# Worst shooting year ever!



## Troller1 (Oct 15, 2004)

I have never claimed to be an expert marksman but always thought I could hold my own when shooting a deer rifle. This year has been a nightmare! Like every other year, I went out and shot a few times before the season, I sighted the rifle in again the evening before opening day, and was ready for the season. 
Shooting my buck was no problem, a nice 4 point standing at 190 steps on the first Saturday morning with one shot. Just needed a doe and I would surely be done that night. 
Since that Saturday morning, I have shot 17 times at bullet proof does! They have been standing, walking, trotting, and running. All shots that I have been succcessful at for the last 20 years. I have checked every spot where I shot and looked for blood without finding any and in most cases could see the deer escaping safely after I was done shooting. I'm positive I'm not hitting them. I have sighted my rifle in twice more during the season. Still right on. 
My hunting partners laughed in the beginning but now the ribbing is getting unbearable. One even suggested shooting lessons from his wife. (She has never hunted in her life!) The latest one was he covinced Game and Fish to give me another season in December! I've used all the excuses I thought I could get away with, Out of breath, to windy, no solid rest, and even I think she "jumped my bullet". 
Right now I would trade me 300 Win Mag in for a six-pack of coke. It's going to be a long off-season.
Anybody else buy blanks this year for deer hunting or did I get the only 2 boxes!

Troller1


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## Sponsy12 (Nov 22, 2004)

I had early season tags for 2B, a buck and 2 does, I got my buck at 12:30 on fri, a decent size body but smaller rack. Saw a max of 20 does all season, the ones we got shots at just whiffing the whole time. Saw all kinds of nice bucks, saw like 5 or 6 that would easily be mounted, saw one prolly a 26 in spread 5x5, prolly 2" at the base just massive. He was jus standing in a low spot in a corn field just lookin at us.


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## 870 XPRS (Mar 12, 2003)

Troller1 said:


> Right now I would trade me 300 Win Mag in for a six-pack of coke.


I'll make it a case if the offer is still on the table. :lol:


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## Sasha and Abby (May 11, 2004)

I'll bet you hit more than you think you did.

If you can't shoot a .300 without flinching (which you are obviously doing), why don't you drop to a smaller and more managable caliber. :sniper:


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## Troller1 (Oct 15, 2004)

[If you can't shoot a .300 without flinching (which you are obviously doing), why don't you drop to a smaller and more managable caliber.]

I've been shooting this same gun for the last ten years. That's not to say I'm not flinching. Could be? Never used to. I am positive I didn't hit any of the shots. Three of us searched thoroughly in each instance.


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## mallardhunter (May 15, 2004)

Maybe your scope is messed up. There could be something wrong with it.


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## rickygdogg (Nov 6, 2002)

I didnt even hit one deer this year. I have shot at plenty of them also. i have 4 doe tags. I shoot a 300 rum. this is the 3rd year of shooting it. the first 2 years i hit pretty much what i shot at no problems. I shot factory loads first 2 years. this year shot reloads and couldnt hit a thing. i sighted my gun in before season and it was on then a couple times during season and had to adjust sights. still couldnt hit anything. My shots were close to the deer at least i know some were because i seen the dirt fly. so i dont know what the problem is either. Could it be the reloads or just me.


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## MossyMO (Feb 12, 2004)

Here's what happened to me and possibly could be your problem. Last Summer I turned 40 and had to switch to bifocol lenses in my glasses, all part of getting old I guess.... Anyways, shortly after getting the new glasses we had a rabbit in our backyard, wife wants them gone cause they eat up her garden. I shot 3 times at it missing everytime. This is uncommon, majority of the time I nail what I'm aiming at and the hunting crew has labeled me dead eye dick. I couldn't beleive I missed 3 times. The next morning I it was still on my mind and thinking about it I remembered the new specs I had recently gotten. Next time we had a rabbit in the yard I put on my old glasses and I was dead on, just as before. It may not be your problem, but something to think about. I was glad I figured it out during the summer, so now during the Fall I take out my old glasses for hunting.


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## scrollmaster (Nov 15, 2004)

Troller, if you've indeed shot last 17 times w/o a hit and you're an experience shooter I would naturally suspect something wrong with equipment. Even though you've rechecked and say rifle is zero'd when have you last checked tightness on rings and scope base, checked/cleaned rifle _including_ the bbl.

If physical mounts are properly intact and bbl looks okay after cleaning/inspection try resighting again and let someone else shoot it to see if they also group acceptably. I'd even be tempted to try a different ammo. If it doesn't shoot accurately for ya'll I'd first check scope then bbl. Scopes do need rebuilt/replaced at times and though more unusual, bbls can get damaged as well.

*ON THE LIGHTER SIDE:* If scope is grouping fine at rest for both you and someone else then I'd join a new club cause life's gonna be hell at this one every year. I mean they're soon gonna start naming these misses after you and ya don't want them saying... 
"_Hey, heard ya made a troller_". 
 ...Forgive me man, just couldn't resist it... :wink:


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## Niles Short (Mar 18, 2004)

Ill give you a 12 pack of Pepsi! But my guess is you are shooting high I shoot the same gun with handload 130 Barnes X's preety much dead center out to 300 yards. Took a monster buck at 525 and and a antelope at 360 last year dead as they stood- go back to the range and shoot at targets from 50 to to 300 and get your confidence back up


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## farmerj (Jun 19, 2004)

Oh man I feel with you.....

I was the same way this year, only I think I have a logical excuse.

New scope on the .308 and a new to us .243.

Neither of these have been actually shot at range out in Casselton or anywhere else to confirm zero. Hoping on Sunday to get to the range to figure it out.


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## southdakbearfan (Oct 11, 2004)

If you are shooting a 300 mag or larger, you may want to thoroughly check out your scope. I have read several articles that have indicated that none of the variable powered scoped on the market today can take long term abuse of the larger magnums. That may be the problem.


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

I'll second the though of your scope going south. If you have another scope put it on and try it. I have seen and heard of drifting crosshairs in scopes. You might get a few shots out of it before they drift so you could zero it in only to have the crosshairs drift if the rifle is even lightly bumped. farmerj..... shame on you!!!!! How could you even think of going out hunting without taking a few confirmation shots first? I'll assume you had it boresighted but I trust that as much as a fox guarding the henhouse. I shoot my rifle all year round and still fire at least 3 rnds with my deer load a few days before season starts and usually a few more mid season to insure it is still on.


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## farmerj (Jun 19, 2004)

I had zeroed at 25M and shot again at 100 Meters, but I had not shot at anything PAST 100 M to figure out how the gun and scope worked and what the NEW come-ups would have been.

In short, WIth a new scope on the rifle, I don't have the confidence in it till I shoot at distance.


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## Remmi_&amp;_I (Dec 2, 2003)

I don't get it.......I had 2 doe tags this season. I shot the first one at about 150 yards running (ok, loafing) from right to left and I hit her right at her front shoulder..........where I was aiming, amazingly enough. Then, for my second doe, I missed 4 separate deer that were between 150-200 yards away. I eventually hit one that we snuck on, but it was very discouraging nearly going through a box of shells. :eyeroll:


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## mudstud (Nov 30, 2004)

Troller1,
If you haven't already done so, check your action screws. I know some one who was having all kinds of hell, this deer season, similar to you. After checking rings and bases, he put on a new scope, same problem, then he happened to notice that the barreled action would actually move in the stock, the screws were so loose! Tightened up the screws and now he has a tackdriver again! Good Luck!! mudstud


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## zogman (Mar 20, 2002)

How many rounds do most of you shoot each year out of your deer rifle???
I used to shoot between 200 to 300. :sniper: :sniper: :sniper: 
Now I still shoot about 50 or so. All other things being said you still need to practice.


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## Ryan.Anderson (Oct 12, 2004)

This year I've shot 4 time with my 270. Two shots at prarie dogs, got them both. One shot at a wounded coyote, got him. One shot at a deer, got him. You get me out on the prarie dog towns with a .22, and I'll miss and miss and miss for the first half hour or so. It takes a while to get used to the gun for me, but after the first half hour I'm usually hitting all prarie dogs at 50 yards and shooting about 90% at 100-150 yards. So if you've been shooting something else recently other then your deer rifle, that may be your problem as well. I don't understand how some people can change from gun to gun for all different species of animals. I use my dad's .22 and my 270, that is it! (That is besides bird hunting of course)


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## OneShotOneKill (Feb 13, 2004)

*Troller1, what is your make and model rifle? What make scope & mounts do you have? What manufacture of ammo do you use? Do you sight in with the same ammo you use for hunting?*

Most people shoot too much gun for what they can really handle. Also if your scope isn't a Leupold with Leupold mounts then that's the biggest problem. Also people think shooting a few rounds the day before deer season is enough, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Shoot more often, buy a Leupold scope/mount, and find a rifle cartridge size to your ability. You don't need a 300 magnum for deer!


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## farmerj (Jun 19, 2004)

leupold is not THE ANSWER. There are other devices on the market I would look at before going that route.

What I would suggest is to pull your mount off your rifle to a bare gun and seperate mounts and rings. Clean everything thoroughly with a carb cleaner or something like that. When you mount everything again have a shop do it who has the base aligning and ring lapping tools. Make the scope mount as true and square as possible. Align the bases at least, you could get by without lapping. You get into benchrest accuracy there.

Whe it gets screwed back into place, make sure whoever is doing it uses some kind of lock-tite on the screws. At an automotive store, this stuff is $5 a tube. It's worth every penny of it too.

You may want to get some snap caps for your rifle too. Have someone else load you gun up for you at the range and see what happens. If you have developed a flinch, as soon as you pull on the snap cap, you will know. Your gun will jump. Then it will be figuring out how to get rid of your magnum flinch. Dry fire prectice is the only way I know of or else getting a lighter recoiling rifle and go from there. Either a .243 or .308 work good for that.

Check your action screws as well. Put some lock-tite on them as well. The sporting goods store will have stuff for guns, but it is the same stuff at an automotive store. Not sure what the cost there would be.

I use lock-tite on guns, cars, door locks and everything else that comes loose and creates a problem. It ends the problems with stuff coming loose. For small screws the package will say to use purple, maybe green if it is big enough (door lock set) but I would recommend blue for guns. The recoil can break the holding action of the green or purple.

Stay clear of red lock-tite for anything not permanant. This stuff may(will) require drilling or destroying stuff to get it to break hold.

The only other thing is to head to casselton and shoot at distance. The range there goes to 300 yards. Nothing beats practice, practice, practice and more practice.


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## Ryan.Anderson (Oct 12, 2004)

Ya know, he could just be flustered too. I've known good shooters to miss antelope over and over and over. Sometimes a bad streak of shooting grabs a hold of you and won't let go. He said he was shooting fine at the range, so I'm willing to bet his gun is fine. I think what happenes sometimes is that when you start missing, you start aiming differently then you normally would, so you have even less chance at hitting your target. Shooting has a lot to do with confidence. If the gun is to big for him (which i don't think it is), then shooting a bunch at the target range is probably a bad idea as he will learn to flinch cause he knows the kick is comming. I say you need to get lucky and hit something to get your confidence back up, and you'll show all your friends up next year to make up for this year. I'm willing to bet that 99% of the time when someone misses, it's their fault, not the guns fault. Just stay calm, you'll get out of your slump.


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## rickygdogg (Nov 6, 2002)

well i still couldnt hit the "barn" with my rifle and scope. I found out that the scope wouldnt stay "zeroed". so the nikon monarch got sent back to the company. Maybe this is the problem with you others on here.


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