Missed

[Tnwhip]

I went calling Saturday down on my farm. Set up and after 20 minutes a coon started crossing the field at 300 yards. He was on a mission and would not stop. I finialy quit calling and waited 10min before I desided to get up. Just then I saw a coyote headed towards me down the edge of the field. He stopped at 200 yards and started sniffing around where I had dropped off a deer carcase back in December. Knowing what I know now, I should have called him right up to me. He gave me a good broardside shot and I had a steady rest over a dirt pile. I put the cross hairs on him and squeezed the trigger. He jumped up and then started looking around. I can't believe I missed that shot. I took carefull aim and missed again. He started trotting off and stopped in the middle of the field. I shot again and he just trotted off. He never did run, he didn't know what was going on and just left the field. I got up and went to my shootingrange and set up a target at 100yds. It was shooting 6" low at 100. That means it was way under him at 200. I have mill dots and know where this rifle shoots at up to 400 yards. I have not shot this rifle in 2 months but I have carried it with me all hunting season. I hunt almost everyday during deer season from a blind and take this 223 along with my deer rifle just incase I see a varmint to shoot. I checked everything on the rifle and scope and it was tite. I don't remember dropping it but something happened, to be off that much. I sighted in my new 22-250 last week and started to take it instead of the 223 but I didn't. Back to the drawing board.

 

[Pdvdh]

A changing rifle zero has the single largest cause of missed shots, in my own hunting experiences. I check rifle zero often. A fully free floated barrel with a glass-bedded barreled action helps a lot. But lumps, bumps, and jars to the rifle can affect POI, no matter how much money you invest in building a rugged rifle.

 

[257WTBY]

I feel for you. Last Saturday I missed a coyote as well. I still for the life of me don't know how I missed. My Tikka Scout 223 is generally dead on I called in a coyote to about 75yds and he started to circle me with he was good and broad side I barked at him and he stopped I put the crosshairs on him and squeezed the next thing I saw was a coyote rocket streaking across the field. My daughter is spraying bullets at him out of the AR and finally about her 4th shot she dumped him. I was amazed I missed I came home and went to the range and at 100 yds I was dead on 3 bullets inside 3/4in at that range I just screwed up and that I think makes it worse Sunday was the redeemer tho I shot 3 coyotes with the tikka one shot each stone dead so that just re enforced I GOOFED.... My question is did that make it better or worse

 

[Tnwhip]

I feel for you. Last Saturday I missed a coyote as well. I still for the life of me don't know how I missed. My Tikka Scout 223 is generally dead on I called in a coyote to about 75yds and he started to circle me with he was good and broad side I barked at him and he stopped I put the crosshairs on him and squeezed the next thing I saw was a coyote rocket streaking across the field. My daughter is spraying bullets at him out of the AR and finally about her 4th shot she dumped him. I was amazed I missed I came home and went to the range and at 100 yds I was dead on 3 bullets inside 3/4in at that range I just screwed up and that I think makes it worse Sunday was the redeemer tho I shot 3 coyotes with the tikka one shot each stone dead so that just re enforced I GOOFED.... My question is did that make it better or worse

Yea I know S!!! happens. I don't miss much 3 coyotes out of 50 0r 60 over the years. The one I missed last year was 75 yds. I was prone and put the cross hairs between his eyes and I missed. I checked the scope and it was dead on. I just missed and can deal with that but when my scope is off 12" and I don't remember dropping it. Just can't under stand how it could have been off that much. Ooooooooooo well I will get over it some day

 

[MA Hysteria]

Apparently Sunday was a bad day. I was stacking firewood behind the barn and had my Sako Sporter in 223 nearby. I overlook hayfields 200-400 yards. A feral cat I had seen a couple of days earlier appeared at about 200 yards, stopped and just sat up for me. I rested on the wood pile, put the crosshairs on the center of its body and touched off the round. The cat flinched but then just sat there looking around like *** was that? I'm guessing it was the bullet whizzing by.

So down to the range I went and I was putting sub 1" groups 1" high, 1" right, not enough to miss center body mass target though. I don't know? But I'm dialed in now!