Not being able to hit a water moccasin yesterday in four shots with my .380 gave me the idea for this thread.

As for misses while hunting, I remember when I missed a nice Tom at about 15 steps with my 12-gauge Remington. With a 30-inch full choke, you better take a close aim with such a tight pattern.

Feel free to include those times when you never got off an otherwise easy shot for whatever reason.

Any takers?

Last December I missed a target buck at about 17 yards with my bow, it was my first bow shot at a deer and needless to say, I was a tad nervous.

Silver lining, he should be a monster this year...

I was about 14 or 15 sitting on our hill country lease out steps a mature 8 pt that im guessing would score around 130. Huge deer to me, easily be my biggest at the time. He was behind some brush to thick to shoot through, but we could see him. He rubbed around his eyes on a couple little branches and then proceeded to tear a poor little shin oak to pieces for about 20 minutes. He then walked over to my hand fed sender about 90 yards out and ate perfect broad side to me. Dad said your shaking should try for a shoulder shot, I said no im ok I think I can get him in the neck. I shot he ran a few yards stopped looked around and hauled arse. Never saw him again. I regret that, dad knew better and I wouldn't listen!

Rattled in my first mature buck last year, not my #1 but one heck of runner up. High 30's maybe bumping 40's 8pt. The way strutted around acting like the boss made the decision for me. Couldn't have been more perfect, he popped up within 5 mins of rattling at 150yrds. Hit him with a snort wheeze and it was game over, he's coming on a string right to me, FAST.

I had to swing around, sitting on the ground, because he came from the wrong direction.... he's now quartering to me at 30yrds. Scope on 7x power and I hit low, grazing his brisket and he's gone in a flash. I was sick thinking I hurt him bad and lost him. Found hair, ticks, yes swollen up big ticks, and 2 spots of blood where he was standing. Tracked his footprints, no blood, for 600 yards and bump him, he runs fine out of sight, jumping fences on his way.

Neighbor saw him twice after the rut so I must have just grazed him, but still I missed the biggest buck I've ever rattled in and at 30yrds.....

i dont like to tell people cause it makes me mad thinking about it but i missed a shot on boar about 8 years ago broadside using my old Remington 788 in .243 at about 50 to 60 yards on my lease in Eastland. still to this day i have no idea if i shot over or under and what makes it worse for me was i took the rifle to the range the next week and she was still spot on at 100.. First and only miss while actually hunting to this day.

Speaking of the time I never got off an otherwise easy shot. Years ago a buddy and I were doing some varmint calling. It was a full moon and I had my tape recorder and some of Burnham Brothers best calling tapes. It was so light and terrain was flat so we decided to call without lights. We were sitting on opposite sides backed up against a big live oak tree. I had the call on my left hip and sitting with legs outstretched with my 12 gauge lying across them and was scanning back and forth left to right on occasion. I was looking to my left when something big and hairy landed in my lap . I screamed like a little girl and chunked what ever was in my lap one way and took off crawling on my hands and knees the other. I got my wits back in time to look and see a big gray fox running like a scared rabbit for the brush line. Its funny now but it dang sure wasn't at the moment.

I had a BOBO moment in Kansas on a 6x6 WT with my muzzleloader in 2012

For the record I didn't miss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Recap-
Had a 320-340 bull that I thought was at 50(lazered a tree). Bull Ended up being at 60. Thought I had a heart shot via blood. Tracked him 3 miles via GPS only to bump him bedded 8 hours latter. Saw him next day at 2 miles with spotting scope. He was pushing cows and was a little stiff on the front end. Ended up hitting him in the brisket. Apparently brisket shot leaves a hell of a blood trail.

Biggest heart break of my life.

Lesson learned range the animal not where you think the animal will be going.

Hunting public land years ago where bucks were scarce. Watching a couple of doe at about 30 yards eat acorns under a postoak. The morning weather was clear and bright but COLD. Out came a wide 8 pt harassing the 2 doe. Broadside at 30 yards with scope on 3 power, I missed. I watched him run into some greenbriars, I followed, thinking he was hit. He wasn't. I got pretty chewed up clearing the briars. Great deer for the area and I completely choked. Never saw him again.

Big Corsican ram right as the sun dipped underneath the horizon. This was 2013. They were bedded right out of my then 47lb draw weight range. Got too excited and decided to draw back on him at 35ish yards. Used 30yd pin instead Shot went way low and hit another smaller bedded ram in front of the big boy. Then all of them got up and trotted down the super steep hill side.

Ended up killing another tiny ram, but that was a near perfect shot from a tripod.

I got back into hunting 5 seasons ago after not hunting almost 30 years and my uncle invited me to hunt on my old stomping grounds. I was over the top pulled back in, bought a new bow and probably shot an average of 10-20 arrows a day for 6 months. In the meantime, I got on an old HS buddy's lease and was ready to go day 1 the following archery season. I had trail cam pics of some great bucks and I was so dead on at 20 yards. My groupings were so tight I was ruining arrows until someone suggested aiming at a different spot with each shot. I know...duh.

First morning in the ladder stand the biggest buck seen on the whole lease all season walks in - a big 12 pointer - and my damned knees are physically knocking together and my hand is shaking so much that I literally could not get my release attached to the D-loop on my bow string. I had to lay my bow in my lap so I could use both hands to attach the release.

By the time I accomplished all this, the deer was jumpy and I was still so nervous that I drew back with my finger on the release trigger instead of behind it and guess what.....premature release sent the arrow 30 feet up in the trees above the buck who was still only about 18 yards away. Then like the naive fool I was, I shared exactly what happened with my fellow hunters back at camp. Never saw that buck again.

For the record I did not miss either...rangefinder kept bouncing off of corn leaves with readings from 60 yards to 139-140(3 times) finally shot for 150 and hit low with only a fleshwound and "knickedem' ala BOBO on the lower front shoulder(hard quartering left shot). Seen the wound but watched the buck follow a doe off for over a mile(10 minutes of ). 6x6 typical with 3 base/brow points. Mature buck with a lot of mass and only about 21-22" wide.

have put a pic of me & my pard back in the day whin we did some fastdrawing as a hobbie... Memories of us pulling inta shooting grounds, the south had the Dukes of Hassard we had our verson.. Two teens with rifles plinking at cans... We pulled in pard got out, i eased around, both with our fast draw rigs strapped on.. The youngsters would shoot, then look at us.. Told pard, think we need ta show em how its done... eased twards can.. Pulled brim down a bit, one smooth motion, went for pistal, drew, & fired, can jumped as twirled pistal inta holster... Jaws dropped, we eased back inta car, drove off, giving high-fives.. Yes we could actualy hit, practice.... Years later, at first hunting lease, doing early morning hog hunt.. Easing down ATV trail, i take short steps, was the Gomer Pile of the army, often having ta take the quick-step-shuffle ta get back in step... Any ways, steped over what thought was dead branch, wrong, water moccoson, jumped in air, & instinked kicked in.... Drew hog leg & empted the 5 rounds, before feet hit ground... missed the snake, on posative side missed my toes too, it was one of my many huntsolo trips... This post not worth never been good at book reports..

Missed a axis doe at about 50 yards with an open sighted sks....should have had that one

Missed a few hogs with my deer rifle

I've missed a few head shots on does and one or two neck shots

Hunt long enough you will miss

I forgot to mention the young buck that I finally hit on the third shot. I was totally new to rifle hunting and shooting with open sights. It's true, the dumbest animal on earth is a spike buck. He was standing at a feeder with a doe and never ran I'm sure because the doe stood there as well. All three shots could not have been more than 75 yards. Some time after that, I realized that I most likely rested the barrel of my rifle on the stand window rather than resting the gun properly on its forearm.

I'll let the picture do the talking

ZK-315 ... you can top that

But that tall deer stand shook to much..

I've never missed with a rifle, but I had an Axis buck duck under an arrow from 20 yds out.

Not an expert, people i've hunted with usualy low income, even though have 3 months deer season, one, being archery only... Most have limited time, opening weekend, some week ends, & then closing weekends... Cost of corn food plots, paying bills, gas driving back & forth ta leases.. First legal deer steps out, is en & chillen time... A young deer like that thar spike is a lot tender than that older big rack... as pappy would say: legal tender buck

Was bow hunting elk last year and took along a bear tag.

As of that time I had never shot at an animal with a bow. I was using a cow call and looked over my shoulder to see a large bear start slinking away just as I finished a call.

Evidently they don't like cow elk or I sounded like a novice elk hunter. The latter is probably the case.

I attached my release, drew back quickly and let it fly. Right over the back of a now running bear.

I had a serious case of buck (bear) fever. It was doomed from the beginning. Still waiting to kill something with a bow.

It was December 31. New Years eave. I had been chasing a buck all season. It was the last day of the season too. I skipped all the parties and went hunting. Weather was perfect. Hunted in my blind and saw nothing. I decided to walk around and hunt. Got out of the blind and he just jumped out of the brush and turned the corner to our field. I walked slowly to see if he was in the corner of the field. He was there! I got on one knee, sun was down and it was almost too late to hunt. I aimed, BOOM!. Shot and thought I hit him. He ran off. My nose was running like crazy. I figured allergies. Nope...Scope Eye...lots of blood. I still looked for him but couldn't find blood because my eye was bleeding like crazy. I went to my truck to bandage me up. Then drove it to where he was. Set my gun leaning on my truck. Looked for him and gave up. Got in my truck and took off. Heard a loud noise. Stopped. Looked by my tire and my gun was bent and truck bed was all messed up from gun sliding in between the bed and cab. Grabbed the gun. Went home. Then went to the hospital and waited in the emergency room for 5 hrs. Got a few stitches. FML.

I don't have any misses that haunt me, and I've made plenty, but I figured that at least I tried and it just wasn't meant to be. The ones that haunt me are the misses I never even took. There was a big 3x3 blacktail that I came up on at first light while working my way to a vantage point I wanted where I had seen a massive 4x4 blacktail the night before. It was too far away without enough light, but I did get him on video. I let that buck walk at less then 50 yards. He was heavy, tall and well over 20 inches wide. Probably a book animal, but I was greedy and wanted that other, even bigger one, which I never saw again.

Oh when I was 10 we were hunting the Texana ranch on New Year's weekend. I passed up on white tail for in hopes of shooting a blackbuck. At night, we went out to try and Spotlight them. I had dropped my gun earlier that day, so I couldn't really use it. Decided to use Mr. Mitchell's Ruger 7mm. That gun is dead on accurate, but a cold ten (maybe eleven, not sure) year old on jumpy deer and a new rifle doesn't really go well, and the night element on top of that. I remember very clearly putting the crosshairs on the lower neck and the gun going off a little too soon. But thankfully it was a clean miss. I may have missed once more, but I don't remember.

Oh the irony lol!!!!

Well at least I know I'm not alone..