Have you ever missed a shot because of a steep angle?

[CouesWhitetail]

Ok, with more and more hunters trying their hand at long range shooting, I thought there would be some of you that have stories about missing a shot at a deer or elk because you didn't take into account the effect the steep angle had on your shot distance.

 

If you don't already know, a steep angle (either up or down) will make it so that the distance your range finder might measure to your deer is not the same distance as your actual horizontal distance you should use for the shot. You can see a diagram of this effect and read more about it on the CouesWhitetail.com Shot Placement page here:

http://www.coueswhitetail.com/shot_placement/shot_placement.htm

 

Anyway, forum member Jim Boyd created a product that helps you measure the angle of the shot and then you use a table to calculate the true distance of the shot. Jim has graciously donated several of these items to CouesWhitetail.com and I thought it would be fun to give them away to people who share a story about missing a shot due to the angle issue.

 

so the first 20 people posting a story about a hunt you have been on that was affected by a steep angle shot will receive one of these units made by Jim. It can be your hunt or a friend's hunt that you were on, but share your story about what happened and what you learned from the experience. This will be a great way to teach some folks about how significant it can be to know the angle of the shot.

 

Thank you Jim for donating your product. Jim had a business making these, but he closed the business and has donated the extra inventory he had to CouesWhitetail.com.

 

This is a great product for those of us who don't want to spend the extra money on an angle compensating range finder. just throw this in your pack and use it in conjunction with a regular range finder anytime you have steep angle for a shot.

[DUG]

Well this year I didn't miss but almost did. I had a steep uphill shot at a cow elk. I ranged her at 415 yds. I dialed my turret to 375 yds. thinking of the steep uphill shot. I hit her low but good enough to put her down. The last 200 yards up to her was probably a 45 degree slope. My thought was to aim low hence dialing the turret short of what I had ranged the elk at.

[loco4coues]

When I was 18 I was on a hunt with my dad and brothers in 30A, October hunt. It was the end of opening day and we hadn't seen much. As the sun started to get lower in the sky we decided to glass a ridge that we always found bucks on but hadn't had any luck earlier that day. Sure enough as soon as I swung my binos up to the top of the ridge there were two bucks silhoutted on the top, a nice 3 point and a 2 point. My dad and I hurried up a nearby road, then straight towards the ridge to cut the distance. We got to 465 yards. We were going to try for a double. We got all set up, I dialed my turrets and got settled in on the bigger buck. My dad said he was ready on the two point and would shoot right after I shot. I was rock steady and super excited. I squeezed off the shot and waited for the "WHOP", it didn't come. Well, we had a rule back then that whoever glassed up the deer got first choice and first shot...but nothing else was guarenteed. I had missed. My dad said the smaller one had gone over the top but the bigger one was still there and he had him in his sights. I knew the rule. My dad dropped the buck in his tracks. The buck scored in the mid 80's. Back at camp we talked about the steep uphill angle and why I had missed. (My dad had aimed low) I learned my lesson. The very next morning we found 4 different bucks a couple hundred yards down our favorite ridge and they were headed for the top. My brother had spotted them but offered me the first shot so I could redeem myself. By the time we got in position only one buck lingered at the ridgeline. We found oursleves again at 465 yards with a steep uphill shot, but I had just learned a huge lesson and I was ready. Dialed the turrets. Adjusted for the angle and got steady. My brother was laying prone right next to me ready for a follow up shot. Well, I missed again. Didn't tag out that year, but learned somethings about shooting angles.

 

(the very next year drew a december tag for unit 22, dropped a 94 inch buck with one shot at 450 yards shooting uphill, so I did finally learned my lesson )

 

thanks for reading,

Jared

[CRAZYBUCK]

Last December I miss a 60 yard shot at a nice mule deer cause of a pretty steep angle it was my first shot ever with a bow at a deer I was still excited altho I missed I was just excited I got a shot

[EBB]

Well,

I can't say the extreme uphill angle was the reason I missed the first shot, and I can't say it's the reason I missed my second shot.

The third and final had very little to do with the angle as it was perfect. But I may never shoot extreme uphill angles again until I've mounted up one of the new Memory Foam scopes! Probably would shoot downhill though.

EBB

[DesertBull]

chicks dig scars

[THOR]

Well...my dad and I backpacked a few miles into 32 a few years back and I had a new gun with a great scope. i went in a day before him to set up camp and had a funny thing happen. i was a bit of the way in he was going to join me the next day because he had to work. it was still the day before the hunt, so i got in, filled up our water from a spring filtered it and went out to scout. got back had some dinner and it was a bit differnt being in the middle of nowwhere, by your self in a little spike camp for the first time miles from any roads.

I liked it though, well i got woken up in the middle of the night with something making a bunch of noice...all I thought was bear. So i got out of the tent and with my rifle in one hand and a rock in the other....it was a huge black bull rubbing up against a tree right by my little tent.....i felt dumb

Now on to the shot...i had this buck picked out before my dad got in. found him the morning he was hiking in and i was going to hunt him the next day. It was a group of 5 bucks. I found 4 of the 5 in the morning but wanted to go after him in the evening. He was over 100 but not 110+( Sorry Devin had to do it, no disrespect brotha) i missed that buck that evening at 250 yds 5 times at about a 45 degree angle down hill, if i had a spotter i would have gotten him but its tough when youre by your self, my dad was hunting some other bucks!

good luck to all for all your hunts!

Mark

[azslim]

I was 15 or 16 hunting in Wy, I walked out on the edge of a steep draw for a look-see and didn't see anything. So I turned and started walking away, then I heard something and turned around real quick. A great big buck was heading for a rock rib that had an opening in it. I got 3 rounds off at him before he hit the opening, all three went right over the top of him. That experience is when I started aiming low on angle shots and watching behind me much more.

[firstcoueswas80]

My brother missed his deer last year on the first shot because I didnt account for the angle.

 

 

This year, he was taking a couple of hurried shots, pretty steep uphill at a cow and missed twice. I ranged the cow at 375, clicked turrets for 375 and he shot over her back twice. I didnt even think about it and then it dawned on me afterwards. Not only that, but he got scope bit on both shots.... Once across the nose, and once across the forhead. He took the force full on as he put his eye about a half- 3/4s of an inche away from the scope. The scope hit him hard enough and cut him well enough that he went home and took a nap. He wasnt going to go that night, but decided to go. Ended up killing an elk from that same group, and I got engaged at the top of the same hill.

 

[BML]

Not really a story about a miss but I good story depicting why I should have had a rangefinder with angle compensation with me.

 

I had a 120 inch buck at 376 yards this past October. He was standing feeding below the cliff we were glassing on top of. I am very comfortable at that range, but the angle was so steep I just couldn't make the decision to start flinging lead his way. I really had no idea where to aim and I didn't want to push a deer of this caliber out of the area forever because I started guessing where to hold. I also didn't want to risk making a marginal hit and never recovering him. So I decided to bail off the cliff and get closer.

 

We all know how well that works......

[EBB]

chicks dig scars

Useful information, but, my Wife doesn't let me date.

EBB

[CouesWhitetail]

chicks dig scars

Useful information, but, my Wife doesn't let me date.

EBB

 

 

 

LOL!!

 

 

 

ok, for those who are posting stories in this topic, please email me with your forum name, real name and address so I can mail the prize out to you. amanda@coueswhitetail.com

 

thx! and Merry Christmas!

[firstcoueswas80]

Not really a story about a miss but I good story depicting why I should have had a rangefinder with angle compensation with me.

 

I had a 120 inch buck at 376 yards this past October. He was standing feeding below the cliff we were glassing on top of. I am very comfortable at that range, but the angle was so steep I just couldn't make the decision to start flinging lead his way. I really had no idea where to aim and I didn't want to push a deer of this caliber out of the area forever because I started guessing where to hold. I also didn't want to risk making a marginal hit and never recovering him. So I decided to bail off the cliff and get closer.

 

We all know how well that works......

 

 

Yeah.... Shoulda shot that SOB from where ya were!

[Str8Shot]

I have missed taking some shots because of a half mile of nasty country at a real steep angle that would have kicked my butt even trying to work up it. However, this past year I missed a give-me shot(145 yards) right over the back due to not taking the angle into account. It happened quick when he got up, and the white flag began to raise like he was about to bust. Shooting off hand and completely negating the fact that it was a steep uphill shot found my bullet going right over his back and killing the rock above him. I made the adjustments for elevation fine on my second shot as he tried busting out but my lead was a bit forward as I killed the rock right in front of him at what would have been perfect elevation. None the less he was headed the way of Mexico and that was that. It is always amazing how the angles can throw off one's perception of distance and how easy it is to end up high even on a shot that you tell yourself when it is over " How the Frack did I miss that" and it is usually then you realize the effect an angle can make shooting uphill. I told myself that not taking into account a steep angle like that will never happen again, and I hope it does not.

[Desert muley]

It happened to me this year,I missed a small buck at 250 yards which would niormally be a chip shot with my pre 64 model 70 .270 I was hunting in 33 with three of my younger friends who volunteered to help the old guy fill his tag on the last day of the season.I was shocked to see that I not only mssed once but 4 times untill my gun was empty.One of the guys went towards my pack and I thought he was going for ammo but instead he hands me his custom Sedero in 7mm and I barely touched the trigger when it went off grazing the buck under his belly.With only 1 more round I managed a great shot dropping him as he was about to leave the county. I have been using the excuse that I forgot that I had changed the o on my scope to 100 yards when it is usually at 200 and the fact that I was shootin in a 35 mile an hour crosswind but now that you mention it it could have been the angle as I was shooting from above to deer so now I have another excuse for missing with 3 witnesses. But at least I filled my tag and am enjoying some venison sausage for breakfast and a roast for New Years Day.