crashlanding
Well-Known Member
I guess I'm not alone, can't remember what I did 2 days ago but can remember every detail of that one great moment
Luckiest Shot You Ever Made
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LRNut
Well-Known Member
I have three; in order of when they happened:
1976: Took at shot at a running red squirrel high up in a tree with a single shot .22. Deader than a doornail.
1995: first trip to Africa. Wanted a huge kudu. On day five, we saw a monster - he looked at us and took off. I threw the rifle up and pulled the trigger. My PH said, "I think you missed, but let's go have a look." I waded into a mass of wait-a-bit thorns and saw nothing. Then I heard a bush rattle - it was my kudu's leg trembling. I had hit him in the neck. Definitely lucky. My PH looked at me and said, "You can hunt Africa the rest of your life and you might not ever shoot a bigger kudu.
About 10 years ago or so...I was on a writer's trip (I wrote for the VARMINT HUNTER Magazine) sponsored by Bushnell. I was shooting with a Bushnell rep at PDs from ranges of 100 to 300 yards. He started glassing off to the right, and said, "Ok, this is ridiculous, but there is a PD way out there. The Bushnell rangefinders we were using would not return a range (imagine that) but I was able to range a lone tree at 340 yards. I guessed the PD was 200 yards farther. I got into a sitting position with the shooting sticks supplied by another sponsor. The Bushnell scope had a mil-dot reticle. I could see mirage left to right, but fairly mild. Not having any idea how much the bullet would drop, I guessed three mils high and held one mil into the wind. I pulled the trigger. The Bushnell rep said, "I think you hit him." I didn't say anything except "no" when he insisted we walk out there and look for it. He insisted, saying I hit it. When we got to the tree we discovered a very deep irrigation canal blocked us. I said, "Well, I guess that is that - we can't reach him."
The Bushnell guy said, "Let's get in the truck and drive around - we only have to find that lone tree." He insisted, so we did. When we finally figured out how to drive over there (before OnX) I used the rangefinder to identify where to start looking (200 yards from the tree). It didn't take long to find the PD - hit squarely in the chest. I would argue this is perhaps the luckiest shot ever, since I was using a rifle other than my own, took a complete guess how much farther beyond the tree the dog was, and held 1 MOA into the wind to hit a target that was about 1/2 MOA wide. That night at dinner the Bushnell rep could not stop talking about that shot.
1976: Took at shot at a running red squirrel high up in a tree with a single shot .22. Deader than a doornail.
1995: first trip to Africa. Wanted a huge kudu. On day five, we saw a monster - he looked at us and took off. I threw the rifle up and pulled the trigger. My PH said, "I think you missed, but let's go have a look." I waded into a mass of wait-a-bit thorns and saw nothing. Then I heard a bush rattle - it was my kudu's leg trembling. I had hit him in the neck. Definitely lucky. My PH looked at me and said, "You can hunt Africa the rest of your life and you might not ever shoot a bigger kudu.
About 10 years ago or so...I was on a writer's trip (I wrote for the VARMINT HUNTER Magazine) sponsored by Bushnell. I was shooting with a Bushnell rep at PDs from ranges of 100 to 300 yards. He started glassing off to the right, and said, "Ok, this is ridiculous, but there is a PD way out there. The Bushnell rangefinders we were using would not return a range (imagine that) but I was able to range a lone tree at 340 yards. I guessed the PD was 200 yards farther. I got into a sitting position with the shooting sticks supplied by another sponsor. The Bushnell scope had a mil-dot reticle. I could see mirage left to right, but fairly mild. Not having any idea how much the bullet would drop, I guessed three mils high and held one mil into the wind. I pulled the trigger. The Bushnell rep said, "I think you hit him." I didn't say anything except "no" when he insisted we walk out there and look for it. He insisted, saying I hit it. When we got to the tree we discovered a very deep irrigation canal blocked us. I said, "Well, I guess that is that - we can't reach him."
The Bushnell guy said, "Let's get in the truck and drive around - we only have to find that lone tree." He insisted, so we did. When we finally figured out how to drive over there (before OnX) I used the rangefinder to identify where to start looking (200 yards from the tree). It didn't take long to find the PD - hit squarely in the chest. I would argue this is perhaps the luckiest shot ever, since I was using a rifle other than my own, took a complete guess how much farther beyond the tree the dog was, and held 1 MOA into the wind to hit a target that was about 1/2 MOA wide. That night at dinner the Bushnell rep could not stop talking about that shot.
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L2land
Well-Known Member
While out rabbit hunting in the desert in maybe 2009 I was talking up how much I love the iron sights on the 10/22. I hit a 8x10 triangular sign on a t post from 230 yds offhand, first attempt. Dead center, hit the post. I left it at that assuming the chance of a repeat was near impossible.
memtb
Well-Known Member
I have a couple more. Both are pretty memorable.
A friend and myself were out driving around with our varmint rifles, I had a Rem 700 Heavy Barrel Varmint in .223 Rem. It was September and we were hoping for a Jack or maybe some Prairie Dogs.
We were in an area of mixed terrain, mostly open, when we saw a small group of grouse…..legal in Wyoming with a rifle. The group was walking about 100 yards awayand started crossing an elevated portion of a little 2 track. I quickly got out of the truck, and took an elbow rest on the truck hood. The first bird crossed before I was ready. I quickly took aim at #2's head, at shot just over his head. I didn't allow for my rifle being 1 1/2" high at 100 yards. The next 2 were nice clean headshots. Pretty happy with my shooting, 2 for 3 @ about 100 yards on walking birds…..both head shots!
The other was when I was around 17 or 18 (around '71 or '72) with my Dad, brother, an uncle and a cousin…..we were driving the levies after dark in a very remote part of South Louisiana. There may have been a little beer drinking going on by the others……but, I'm pretty much a "tee totaler" and drink rarely!
We saw a large Nutria in the truck headlights at the bottom of the levy around 70 or 80 yards. As the truck stopped, I jumped out of the back, drew my Model 28 S&W. I was shooting my cast, lightload, 148 grain wadcutters. I took aim, and touched the trigger. The impact sounded light you'd slapped water with a boat paddle….the Nutria dropped and barely moved. memtb
A friend and myself were out driving around with our varmint rifles, I had a Rem 700 Heavy Barrel Varmint in .223 Rem. It was September and we were hoping for a Jack or maybe some Prairie Dogs.
We were in an area of mixed terrain, mostly open, when we saw a small group of grouse…..legal in Wyoming with a rifle. The group was walking about 100 yards awayand started crossing an elevated portion of a little 2 track. I quickly got out of the truck, and took an elbow rest on the truck hood. The first bird crossed before I was ready. I quickly took aim at #2's head, at shot just over his head. I didn't allow for my rifle being 1 1/2" high at 100 yards. The next 2 were nice clean headshots. Pretty happy with my shooting, 2 for 3 @ about 100 yards on walking birds…..both head shots!
The other was when I was around 17 or 18 (around '71 or '72) with my Dad, brother, an uncle and a cousin…..we were driving the levies after dark in a very remote part of South Louisiana. There may have been a little beer drinking going on by the others……but, I'm pretty much a "tee totaler" and drink rarely!
We saw a large Nutria in the truck headlights at the bottom of the levy around 70 or 80 yards. As the truck stopped, I jumped out of the back, drew my Model 28 S&W. I was shooting my cast, lightload, 148 grain wadcutters. I took aim, and touched the trigger. The impact sounded light you'd slapped water with a boat paddle….the Nutria dropped and barely moved. memtb
I was whitetail hunting on a buddies ranch that was loaded with big whitetails. We were driving one of the ranch roads close to the top of the mountain when I spotted a huge 5 by 5 western count a hundred yards below the road. My buddy was driving and I yelled stop there he is, he slammed on the brakes and I jumped out and laid down across the edge of the ranch road and put the crosshairs on him. Right as I was about to pull the trigger on this great buck my buddy yells don't shoot we can do better. I said to him are you crazy, because I knew the buck was at least a 150-160 class deer. He said I am sure. Reluctantly, I put the safety back on and got up and then the buck starts to run off, my buddy yells there's the big one right there running off. I looked at him in disbelief and honestly wanted to shoot him. I said that is the buck I was looking at and he said well you should have shot him, that's one of the better bucks on the property. 
He had been looking at a smaller four by four that quite a way to the left of the one I was looking at the entire time. He said, well follow him over that ridge and just continue down as it drops down into the river bottom, if you take it easy you should be able to catch up to him if you don't spook him. He said he would drive around the mountain and back into the bottom and pick me up at the river. I start down the mountain slowly at first then increased my pace as I felt that the buck had a pretty good head start. Just as I crest the rise of the next lower ridge I saw horns and the buck running hell bent for leather to get over the ridge before I could get a shot. It was about 250-300 yards down the hill from my position and all I could do was pull up and shoot. I could not tell if I had hit him but his body language had changed at the report of the shot so I thought maybe I had gotten lucky. I was so excited by this time I could hardly control my emotions. I slowly made my way to the site of where I felt the deer had been standing and there just over the crest of the lower ridge he laid, piled up in a bunch of sage brush. I had actually hit him high in the back and killed him pretty much right on the spot. As I looked at him I noticed his body didn't look as big as what I had remembered from twenty or so minutes before. When I pulled his head from the sage brush I immediately knew it was not the buck I was after and was actually a considerably smaller four by four. then I heard something down the hill from me and looked up and the big five by five was standing there looking at me at about fifty yards. I starred in disbelief but there was nothing I could do about it. I just smiled, said a few choice words to the gods and went about my business of cleaning up the one I had taken. I had made an incredibly lucky shot at a pretty far distance, at that time in my life, off hand to boot. Unfortunately the big rack of the five by five had me rattled and as soon as I saw horns I cut loose. You live an learn I guess.
He had been looking at a smaller four by four that quite a way to the left of the one I was looking at the entire time. He said, well follow him over that ridge and just continue down as it drops down into the river bottom, if you take it easy you should be able to catch up to him if you don't spook him. He said he would drive around the mountain and back into the bottom and pick me up at the river. I start down the mountain slowly at first then increased my pace as I felt that the buck had a pretty good head start. Just as I crest the rise of the next lower ridge I saw horns and the buck running hell bent for leather to get over the ridge before I could get a shot. It was about 250-300 yards down the hill from my position and all I could do was pull up and shoot. I could not tell if I had hit him but his body language had changed at the report of the shot so I thought maybe I had gotten lucky. I was so excited by this time I could hardly control my emotions. I slowly made my way to the site of where I felt the deer had been standing and there just over the crest of the lower ridge he laid, piled up in a bunch of sage brush. I had actually hit him high in the back and killed him pretty much right on the spot. As I looked at him I noticed his body didn't look as big as what I had remembered from twenty or so minutes before. When I pulled his head from the sage brush I immediately knew it was not the buck I was after and was actually a considerably smaller four by four. then I heard something down the hill from me and looked up and the big five by five was standing there looking at me at about fifty yards. I starred in disbelief but there was nothing I could do about it. I just smiled, said a few choice words to the gods and went about my business of cleaning up the one I had taken. I had made an incredibly lucky shot at a pretty far distance, at that time in my life, off hand to boot. Unfortunately the big rack of the five by five had me rattled and as soon as I saw horns I cut loose. You live an learn I guess.As a kid, swallows would fly through our old barn and out the back through a hole in a window.
I had a pump bb gun.
I walk into one end of the barn... swallow is flying towards window in the back....i aim at the hole in the window. Pull the trigger trying to time the swallow and bb meeting at the window gap...
Swallow lands outside the barn deader than a door nail.
Barn is 80 feet long. As an 8 year old, i walked around like i was John Wayne for the rest of the summer.
I had a pump bb gun.
I walk into one end of the barn... swallow is flying towards window in the back....i aim at the hole in the window. Pull the trigger trying to time the swallow and bb meeting at the window gap...
Swallow lands outside the barn deader than a door nail.
Barn is 80 feet long. As an 8 year old, i walked around like i was John Wayne for the rest of the summer.
entoptics
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2018
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My mom's cousin was the family "gun nut", and got me into shooting before I can remember.
Anyway, whenever I'd visit him, I'd root through his basement full of guns, and demand to shoot just about anything and everything. One day, when I was about 10 years old, I was pestering him incessantly about his 458 Win Mag "elephant gun".
Me: Let me shoot it
Him: Too big for you.
Me: No it's not
Him: Yes it is.
Me: No it's not. Let me shoot it.
Him: I don't have any ammo
Me: I just found some in this coffee can.
Him: Fine you little peckerwood, I'm sick of listening to you. You can shoot it, and then you'll understand why I said no.
Now normally, this would be akin to child abuse, but I wasn't like other little kids.
We go out on his porch, and with a knowing smirk on his face, he hands me a round and says "shoot that turtle on the far bank of the pond" (perhaps 80-100 yards away).
I lined up on that sucker and let her rip. Nothing left of the turtle but a smoking crater in the mud.
I turn to him and he's got a stunned look on his face. I'm not sure which was more shocking to him. That I hit the turtle offhand, or that I was grinning ear to ear and reaching for another round of 458...
His plan to "teach me a lesson" completely backfired. For the rest of my life, I've pestered him to shoot whatever the biggest, baddest, most expensive thing he's got...
I still feel a little bad about the turtle murder though...
Anyway, whenever I'd visit him, I'd root through his basement full of guns, and demand to shoot just about anything and everything. One day, when I was about 10 years old, I was pestering him incessantly about his 458 Win Mag "elephant gun".
Me: Let me shoot it
Him: Too big for you.
Me: No it's not
Him: Yes it is.
Me: No it's not. Let me shoot it.
Him: I don't have any ammo
Me: I just found some in this coffee can.
Him: Fine you little peckerwood, I'm sick of listening to you. You can shoot it, and then you'll understand why I said no.
Now normally, this would be akin to child abuse, but I wasn't like other little kids.
We go out on his porch, and with a knowing smirk on his face, he hands me a round and says "shoot that turtle on the far bank of the pond" (perhaps 80-100 yards away).
I lined up on that sucker and let her rip. Nothing left of the turtle but a smoking crater in the mud.
I turn to him and he's got a stunned look on his face. I'm not sure which was more shocking to him. That I hit the turtle offhand, or that I was grinning ear to ear and reaching for another round of 458...
His plan to "teach me a lesson" completely backfired. For the rest of my life, I've pestered him to shoot whatever the biggest, baddest, most expensive thing he's got...
I still feel a little bad about the turtle murder though...
memtb
Well-Known Member
At least the turtle didn't suffer!
Though, your cousin might have been charged with "contributing to the delinquency of a minor"! 
memtbcomfisherman
Well-Known Member
Early October jumping ducks in irrigation ponds, windy warm day in shorts and t shirt. Whack a duck headed straight at us coming in hot, wind at his tail. Absolutely fold him up, buddy with me jumps and catches it like a base ball out fielder right out of the air.
Second luckiest was my first caribou, on a subsistence hunt with a gun that had no scope as it had been crushed the day before. Pointed like instinctive archery and made a text book heart lung shot at a little over 100 yards. Was surprised when it tipped over, even more so when we field dressed it and saw how text book it was. Don't think I could ever duplicate that, oh to be young stable and just a bit overconfident...
Second luckiest was my first caribou, on a subsistence hunt with a gun that had no scope as it had been crushed the day before. Pointed like instinctive archery and made a text book heart lung shot at a little over 100 yards. Was surprised when it tipped over, even more so when we field dressed it and saw how text book it was. Don't think I could ever duplicate that, oh to be young stable and just a bit overconfident...
Lefty7mmstw
Well-Known Member
To be young and ignorant of what you "can't do" again.
I've had quite a few lucky shots over the years along with a few that I consider skilled. One in particular that was really burned in was a prairie dog kill at around 200 yards. I was running a Savage striker pistol in 243 with a 4x Leopold on top using 55 Grain Noslers. The critter in question was playing peek a boo with me from his mound. The wind must have been wrong (often was there) as I could not get a full body shot on him for any money. One the second or third "peek" I let the pistol rip. I must have caught him square in the nose as everything was gone above the lower jaw.
I've had quite a few lucky shots over the years along with a few that I consider skilled. One in particular that was really burned in was a prairie dog kill at around 200 yards. I was running a Savage striker pistol in 243 with a 4x Leopold on top using 55 Grain Noslers. The critter in question was playing peek a boo with me from his mound. The wind must have been wrong (often was there) as I could not get a full body shot on him for any money. One the second or third "peek" I let the pistol rip. I must have caught him square in the nose as everything was gone above the lower jaw.
quigley257
Well-Known Member
While I'm sure luck played a part in it, I like to think it was mostly skill and a cooperative target. Over 20 some years ago we were on our yearly Prairie Dog safari in western North Dakota. We were taking a break for cleaning rifles and eating lunch. Earlier in the day I had commented about how I had once shot a starling out of the air with my pellet rifle, a 100% pure luck hail Mary shot, large flock flying directly overhead. About that time a crow decided to skirt around the area where our trucks and benches were set up. It initially was flying straight at us but veered around the outside perimeter of our shooting area. My buddy Pat saw the crow coming and said something to the effect of "put up, or shut up". I picked up my marlin 917VS 17HMR and quickly chambered a round. I tracked the crow through the scope and squeezed off when everything looked good. The crow erupted with a satisfying POOF! of feathers as the shot broke. This was witnessed by the five other guys in the group. I walked out to retrieve the body where Pat laser ranged me at 78 yards. Not too shabby.
DakotaRingo
Member
During my 3rd tour in Germany, as a licensed Jäger (hunter), at winter Jäger competition, I loaned my 222Rem to a Jägermeister to use instead of his triple barrel 2x16 ga Shotgun & 97x something cannon/rifle Drilling. Cursing because he had never gotten more than a bronze score in 30 years with this gun but lots of game. After he shot silver, 2 points from gold medal, with 222, he says, " come to my platz for a Rohr buck."
So a month or 2 later. I arrive at 0300 (Oh dark 30 for some of us), dark as hell, we have Schnapps & breakfast and packed into his German Jeep. Drive a good ways, sun just peaking into the trees, he says, "aawwhh there he is!" About 110 meters away near really near by a house in an obvious garden eating vegetables was a german shepherd sized deer. I reach for my door handle, 'Nine, nine open the fenster (window)' or actually loosen two screws and remove window of the jeep. Pulled up my trusty Husqvarna. 243 with redfield and took aim. Deer dropped. We did the ceremony of breaking a branch from a tree, dipping in blood and put one piece in its mouth and other laid upon the wound. After giving thanks for our harvest, we took the buck to the Gasthaus/restaurant hotel back shed 2 kilometers away. They laid the buck out and start pointing, jabbering & laughing. I asked what's wrong and he said nothing, let me show you. He took a Rohrbach deer sized paper target out of the car. Took his knife and cut a half inch hole in the target X ring center of blat (heart) and proceeded to lay the silhouette over deer. There, dead center of the X ring hole, was the entrance hole. "Ze shenzen so much paper!" The deer was quartering away and I should have shot, in his 30 plus years experience, shot forward by 2 cm. Deer dropped in his tracks and i had hit heart & one lung.
So a month or 2 later. I arrive at 0300 (Oh dark 30 for some of us), dark as hell, we have Schnapps & breakfast and packed into his German Jeep. Drive a good ways, sun just peaking into the trees, he says, "aawwhh there he is!" About 110 meters away near really near by a house in an obvious garden eating vegetables was a german shepherd sized deer. I reach for my door handle, 'Nine, nine open the fenster (window)' or actually loosen two screws and remove window of the jeep. Pulled up my trusty Husqvarna. 243 with redfield and took aim. Deer dropped. We did the ceremony of breaking a branch from a tree, dipping in blood and put one piece in its mouth and other laid upon the wound. After giving thanks for our harvest, we took the buck to the Gasthaus/restaurant hotel back shed 2 kilometers away. They laid the buck out and start pointing, jabbering & laughing. I asked what's wrong and he said nothing, let me show you. He took a Rohrbach deer sized paper target out of the car. Took his knife and cut a half inch hole in the target X ring center of blat (heart) and proceeded to lay the silhouette over deer. There, dead center of the X ring hole, was the entrance hole. "Ze shenzen so much paper!" The deer was quartering away and I should have shot, in his 30 plus years experience, shot forward by 2 cm. Deer dropped in his tracks and i had hit heart & one lung.
My luckiest shot was about 10yrs ago. I was working in on a bedded bull elk and I only needed another 30 or so yards to start thinking about a shot. The whole thing blew up in my face when a rough grouse blew out of the underbrush. I was seething mad. I look up and the grouse is about 60 yards away on a branch. I didn't care about the wind, distance or anything else, I just drew my bow, put my bottom pin on the grouse and ripped the shot off. That black hornet broadhead decapitated the grouse. I was glad I got the grouse because that arrow kept going and I never saw it again.
The other lucky shot was my from my brother. He had bought a new Ruger M77 30-06. We were hunting in a special hunt in an army base here in Alberta. It was the last day. My dad and I had done well and we each got a buck and my dad had tagged out with a huge doe. My brother was a little discouraged and we were sitting on a hillside when we saw a Whitetail buck come blasting out of a clump of trees. My brother instantly aims at the deer and fires. I watch the deer do a cartwheel and then I don't see anything. My brother thought he missed and was getting up saying we should go back to the truck. I told him about the cartwheel. We got to the spot where the deer was. It was over 300 strides as I lost count at that point. Broke both front shoulders on the deer. Later he tells me that he doesn't know how he made that shot. He felt like he was on autopilot and just let his body work without consciously trying to control anything.
The other lucky shot was my from my brother. He had bought a new Ruger M77 30-06. We were hunting in a special hunt in an army base here in Alberta. It was the last day. My dad and I had done well and we each got a buck and my dad had tagged out with a huge doe. My brother was a little discouraged and we were sitting on a hillside when we saw a Whitetail buck come blasting out of a clump of trees. My brother instantly aims at the deer and fires. I watch the deer do a cartwheel and then I don't see anything. My brother thought he missed and was getting up saying we should go back to the truck. I told him about the cartwheel. We got to the spot where the deer was. It was over 300 strides as I lost count at that point. Broke both front shoulders on the deer. Later he tells me that he doesn't know how he made that shot. He felt like he was on autopilot and just let his body work without consciously trying to control anything.
victor3ranger
Well-Known Member
Back when I was 17 I was muzzleloader hunting.
That morning was a bust so I got in my old 66 bronco went a couple miles back up into the hills on a wagon road. There on top was a big mud hole so of course I had to get in it.
The previous day a friend of mine had loaned me a 50 caliber Jukar pistol.
Anyway, I got out of the bronco walked out into the mud hole leaving my rifle in the truck. I heard something running towards me and see a buck standing about 40 yards away looking at me so I pulled out the pistol, aimed and fired. The buck dropped in his tracks. After pulling the trigger I quickly realized that the pistol kicked way harder than I expected because it almost jumped out of my hand and the pistol almost hit me in the forehead.
I walked over to the deer to check out my shot, what I saw was I had hit the deer right behind the ear.
I also learned that I wasn't supposed to put the same load in the pistol that I used in my rifle
That morning was a bust so I got in my old 66 bronco went a couple miles back up into the hills on a wagon road. There on top was a big mud hole so of course I had to get in it.
The previous day a friend of mine had loaned me a 50 caliber Jukar pistol.
Anyway, I got out of the bronco walked out into the mud hole leaving my rifle in the truck. I heard something running towards me and see a buck standing about 40 yards away looking at me so I pulled out the pistol, aimed and fired. The buck dropped in his tracks. After pulling the trigger I quickly realized that the pistol kicked way harder than I expected because it almost jumped out of my hand and the pistol almost hit me in the forehead.
I walked over to the deer to check out my shot, what I saw was I had hit the deer right behind the ear.
I also learned that I wasn't supposed to put the same load in the pistol that I used in my rifle
