The Shots of which your most Proud

One of the other threads reminded me that in most peoples hunting life there will be shots (either rifle or camera) which when you think back on them that you are trully proud of.
Typically you don't end up with any great head or trophy and you can almost guarantee that no one saw you do it, but a memory is still strong.

The two that slip into my mind are these:-
1) I'm 13 yrs old, out at dusk with the old farm single shot open sight .22, and I spot a rabbit. The ground's too open to seek in and the rabbit's already toey. So bugger it, I decided to take the shot, Its a long way but make a best guess I hold over a fair bit take the shot. Rabbit does the classic heart shot leap and I have him. I pace it out as 123 paces so it would have been 110m or so. i was proud as punch taking that rabbit back to the house.

2) Some years later. . . I'm out looking for Fallow. Out in the marram grass I spot a buck way down in the gully. First shot clean miss. He takes off and now there are two bucks running. Two more shots ring out each dropping one of those bouncing targets. Distance was about 400m. Best running shots I've ever done or probably will do.

So what shooting memories are you most proud of?

Shot a bunny one handed pistol style with a 22 as ran past me too fast and close to turn and point the gun properly. :yuush:

Taken a few at ~120m with subsonic 22 which felt pretty good as well. Not open sights like yours though!

I like this thread! Hopefully in awhile I'll have some crazy shots like the above to share with you guys; but right now, I'm most proud of the Fallow I shot a couple years back. First and only deer (not for much longer if the hunting god's some me some favour over the uni break :thumbsup:). Nothing outlandish, but boy did it get my heart racing.

1997 Dunedin TF rifle range Wepons qual for my basic, had only been shootng live rounds out of the styer for a couple of days then got top shot for the course.
1998 Armd offenders pistol range trenthem without a doubt my best day with a fire arm after a day of fireing the sig sauer and then doin eliminations out of my platoon about 35 shooters. The next day we had the top 3 shot off Me being one of them and the coy OC was another, I cleand house on a twenty shot match closest was 11 from the other private!the setup was 5 standing,5 kneeling,5 lying on your back legs infront, then double tap standing double tap kneeling 1 shot lying down prone from ten mtrs into the head spot! Fuckn best day I didnt buy any piss that night, would love a fang on the sig again one day.

Not to many crazy shoots on animals, got 2 fallow in one shot once. The other few probably shouldnt be mentioned on a public forum haha. Done plenty of trick/fuck around shooting on clays. just the usual off the hip type stuff, left handed gun down trench shooting is a bit of challenge... haha. My mate let of all 25 rounds from a 10/22 at a hare running up the fence line and also managed to shoot the mains water pipe for our farm, was quite funny, same friend took a shot at rabbit with the 7mm08 and pulled high and punched a hole through our concrete trough (idiot, but also rather amusing at the time) and last but least i missed a turkey with the cross bow but the bolt put a pin prick hole in a 15mm pipe that was on the fence line behind the turkey about 40m away... is that bad luck or what.
Also hitting my final target in the Single Rise shoot-off at the DTL nationals this year to win my first national title was the MOST memorable shot to date

clay birds one day as a trial, think it was DTL - I would clip a few and miss a few (real close could see it wobble) the guy showing me said stop bloody aiming - follow though - so next one (was my last) the clay turned to dust -

One of the most memorable shots I have made was one of the Whitetails I shot in Canada a few years ago. I had spent ages finding an area that was accessible to the public and held a half decent number of deer in it. I had missed a few good opportunities due to bad luck and was determined to get one before I came home to NZ.

I was out hunting the area with my close mate and my boss (also close friend) and we were standing at an intersection between two cut lines strategising about setting up an ambush when straight ahead what I thought was 100 yards away a young buck popped up and was trying to work out what we were. Without hesitation I dropped to one knee (grass was too tall to lay prone), centred on the front brisket and poleaxed him my new 7mm RM, all within a matter of seconds as they don't hang around long.:yuush:

As it turned out the buck was 210 yards away (not 100 yards) and now the guys think all is kiwis are crack shots. :thumbsup:

To be honest if I had known the exact distance before firing, I probably wouldn’t have taken the shot possibly or looked for a more suitable shooting position, but there wouldn’t have been time to do so.

At the time I was thinking this is probably my last opportunity to bag a deer, and that I better not miss as the guys would give me no end of shite.

Another one would be the day I redeemed myself after missing a pig at 40 yards the week earlier (no excused for that one). I was put again on sentry by my old school pig hunting buddies and mid-morning witnessed one of them stumble onto a nest of pigs who exploded every which way. Once clear of my mate I managed to shoot two pigs in the head from 80-100yards away as they were running away (still trying to work out how I managed that), and another young boar that was charging straight for me, I shot it in the front brisket from about 10 yards away with the last round from my trusty Tikka 270win. Jeez it was an intense 60 seconds. :XD:

Duck shooting 2009
Jump shooting a raupo infested pond dog indicated ducks sure enough they peeled out of there, four shots four ducks I didn't have time to think all reaction as every shot was a different scenario left to right, right to left, :thumbsup:

On a social club hunt a couple of maggies were in the paddock from the hut in the morning ranged @250y exactly, being a bit of a smart arse I bet I could headshoot one with the 308, well six or seven pairs of binoes watching i took the shot they both took off and someone said"you parted the feathers on its head" sure enough he found a coulple of small fethers on the spot.
Next morning they were there again but closer cant remember the exact distance but round 180y, feeling I had to redeem myself I bet i could knock one over with the pee rifle. subsonic win pphhtt............................................ ..................................thock. dead on spot, absolute tin arse shot but as in pool if you aimed for it its not a fluke;)

There are a few others from my teenage years but im not posting them on a public forum:ORLY:

The shots that I will always remember and are most proud of are the ones that dispatched the game animal cleanly and humanly.
Sadly, the shots I will never forget are the ones that did not.

I reckon take your pleasure from achieving the former, not from increasing the risk of the latter.

There was one time we were fishing and saw some goats on this hill dad said I can run up and shoot a few for dog tucker. Off I went and it was a little brow kinda thing and I popped up and the goats moved from where they were, they were standing a good 5m from me so I turned and fired a shot at the first one I saw and 2 start rolling over was pretty happy with that.

Other time was deer stalking with my mate and a yearling starts hopping away from us, I just sit there setting up the bi-pod zooming in the scope while this deer is trotting away then it stops at about 120m my longest ever shot on deer but loaded my 6.5x55 and fired it dropped on the spot. I dont know what the best part is, my longest shot or that it dropped on the spot.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Neckshot

1997 Dunedin TF rifle range Wepons qual for my basic, had only been shootng live rounds out of the styer for a couple of days then got top shot for the course.
1998 Armd offenders pistol range trenthem without a doubt my best day with a fire arm after a day of fireing the sig sauer and then doin eliminations out of my platoon about 35 shooters. The next day we had the top 3 shot off Me being one of them and the coy OC was another, I cleand house on a twenty shot match closest was 11 from the other private!the setup was 5 standing,5 kneeling,5 lying on your back legs infront, then double tap standing double tap kneeling 1 shot lying down prone from ten mtrs into the head spot! Fuckn best day I didnt buy any piss that night, would love a fang on the sig again one day.

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You never come up against the master with the rifle or P226 tho, did you?:P

I always find when I've done some fancy shooting and think I'm pretty smart I'll stuff something up to bring me back to reality

i didnt hear anyone call me out either??????:P?????? have you got a p226 we can have a match!

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Originally Posted by Neckshot

i didnt hear anyone call me out either??????:P?????? have you got a p226 we can have a match!

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It would result in you curled up in a corner, rocking back and forth, whimpering, with your thumb in your gob.:D
There is/was 2 trophys in the 2/1 Red Diamond room that has my name on them 3 more times than anyone else has managed, they also havent yet engraved the last year I had on the No4 T. Someone told me they retired it? Probably no room left for the little brass plaques :P
Before and after your corps training I toured most units running the fam trg on the P226. I fired a ridiculous amount of ammo.

so you can get a sig???????:cool:im up for it

Na, not unless we can attend a shoot run by some mates in the battalion. I dont know anyone at home that owns one or a range were we could do the stuff that was considered normal in the Army.
When you come down we will see if all the money the Queen spent on you was worth it:thumbsup:

Bunny shot dead cold with 12 gauge at 120m

You're absolutely right - there are two feats one can achieve in the field and they are mutually exclusive, stalking vs ranged shooting. My two best memories are examples of these. I'd spent 6 years shooting the lightest of gear - a sub 12 ft/lbs underlever air rifle in a little known sport in NZ called Field Target. I knew what my fall of shot was and i knew what the wind does and why i had to wait till it grew steady. Anyway the only part of the Hare i could see was its head so i took the educated guess and put my .177 pellet into its temple at 95 yards! Stoned it cold. Best shot i will ever take in my life but i wouldnt have bothered normally

My greatest feat hunting though was the moment i walked right up to several sleeping bunnies on a wet sunny morning with the sun to my back - having to back up 'cause my scope couldnt allow me to shoot them at 7 yards!

I havent really scored anything yet with my 6.5x55 yet.

I spose in hunting I have had a few to remember but cant single any one shot out. I do have a memory of a military competition though.
Our Battalion that at the time was over 500 men strong, had the yearly inter company and individual top shot comp for the battalion. It was also used as a selection for various shooting teams. The shoot was the second Queens medal practice at the time.
70 rounds fired from 300m up to 30 at reactive type targets including 5 walking 300m and 200m targets. Hit was a hit no scoreing rings. Sounds easy? Never met a civie that got over 55 yet, when they tried, hunters from way back they were :D TBF it is way different to anything they would have encountered.

Anyway the shoot was run in Dunedin and I was at the time fighting fires in Alex and and hoping to defend the previous yrs title where I shot a 69/70 to win it. I had my personal rifle with me but it and me had not fired a live round for a while.
I rocked up to Waitati range nth of Dunners to join the last 10 man detail of the whole comp. As I arrived I was informed a fellow team member shot a 69/70 so I should just blow enough rounds off to qualify for the team as the shoot was already won and it was pretty windy.

I shrugged my shoulders almost thinking the same. The practice started and we got 5 sighters from 300. My first rnd went 12" off target into the screen and I had to endure a lot of sniggering from assholes that follwed us up.

Anyway long story short I had 10 rounds left too fire as we advanced from 50 to 30 and I was told by my team coach and RCO I was all on for a possible.
Wanker!!!
As the HOD locked back on the empty mag after my last shot I noted the round was miles off target as it struck the butts. It also was accompanied by a loud crack as it passed thru the wooden pole that held the target. Unmistakeable sound to the firer.
I was satisfied but a tad nervous, because everyone following me up was hoping for failure especially the bloke who had shot 69/70 shouted for glee when they seen the round strike the butts miles off the target. I was sure unless I had missed a shot earlier I was all on.
As we retreated up the range scores were being read out over the radio. "Firer 1...60" "firer 2 ...65" and so on Most were pretty low and I was thinking it was due to the conditions so it was normal, I resigned to the fact my score would be below average but good enough for the team.
I was firer 10 on the line and as they got to my score there was the call over the radio "Firer 9... 64"... firer 10 "wait"
I knew right then I had it again, but others that were interested took it as something else and started shaking my offsiders hand. As we reached the range hut beyond the 300 mound I heard my name screamed out followed by you Jammy f^&&ing C%&T!!! I just smiled and carried on walking to my vehicle, stowed my weapon and drove back to Alex to continue on the fires.

That last rnd would have to be my most memorable and has given me bragging rights to this day. It was the 3rd year in a row I clinched it and the 5th time overall and it has not been matched before or since. No doubt it will one day, but it is a bragging right I will cherish.

Nice R93,being on the range in comp with your peers in the army were everything comes down to a well aimed shot are IMO the best times ive had in the army and my most cherished that bought back memories.

Yeah mate. I have done well in plenty of civie comps especially the clay target sports but it would take winning the worlds in sporting to top that for me.
Bragging rights over mates you have been thru so much with is pricless and unless you have had green pumping thru your veins at one time or another it would be hard to appreciate.
I still catch up with most of the blokes I shot with in the Army. Even the old mate I pipped on that day. He still shakes his head when it is brought up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk. So please forgive my sausage fingers!!!

Funny that, Cheeter still cant handle the short stumpy boy peeling him at Dunedin!its the one thing he cant ever win an argument over.

Yeah but he sports a wings and dagger on his beret!
It was between you and him who topped corps training. I trained him and the Ox trained you if I remember right?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk. So please forgive my sausage fingers!!!

well thats true ox did teach me how to mutton up hills with pack on!

My best shot is the first successfull hunt I had alone. I went to a block and missed a shot at a young deer first thing in the morning (prob my worst shot) then walked all day trying to make up for it. Tied as hell in the evening I spotted a mob or deer so positioned myself for the shot. Nailed one on the spot . As the others ran it felt like forever as it was very open bush. Finally I couldnt take it anymore so thought I would take a crack as the bolted, prob couple hundred metres away on the run. Blow me down I hit one and it buckled mid air with both front legs folding under just like in the movies. I will never forget that shot it was a total fluke...:yaeh am not durnk:

There's two that I can think of.

I was on the farm and hadn't had my firearms license for long. At the time there were loads and loads of hares on that farm (mother nature gave me an easy start to my hunting). I snuck around the bushes into one paddock, turned my spotlight on, saw two hares, one jumped in behind the other and I knew I only had a second to make the shot. I sent a velocitor clean through the first ones chest and straight into the second one. I had to finish the second one off with another shot, but I hit two hares with my 10/22 with one bullet.

The other one was a fallow that was eating 250m away, with his arse facing towards me. I waited for a couple of mins (which felt like an eternity) but he never turned around so I lined up, waited for him to bow his head again and sent a 140 grain 7mm pill right through the bottom of his head, out the top. He dropped like a tonne of bricks.

My proudest shots would be those that drop the animal on the spot where they stand, stone dead with no suffering.
There have been many but also too many that I am not proud of at all...

Prob the best shot i ever did and will always remember was when i first started having a look around by myself with the rifle, was using a open sight 308, mainly looking for goats to shoot and shot a few with that rifle before upgrraded to a scoped 243. Anyway, one day after shooting two goats i spot a pig about 200 plus metres away at least, was on the opposite ridge and no chance of getting closer so i decieded to have a crack, wasnt really expecting to hit it with open sights but got a good rest, took aim and BOOM and that pig just dropped on the spot, first pig ive ever shot at that stage and never forget that, was one hell of a shot lol

Given my 1st gun ( slug gun ) by my dad and fired from the dining room open doors into the old outside toilet door. All five slugs from standing position in a five cent circle with three touching one another. Loved it ever since

My best shot to date is a pig at 440 odd yards. Had a strong wind coming in from 1 or 2 o'clock that was also lifting up the face. Had to allow for the windage of the wind, the lift created by the wind and then distance, angle, temperature and pressure. Got everything right and dropped the pig with one shot.
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...ewofshotV2.jpg

The most memorable I have witnessed is my father shooting his first deer in 40 years. We had been trying for 20 odd years to get him one, fair chase public land, when he finally did it. Had to wait 45 minutes for the spiker to get up then managed to shoot it with one shot at 358 yds. He had to use an awkward, kneeling uphill rest. My 4 year old daughter was there as well.
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/f...andhisdeer.jpg

That is quite remarkable. Colour me impressed