The Second Shot That Saves the Hunt: Why Your Follow-Up Matters
Why Your Follow-Up Shot Matters More Than You Think
Jeff and I had set up by a stock tank deep in the Kaibab wilderness. That afternoon a nice 3x3 mule deer buck slipped in for a drink. Jeff made short work of the first shot, right through the boiler room. The buck jumped, staggered 50 yards into the bush, and we saw him wobble and lay down. We thought it was over. We started celebrating.
But it wasn’t over. That buck stood back up, walked away, and disappeared out of our lives. And right there, I learned a lesson I’ll never forget: the hunt isn’t finished until the follow-up is made. That’s why today, at Carnimore, we train for the second shot. Because the follow-up isn’t optional. It has to be part of the system.
Why the Follow-Up Saves the Story
Everyone loves to talk about the first shot. That’s the one that gets all the glory. It’s the one you brag about over a campfire, the one that makes the Instagram reel, the one that gets you the handshake back at camp. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: first shots miss. They get rushed. They get pulled. Sometimes they connect but don’t land exactly where you wanted.
When you’ve invested days of scouting, hours of glassing, and miles of boot leather, the stakes are higher than just ringing steel on a range. An animal deserves an ethical, clean kill, and that responsibility sits squarely on the shooter. If your first round doesn’t anchor the animal, your ability to transition immediately into a follow-up is what determines whether your hunt ends with success or with a wounded animal running off into the brush.
That’s why the second round isn’t just a contingency plan. It’s discipline. It’s ethics.
Building the Habit of Speed and Stability
The biggest mistake shooters make is treating the follow-up as an afterthought. They focus so much on squeezing off that first round that they collapse their position after the shot. Rifle lifts, eyes come off target, and by the time they’ve rebuilt the position the opportunity is gone.
The solution? Train to stay in the gun. Build your shooting position like it’s meant for more than one shot. Because it is. Drive the rifle back onto target during recoil, watch your impact through the scope, and be ready to send the next round before your spotter even calls it.
This doesn’t happen by accident. It happens in 30-second drills. It happens when you burn reps transitioning from one target to the next, when you build muscle memory that says: the shot isn’t over until the rifle is back on target and I’m ready to fire again.
Real Hunts, Real Consequences
I’ve seen both sides of it. The hunter who makes a perfect first shot, assumes the job is done, and watches his once-in-a-lifetime buck vanish into the timber. And I’ve seen the guy who misses his first by three inches, but cycles the bolt like he’s trained, steadies, and anchors the animal with his second.
One of those hunters went home empty. The other went home with a story worth telling.
First Round = Glory. Second Round = Story.
At Carnimore, we train for both. The first round is where your preparation, your dope, your fundamentals show up. But the second round—that fast follow-up—is where your discipline and your ethics as a hunter show up.
So train for it. Expect it. Build it into every position you take, every drill you run, every hunt you go on. Because first shots get remembered, but second shots save the day.