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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Chris Shelton on October 06, 2010, 10:19:00 PM

Title: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: Chris Shelton on October 06, 2010, 10:19:00 PM
Alright, so my season is in full swing. I've been hunting as much as possible in between running a small business and going to college full time. It's been limited more than usual but I still have had some time to hunt and more importantly practice.

Well today a buddy and I decided to hunt a local WMA right close to home. We split up at daybreak and kinda circled around towards a common spot.

Well the stalking didn't prove to be productive today, despite a prefect new moon the deer were just not willing to play.

Our meeting spot was this tall knoll type rock on a hill that someone in the years past had built a blind, and although it was not much of a blind it is a great vantave point. We sat up their for about 30 mins when the squirrels started coming out of the woodwork.

I am very much a opportunistic hunter, I hunt everything that is in season all the time!

And I jokingly said I'll shoot at anything under 50(referring to squirrels)

This one gray came out and ran on this log at about 35 yards, and disappeared behind some thicket and then reappeared further down the huge dead fall.

It was so open and he decided to rest on this stump.

My range estimation was 40ish yards. I drew back focused on the distant critter and let it fly.

I waited for the split second for the arrow to reach its target and heard a thud. I swear my jaw kinda dropped.

I practice out that far pretty often, but that was a really small target!!  My buddy was in awe, he couldn't believe the size of that horseshoe I had in my back pocket, lol

Ill be the first to admit their was some luck involved, but its always better to be lucky than good, lol

Anyway alot of you will probably think that was an unethical shot, but the way I look at it is with something that small if you hit it, you will most likely kill it, unlike a deer where a specific region needs to be impacted.

The shot was right in front of the back leg and at spinal cord level. It did not penetrate but the shock was enough to do the little guy in. I will say that I will not shoot at anything that far with a judo again, just because I would rather have some cutting action . . . even though this shot was very effective.

Alright after that book you guys deserve a picture . . .

  (http://i959.photobucket.com/albums/ae73/Guitararcher/DSC_0367.jpg)

now I'm more of a traditional type guy, I love my cameras but things like ranger finders just seem like extra pack filling to me. But my buddy just happened to have one in his bag. I just about lost it when I read the range!!

51 yards!!!!!!!  Absolutely crazy!!   :scared:
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: Greyfox54 on October 06, 2010, 10:23:00 PM
Nice shooting and great memories made !
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: Hot Hap on October 06, 2010, 10:27:00 PM
Heck of a shot! Congradulations. Hap
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: Ray_G on October 06, 2010, 10:27:00 PM
I have shot at cottontails that far and I believe that you will either kill the critter or have a complete miss on that size of target.

If you have practiced at those yardages and let the computer between the ears take over, then shots like that are not unethical on small game.  The confidence gained when you do make a kill can only help when you need to make shots on bigger game at the closer yardages, in my opinion.

Enjoy eating your squirrel!  How are fixin' im?
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: Chris Shelton on October 06, 2010, 10:30:00 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Ray_G:
Enjoy eating your squirrel!  How are fixin' im?
I'm thinkin some BBQ sauce and my handy crockpot will get my lips smackin!!!
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: bornagainbowhunter on October 06, 2010, 10:30:00 PM
great shot. Ethics are your choice, i tend to side with you about shooting squirrels. Most any hit will be effective.
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: BUCK-EYE on October 06, 2010, 10:59:00 PM
nice shooting
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: Horner on October 06, 2010, 11:00:00 PM
Nice shot.......Love the pic!!!!   :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: rraming on October 06, 2010, 11:05:00 PM
Nice - those little suckers are hard to hit
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: bolong on October 06, 2010, 11:09:00 PM
:thumbsup:  Great shot!!!
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: chopx2 on October 06, 2010, 11:41:00 PM
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: bowhunterfrompast on October 07, 2010, 12:36:00 AM
:thumbsup:
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: Hooper on October 07, 2010, 01:11:00 AM
I am still trying to hit one and they have been close shots. But 51yrds that outstanding! Nice shooting!!! Congrats!
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: Thumper Dunker on October 07, 2010, 02:23:00 AM
Good shot.
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: rastaman on October 07, 2010, 05:40:00 AM
Good shooting!   :thumbsup:
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: matthewp on October 07, 2010, 08:21:00 AM
Nice Shot!!
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: DannyBows on October 07, 2010, 09:24:00 AM
I can't even see 51 yards! Nice shotin'.   :notworthy:    :notworthy:    :notworthy:
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: Jim now in Kentucky on October 07, 2010, 09:45:00 AM
Of course it was unethical! You said you would shoot at anything under 50 yards and that was 51!   :)

Great shot!
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: varmint101 on October 07, 2010, 10:42:00 AM
Nice job!
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: PSUBowhunter on October 07, 2010, 01:09:00 PM
Nice shooting.
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: Mr Green 740 on October 07, 2010, 01:17:00 PM
Good shooting! I'm still trying to hit one of those suckers!
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: twitchstick on October 07, 2010, 01:26:00 PM
:notworthy:    :notworthy:    :notworthy:  Thats the way to go Chris!
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: ron w on October 07, 2010, 02:24:00 PM
Well done...I'd like to have a dollar for all the ones I have missed at 10 yards...lol!
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: cacciatore on October 07, 2010, 03:15:00 PM
Congrats Chris sniper Shelton.
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: geales on October 07, 2010, 03:18:00 PM
Nice shootin'
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: Over&Under on October 07, 2010, 03:19:00 PM
Some fine shooting there!!
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: Wile E. Coyote on October 07, 2010, 04:01:00 PM
That is a memory of a lifetime there. You will be as proud of that one as you will your best deer. AND you should be. Good Shooting.
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: Brian Krebs on October 07, 2010, 04:05:00 PM
I love it when a plan comes together - like a shot like that.    :thumbsup:
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: Keefer on October 07, 2010, 04:23:00 PM
Chris that spot you're talking about that sounds like a vantage point is like a spot I once hunted at a place called Rocky Gap...There is a golf resort there and I remember a little shack/hunting blind was built at the top of a Rocky area....Keefer's   Nice shot by the way...
Title: Re: I made my best shot ever today(first blood of the season)
Post by: Chris Shelton on October 07, 2010, 10:32:00 PM
thanks everyone, it was definitely a awesome shot . . . but there was a large degree of luck involved.

I'm still kickin myself in the butt for not gettin it on film. We had two cameras sitting on tripods and not one was recording, lol. The shot was one of those quickies . . .O well, maybe next time

Thanks again everyone:)