Thats an easy question. I hunted the bow season in Virginia this year 2 days each weekend and never saw a deer from my stands. Blackpowder season comes and after a week of hunting I am about burnt out tired and frustrated. Saturday night the evening was winding down and dusk was coming on quick. I lowered my gun 35 feet to the ground with my rope. Does start jumping a fence about 40 yards away in the thicket I was hunting. I haul my gun back up. I am using a treestand harness and the rope is still attached to my gun.Well I have a doe uphill at 20 yards. I had to kneel on the platform to get the shot off due to branches blocking the deer. The dadgum harness was about 3 inches too short from letting me kneel. I free hung down and with my rope still attached to the sling tried to make the shot. I shot completely under the deer by a foot. I have hunted for 35 years and I knew better to even attempt this shot. I thank God I did not wound this deer with my eagerness to get a deer after such a lousy season.

Last year during special season in January on the last day of the season I was still hunting and came upon a doe at like 30 yds.Nothing to brace on I kneeled and shot .the shot went under the doe and hit about 3 feet behind her.I was shocked I knew the rifle was on it had gotten 2 does this season already.I reloaded as the doe fled and thought the load in the rifle was from the day before and it was a wet day I figured the powder must have gotten some moisture. All worked out well as I decided to end the day on the edge of small meadow where hunters generally don't go. With like 1/2 hr left of season an 8 ptr came into view and went down.It turned out to be a good day.

gman-

I'd wondered where you were!



Hunting during a snowfall years ago-
My worst shot was low, and by low I do not mean a clean miss rather, just enough to open the abdominal cavity.
Still don't know how as it was a close shot,maybe 15 yds; wet powder?
She ran a bit,stood, then lay down.
Once I saw the situation, I backed out of the woods for several hours.
When my buddy and I went in there she was, still alive, but unable to regain her feet.
Sad.
Had to finish her off, close quarters.
Felt horrible for a long time.
I'll take a miss any day compared to that.

I've had a fair share of bad shots over the years. But my worst one was this year while centerfire rifle-hunting.

I was using my Remington .300 WSM semi-auto and was loading it at the truck while semi-dark outside. I put in the clip and pulled the action to thrust a bullet in the chamber. As I pulled back, my hunting partner softly sez' "Quiet-Quiet! I hear something close-by"... and raises his 30-06 in the direction.

My action was halfway and I didn't let it slam shut, instead closing it a little slower by hand. Well an hour later and 70 yards ahead, a big doe appeared and I put the scope on her.

As she turned her head to witness my movement, I knew she was about to bolt so I fired........ guess what?....... a dry fire occurred..... click!!

I had forgotten about my slower-than-normal closure of the action and immediately thought to myself that no bullet was in the chamber. So I attempted to reload because the doe was still standing there.

Well guess what?...... there was a bullet in the chamber and now the one I tried to feed into the chamber got stuck and totally jammed my action. It was stuck in neutral.....lol

At that point, I stood up, telling the doe to scram....... I was done hunting for the next few minutes at-least, in an attempt to free the action, which I did in another minute or-so.

I done the same thing one year with my Remington 742 Woodsmaster in 30-06. I had loaded in the dark at the stand and could hear something moving around so I slowly let the action forward. Well it was not enough. Light came up and sure enough, there stood a nice little 4 point. Raised up and "click" what a horrible sound. And like you, there was a shell in the chamber, just not closed in. But I was lucky, I worked the action, seated the cartridge and shot the deer. But when I read your post, I had to laugh. Been there, and got the T shirt!!

Ya Dave been there done that with a740 Remington, slide the action ahead slow instead of slamming result, several click no bang over the years.