Best shot you've ever made?

O

OKRattler

Well-known member
So I figure since I told a story of a mishap, I'd tell of one that worked out in my favor. And since the first story had more to do with bad luck than my ability to shoot I figured I'd tell a story that had more to do with good luck than good shooting.

New years day I went out and had a bit of trouble having anything come to the call. About the 5th stand of the day I had went through one sequence of calling and within 30 seconds or less I saw ears bouncing through the grass directly ahead of me. I got on the gun and took the safety off before I had a full view of the coyote. As its head came into full view in the scope he stopped. I had the crosshairs right on the end of his nose and squeezed the trigger. His legs buckled and I saw his tail flop a few times and that was it. I called for a while and decided to call it quits.

As I went to retrieve my coyote I looked to see where he was hit. No bullet hole anywhere in the head. None in the neck or anywhere else for that matter. It looked as though it had been scared to death. Until I picked him up and blood poured out of his nose like a faucet. Which is common any time a critter is head shot. I got back to the truck and examined things a little more closely. As it turns out the 55 grain bullet had gone directly in one nostril and stopped inside of the head somewhere. I'm talking directly inside the nostril. No fur damage on that one whatsoever. That's one shot I'll probably never pull off again. Luck or not.

I missed what I was shooting at by the way. I was aiming between his nostrils.
 
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Haha thats awesome! That reminds me of the time i shot one as he was walking down hill, i was aiming for the chest but beaned him between the eyes. I walked up to him thinkinh huh why is there blood coming from his ear?
 
I've only made a shot remotely close to that one other time in my life. The other was a raccoon several years back. I shot it in the nose with a Ruger Mark II. I called that raccoon Winston. Because he was laying next to an empty pack of Winston cigarettes.

Of course that was total luck as well. I planned on a head shot but not a shot that precise.
 
My nephew and a friend and myself were shooting p-dogs one fine spring day. We saw 2 p-dogs making babies at about 400 yards. My nephew bet me I could not hit them so I said for $5 I'll shoot the female and at the shot he said that was the meanest thing he ever saw. The male dog was pumping air the female was gone. I don't think I could do it again but he paid me and I never said how surprised I was at the outcome.
 
I've probably told this story here before. About a year ago, in Eastern Colorado, after siting on a stand for almost an hour a coyote showed up way out there. It was time for me to leave so I told my buddy I was going to take a shot, he chuckled and said ok. 6.5 Creedmoor 560 yards.
I did shoot a Antelope a few years ago that was slightly down hill and facing me. Aimed just inside his left shoulder he had his neck stretched out. Shot dead center his left eyeball.
 
Originally Posted By: BearMy nephew and a friend and myself were shooting p-dogs one fine spring day. We saw 2 p-dogs making babies at about 400 yards. My nephew bet me I could not hit them so I said for $5 I'll shoot the female and at the shot he said that was the meanest thing he ever saw. The male dog was pumping air the female was gone. I don't think I could do it again but he paid me and I never said how surprised I was at the outcome.

That's a funny one there.
 
Before LRF I made 3 consecutive shots between 425 and 455 long strides,2 in the afternoon 1 the next morning on Red fox. I was using my m700 17 rem with 25 gr Hornady hp. I put several 14-15 fox strings together with that rifle. Since laser rf 3 coyote in a row, 1st one bedded at 465 yards. It was dug down in the snow so I went for the head shot. Next day broadside standing at 425 and 432 a couple hours apart. My buddy saw all 6 shots through his spotting scope,still thinks the Red fox shots top the coyote. Used my 22-250 on the coyote. Not sure of my longest string of coyote, I'm much older now and stopped keeping logs.
 
I had a coyote come in to my calls at over 500 yards. It turned inbound to me, then stopped. It didn't appear that it was going to come any close so I made some quick calculations and sent the round. I see a splash directly behind the coyote. This kicks the coyote into high gear, and then the coyote turned broadside. When I sent the next round I see the coyote cartwheel. I had put the 150gr Hornady .308 SP right in the 10X ring in the bread basket, at a full speed run at 475 yards. It was like watching a predator hunting video. Textbook. And will probably never happen again.
 
Mine wasn't long but did impress someone.

We had a trapping cabin up in far northern MN. My partner took the Bronco to get some supplies in town and the three wheeler was parked behind the cabin, the place looked unoccupied. I heard a truck pull up and saw that it was someone that was described to me as a trapline thief. When he stepped from the truck I stepped out of the cabin.

We had been melting down beaver fat and pouring it over bird seed in a cup and hanging the seed balls in a tree for the birds, it's fun to sit on the steps and watch the bird during down time.

As the fellow was walking toward the cabin a mouse scurried out from under the cabin and ran over to the tree to gather some seed that the bird had knocked loose and was headed back to the cabin. I whipped out my little trapline 22 and drilled the mouse at about 30 ft. Then introduce myself, and never saw the man or truck again.

I had been shooting at the little buggers for weeks and that was the first time I hit one, timing was perfect.
 
Many years ago, I had one of only three permits to hunt a large ranch about an hour from my house. One day I took my brother out with me and just after checking with the foreman we headed out to a canyon area to call, the foreman had seen several coyotes in that area.

As I drove along a ranch road my brother saw a coyote walking along the far fence line, I stopped the car and took a shot off the hood of my car. At the shot, the coyote started to spin biting at his front leg I worked the bolt, I remember mentally counting, timing the spins and pulled the trigger just as his neck came around. The coyote dropped like a rock, my brother was very impressed!

Since then, a paved road has been put in right along side that ranch road leading to a golf course that I had never played. I was invited to play a tournament out there and on my way out I stopped at the exact place and used my range finder to measure the distance of my shot 453 yards! The longest shot I have ever tried on a coyote & hit it twice!!!
 
My wife, kids and I pulled into our house on a Saturday morning a few years ago. Early June, as the beans were just coming up. way back by the woods, we see what appeared to be deer on top of a hill. I grabbed my binos, and see that it is a doe with a fawn laying down.....and a coyote is circling them, but the doe won't let the coyote get close to the fawn. I run in the house and grab my rifle. 22-250 was the only thing handy....pushing a 50gr NBT that I had been working up a load for. Guessed on a holdover from my pool deck and let one fly. Kicked up dust about 2' low. Coyote started trotting away, broadside, so I compensated for the additional 2', gave a lead, and touched another one off. now the coyote kicked it into high gear and ran into a fencerow. Figuring I had missed, I went inside. At least the fawn was safe. About an hour later, the guy who farms the other side of the fencerow called me from his tractor and asked if I had shot a coyote. Apparently it was laying just on the other side in his field, and he about ran over it with his grain drill. I went out to inspect, and sure enough.....pencil size entrance, same size exit, right through the lungs. Took my GPS out (I'm a surveyor), and measured shot distance was 630yds.....on the move. I'll never be able to duplicate or best that one!
 
I Believe I told this story last year but Here it is again . Its the Honest God Truth--------------------------------Last Feb I came home 8 am from calling all night only response's were from Wolfs--Super tired I fell asleep sitting on the recliner--At 10am I woke up came to the kitchen to make coffee and bowl of cereal after eating I was planning to go back out calling-BUT All THE DEER IN THE YARD STARTED RUNNING FOR THEIR LIFE FOR THE WOODS NEAR BY. Guess what a Coyote was chasing them one headed for the field next door and the coyote was after him. I grabbed the Gun nearest me and ran outside near the garage next to the field. I have a shooting stand set up there. Now this coyote is running Hard and to me a long ways out there. I'm barking trying to stop him but he is just getting father out running to the left I line up the crosshair dot and pull past his head and fire----A&& over tea cups he falls gets up does two circles and DRT----Figured a head shot------Here's the good part--I had grabbed my Squirrel Gun Yup my Marlin 17 HMR and good thing he dropped cause there was only one round in the Mag. Had been shooting Red Squirrel's that week and forgot to reload the Mag LOL--Went and got the Range finder Guess what it read 140 yds .But it wasn't a head shot like I thought---It was almost a TEXAS Heart Shot about 1/4" from the center of the BULL---This is a true Story--------------------


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As a teenager, a friend and I had .22's and did a lot of hunting and shooting, so we would challenge each other at times. One day, we walked through an abandoned homestead, and there was an old shack with a stovepipe sticking up out of it. The pipe had a couple of wires that came off it to the roof, at about a 45 degree angle. I bet him I could cut the wire with my bullet, which I did with the first shot, iron sights, at about 20 feet.

I often think back on how precisely I had to hit that wire to actually sever it.
 
My brother and I had just made an unsuccessful stand mid morning at the top of a ridge of open country (wheat fields on top, sage in the ravines & bottoms). As we drove down the sidehill two track ranch trail we spot a coyote trotting parallel to us maybe 100yds away. I suspect he came to the call, spotted us and bugged out. After a screeching halt I take a shot at him and miss whereupon he lites out. I had my rifle out the window and my brother spotting: POW! way behind him POW! closer, still behind POW! just under his tail POW! in front of him (whereupon the dog's zig became a zag 90 degrees the opposite direction away POW! behind him POW! closer behind POW in front (wherupon the zag becomes another zig and he's rapidly increasing the distance across a broad slowly rising low sagebrush flat) POW! behind him POW! still behind POW! in front (now he zags) POW! behind him (the shooting slows as the dog goes almost straight away at a slight angle so I hold high and in front of him) POW! (12th round) and he disappears. I take a good look at the landmarks, cattle trails, gullies to get our position and the dog's position marked. We drive over and after a long search find him piled up with an exit wound between his eyes. After looking at satellite pictures and maps we calculate he was 1/3 of a mile away when hit. In all honesty it was a Hail Mary and more of a collision than a fantastic shot. Let's say it was my most memorable shot.
 
Was already having an exceptional day, but I'm certain that I will never make a better shot than the 15th shot in this string:

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Regards,
hm
 
I don't have any impressive long range shots on coyotes. The furthest I've hit one was with my .223 believe it or not. But I didn't recover it so that doesn't count. I killed one at a little over 360 yards with my 22-250 but that's about as far as I've hit one with it.

I've made some offhand shots and connected on running coyotes that I thought were decent but nothing that's super impressive.
 
The best shot I’ve ever made was on a bobwhite quail.
I was about 10-12 years old hunting with my step dad and we heard a bobwhite in the distance. I kept bugging him and bugging him to go find the quail.
Finally we loaded up and was heading to the house when low and behold setting about 40 yards away was Mr bobwhite himself, my step dad said there’s your D#%€ quail go get him. As I grabbed my single shot 410 to put squirrel shot in it he said “ oh no your gonna have to shoot it with this” and handed me his paratrooper sks. “ if you hit it anywhere but in the head it won’t be fit to eat!” So I propped up on the bed of his truck and lined up the sights and at the shot all you could see was feathers. As I went to go get him his head/next was severed right where the next met the body. Step dad couldn’t believe it but cooked up the breasts when we got home I was one happy kid.
 
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