Been hunting a few years now with my POF 308 AR10.  Absolute great gun - and have harvested quite a few deer with it..  Last 2 seasons though, including the current one very recently, I have completely missed the "Big Buck" pulling the shots high.  Has happened 3 times now.  It seems that the added excitement and heart rate change when I have the trophy buck in my sights, is causing me to pull the shots high.  This does not happen when targeting does or other game.  All shots are from elevated position and rifle is rested on rail or shelf.  I also practice the same breathing techniques and am taking my time before I squeeze.  Any constructive advice is welcomed on, what you think I can do to curb the habit or better yet how to prepare and practice for it at the range...

I had the same problem on Saturday night. I had a deer walk out a little less then 100 yards away. I am sitting on a  large rock pile approx 15 feet in the air. I take a shot for the kill zone and missed. I had for me a very easy/stable shot and was baffled.  I got home and was texting my older much wiser gunsmith/shooting mentor. Then it occured to me, I asked him what would happen to my bullet if I was 15-20 feet in the air. He said it could be 3-4 inches high at 100. The deer was a little closer then 100 and about 1inch high at 100 already. So my guess is between that and me pulling slightly I pulled it over his back.

Last night back on the same mound 2 doe came out, a little closer then the one on Saturday.  Kept what he told me in mind

Don't put the barrel directly on a hard surface.

Put your hand, a shirt, jacket... something soft under the barrel.

I've seen that happen more than once.  Most recently at a 3 gun match where guys were placing their pistol directly on the shelf inside this shack we were shooting out of.
There was a hunting show on TV where this woman comedian was hog hunting and missed two pigs.  They showed footage of her shooting at a target to make sure her scope was in line.  In the field she placed the stock directly on a fence post, but when shooting at the target, she had her hand holding the front of the gun and cushioning it from the bench.
Missed in the field and bullseye'd at the bench.



I've also seen folks pull their head up too soon in an attempt to see the results of their shot.  Hell, I did that on a gobbler quite a few years back and a doe only a couple years ago.

Stay down on the gun.  Open both eyes to see the results, but stay down on the gun as if you are ready to send another shot.
In many 'sports' that is called follow through.

Just to name a few: Archery, Golf, Baseball, Wingshooting with shotguns.

You don't stop the swing as soon as the ball hits the bat, or the club hits the ball.

Same thing with the shotgun.  Keep swinging the gun through the bird / clay after you pull the trigger.

A few years ago, I killed a hen turkey while she was walking steadily on a path that I had just ranged a spot at 35 yds.
I floated the pins where I thought they should be for the spot where her wings attached to her body while floating them about 8-10" in front of her, matching her speed.
I remember letting the arrow go and allowing the bow to roll forward no differently than when shooting at a target.  The only difference was also allowing my body to continue matching her speed after the release.

I really couldn't believe it when the arrow thumped her.  And when I got to her, I found the arrow went in and out where the wings attached to the body.

One in a million shot for me, because we can also talk about the time I missed a deer because I lined up my pins with my dominant eye.

That caused the arrow to hit dirt a foot in front of it...
( I'm left eye dominant and shoot a bow right handed. )

Well - I think you may have hit the nail on the head with that, I never knew that..  I have always noticed when taking game from elevated position my impact was always higher than I expected.  And after searching for what you stated, I found indeed that shooting from angles, the bullet has less drop.  Never knew that ...  Check the video out below..

link here

Yes but...  It's not that much less drop.  At 100 yards the difference is so slight it is of little consequence.  Your 15 foot rock pile at 100 yards creates only a 2.8° angle.  Hardly worth worrying about at any range.  (According to JBM a 3° angle at 500 yards = a 0.1 inch difference in POI.)  I hate to sat it but you just plain missed.

If you are shooting irons you might be looking over the sights to see the game.  If you are shooting a scope you might be flinching or jerking trigger.   I've missed simple shots before because my heart was pounding and I didn't take the time to get a rock solid position before shooting.  I figured the crosshairs were on the deer 80% of the time.  That's good enough...  No, it isn't.

Understood - these shots were all about 200 yds..  Scope is a Leupold Mark 4 ...  Guess I am looking for any excuse !!!  But it is still worth knowing that shooting at an angle does make a slight difference...  But at the end of the day, we all know I missed, probably because of my over excitement and rushing the shot...

I have done the same.....too often than I like to recount...always high too!   lol

For me its been these reasons:

1. tense up pulling rifle in and up
2. jerking trigger
3. poor sight picture


Only cure for me is to close eyes, literally tell myself to relax and then go through shot procedure I have practiced.....................which means you have to practice during the year.  Only muscle memory has a prayer against the pumping adrenaline of buck fever.   Practice from positions you'll hunt in and practice practice practice---make every shot you take during the year count towards something, no throw away blasting!

And...one other thing I have noticed is if I shoot at same range all year---say 100 yards.  If my shot in the field is longer, even by a little, I tend to over compensate and aim too high.  Even at 200 yards out you should be just holding on target and shooting.  That inch or two won't matter.

If you sight your gun in at 100yds, your generally going to hit high if shooting less than 100yds
 




 

OP, did you shoot a lot of BB/Pellet guns and .22lr growing up?

Negative ...  My childhood was without guns or hunting.  Didn't start shooting or hunting till I could pay for it..

This is why I'm a big fan of sighting for maximum point blank range.  You just hold on the center of the vital zone out to your MPBR and don't worry about the range or holding high.  (MPBR on a 6" vital zone for most modern cartridges is in the ballpark of 275+/- yards.  JBM Ballistics can calculate it for you. )

Then my theory is shot to hell.  I'll just say, if you don't hold it on it- you won't find fur. (Works for more than just hunting)

Oh, and then you changed your avatar... Just to confuse me!?

I had a retard moment. You are correct on correcting me. Shots would be lower. For some reason I was thinking high because I always aim a little high when I shoot under 100yds if the gun is sighted in at 100.

 

I'm going with Flatulence & follow through - keep your head down in place.