First deer hunt + lessons...
11-30-2009, 02:44 PM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: West Chicago, Il
Posts: 1,081
First deer hunt + lessons...
Went on my first deer hunt in Mongo, In, @ a friend's family farm & walked out with a few lessons.
#1. NEVER EVER EVER go into the field with a weapon I haven't personally sighted in, let alone even fired.
I know I'm gonna get flamed for that, & I deserve every bit of it. I threw no less than six slugs @ the same damned doe @ about 25-40 yards & the best I did was scrape her. What really surprised me is that she didn't high-tail it after the first shot. No less letting me unload, & reload on her. She ended up simply wandering away from me. I didn't have it in me to keep firing & missing.
I feel like a real lout for winging her & leaving the job unfinished & a real dope for not knowing my equipment. Needless to say, I went home empty handed, & hopefully a bit wiser...
#1. NEVER EVER EVER go into the field with a weapon I haven't personally sighted in, let alone even fired.
I know I'm gonna get flamed for that, & I deserve every bit of it. I threw no less than six slugs @ the same damned doe @ about 25-40 yards & the best I did was scrape her. What really surprised me is that she didn't high-tail it after the first shot. No less letting me unload, & reload on her. She ended up simply wandering away from me. I didn't have it in me to keep firing & missing.
I feel like a real lout for winging her & leaving the job unfinished & a real dope for not knowing my equipment. Needless to say, I went home empty handed, & hopefully a bit wiser...
11-30-2009, 05:17 PM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 1,304
Don't feel too bad. I see many hunters do that all the time. In fact, very recent here, I met up with a guy who had 2 different weight grain bullets in his gun! He checked his zero and one was high right about 9" and the 2nd was straight high about 6". I fired 2 myself, just to re-check. I was still zero. LOL!
You learned a good lesson. Also you told on yourself by revealing you didn't get much practice either... but I'm assuming that. You could have used a different gun.
Good luck next time.
iSnipe
You learned a good lesson. Also you told on yourself by revealing you didn't get much practice either... but I'm assuming that. You could have used a different gun.
Good luck next time.
iSnipe
12-01-2009, 04:39 AM
#5
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Ponce de Leon Florida USA
Posts: 10,079
"the best I did was scrape her." "I feel like a real lout for winging her and leaving the job unfinished" "she ended up simply wandering away" Sounds like she may have been hit harder than you think.
12-01-2009, 01:11 PM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: West Chicago, Il
Posts: 1,081
I'd considered that possibility, but found no blood & knew pretty well where she was when I fired on her. BTW, this was with a borrowed gun equipped with one of those "red dot" sights. I'm shopping for a rifle barrel for my Benelli SuperNova w/ rifle sights, but boy, are they pricey! Probably have better luck after the season is long gone...
