Luckiest shot?

mark-hunter

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With latest thread, of unusal occurances during your hunts, it came to me to ask and share with you, your best shot ever?
So, what is your best shot ever?
A best shot you ever made with your rifle? Never to be repeated?

So, mine is as follows. I have to wind the clock back, to early eighties, more then 30 years ago.

Lets remember the day, the day of November.

I was teenager, and shooting on occasion with my granpas rifle, 22lr, on my free days, or just before the school..
My house was on the seacoast and from balcony I can watch the sea horizon, some 15 miles distant to next island.

The day was cloudy, and no wind at all.
Just overcast sky.
The sea was calm.
The calm, clody day of early november.

I had my granpas 22, with me. And few cartridges in a pocket to spend.

The distance.
At sea just infront of the house, my old neighbour placed and anchored a fishing buoy, of stirofoam, many months earlier.
He used it to make fast, and tie up with his boat there, sometimes when he went fishing.
Not too often. Sometimes.
But the buoy, it was there. All the time.
And I knew the distance, from my balcony!

So, when he was not using it for fishing, I was using it for target practise, on a calm day.
If I set up the sights to 170 meters, the 22 bullet would drop to surface closer from the buoy.
If I set up the sights to 190 meters, the 22 bullet would pass over the target and drop to surface, farther from the buoy.
If I set up the sights to 180 meters, I would fire, and after few moments I would hear, a dull thud of 22 bullet hitting home. "Tup!"
And so, the distance was establIshed empirically to "ballistic" 180 meters, with whatever 22 ammo was available to me then.
(more then 30 years ago)

The shot.
So, the day was calm. Cloudy. No wind. Early november of that year.
At one moment I saw the duck flying low, just above the sea level.
Judging by ducks heading, it will fly over, exactly over the fishing marker buoy!
O, my!
180 meters?!

I worked the bolt, and placed a cartridge, in a a single shot, 22 rifle. (German Erma, made in 1934)
Rifle on rest over fence handrail.
Rear sight set at 180 meters.
Sights aligned, rifle positioned softly on my left hand, and I was now following the duck in the flight.

I estimated the lead, counted the seconds in my head, to get some reference of ducks velocity, and moved the sights to lead the target in the flight.
I estimated the lead then at few meters, and kept it like that.

With best possible lead estimated and established, and well maintained, I applied slight pressure on the trigger, and released the shot!
After a very loooong moment, dull thud came back,
"Tup",
and duck dropped!

I couldnt beleive!
My best shot ever, a duck in flight, 180 meters, with 22 sinlge shot rifle.
Beleive it or not. And I never repeated this shot ever.

Went to the boat, and collected the duck. Brought it proudly to my grandmother, to make lunch next day!
My best shot ever!
Many months and years ago. But I remember as vividly as it was yesterday.

And view from same balcony today (except is windy day today). The palms to the left, 30 years ago were below balcony level.

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I hit a bedded bull caribou, a nice one, at something like 170 yards. It was an OK hit, to the chest, but maybe a little back of where I intended. The complicating factor was that it was standing by a small lake. After the hit, it plunged into the lake and started swimming away from me. I started to sprint around the lake, keeping my eye on the bull. This was a very soft tundra area; those who have hunted such will know what I'm talking about. The ground was sucking the spirit from my body with every step, and when I say sprinted, that's exactly what I mean.

I wound up sprinting almost a quarter mile. The bull hauled himself out of the lake a long way away - I had left my rangefinder back where I started. I was heaving and breathing heavily. I'm in OK shape, but not sprint-a-quarter-mile-across-squishy-tundra-and-take-a-quick-shot shape. There was nothing to brace against; I had to stand and take a freehand shot from where I was - he was going to make it to an alder covered hill in a matter of moments. I tried to steady as much as I could, squeezed the trigger... and watched him drop where he stood.

We were really being pressed by darkness and a storm moving in, so I didn't get a chance to figure out what happened. I think maybe there was a bit of an angle on the first shot and I only hit one lung. At the end of the day it worked out: I got him. Oh, and after the fact... that anchoring shot was just under 400. I know for some of you that's a chip shot. It's beyond where I normally like to shoot; most of my kills have come 200 and in.

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Mine’s not really impressive, but I’ll play:

Distance: 15 yds
Rifle: Daisy Air Rifle (Can’t remember the model), open sights
Target: My mother’s wind chimes

When I was 12, I managed to shoot 3 wind chime strings in a row. My mom was so impressed that I didn’t even get in trouble.
 
BourbonTrail brought back a memory: first thing I EVER killed... age 7... Daisy Golden Eagle BB gun. It had a "scope" - a metal scope shaped tube without any actual optics. Grandpa gave it to me and wanted me to kill "bad" birds at his farm: starlings, house sparrows, and the like. I remember calmly taking aim on a fat starling in a tree, squeezing the trigger... and watching the male cardinal back behind the starling drop like a rock. There was a lesson in that somewhere, though I'm not sure I knew it at the time.
 
My luckiest shot was at the shooting range. I hit a 8in paper target dead center at 100yrds, with iron sights on my 300wm.
Ive been close again a few times. But never dead center. The target looks like a cigarette box at 100yrds to me.
 
1964 and it was in lambing season on the farm. The big black backed gull would kill new born lambs or take the eyes from a sheep if it got cast which is what often happened with big belly, full fleece of wool and if they rolled onto their back they could not get up again and were trapped untill next morning when we went round to check them but were prey to the gulls in the meantime.
One afternoon I was out with my BSA air rifle shooting the starlings along the treeline that would fly into the chookhouse for the food and saw this big old black back gull flying about 40yds away and about 40yd up and took a silly shot at it with the surprise of the gull dropping in that somewhat gracefull way a bird will fall after a good shot.
Been some other good or lucky shots on game since then but that one has struck in the memory more because it was a shot without any real hope of the result that came of it.
 
13ft wounded croc 3 days after client left 256 meters, 7x57mm 170 gr Rhino controlled expansion bullet, 1 shot DRT...
 
Two doe whitetail with one shot at 105 yds with a 7mm rem mag—DRT
Best African animals—300+ shot on a zebra that we had chased for several hours—hit the chevron I was aiming for, 10yds DRT. Also 7mm REM mag
Monster giraffe 375 H and H at 90 yds—DRT with neck shot. All these memories are etched in my mind, great days afield with good friends!
Hope to add to that in 75 days while chasing Cape buffalo!
 
Once I was floating down the misouri river in MT just after first light to check some beaver traps and saw a mink up ahead at the waters edge. I stayed still and drifted up to about 20 yds from it then shot it in the head with a 22lr. I went to shore and retreived it but could not find a hole in it. I finally figured out what happened. It had been standing upright on its hind legs with its mouth partially open looking at me. The bullet went into its mouth, without hitting a tooth, hit the base of the skull and veered downward through the neck and stopped midway down into its body. The only indication that I hit it was a tiny bit of blood in the back of the throat.
 
Wild barn cat at a bit over 150 yards offhand, 22LR with a peep sight. I took a wild guess at elevation. Head shot.
 
I killed a hog last year with a 220yard running freehand shot. That has to be right up there with the best shots I have ever made.
 
Starling flying overhead at 30 feet or so with a Wrist rocket and two ball bearings. Man was I surprised watching those arc into it.
 
16 feet, straight down below me! I had to lean over and shoot my arrow only a hand’s width from the tree stand and my feet. I had not practiced that shot. This is how the arrow ended up.

With a rifle, a running blue wildebeest at about 100 yards off hand. I had put a bullet in it on a quartering away shot, not enough penetration so we had to do some chasing. I was relieved with that finishing shot, and it elicited significant praise from my PH, maybe even enough to forget my earlier poor shot.

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My story is not about me but my son.

We were hunting Nalgai it started off as a cow hunt. My wife was actually on the hunt and we were driving them. In the middle of the road stood the most beautiful bull I had ever seen. 9"+ and almost solid black. We did not have a rifle with us other wise I would have had him shoot it. We were not intending to hunt bulls, we could kill two cows for less than the cost of 1 bull. My wife did not kill so we stayed in a hotel that evening to hunt the next day. After our boys fell asleep my wife and I talked it over. Should we see that bull we were going to let him take it. We were in the truck with the guide the next morning. He started going over the game plan. So dad he says if we see the bull we did yesterday, what's the call. I thought to myself this isn't the way I wanted him to find out I was going to talk to the guide one on one. I said well put him on the ground, my son came UNGLUED!!! He was almost in tears he was so happy you would have thought he won the super bowl the way he acted. He hunted his butt off all day. Not one bull was to be seen...that was Sunday. End of the day we got with the guide and set it up for a few weeks later again nothing. I mean the whole weekend nothing! It was bad he was 14 we went to town to get lunch. I was not sure how to salvage the trip but I felt pressure to do something. So at 14 I told my son to drive us back to the ranch. Now for those who have not driven in Texas most 2 lane roads are 75mph. We got up to that he had a big smile on his face and I felt I had accomplished that mission. We went home empty handed again.

Third time... by this point his expectation level is a big 0. We hope in the guides truck and the usual. I really need to go to the bathroom. Okay he goes in the ranch house does his thing. We are driving along turn a corner and there stand 3 really good bulls. We glass and talk it over, guide ranges says 256 yards. Son, it's sighted in for 200 hold where you want the bullet to hit. We are still in the truck he uses the sideview mirror to rest the forearm on. He's shaking bad! Son calm down and focus on breathing. He says I can't see it blurry. Adjust your parallax, he reaches for it makes the adjustments. That's much better I can see him clearly now. The guides at this point are having a fit because of the amount of time that has passed they are waiting to get busted and the bulls bolt. At this point my heart is beating out of my chest I have never had an adrenaline dump like this we I was the one behind the rifle. Now both guides and myself are on glass watching. Gun goes off damn that was loud I thought! It took a sec for the bullet to make impact. Took him right off his feet, that bull landed in a depression. The guide said shoot again you missed he is about to get away. I said no son don't shoot your bull is on the ground. The guide said no he missed the bull is still standing. I politely let him know I was watching the bulls feet kicking in the dirt. We walk to the bull I'm carrying my 1911, the guide tells me to shoot it with my pistol it's still alive. Again I tell the guide I will hand the Pistol to my son his kill he will finish it but that would not be necessary. As you can see the bulls eyes are glossing over.

I said to the guide man that a long walk and that bullet took a sec to show up. He ranged it from the bull to the truck. The look on his face told me my suspicion was correct. 477 yards as he is looking at the ground. We get the bull loaded up drop him off and we start heading home. We were talking about it and my son is on cloud 9. I asked so where were you aiming? He said that hump in his back the last time I was with the guide he said shoot him in it. He said they fold up and go no where. He admitted to leaving a little light between the back and the crosshairs. The bullet actually impacted about 3" above the bottom of the bulls chest. I can't explain it but heart was intact. I guess the hydraulic shock did the deed.

I did the math, bullet dropped 24.67" at that range in those conditions.

Funny thing he told me walking down to the bull that god guided that bullet.
 
Walking around my grandparents garden in Bulawayo in the late 70's I always had my No.1 pellet gun. The local birds could sense me even thinking about getting the gun out from my room and would take off. I was left with long shots or lizard hunting. And by now even the lizards had developed a sixth sense...

One afternoon I was walking around the double garage hunting lizards and one was sun bathing right on the edge where the roof and wall met. I could only see about 3-4mm along the length of this body. I casually walked passed him, eyeing him without turning my head and carrying the rifle with arms straight down and the rifle around my hip area. When I had passed the lizard by about 2-3 paces I half spun and shot from the hip... perfect head neck shot.
 
I don't know if this is lucky/unlucky or if I was just lucky.
Years ago, most probably around 1984 I hunted on my uncles farm close to Windhoek. Was using his 270 Winchester with reloads that my uncle loaded.

Finally found a Red hartebeest standing perfectly broadside about 150m away. Took a heart shot at him, but saw dust spray up a couple of meters in front of him. I thought WTF. Seconds later he dropped down. Did not understand this as I definitely saw the dust spray between him and me.
As I arrived by my "Trophy", I saw a entrance hole at the fore quarters and a exit hole on the same side towards the rear quarters. Some how the bullet must of done a 90 degree turn and the another.

Never heard of something like this happening to anybody else, but it was freaky. Did not think that this was even possible.
 

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