Another thread got me wondering about this and I had commented there that my first big game kill came at almost 500 yards and I was young and dumb (and hella lucky!) to even take the shot. However, it was just a couple years ago that I made the greatest shot(s) of my life and will never be duplicated. What made the shot so amazing was that I did it twice in a row and had a witness.

I was up visiting Father of 4/Gordon in June of 2009 and we were out chasing jackrabbits in a huge open field at night. At one point we saw one at rest way in the distance with my very old spotlight (about 90-100 yards) and I hopped out of the truck to take a hail-mary shot. I was standing, shooting offhanded with my Marlin .17HMR and 8x32x50mm glass. I aimed as careful as I could and missed! Naturally, the jack started high-tailing at full speed (right to left, perpendicular to my LOS) towards the tall grass and brambles and I realized there was another jack about 25 or so yards behind him blazing for the tall grass, too. I recycled the bolt and drew down and was amazed to even glass it at that speed. I aimed way out front and squeezed off another round and he tumbled into the dirt. I recycled again hoping for a third shot at the other jack and lead him what seemed like a half mile and let the lead fly and he flopped into a cloud of dust! I remember Gordon letting out a "Wow!" at this point as the two kill shots came within 2-3 seconds of each other. This was the first time he and I ever hunted together and he must have thought I was Gunny Hathcock! The best part was when we got back in the truck and drove to look at the rabbits they were laying not 5 feet apart on the prairie. A very fun moment of fortuitous firing indeed. Below is a pic Gordon took where I stood in one place and picked up both rabbits.



Please add your stories as I thought it would make for a fun thread and a good read....

My greatest shot was just last year. It happened to be an average size doe. To tell the story correctly let me recall some history.

Memorial Day weekend 2007 I went to the hospital not feeling well. End result was a quadruple bypass. Spent the summer rehabbing. Ended up missing hunting all year except spring turkey season.

Jump ahead to 2008. The day was July 14, 2008. I had been back to work several months. That day started off normal. After being at work awhile my right arm started hurting and I had a pain in the back of my neck. I finished the day and went home. That night I was having problems walking. I went to the hospital and the next day the MRI said I had a stroke. That day I became disabled. Lost some use of my right side. Yes I was right handed. Not a good day in my life. Thus began a long road ahead of me.

Seasons 2008 thru 2009 were written off. No one hunted in my immediate family. My Father gave up hunting years ago. My FIL always came up with excuses. Several times I thought about selling all my fishing and hunting equipment. The decoys are gathering dust and the boat has become a shade spot for my Lab.

The year 2010 was not a good one in the beginning. My soon to be ex-wife served me with papers and wanted out. Not a good thing when you are going thru therapy. Bright side is I retired my wheel chair and became good friends with my quad-cane. Then I could venture outside with my Lab.

All those years I had been entered dilligently into the TPWD drawn hunts. I was drawn in 2010 for an alligator hunt at Murphree WMA. Even though I had a boat no one seemed wanting to assist me. It is heck being a disabled hunter. So I missed out on a gator hunt.

That same year I was drawn for an either sex deer hunt at Brazos Bend. I was not going to miss that hunt. I had been driving for a while. I had learn to become left handed. Now the challenge was to shoot left handed. Went to the range and shot for the first time since 2007. About a seven inch group at 100 yards. Not bad for one handed.

The morning of the hunt I drove to the park. I had called ahead to let the staff know I was coming and I would need assistance. The staff was great. They took me out for the hunts and helped me into the blind. The blind was nothing more than a circle of concrete mesh and burlap but it felt good to sit in it.

Two days of hunting and no deer but I was still upbeat. The last morning came and I asked for God's Blessing. Something was going to happen I just felt it.

I was sitting in the blind since 5AM and watching the woods come alive. About 7:30 five does came out. Resting my 6MM on the blind I aimed for one of the does and shot. I knew I pulled the shot. When I shot I aimed for the shoulder but hit her in the head. I managed to crawl out of the blind then grab my cane and hobble about seventy yards to where she laid. I had no one to share that moment with but God. I knew he guided my shot. Yes I thanked him.

The staff was very helpful in taking care of my deer. You see knives and balance issues do not mix well. I drove home that afternoon. The next day went to the processor and taxidermist. Of course I had the hide done. That doe is a trophy.

I will never forget that shot. I have one photo of the doe with my cane taken by my cell phone. I just do not know how to post it on here.

Well that is my greatest shot. I still remember that shot as if it was yesterday.

touching story hill country

glad to hear you didn't give up

Great shootin'!!!

Luckiest: When I was about 15, I was sitting on the ground leaning back on a railroad tie at the corner of a fence. Right at dusk, a buck walks out ~200 yards away and stops broadside and is looking my way. I steady my elbows on my knees, get my breathing under control, and loose the perfect round.

A split second before the rifle went off, my peripheral vision notes that he is putting his head down to take a bite of grass. I was shooting a 30-30 and aiming high behind the shoulder. Boom! The muzzle blast turns the view in the scope bright orange. Maybe it was a little darker than I thought. I jump up and see the white of his belly lying right where he was standing. DRT! I'm thinking that's kind of unusual for my 30-30. When I get to him, the bullet had hit him in the forehead directly between his antlers; cleaning everything out. Aiming for the shoulder, hitting the (moving target) head. I figured it was meant to be. Or I was a crappy shot. Naw, it was meant to be.

Alaska, 1993, King Salmon, caribou hunt in the snowy tundra. Did not realize how flat and barren the ground was. Shot a caribou at like 600 yards. Took the first shot and saw the bullet hit at the caribou's feet. Also had a strong crosswind. Ended shooting the caribou in the butt because I aimed about 2 feet above its' back. Lucky stupid shot. But at the time I was a young kid from New Orleans hunting in AK. I was in the Air Force.

Alaska, 1994, Nebesna, Dall Sheep. Missed the first shot, second shot was at a sheep running full speed at about 75 yards. Perfect shot in the front shoulder. Not a dumb shot, but a lucky one. But I often wonder when I say lucky bc I have been shooting guns all my life. Perhaps it was skill? Just saying lucky bc I am a modest person.

Mike

Incredible story. Thank you for sharing with us. If it will help, please e-mail that pic to me and I'll post it up here for you. jl38super at yahoo dot com

mine was a one shot/two killed.




also getting to see my son shoot his first hog.

I've got two that compete for luckiest.

I was a 12 yr old kid running around the farm with my archery equipment and our golden retriever. I walked back to the house down our gravel drive next to the field that had just been cut. My dad and uncle were standing there in the drive talking. I walk up and they start ribbing me about what I was doing and that I couldn't "hit notn with a bow n arra anyhow". My uncle said "A bet there is no way you could hit that killdee out there". The bird was around 50 yds out in the cut field. I drew the bow and aimed several feet above the bird and fired a blunt tipped arrow. To everyones suprise, I hit the bird dead center. It looked liked he had swallowed a fire cracker. The golden retriever took off and fetched the bird.

About 5 years later, we were bowhunting outside Llano. We had walked up on a buck about 80 yds away. I was so excited I didn't even think about the yardage. I just new it was far. I aimed dead on with my 40 yd pin. The arrow hit the rocky ground at about 50 yrds, skipped up, and drilled the deer straight through the heart. Dad was so overcome with watching the shoo he too took off chasing the deer like a crazy person. The deer went about 50 yrds and piled up.

This story wins the shot of the century award

Country, I honestly have nothing on that! You my friend have mustered the strength to over come the things God has challenged you to and put before you!

once hit a branch while aiming at a does vitals and it deflected right below her ear, drt. not proud of it btw, couldve been a bad deal..

Coming home from my great grand-father's ranch when I was 14 or 15 we had been shooting rattlers.....on the way out, it was around 2200 and a rattler crossed the road and into the thick grass (couldn't see him anymore). The guns were emptied but I grabbed a .22 and loaded a round and fired from the side of the road.....I hit him in the neck and killed him!!! It was truly meant to be.....or the lucki---never mind - it was a great shot.

Made one of my best shots ever last year on a Turkey.

I circled the feeder and the stand so you can see where I was at and where the Turkey was at.

I shot a chee chee bird out of a tree with a toy sling shot one time. It was pretty cool. The coolest shot I made with a rifle was a pig that was running full speed at about 250 to 300 yards I lead him quite a way and shot. I heard boom shhhhhh twwackk !! Then my stepdad hollering F yeah ! And me hollering WOOOOOO!!

Apr 12,1991,somewhere in the sandbox.A Frenchy had ditched his aircraft after he lost a wing to a missle from a MAZ 543 TEL.First I heard the plane,then an explosion,and watched the pilot eject.Lucky for him,he dropped in about 2 klicks North East of my position.I knew the Iraqis would come lookin for him,so I stayed put.About 30 min later,I heard the rotor of a UH-60.About the time the first PJ hit the sand,an Iraqi troop transport topped a dune.The canvas went up,and the sound of gunfire drowned out all else.I estimated 700 yds and they were angled away moving about 40 mph.I took a breath,and sent one down the pipe.I do not ever remember hearing the shot or feeling the recoil from my M24A3.I remember watching the truck swerve,roll and spill everybody out 30 seconds later an Apache topped the dune,and cleaned up whatever mess was left.

Awesome !

Love The Hill Country. Here you go sir.

Thanks Janie! Yes that is my trophy doe and trusty quad-cane named by my Nephews as Silver. I need to find a camo version LOL.

Young and dumb of course, but shot a dove out of the air with a 22.

My buddy bet me I couldnt do it, so I said ok and let her rip. The look on both our faces when that dove went poof was utter shock. Could never do it again in a million years im sure.

Not necessarly lucky, but funniest.

I was bowhunting in Bosque County in a tree stand. I had a small 6 chasing a doe all around until a big 8 came through. He started chasing the 6 and the doe all around beneath me. I drew back about 4 times to see them run off and come back. Finally the 8 stopped for a shot close to the 6 and doe. I drew and sent the arrow about 25 yards away. What I did not see was a small stump about 3 feet off the ground and about 2 inches in diameter right next to the deer. My arrow nicked the side of the stump causing the back of my arrow to whip around and smack the 8 right upside the head. I had a mechanical broadhead and it expanded against the stump causing it to flip around. I wanted to vent something fierce but could not help but laugh at the fact the big 8 thought that poor little 6 had "B---H" slapped him. He chased that little sucker all over the place in full stride, non-stop for quite awhile.

While "hunting" ground squirrels in my buddy's grandparents' yard, me and jeremy saw one run into some irrigation pipe that was sittin in the field. Jeremy picked up the pipe hoping the critter would slide out and present itself for a shot. Well, instead of going out the low end of the pipe, he hauled butt and jumped out the end of the pipe that Jeremy had elevated. Rather than wait for him to hit the ground running I took aim with the Beeman air rifle and let one fly. Hit him dead-center in the back of the head while he was flying through the air. Snap-shot and complete luck. Me and Jeremy just looked at eachother in disbelief.

While "hunting" ground squirrels in my buddy's grandparents' yard, me and jeremy saw one run into some irrigation pipe that was sittin in the field. Jeremy picked up the pipe hoping the critter would slide out and present itself for a shot. Well, instead of going out the low end of the pipe, he hauled butt and jumped out the end of the pipe that Jeremy had elevated. Rather than wait for him to hit the ground running I took aim with the Beeman air rifle and let one fly. Hit him dead-center in the back of the head while he was flying through the air. Snap-shot and complete luck. Me and Jeremy just looked at eachother in disbelief.

Shooting skeet out in a friends pasture one afternoon and a chi chi bird flew over the top of us flying directly away. We all kind of looked at each other like "is anyone going to shoot?". I threw the red label 20 up and let a shell go. The chi chi bird just fell out of the sky, about 75 or 80 yards away. 1 pellet hit it in the head.

My greatest shot wasn't lucky but memorable. It was my first trip home from Iraq and Brad (HELOMECH) Had invited me up to his place because I had never killed a hog. It had only been coming out at night so we bbq'd, listened to music, and drank crown all night sharing a good time and enjoying each others' company along with his wife when the light at his feeder 250 yards away came on. It was big boy. I settled in behind the scope of my .270 WSM and through hazy eyes settled the crosshairs on his neck. when I was semi sure I had a good sight picture, I squeezed the trigger and let the gun bark. he went down and commenced to flopping. It was one of the biggest rushes I have ever had! here is a pic of us with the Boar he weighted 260.