Number of shot opportunities

FEENIX

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Dec 20, 2008
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Great Falls, MT
With 4+ decades of hunting, I was only afforded 2 shot opportunities twice. One was with a miss on the first shot, and the second needed another shot for a humane harvest.

Has anyone been lucky enough to have more than 2 shot opportunities in the same wild game target?
 
Only once on a coyote, of all things. Suppressed first shot I was given the range of 1140, he was actually at 1020 and it went over him by a lot. Re-ranged and dialed in the correction and sent him home. We got to looking afterwards and there was a tall pigweed in the field behind him the laser was hitting.
 
I have on occasion had multiple shot opportunities on deer. Those opportunities have been very few however. My second deer ever was a two shot opportunity (first one connected; second one missed low).

Most have been one shot opportunities. This has been in part because the first one did its job and no second shot was needed. (No way to ascertain whether a second opportunity would have even been possible in most cases).

I also shot a single shot gun for most of my hunting over the last 30 plus years so that also influenced my shots taken and made.

Using my bow, I have had multiple opportunities for subsequent shots (sometimes I miss 🤷‍♂️).
 
I got a second shot at a whitetail this year. I shot just under him on the first shot. He went about 20 yards and shot again. Second shot was held a little higher and passed through the heart. I was sneaking up to a deep draw to look when he stood up. I guessed the range at 100 yards. Then ranged after the shot at 175to 180 yards. I was just glad he slowed to a walk before going far.
 
Thinking back, I have only took a 2nd shot on game 3 times. One was a second shot that was totally unnecessary. I was shooting a BAR 7RM and the deer was dead and didn't know it on the first shot. Another one was a poor shot placement on my part that took out one shoulder but didn't hit the vitals. He stumbled down a ravine, and I had to run a hundred yards to close the deal. The last was another mistake by me. I hit a limb of some brush and luckily got a second shot at him.
 
Using my bow, I have had multiple opportunities for subsequent shots (sometimes I miss 🤷‍♂️).
Yep. With a bow I lost count. There was a time that I thought I was a great shot with a bow. You know those deer targets in the back yard where you know the range are easy to hit. Not so much when in the field or woods when hunting.
 
I might be understanding the question wrong. First deer I ever shot I pumped all five 06 rounds into it with the first two still standing. I have been fortunate to have so, so many 2nd, 3rd, and even a few 4th shots. IE: Just this year my brother passed up a solid shooter twice in one day. A few days later we were going into the same canyon and I told him if he passed again I was killing it. Found it, he hit it solid, back of both lungs, 10yds sick and locked up, shot it again, lungs/heart bolted another 10 and piled up. Mine a few days later almost exact same just two Dbl Lung shots. Two bulls stand out big due to both bullet failures. 1-3 Dbl lung, 1 lungs/off shoulder for 4. 2- One lung, miss, one lung, Dbl Lung shoulder for 4.
 
Stalked as close as we could to an antelope until we ran out of terrain. Neither I nor my buddy could get a range with the cheap range finders we had at the time. Guessed him at 600 and dialed the scope. First shot hit the hill over his back where he was laying down. He stood up, second shot hit him midway up the neck. Dropped like a rock. He was 540 when we finally got a good read. Hence the high hits with a 260 Rem.
 
I might be understanding the question wrong. First deer I ever shot I pumped all five 06 rounds into it with the first two still standing. I have been fortunate to have so, so many 2nd, 3rd, and even a few 4th shots. IE: Just this year my brother passed up a solid shooter twice in one day. A few days later we were going into the same canyon and I told him if he passed again I was killing it. Found it, he hit it solid, back of both lungs, 10yds sick and locked up, shot it again, lungs/heart bolted another 10 and piled up. Mine a few days later almost exact same just two Dbl Lung shots. Two bulls stand out big due to both bullet failures. 1-3 Dbl lung, 1 lungs/off shoulder for 4. 2- One lung, miss, one lung, Dbl Lung shoulder for 4.
You are correct!
 
I actually did back in 1993 with a muzzle loader of all things. I was in the GW National forest in VA. I was contemplating how to negotiate a stretch of blow-down and a doe walked up on to a little bench below me. I miss judged the distance and shot just over her shoulder hitting the tree a couple feet behind her. I crouched down waiting for the smoke to clear and when I could see again, there she stood I think confused on which way to run. I dumped more powder, got the ball started and packed, dropped the first primer as cold fingers tried to get it on the side mounted nipple on the borrowed Hawkin, finally got it primed and there she still stood stalk still broadside. It is one of my fondest memories. It was one of those cold damp VA mornings with the sun just starting to throw beams on the hill-tops, Dead calm. No way I should have been able to cock the gun again let alone reload. It was like a gift.
 
Yes but only on chucks, yotes, and badgers. One yote I hit with the first two shots but it still took off running. I emptied the magazine on him while he was running. When empty I dropped in a round for the last and final shot. My friends said it sounded like a semi auto.
 
Feenix, good post. . I had to shoot at two running bulls three times Each on different occasions, due to the downhill angle where I could see the shots going over their backs, thanks to a great muzzle break on a 7 Rem mag.

I may have misunderstood the question, but have I had animals stand still or barely move after being shot at once, allowing a second shot? I have not been that lucky, follow up shots were on walking, trotting,

When riding mules and horses, shots were rarely over 550 yards shooting from ridge to ridge. We practiced out to 500 throughout the year. My neighbor and his brother never practiced, and they let me verify zero on their rifles before hunting. They gimped up almost all deer unless they were under 300 yards, 7 Rem Mags. I helped tune their rifles, they commented that things were not as much fun as they used to be.
 
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In 60+ years of hunting……yes, numerous times! On deer being run by dogs in heavy brush/timber…..it's pretty easy to miss occasionally. Also, in the west when shooting across a narrow canyon in a hard wind……often the wind velocity in that canyon is much higher than where you are positioned!

Contrary to the opinions of some……if you hunt long enough it will happen! I place those that claim to never miss and used car salesmen on the same level of disdain! memtb
 
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A few times when I was younger. Missed a buck and he stood there so I gave him another and down he went.
I had a long shot at a buck in a field one morning and hit him a little far back. He humped up and came running toward me and then ran broadside to me. I hit him 3 times before he folded. If a deer is hit fatally or otherwise but still standing or running I immediately shoot again. Once they hit our woods tracking becomes pure difficult and dragging one out is even worse.. I have also missed with the bow and then gotten another shot.
One thing about the AR shooting hogs or depredation is that you can shoot, kill one, and the other deer don't hear you bolt the rifle and will stand there long enough for you to get more shots in. That's a big plus.
 
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