Your Most Memorable Shot

[gjw77]

I don't have a hunting shot yet as this will be my first year hunting with trad equipment.But as far as practice shots;one day my son was watching me try to shoot golf balls.I hit all around it close enough the fletchings would roll it to one side or the other.After about four or five shots I finally hit dead center and it went flying.I went and retrieved it and had my told my son to roll it across the ground.I whacked it again while it was still rolling.I quit for the day after that.

[Charlie Lamb]

Wish I had time I'd tell all of them... there's more "most memorable" shots than I can remember right now. (but they all come home to visit now and then    )

There was the time I shot 4 ground squirrels with one shot (only did that once... doubles and triples with one shot are uncountable).

Or the time I killed a rock chuck at 110 yards and the skeptic that was converted that day.

Or the weasel shot at 40 yards in a howling gale.

Today this one is my "most remembered"...  Think mid November, last day before firearms season opens.
A ratty little buck is chasing a hot doe all over the woods and she ends up in front of my tree.

I don't want the buck, but the doe looks like she's a perfect match for the empty spot in my freezer.

At 12 yards I draw up and hit anchor. The arrow is on the way, but hasn't left my finger tips yet. (that instant when there's nothing you can do about it) I'm confident in the shot and KNOW the exact hair the broadhead will split.

As the arrow clears the bow the doe takes two quick steps forward from her motionless broadside position. There is a sickening "BLUP" as the arrow passes through nothing but gut and she runs off.

[Charlie Lamb]

I sneak out of there and return six hours later. The blood trail is spotty at best with occasional bits of intestinal matter and I move along it like a snail.

100 yards from the treestand, I spot her standing beside a big old oak watching her back trail and looking kinda sick.

It was forty yards if it was an inch. The big two blade Magnus I entered the point of her left hip and angle through her body to exit forward of the right shoulder.

She dashed and crashed within 15 yards....and guys say they practice at 20 yards and less cause that's as far as they shoot. Hmmmmmm!

[buckeyebowhunter]

My most memorable so far is when my buddy who used to shoot compound until basically the day I made this shot, and I were out in my yard shooting; spotted a black bird by my garden, I started walking towards him planning on getting about 15 yards away but then suddenly he got spooked and was about 2 feet off the ground when I put a field tipped Easton camo hunter right through him with my 55# Maple selfbow. He couldnt believe what I had just done. He now shoots traditional bows.

[leon]

Beginning of summer my son and I went to the 3d range.Took us about an hour and a half to finish.On the way out my son wanted to shoot the target range.Asked if he could shoot the 50 yard target.Then he asked if I could hit it I dont shoot over 20 yards.I drew back and shot.Couldnt see the arrow.Walked over to the target it was in the X.My son couldnt belive it.He said dad i told you,you were good.Iam lucky to hit the bag now.leon

[Plumbob]

Hunting shot would have to be a Black Bear in 01'. I was stalking him and got myself in a tangled mess of brush and was about to give up hope. Then I heard him walking towards me through the brush, I mean it was thick. I nocked an arrow but without much hope. I spotted movement and could see he was going to pass about 17 yards. Looking ahead of his path I saw a dinner plate size hole through the brush right at his shoulder level. It may not sound smart on the computer but I knew with every fiber of my body that shot would be quick and easy. Man I mean I drilled him through both lungs and the offside shoulder. He bellowed and flipped over backwards stone dead in about 5 seconds.

There was a bit of adrenalin involved after the shot  

[hill boy]

The luckiest shot I ever made.Note:I said lucky was My first trad kill with a long bow.She acted spooked as she ran straight to me and then turned broadside at full alert at about 17 yards I realeased and the deer turned inside out,My arrow looked like a heat seeking misle when the deer moved the arrow moved in slow motion that arrow went right through here neck dead center.I told everyone at camp she was running and it was the neck was the only shot I had  :rolleyes:    

[tim roberts]

The last shot I took hunting with my longbow last November.  It was 15 yards at a slicktop whitey.  70 yards one hop over the ditch and it was all done.  Got to the deer and was looking for my arrow, but couldn't find it.  It took me a few seconds to realize that it was a complete pass through.  Walked back to where I took the shot and there was the arrow sticking out of the dirt.  Ended up cleaning that one by flash light.  The shot was pushing the last seconds out of what light was left after the sun dipped behind the mountians.  

>>>>Tim------->

[Bonebuster]

November 14th 1995. The next day is the firearms opener.

In late August, 1995, I was blackberry picking on public land, and jumped two bucks that would be respectable anywhere.

I had scouted, and figured I had them reasonably figured out. October came and went, without a sighting. A rub line had formed in mid October.
And scrapes were more numerous than normal. Still,
not even a glimpse of either one of those bucks.

It was cold and still, with some snow on the ground. People were out and about, because here in N.E. Michigan everyone likes to walk all around for a few days before firearms season to spook everything they can,...I guess.
I went out to watch the woods get dark one more time. I had hunted hard. (I wasn`t passing small bucks this evening.) I heard a deer coming from the "wrong" direction. I had my head turned as far as possible, expecting to see any deer but one of the "big two", as I had been calling them.
He knew that trouble was brewing cause he was heading for the thicket, instead of cruising for girls.

Intense focus is an understatement. I can see my arrow spinning just as described at the start of this thread. It was a twelve yard broadside shot.
Nothing spectacular, or difficult. It was however,
my most memorable.

[Pullonmylimb]

I was up in Jim Thorpe area last fall hunting deer and stayed well past dark because I was staying out of town and I was just going back to the hotel room anyhow.  There were deer all around as soon as dark feel.  Of course I couldn't even see the shapes sitting in the dark patch of woods just recognized them from the sound.  I finally got up and was leaving and when I hit the edge of the woods I caught a glimpse of a little white puff of a tail that stopped at about 15 yds.  I knocked a judo anchored and let fly.  Hit him right at the spine skull intersection and he never felt a thing.  It just felt like pure instinct because there wasn't enough light for a sight picture.  All just feel of the bow and string.

[MCNSC]

I was shooting in the back yard when this guy my daughter was dating came up and walked back to see what I was doing. I had just stuck an aluminum soft drink can on my target butt with the bottom pointing out to shoot at. We were standing about 30 yards away talking when he says let me see you shoot that thing (recurve), so I take 1 shot and hit the bottom of that can about as dead center as possible. Of course I didnt even attempt to try another shot with him watching. I think I got his attention and respect though.
Mike

[RC]

I have two that stand out.
1. I was hunting with a friend years ago . I had just started hunting with a recurve and he was a wheelie guy. He was telling me I would never kill anything with a recurve , jokingly of course. Well , I was climbed on persimmons and 4 does come in. I pick a spot on the close one ,she ducks the string and I make a perfect heart shot on the innocent bystander doe behind her.I never did tell the old boy what happened.
  2. I was pig hunting at HorseCreek wma and got on three sows while slip hunting. I get to around fifteen yards and shoot one in the spine. She dropps squeeling and the other two come over and start biting her. I nock another arrow and make a good double lung shot on another. she runs to the right and the last sow runs to the left.I shoot the first one again I spined and trail the secound a short forty yards. Then I look for my second arrow and can`t find it . While I`m looking I find more blood headed left and follow it. The arrow went through the second hogs lungs and went in the third hog about 5 inches right in the heart. Best shot I made was the one I did`nt shoot at. Three hogs two shots in less than a minute.RC

[Hot Hap]

About 6-7 years ago I was hunting with my son. He was in a tree stand and I was on the ground about 125 yards away. A doe popped out of the brush about 25-30 yards away and turned sideways. I took the shot and center punched the lungs. She took off and I waited 15 minutes and took up the trail. Nothing-not one drop of blood, found a few cut hairs. Went to get the son to help and the deer had made it to within 50 yds. of his tree. He had watched it go into a blackberry patch and said it turned around in a circle a couple of times amd laid down. He thought it had just picked that spot to bed down. Hap

[Hot Hap]

Pullonmylimb-If you are serious, you are also delirious and don't belong in the woods with any kind of a weapon. Hap

[Stone Knife]

The fact that i have only been shooting trad for a year kind of narrows mine down. It was on my second trad deer kill, I was in my stand late afternoon 40 degrees pouring rain, the kind of day you ask yourself what the heck am I doing here, but i just stayed put. I had been there for a few hours when i saw a deer about 100 yards away then it disappeared into the brush. Awhile later I saw it closing the distance it came right in to about 20 yards then turned broadside, I came to full draw picked my spot and the arrow was on it's way. I can still see it in my mind as i watched it pass through that doe, the shot felt perfect looked perfect and hit perfect it all came together right then. I watched her run about 60 yards in a semi circle then crash, I will never forget that one.

[robtattoo]

Originally posted by Hot Hap:
Pullonmylimb-If you are serious, you are also delirious and don't belong in the woods with any kind of a weapon. Hap

I think he's talking about a cottontail, not a whitetail. Although I had to read the post four or five times to work out just what he'd shot.

[Jerry Jeffer]

Fall of '96 I was setting up  in a tree and was a little late getting in. Then I just didn't feel right about where I was. It's now 7:30 am with the sun coming up. Thinking I am crazy, I move to another location slow and quiet like. I jumped a few does. lucky the wind was in my favor so they calm down. (never saw me). I follow them a short distance and find a tree to set up in. The most unlikely crooked tree, but I get in it. With in minutes, one of the does comes rippin' by me. Sure enough, a nice buck came grunting along. I watch as he chased the does for about an hour. Finally he comes following a doe right toward my tree.The display of behavior and grunting was awsome. Right in front of me at about 20 yard now and can't get him to stop. (even yelled at him). I take the moving shot and I think I miss. He runs off about 75 yard straight out from me and stops. Suddenly he falls over! I get down, find my arrow covered in blood. Turnd out I hit him in the front of the chest and just cut the tip of his heart off enough to open up the chamber. The blood trail was about a foot wide all the way to the Buck.

[Jason Lester]

Ok I have two. I've only taken one shot at a deer  with trad equip and it didn't turn out to well. (hit him in the shoulder, but saw  him later chasing does)

Anyway the first was at GORH a few years back. I had never been to one of these and didn't know about the novelty shoots. I hadn't brought money for them but had a little cash. Anyway the long distance shot whatever they call it. I only had a dollar. Well its a dollar a shot. I forget who it was but he looks at me and says "one dollar. Well OK"  Long story short. After everyone got done shooting I was the closest one. Round after round I was in the top with my one arrow. I ended up being in the top 3 (I think) after the one arrow shootoff over the trees. Pretty good ego boost for a beginner and with a bow I built myself.

The second shot was at a 4H shooting sports meeting. I am the lead archery instructor now this year. I had a bunch of kids and I am always joking with them about trad gear as aposed to wheely stuff. Well there was a group of kids there and I decided I'd see if I could show them how acurate the recurves we have to practice with are. We use rofing nails to hold the targest on. At least I think thats what they are. They are a nail with a green plastic disk around the head. I have kids aim at the nail all the time. Well anyway Without a target I pick up a 20 lbs recurve and one of thier arrows step up (about 15yrds) and proceed to put the arrow through the disk knocking out the nail. When I pulled the arrow it had the disk stuck on it. I didn't shoot another shot that day. The kids were impressed and most still actually prefer trad equipment. I was as supprized as any of them. Though I didn't let on to much.

[bear1336]

Shot a doe in Pa in 1968 at 42 yards she never moved after the arrow hit she just started to shake like someone throwed ice water on her. She than walked about 25 yards and went down.

[Black Gold]

My most memorable shot was actually a miss of sorts, but it really improved my shooting and taught me a great lesson about the power of focus.

It was my first trad hunt and I was sitting in the brush about 15 yards away from a steel trough feeder.  This feeder was complete with steel roof and this roof was held on by 4 1" angle iron legs.
A buck came in and burried his head in the feeder.  As I drew back I kept saying to myself "DON'T HIT THE LEG....DON'T HIT THE LEG..."
Well (of course) I hit the 1" angle iron that I was focusing so hard on.  It sounded like a gong being struck....The buck probaly had a heart attack trying to get away.

It really made it clear to me how focus helps to  create perfect shots.  I'll never forget that shot...I am a much better archer today because of it.