Where did I go wrong

[Pdvdh]

In field ballistics programs and some device for current environmental data help eliminate a lot of, "what just happened."

Nice buck and great story!

At that range (750-800 yds), when the elevation, temperature, barometric pressure, and angle of fire have all changed from your sight-in range, I agree that the in-field ballistics program and a Kestrel (for determining station pressure and temperature), would go a long ways towards minimizing the error built into doping the first shot correctly. If the deer is standing still. The walking deer (moving target) adds another substantial dynamic variable to doping the shot correctly. And in addtion, will the deer maintain the same steady rate of motion from the time the bullet leaves the bore until arrival at 800 yards.

Enjoyed the Thread and the picture of you with your buck.

 

[WildRose]

Now you all know why I beat my head against the wall on this one. I and my regular shooting partner practiced at different ranges all summer till this should of been a chip shot. I almost quit shooting after the first shot due to the amount of error I spotted. It worked on the other range I was shooting at. I raised my head and double checked the drops thinking Old man did you screw up. Nope drops are correct. Spotter called the same amount of drop addition again thinking I hadn't dialed up even though he watched me. Kind of spooked him a bit thinking he was wrong also. When I dialed up the second time and shot we were both scratching our heads and butts. Especially when it appeared to hit about the same amount low. It took long enough for the bullet to get there that I was back on the gun again and spotted my own shot that time and then I knew what to do and dialed up and hit it.
At this point I'm finding too many variables I might not have right that can only be corrected buy more practice. Hate to say this but I shot that gun so much this summer that the barrel probably will not last till next season. So I'm going to quit beating my head against the wall for now and just be happy with my buck and go on. But I will bet you I have it figured out by next year. I still want that 1000 yd deer.

Now you're workign with the right attitude.

Everyone misses, those who claim they don't aren't being honest with you or themselves.

I can tell you for a fact that you will learn more from the misses than you will the hits.

I once had an old freind, the guy in fact that really got me started on long range shooting when I was teen told me something very important.

We were bouncing through a pasture and a coyote broke across a wheat field at around 500yds. We got stopped and Homer grabbed his 7 mag leaned out the window and bang the coyote just crumpled and tumbled dead.

I asked him, "How did you ever learn to make those kinds of shots?", he said, "By missing a lot of them. You won't ever make those great shots until you learned from a lot of misses."

HJ remains to this day the most natural dead shot I've ever seen with a pistol, bow, or rifle... And I'm the one who taught him to shoot a pistol HA!

 

[jeff 300]

I would be willing to bet that there is more than one thing that went south.

#1 wrong range reading I'd be willing to bet this is the biggest one

#2 wind blowing down hill this just got me 2 weeks ago just blowing uphill

#3 wrong data

#4 a little buck fever goes a long way at 700-800

But you got it done that's what matters. with a nice buck to show for it and a great sorry to boot. you just need to spice it up a little. kind of like this

I shot this buck at 750 on a hard run it took me three shots the first one was to get him up running but he wasn't going fast enough being the shot was so far away that he didn't even here the gun shot. so i had to shot behind him again to get him on a good hard run before i felt that he had a chance. i like to give every thing i shot a fare chance other wise its no fun.

Great buck some times shi!! just happens and we will never know why

 

[BillR]

Well after going over and over and over it trying to figure out what went wrong to cause as much of a miss as it was I came up with one scenario that works every time for a reason.
The buck was heading uphill in fairly tall grass. Only one thing would account for the range difference to be off that much and that is the grass between me and the buck was picked up or something else was picked up by the range finder in front of the Buck. I spent all summer getting my drop table worked out going over it and over it each time and keeping track of the differences. When my shooting partner who is new to this whole thing ranged it I took it as gospel and went with it. If I just go back and read my charts again and look at the drop table and correlate it out nothing gives me the amount of miss by as much as it was except for one thing. I and my shooting partner did not have the correct range. Something gave a false reading. Either the LRF's which both of us were using Leica's. picked up grass between us and the deer and both of us were at the same level when ranging or the drop chart I had spend all summer perfecting was wrong. I suspect it was the ranging. Too much of a hurry and taking for gospel that the reading was correct and not going back and checking for a second reading. My drops that were dialed in were right on for 925 yds and I would bet you money that if I go out and set a target up at 925 and dial in that much drop it hits the target. I was and still am that sure of it which is why I posted. I just should not been that much off for the range that the LRF gave us.
Its just something else to put in the range book. ALWAYS double check the rangefinder results and don't take it for gospel.

 

[Dalebow]

I love shooting long range, but I am starting to see a loss of hunting ability and people are actually shooters and not hunters...........first of all I am ok with that, I am not judging others, but I am finding that for me 400 yards is nice, I can hold dead on with all my guns to about 250, at 300 there is about 6" drop, 400 yards I can hold top of back and pretty reasonable shot. I shoot on shooting sticks, not a bipod, I have an effective sitting stance and have shot goats, elk, bear, deer from 138 yards to 404 yards sitting with stoney point sticks. I am finding I will dial in past 400-500 yards but just am at a point that I feel as though I am playing sniper and I think most people shooting long range are playing sniper with game animals because lets face it we cant shoot people......even when they deserve it

Probably why I bow hunt with a recurve, so I can feel like I am hunting.
For me I am finding I want to get 400 yards or closer so I can actually feel like Iam hunting.

For all of those that can shoot 600-1000 yards and cleanly take game I say for go for it and I will stand by you and support your method..

I think you practiced and found in a hunting situation everything isnt perfect, Iam glad you got your buck, he is very nice!
Congrats.

 

[AJ Peacock]

I tried reading the entire thread and I apologize if I missed something.

I believe you said the deer was moving "slowly". Even slowly, a deer moves 2-3mph. With nearly a second of flight time, a deer can easily move 4-5 feet in a second. The speed of game animals is deceiving, a couple steps or a single little hop can happen in less than a second.

Nice buck by the way, I've shot a lot of Muleys, but never got a nice non-typical.

AJ

 

[BillR]

I think I finally have it figured out. When I was ranging the buck there was a small rise between him and me. Not so much of one that I couldn't see the hit but big enough that the grass on it might of been what the LRF was ranging and possibly giving me a false reading. It also gets kind of flat for a ways before it starts going up again. The first shot that looked low and close to his feet might of been actually quite a ways closer than it looked. The second shot that again looked to be at his feet might of been a lot closer than the first and actually looked to be in the same place. Neither shot seemed to bother him. The last dial up put the bullet where it needed to be. I checked and checked my drop program with different temps. BP and altitudes to try to make it work with range I had and none of it showed that much difference from my drop tables. Only one thing would account for it. Wrong range. Were guessing that the deer was probably closer to 900 because that is about where the drops work out to be give or take 20 yds. Its the only thing that makes sense and after looking at the spot again my hunting partner thinks picking up the grass on the rise between us and the deer can be what gave us the wrong reading. All part of the learning curve. Range it twice and double check and range again.

 

[Pdvdh]

Have you shot your rifle since the hunt to demonstrate that it hasn't lost it's zero point? I don't recall if stated that you have already done this or not.