How many times have you been shooting and made a lucky shot just have to laugh at. Several come to mind , but I'll start out with the time I shot a leaf in the yard at 20 yards and then tried to hit that arrow and proceeded to Robinhood the 2016.
One time while out rabbit hunting I had a Nuthatch going up a walnut tree at 18 yards. All that showed was his head, which is about the size of your thumb...oops, man I never thought I would hit that moving target.
Centerpunched a running squirrel at 35 yds. once.
Took the head off a grouse at 30 with a judo.
Lee Trevino was asked about luck after getting a hole in one. "What do you mean luck, the shot went right where I was aiming."
Shot a field mouse 2" from my left toe while kicking up rabbits at a local farm. Lucky I didn't hit my foot,lol. Some guys in the club still call me mouse killer.
LOL, I had a couple that come to mind as a kid. Once while running around with a buddy who was toting a .22 rifle, we came across a gopher that was about 100 yards away. I was shooting a 47 pound Colt recurve. We decided to shoot at the same time. He missed and the gopher took off running and ran right into my arrow. It was awesome, LOL. Then one time a buddy and I came across a toilet paper roll. Just the cardboard. He kicked it down the hill and said hit that as it was rolling away. I shot at about 20 yards. The arrow went through the hole in the roll and stuck in the ground with the toilet paper roll spinning around the shaft. That is just a couple, I can think of a few more, LOL. Seemed like I could hit anything in those days. Man are they long gone.
Anytime I make this shot I can't help but think "How lucky I am"... that pull tab ring is an awfully small target.
(http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc158/mudd57/IMAG0062.jpg)
(http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc158/mudd57/IMAG0062.jpg)
God bless,Mudd
Walking along with a friend while he fished a little Wyoming stream I noticed that every once in a while a ground squirrel would pop his head up along the bank 50 or 60 yards ahead and seeing us took off across the meadow.
After the third or fourth one I got ready. When I spotted the next one I tapped my buddy on the shoulder and said, "watch this".
With little hope of doing anything but getting close I let a blunt arrow rip. I was floored when the arrow took that squirrel right through the neck.
My buddy thought I was Howard Hill at that moment and I didn't discourage him.
Coming off a Wyoming mountainside after a morning of hunting rock chucks a guy at the parking area struck up a conversation.
He was very interested in the effectiveness of my recurve and wooden arrows. About the time I had explained that the bow was a 30 yard or closer tool a rock chuck whistled from the side of a cliff a hundred yards distant.
The guy wanted me to shoot the chuck even though I tried to make him understand it was an impossibility. He wasn't getting the point so tiring of the conversation I put an arrow on the bow.
Coming to anchor I held for an instant. I was looking under my bow hand so there was no need to be real careful about this.
The arrow arced up and away toward the rock face and I was sure I'd shot much too high. But as the arrow closed the distance it began to drop.
There was the crunch of shattering cedar as the arrow passed through the chuck's chest.
Turning to the guy I said something profound like, "there, how's that?".
I didn't wait for a reply, but turned on my heel and got in my truck. That dude was still standing there staring at the cliff in disbelief as I drove off.
I've got a ton of these little stories and will add a few more as I can.
Lol. Fantastic stuff Charlie !
Some days the archery Gods are on my side and I make some pretty cool shots.
I had my first Robin Hood this past summer/fall.
Head shot a grey squirrel at 20 yards.
Center punched a running chipmonk < 20 yards.
Now only if I can hit a deer through the boiler room.....hahaha
The shots where I hit what I am trying to hit are not lucky. They are just the occasional well executed shot. The lucky ones are where I don't do a lot of damage or get in trouble when things go wrong.
Once I was shooting arrows up in the air. I was just a kid. One came down through the new pool cover. It was a big pool and out in the middle plus cold weather. Come spring we were taking off the cover and there was a short break in the work. I was able to get the arrow out before it was seen. That was lucky.
Head shot a Blue grouse hopping along a log (the grouse)at 35 yards in front of a couple buddies that were with me scouting for an upcoming muley hunt. They both own recurves now, LOL.
(http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l502/MrDwood/DSCN1106.jpg)
(http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l502/MrDwood/DSCN1104.jpg)
Every time I hit a chipmunk is a lucky shot.
I once had a cotton farmer neighbor that hunted deer religiously with a .270 Weatherby. He also had several big farms that he allowed me and my teenage son to hunt ON A LIMITED BASIS. He was given to consume vast quantities of dark liquor and walked across the street to visit from time to time. My son and I had spent the afternoon in a couple trees on his property and since it was a full moon stayed up this early fall evening until 9:00 p.m. or so. My friend walked across the street with libation in hand to express his concern that I had not come home at the appointed hour. He was a real scoffer about archery in general but especially my stickbows. He was 2 1/2 sheets in the wind when he admonished that I could not really kill a dear with a little Texas Recurve Commanche that was always in my den. I politely assured him he was gravely mistaken (a point I would prove to him many times over). Friendly jawing ensued and I bet the old boy that I could shoot his mailbox by the light of the moon, stating it would be nothing more than "a light snack". The wager involved unlimited access to more of his property. I adorned an arm guard and put on my gloves (always wear Justin roper gloves on both hands) picked up the little bow and made sure no cars were coming and sent a cedar arrow through the warm Alabama evening. "BAM!" My tippsy neighbor, roared with laughter. He stated, "there is no way you could do that again". The two arrows were less than an inch apart, buried to the maxi fletches. When I asked the old boy if he wanted to see another one, he kindly asked me to just stop before I tore the mailbox off the post. I will say this, in the Alabama moonlight that metal mailbox looked as big as a house. My teenage son stepped off the distance from my front porch to the mailbox-- 28 yards, as I remember. BTW, I did shoot the mailbox again the next day (alone this time) in broad daylight just to see if I could. The arrow actually hit about three or four inches from the first two holes. The guy never commented about it. He did introduce me once as his friend that killed deer with a bow and arrow in the full moon light. (blush).
Texas hunt a couple of years ago, (http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/h477/njloco/photo-1-3.jpg)
No picture, but pigeons, in flight, but that was a long time ago !
A dove at 75 yards with a longbow and for once I had witnesses, 3 of them. That was cool! Also shot a snake through his head at 10 yards with longbow. All I could see was his head at the time. Why can I shoot like that everytime?
I was coaching my daughter with shooting a recurve. A squirrel ran into the yard, and I told her to shoot it. I never dreamed she would shoot it right in the head.
I took my daughter with me rabbit hunting a couple of years back.
She hadn't shot a traditional bow in quite a while but her 1st shot proved to me that for her it was like riding a bicycle..lol
(http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc158/mudd57/RabbitKill2.jpg)
(http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc158/mudd57/RabbitKill.jpg)
God bless,Mudd
Twice I have killed deer I was not shooting at. Once at a persimmon in the swamp three does came in. I shot at the close one that was broadside. she squated and I spined the deer behind her. Another time I was over a water oak and 6 does came in feeding. I shot at an old doe that squatted and the arrow double lunged the deer beside her. True stories.
Another time I spined one of three sows while hunting from the ground. The other two did not know what happened and ran over and started biting the screaming spined sow. I liver shot the close one and the arrow passed through it and lunged the pig on the other side. I did not know I had killed the third pig till I took up the trail and it went to the left when the pig I liver shot went to the right.I was over a mile in the swamp and young and strong but still like to have killed me to get them out....
Another time I was pig hunting over a feeder. I shot a sow through the lungs and the arrow passed through and hit a shoat in the neck. He went down flopping like a fish. better to be lucky than good I guess.RC
Awwww, please don't shoot at nuthatches, one of my favorite backyard birds.
My first ever deer was broadside at about 25 yards, on the shot he jumped 90 deegrees away from me and the razor blade modified Bear broadhead caught the femoral inside of his back leg and continued on slicing his belly wide open. He died in 40 yards.
I shot a chuckar partridge on the wing with a Ben Pearson longbow.
Sunday I glanced an arrow off a tree into the 11 ring to much ribbing by my compatriots.
I've never shot multiple big animals with a single arrow but have killed quite a few small ones that way.
I use to hunt ground squirrels with a royal passion and have killed thousands... no joke or exaggeration.
Included in that number are many doubles and quite a few triples. The doubles are fairly easy to pull off in the early spring when the young ones are first out.
I really wanted to top the 3 with 1 mark and finally got my chance. Shooting a 73# recurve and aluminum arrow sporting an HTM rubber blunt I finally came up on a group of youngsters that quickly ran down their hole.
I held fast and finally they started popping up. Finally there were four standing there all in a straight line one behind the other.
While I'd encountered this scenario before the arrow had always deflected off the first, second or third squirrel.
Not this time. All four of them flew in different directions like so many bowling pins.
I've done that same thing with carp in one spot that had more carp than I'd ever seen. There were so many that they were stunted... 4-5 inches average.
During the spawn you'd often find 3 or 4 little guys courting a slightly larger female and they'd be swimming around shoulder to shoulder, so to speak.
I shot 4 many times, but 5 eluded me. Just not enough spunk left in the arrow to penetrate the fifth fish when they did line up right.
Great stuff. Once while toting my bow along for small game on a fishing trip, I spotted a bunny under a rock overhang about 25 yards away. I told my buddy "Well, here goes this arrow..."
I had about a 5 inch horizontal opening and centered the bunny's chest from a kneeling position. I thought my buddy was gonna have a coronary he was so excited. The next weekend I missed the biggest mountain cottontail I've ever seen from 15 yards in front of 4 buddies.
At Compton last year I was shooting with a couple guys and pulled a shot. My arrow struck a glancing blow off a small tree and the fletched end went flying. When we walked up to the deer target, my tip with about 6" of the DF shaft was sticking out of the center of the ten-ring or bulls-eye or whatever it's called on a 3D deer. That was worth the broken arrow.
Hit a ping-pong ball three times in a row at ~20 yds. A week later I completely missed a 150 lb boar at 15 yds. Go figure.
(http://i1093.photobucket.com/albums/i433/matthewbolton1/CA533C90-E290-432E-B0EF-5E830806A983-945-0000005D36E9F220.jpg)
I was shooting in the yard one day in shorts and a white t-shirt and I spied this fella on the other side of my yard. 60 yard stalk and a 15 yard shot. He was facing straight away and the arrow took him at the base of the tail and passed out of the back of his neck with a field point.
I honestly didn't think I could have hit him
That nuthatch was many years ago and was an impossible shot, I thought. I felt bad about that one. I had a bobwhite running at 25 yards with only his head showing above the grass. I could not believe it when my arrow connected with his head. The smaller the target the better your focus.
Once while rabbit hunting as a group we came up to our casted arrows we shot for distance. At 30 yards we bet who could come "closest" to hitting the nock of one of the arrows. Shooting last of 5 hunters I hit and break the nock off the arrow. Missed several rabbits that day though.
I was about 10 years old shot a pigeon off the barn roof. Shot distance was probably 40 yards with a 20lb bear fiblerglass kids bow and a mismatched arrow.
Tedd
While hunting ground hogs in a bare soybean field in early spring. One spooked and ran at a distance of about 50 yards. I drew and shot as the ground hog went over a small rise running as fast as he could. I saw arrow going over the rise out of sight. Then the fletching popped up and shook. The arrow hit and killed the groundhog out of my sight! Of course the was no one around to see me jumping up and down!
Tedd
I shot a yellow jacket in half at about 10 yards on the first shot once. My buddy calls me the insect slayer.
I have shot many carp that had 3 on an arrow but never 4 Charlie.
This carp was all of 23 or 25 yards. (never stepped it off lol) I had to aim quite a bit over it. The funny part is, my buddy ken just thinks it was a good shot.
(http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m637/cjohntalk/charliecarp2012.jpg)
I got a robin hood at 35 yards, shooting at a target on a hay bale. I missed the target about 6" low of where I wanted to hit. The guys were giving me grief. I told them I hit my spot, my eyes just shifted lower at the release of the arrow. I told them to watch I'll hit the same spot again, sure enough I put one right into the back of the GT. Went to the indoor range the next day with my wheelie bow when I still owned it and got another one with that bow. That is about as lucky as it gets. I made one other robin hood about 3 months later while warming up for a 3D shoot.
All my shots are lucky shots. Was walking in an orchard for squirrels and this quail pops up and flys I Thought how close I could get to it. It flew right into the arrow.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v683/timkoi/008-1.jpg)
Way to go TD!
Shoot straight, Shinken
:archer2:
Here one of many (every shot I make I think is lucky).
When I was still in the USAF stationed at Little Rock AFB and just getting into Traditional Archery I was at the base archery range with my brother who was visiting.
While there and shooting from the elevated platform about 15' up my hunting buddy Ted Blake who was a compound guy came by with another friend.
While introducing my brother Ted at the spur of the moment yank his camouflage jungle hat off and flung it into the air like a frisbee while saying "All right, I hear you Trad guys can shoot instinctive, shoot this and i'll eat my hat".
Without missing a beat I swung on the hat like leading with a shotgun and preceded to put an arrow through the center of his hat :bigsmyl: It was fun watching him chew on his old cotton hat :biglaugh:
Shooting with an old hunting buddy Charlie at his house, his father had a problem with a large woodchuck eating up the garden.
We took a break from shooting and there in the garden this big chuck stands up. He was milling around but we couldn't sneak in on him. I grabbed my bow, a broadhead arrow and waited. The chuck finally walked out down a row and I shot.
Distance was probably 60 yds..the arc looked good and when the arrow hit the ground, it moved. Ran down to see my arrow centered in his body. Needless to say I never ran out of tomatoes all summer long.
My wife likes to throw bread out in the backyard for the chickadees and smaller birds. Had a problem with 2 Blue Jays that would come in and run the smaller birds off.
This one "Jay" would grab a piece of bread, then fly back to my large pine, sit on the lower limb and eat. Then fly back and repeat the process. I grabbed the bow, went outside quietly and waited.
Sure enough, the jay came in, took the bread and as he reached the limb, I was at full draw waiting. I released and the judo smacked him taking his head off. My wife knocked on the window because she happened to be watching...I just gave her that look and said.."Was there any doubt?"....She gave me one of those high signs and walked away laughing....roughly a 35 yd shot.
Ya'll laugh at this one. I was creeping up on this big ground hog in a drainage ditch while my wife was 80 yards away watching thru binoculars and giving me hand signals as to where I had to go to get a shot on this critter. She starts waving and pointing for me to stop. I did and started raising slowly up with my 47# Bear T.D. and Bear Razorhead ready. What my wife couldn't indicate to me was the critter was right in front of me at the edge of the ditch which when I stood up we were face to face at 12". I don't know who was more surprised, but, he took off for his hole like a rocket. I quickly drew the arrow back and led him as fast as I could....he and his hole was 10 yds straight away from me. My arrow caught him right before the hole and entered lengthwise from his butt forword. The problem was he took the arrow and broadhead down his hole! Now this was a good aluminum arrow with an old Bear head. No way was I going to loose that! While my wife was yelling and clapping her hands I yelled at her to go get me a shovel......Can ya'll see where this is going? That's right! I dug up what seemed to be a bomb crater in that field and never found a Ground Hog or my stinking arrow! I was mad and flat wore out. While my wife couldn't quit laughing! I'll never do that again! :mad: Horserod
I'd have to say the shot where I got a little hung up on the string and slightly missed my target. Much to my horror, my arrow passed thru the very small cracks in two back to back wooden privacy fences, one with horizional and the other with vertical slats, before smacking the k-rap out of the trash can, that was right in front of my neighbor's Porsche.
I was young in this pic but I found a photo of the woodchuck I got "Lucky" on with that 60 yd shot in the tomato garden.... :eek:
(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a281/sf1oak/002-3_zps3b1891fb.jpg)
While stump shooting with my buddy, Rodney, he put his arrow in this small broken stump at around 15-20 yds. He challanged me to hit it as well. So I did, wedging the tip of my arrow (blue one) in the same hole as his.
Lucky Shot
(http://images.imagelinky.com/1360843582.jpg) (http://images.imagelinky.com/1360843582.jpg)