Author Topic: I blew it!  (Read 8125 times)

Offline Ted Kramer

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I blew it!
« on: November 10, 2014, 02:21:45 PM »
Yesterday afternoon, 2nd day of the general firearms season here in MN, I'm in my stand along a fence line separating my corn field and the neighbors willow swamp. A nice 6 pointer walks across my field and starts to investigate several scrapes along the fence line brush about 150 yards from me. He worked his way towards me and stopped about 60 yards from me.  I had the sights lined up on his shoulder and touched off my flint rifle. Shot right over his shoulder and he waved at me all the way back along the fence line and into an oak grove. Not a trace of blood and since I saw the impact of the ball into the dirt over and past him, I knew he was untouched.

I've been mulling this over trying to find another reason for the miss other than "I blew it" but I guess that's what it boils down to. MAYBE he ducked at the shot, MAYBE I jerked up hoping to see him fall or both but whatever, I just plain blew it.

We're in the process of getting a bunch of snow dumped on us (8-12" is the forecast) with low temps at or below 0°, highs in the teens so that may cause the deer to load up on energy from the corn that's left in the field, or...they'll head for their wintering areas a couple miles away. We'll see.

Offline snapper

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Re: I blew it!
« Reply #1 on: November 10, 2014, 03:05:35 PM »
Ted

perhaps you are just too used to shooting at buffalos?

art fleener
My taste are simple:  I am easily satisfied with the best.  Winston Churchill

nosrettap1958

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Re: I blew it!
« Reply #2 on: November 10, 2014, 03:07:10 PM »
Man, do I know what you mean. Every shot I missed is ingrained in my memory to be replayed every year, every deer season, like a bad song.
« Last Edit: November 10, 2014, 03:08:21 PM by crawdad »

Offline bob in the woods

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Re: I blew it!
« Reply #3 on: November 10, 2014, 04:35:48 PM »
What I have found in my hunting experience, is that it is very common to see too much front sight when hunting in the woods.  I try to concentrate on making sure that the front sight is down in the "notch" ….but sometimes forget when I'm excited !     I've shot over a couple deer in my time  :-[     Better luck next time !

Offline WKevinD

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Re: I blew it!
« Reply #4 on: November 10, 2014, 05:06:07 PM »

Ted,
I find the best thing about hunting with a flintlock is the number of reasons we can up with for a miss!
Next best thing is sharing it with the other guys who also hunt with flinters, the laughter can last longer and be more satisfying than the quick easy successful shot.
Been there done that, thanks for sharing.
Tracking snow is always a plus and that contrast helps.
Kevin
PEACE is that glorious moment in history when everyone stands around reloading.  Thomas Jefferson

Offline hanshi

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Re: I blew it!
« Reply #5 on: November 10, 2014, 11:55:21 PM »
Interesting because I remember each and every deer I drop with my smoke poles; the misses, well not so much.
!Jozai Senjo! "always present on the battlefield"
Young guys should hang out with old guys; old guys know stuff.

Offline Leatherbark

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Re: I blew it!
« Reply #6 on: November 11, 2014, 02:37:01 AM »
I know how you feel.  I was Bear damage hunting a corn field with my 62 Carolina Smoothbore flintlock back in 08 when a very large Black Bear came out of the woods at 30 yards.  I just shot the gun at the house at a pie plate at 60 yards and peppered it with holes.  I digress though.  The evening was very humid.  I decided to shoot the bear in the head at 30 yards.  I had a hangfire from Hades.  Completely missed. Should have shot at the shoulders.  110 grains of 2F and a 325 grain ball he wouldn't have survived.  My buddy laughed at me.


Bob

nosrettap1958

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Re: I blew it!
« Reply #7 on: November 12, 2014, 10:57:55 AM »
Quote
What I have found in my hunting experience, is that it is very common to see too much front sight when hunting in the woods.  I try to concentrate on making sure that the front sight is down in the "notch"

I think that is another difficult part getting accustomed to and applying the primitive sights by estimating the range and adjusting for that estimation with the primitive 'sight' picture you have to work with. At the range I can see that big fat brass barleycorn plain as day, but sometimes in the woods...........not so much.
« Last Edit: November 12, 2014, 11:04:41 AM by crawdad »

Offline Ted Kramer

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Re: I blew it!
« Reply #8 on: November 12, 2014, 05:42:16 PM »
Primitive sights are usually tough for my aging eyes to focus on but I had a good view of the front sight against the deer hide. Maybe too much of the blade was showing above the rear notch. 

Missing him might have been for the best anyway as I have seen that 6 pointers grand daddy lurking at a distance the last two evenings. The wind is supposed to change directions today so it's possible I can ambush him-if he doesn't decide to change his pattern. We have an 11" blanket of snow now so the deer really stand out, and they know it too!

Hey Art, you think I ought to cut out some steel deer silhouettes?? I can shoot over top of them too.

Ted

Offline snapper

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Re: I blew it!
« Reply #9 on: November 13, 2014, 02:32:09 AM »
yep, no doubt if it was a buffalo you would be eating loin tonight for supper

Fleener
My taste are simple:  I am easily satisfied with the best.  Winston Churchill

Offline Pete G.

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Re: I blew it!
« Reply #10 on: November 14, 2014, 06:27:19 PM »
Back in the days when we were restricted to shotgun only for deer one of the old men we hunted with advised to "Shoot the legs out from under him." He claimed that high misses came from looking at the horns and that you shoot where you look.

The reality is that most high shots come from not getting the head down on the stock properly. The same thing tends to happen with open sights; the attention is more on the target than the sights and the front sight is not pulled down into the rear notch all the way.

The good news is that these types of misses occur because of excitement. If you don't get excited you are in the wrong sport. If I ever loose the excitement of hunting I'll have to try something else. I don't quite know what that will be, but I know it will NOT be skydiving.

Offline WadePatton

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Re: I blew it!
« Reply #11 on: November 14, 2014, 09:10:41 PM »
I'd rather miss one, than not see any.  Both will happen, best of next time.
Hold to the Wind

William Worth

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Re: I blew it!
« Reply #12 on: November 17, 2014, 09:29:27 PM »
At least it was a clean miss.  I would rather have either a solid hit or a clean miss.  In between bothers me.

Offline Ted Kramer

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Re: I blew it!
« Reply #13 on: November 17, 2014, 11:12:42 PM »
Our general firearms season ended yesterday and the only other deer that came within range for me were two fawns that were in front of my stand every day by 4:15 PM. I passed on shooting one of them as I was hoping the buck I had missed would show up again. He didn't show himself UNTIL this morning (season closed now) bedded down with a doe just 30 yards off the highway on my way to town. They were settled down out in the open at the end of a cut corn field with a 20mph cold NW wind at their backs. I know it was the same buck as he's got a much darker  reddish tone than any of the other deer around here. I was in town for a couple hours and they were still there when I came home. I slowed way down as I went past them and that was more than they could stand and they got up and trotted off towards where my stand is! Muzzle loader season starts the Saturday after TG but if it stays cold the deer will have headed for their wintering area. We'll see I guess. 

AZshooter

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Re: I blew it!
« Reply #14 on: November 28, 2014, 06:30:41 AM »
Back when I'd hunt with a couple of guys from work, the rule was that anyone coming home emptyhanded would have to eat Tofu until the next hunt.

Never a problem, until another guy in the dept. invited himself along one year.  He never fired a double set trigger before, and was so excited that I thought he'd wet himself on the first shot at the range.  We taught him how to sight, how to breathe and how to squeeze the trigger, and finally removed the spring and adjustment screw so he had to use the trigger un-set.  Nevertheless, he persisted in more often than not shooting holes in the clouds.

The hunt came, and out we went.  He was an accomplished camper and great open fire cook, he just wasn't meant to pull the trigger.  We ate well, he did all the cooking & clean-up, and at the end of the hunt 3 days later, came home empty handed.  His wife was already notified of his new diet, and throughout the year, as was  Security at the front gate, who inspected his lunch, occasionally confiscating some Burger King, beef Jerkey or Pepperoni sticks.  A little brisket and some chops, and the front gate was really helpful. 

Was hoping that he'd come along the next year, but his wife nixed the idea.  Apparently Tofu dishes not only played havoc with his temper, but also his digestive tract & she didn't want the possibility of another year of foul mood and frequent bathroom clean-up.

Offline Hawken62_flint

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Re: I blew it!
« Reply #15 on: November 28, 2014, 06:02:34 PM »
Don't feel bad---I think we all have those moments.  I am still trying to figure out how I missed one of the biggest bucks I have ever seen in the woods one damp morning.  It wasn't the fault of the rifle, as it went off amazingly quick.  I think I  had "buck fever", even though I didn't think so at the time.  I watched this buck feeding and rambling my way from about 200 yards thru the woods and knew he was a shooter even before he got close.  In my mind I already had him loaded in the truck and was showing him off to my buddies.  "Don't count your chickens" and you know the rest.  And the bad part was that he didn't run, just did a 180 and stood there.  I was reloaded and pulling the ramrod out of the barrel when he decided to take a couple of jumps over the hill.  I knew he had to be laying just over the ridge, but not so.  I followed him as he walked down the ridge, across the hollow and up the next ridge.  He was easy to track, as it had rained all the night before and his tracks were clear in the mud.  Still don't know what happened.  I have started using a phrase from the Patriot, when I am drawing down on an animal---"aim small, miss small".  Used that and took a nice 8-point this past Monday with my .62 Hawken flint.

Offline Ted Kramer

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Re: I blew it!
« Reply #16 on: November 28, 2014, 10:50:24 PM »
Oh, I don't feel too bad about it. It's not like we'll starve to death because one got away, we always have a couple nice slick Jersey steers around to use if we ever get too much room in the freezer.

Congrats on the 8-pointer.