Gentlemen, make sure your muzzle is clear

Imagine my shock when, at scarcely shooting light on a cloudy morning hunt, I looked out between the hay bales I'm sitting behind to see a coyote mere yards away. As he crossed directly in front of me no more than 25 feet out, I grabbed my 327 Encore - which was lying atop the bale in front of me - stood it up, stood slightly to find the coyote through the scope, and fired quickly before he could figure out the danger he was in. The coyote bolted down the hill towards the woods as sprigs of hay flew up all directions, and I realized that my bullet plowed through about a foot of densely packed hay, but not what I was aiming at. A thorough search yielded neither hide nor hair of the coyote.

This has not been my year.

Keep after them.

yep saw a guy shoot his hood one time. that coyote will be able to tell tales of an exploding hay bale, until you kill him.

You and the coyote both learned a valuable lesson. Line of sight is not line of bore. My wife shot her blind window with a crossbow bolt to learn that lesson. If it had of been a M Z you would have learned how to put out a hay bale fire also. At least it wasn't your daddy's pickup truck.

I watched my brother in law shoot the antenna off of his truck.

I missed my very first buck standing a whopping 6 ft. I was 11 years old and hunting with a little Remington Mohawk 600. I ended up shooting the top log in my brush blind. I probably hold some kind of record for the closest miss.

Watched my uncle jump out of the truck, lay a CVA 50. col Hawkins across the hood and shoot the antenna off just a slick as you please.

I've seen a few holes in car hoods because of this. I've had a few close calls in doing it myself. Don't let it get you down.