comfortable with what was presented and because of that you did not shoot. My hats off to you.
Let me commend you for not taking the shot. From your question and your actions its apparent that YOU were not comfortable with the shot. And based on that fact you made the wise choice. You wait, hoped for the shot you wanted, and took your chances. You were not comfortable with what was presented and because of that you did not shoot. My hats off to you.
11-28-2007, 01:21 AM
#39
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Penns Woods
Posts: 1,628
RE: would you have taken the shot
ORIGINAL: cayugad
Frontal Shots are not all that bad of a shot if you place it. I took one last year with open sights at 52 yards shooting a flintlock. I probably would have taken the shot. At 15-20 yards a neck shot would have been almost a give-me with open sights or a scope. When they had their head down, not looking at me, it would have been all over for them. Remember, break their neck, or penetrate the brisket and there is heart and lungs there that you can take out. Also if you were shooting an XTP with a reasonable charge, it would have penetrated, expanded, and did the damage.
BUT
Let me commend you for not taking the shot. From your question and your actions its apparent that YOU were not comfortable with the shot. And based on that fact you made the wise choice. You wait, hoped for the shot you wanted, and took your chances. You were not comfortable with what was presented and because of that you did not shoot. My hats off to you.
Frontal Shots are not all that bad of a shot if you place it. I took one last year with open sights at 52 yards shooting a flintlock. I probably would have taken the shot. At 15-20 yards a neck shot would have been almost a give-me with open sights or a scope. When they had their head down, not looking at me, it would have been all over for them. Remember, break their neck, or penetrate the brisket and there is heart and lungs there that you can take out. Also if you were shooting an XTP with a reasonable charge, it would have penetrated, expanded, and did the damage.
BUT
Let me commend you for not taking the shot. From your question and your actions its apparent that YOU were not comfortable with the shot. And based on that fact you made the wise choice. You wait, hoped for the shot you wanted, and took your chances. You were not comfortable with what was presented and because of that you did not shoot. My hats off to you.
11-28-2007, 09:49 AM
#40
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Finger Lakes, NY
Posts: 1,613
RE: would you have taken the shot
I think you made the right call. Of course, this coming from someone with no meat in the freezer because I have waited for "the shot" a couple times this year. That is alright. I still have a few weeks.