Ever regret passing on a shot?

[KoosCrazy]

Never have regretted letting the little ones walk except on one hunt.  It was a mule deer hunt and the first day there was 2 130 class bucks together.  My buddy shot one, the other just hung around and I passed on him.  We were hunting wilderness horse back and blizzard conditions came and went for the next 4 days.  We hunted in it and froze our butts off.  Sure wished I had shot that deer so we didn’t have to hunt in that!!  haha

[yotebuster]

I had an 87” antelope patterned on water. Blind set at 25 yards.  The two bucks he’d been with all summer watered just after first light.  He came over the hill about an hour later.  Skirted my blind and bedded at 83 yards.  I had an 80 yard pin that I was confident in, but had about a 10mph crosswind.  Decided there’s no way he’d bed that close if he suspected anything and figured he’d get up and water later that am.  He layed there for 3 hours, then got up and walked out of my life.  Rained 3” that night.  Ended up killing another good buck but will probably never have a chance at a buck like that again.  

[bigbuckfever]

I was rifle elk hunting one year and was not seeing anything so I decided to go straight up the biggest steepest hillside in the area to try to bust something out.  My buddy, Eric, went up one section and I went up another.  I was about 3/4 of the way up it when I heard someone out in the flats yell that there was an elk just below me.  I didn't know if he was talking to me or not but I decided I had nothing to lose and I started back down, looking for the bull.  Every time I stopped he would yell to keep going, the bull is below me.  I was half running/stumbling down the hill when I saw the bull.  About that time I slipped and landed on my butt and back.  I had my full pack on so when I skidded to a stop I was laying on the downhill slope resting on my pack which put me in perfect position for a shot at the bull.  He stopped running just behind a scrub oak bush with only his head and part of his front leg clearly visable.  I put the scope on him and didn't have a perfectly clean shot at the heart/lungs .  I told myself to wait till he took another step forward and I would have him.  I didn't want to shoot till I had a definite clean shot.  He was about 60 yards away and he just stood there panting.  I told myself to wait as an elk doesn't walk backward so he had to keep going forward.  Yeah, that's what I told myself, lol.  He knew something wasn't right and he did back up, turn behind the shrubs, and took off straight down the hill.  I never saw him again.  I was so flustered, all I could do was lay there asking myself "what just happened, why didn't he go forward?"  The guy below was yelling for me to shoot him.  He wasn't helping my situation.  When I got back to the truck and talked to Eric he said he heard the guy yelling and thought he was yelling at him so he was coming down for the elk too.  I told him my version of what happened and he somewhat excitedly said/screamed "Why didn't you just shoot through the bush?"  I have questioned myself for years over that one.  The bush was in front of him but I probably could have blasted through it but I chose not to.  A 30.06 at 60 yards probably would have killed him even going thru more that one branch.  It's not like it was a pine tree.  Oh well. 

[fireplanes]

Nope, no regrets. If I decide not to shoot for whatever reason, then so be it. My decision was made and I'll stick to it. 

Unless I score with a buck or doe tomorrow, there will be no venison in the freezer. I let a small doe walk on Monday. I cold have hit her with a rock, but she was not a deer I was looking for. No regrets on my part.

[bigorange]

Passed on the only elk I’ve had in bow range on the first morning of my first elk hunt. Had seen a much bigger bull the evening before, but also wasn’t confident in the steep downhill shot in timber. I told myself I wanted something bigger at the time, but every time I think about it I’m glad I didn’t force that shot. Not a regret, but a definite “what if?”...

edited to add...I’d take that shot today, both from the confidence standpoint and he was definitely a bull I’d be proud to shoot. 

[yotebuster]

2 hours ago, fireplanes said:

Nope, no regrets. If I decide not to shoot for whatever reason, then so be it. My decision was made and I'll stick to it. 

Unless I score with a buck or doe tomorrow, there will be no venison in the freezer. I let a small doe walk on Monday. I cold have hit her with a rock, but she was not a deer I was looking for. No regrets on my part.

Where are you hunting coues does?

[Outdoor Writer]

19 minutes ago, yotebuster said:

Where are you hunting coues does?

Assumption maybe?

He might not even be hunting in AZ. for Coues. 😉

[CatfishKev]

I only ever regretted passing on one shot.  It was penicillin, and now it still burns when I pee. 

[muledeerarea33?]

33 minutes ago, CatfishKev said:

I only ever regretted passing on one shot.  It was penicillin, and now it still burns when I pee. 

There’s a pill for that now

[CatfishKev]

6 minutes ago, muledeerarea33? said:

There’s a pill for that now

It was shortly after we went camping together.

But what's the morning after pill gonna do for me now?

[muledeerarea33?]

14 minutes ago, CatfishKev said:

It was shortly after we went camping together.

But what's the morning after pill gonna do for me now?

No no no! Wrong pill!! Baby’s don’t come from that hole, just wipe real good! I’m talking about the other thing I gave you.

[bigorange]

Another thread gone down a terrible tangent. OP regrets this thread now. 😂