Have you ever had one of those days...............years?

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Public land florida turkey hunt a few years back...

Night before the hunt i stay up a little later than I should have...and had a few more beers than I should have. I woke up late, still dark but late. Grabbed a monster energy from the fridge and bolted out of the door. Got to the trailhead and started marching to my zone. I get about half way there and nature calls...LOUDLY....and I have no paper on me. So I now have no socks and an itchy bunghole. Finally get to my oak tree and have a sit...Look down and I am covered in ticks. I picked several dozen off of me and got bit about 18-20 times, no fun. I fumbled around the woods dehydrated with no water, covered in tick bites, raw arse, and no socks. 2pm hits, hunt over. Get back to the truck to find that I locked the keys and the cell phone inside of the truck! FML. Thankfully there was one other truck at the trailhead and didnt take him long to show up (fellow turkey hunter) Nice guy called a locksmith and drove me out of the WMA to the gas station to meet up with locksmith. (Step dads truck, no spare). Miserable experience.

Ugh... You had me at the ticks.

 

[Smallie]

I feel like this thread is a personal attack on my hunting experiences . As I’ve gotten older I learned to always pack extras of everything including bringing a spare key to the truck. But also learned backup gear needs to be quality gear too. Went on a long weekend camping/deer trip one year and I am notorious for forgetting my release. So on the way down stopped at Walmart and picked up some $25 cheap release to throw in the pack. Shoot a couple shots with it and off to hunt.

Well naturally day 2 I forgot my primary release hanging on a tree branch while blood tracking my cousins deer from the morning. No problem put the backup release on (which made me think wow I’m getting the hang of this) and sit the edge of a meadow for the evening. Last light 8 deer come out and feed to 20 yards. Go to draw on the biggest doe and as soon as I started putting pressure on the string the release explodes into about 5 pieces. Parts start hitting the stand and then the ground and deer bolting out in every direction. Just had the wrist strap on and nothing else. I now have three of the exact same releases

 

[Banded_spooney]

I drove to Wyoming from California one time without my suitcase.

I did have my bow, boots, optics and pack… some Walmart underwear, pants and toiletries got me by with prescriptions getting calling into rapid city

 

[Banded_spooney]

Also on that same trip I apparently forgot where the vitals are on an elk so that was less than ideal. I’ve been around for several lost critters but personally my only wound lost.

 

[Yoder]

Here's a couple of my best.
When I lived in Oregon, I finally got a weekend off. I got up early and drove 2hrs to a river I had been dying to fish. Getting my rod out of the car I closed the door on my rod. I looked at it and it was good to go. Hiked a mile down to the river. First cast, the rod folded in half right where I closed it in the door. Sweared a LOT and went home.

Ran out last minute to go bow hunting. On the way in to my spot, I jumped a buck. He stood at 20 yards. Easy shot if I was ready. Continued to my spot. Climbed the tree in a hurry. Go to pull up my bow, no rope. I forgot to hook it up. Climb down. Hook up bow. Climb up. Pull up bow. Bow gets hung up. I yank it because I'm just pissed. Quiver falls off bow. Loud swearing, go home.

Hunted all day in below zero Temps, deep snow. Get back to my truck and I'm beat. I lean my unloaded rifle against my tire and take off my pack. Get in the truck, back out and start driving home. I get a couple miles away and panic hits me. I LEFT MY RIFLE! I hung a U turn and drove as fast as I could back to the parking spot. I get there and my gun is gone. Now I want to puke. A few seconds later a guy pulls in. He said he seen me blow past him at 80mph and figured I was the moron who forgot the rifle. I looked at my tire tracks and I drove right over the gun. It was a Remington pump and it bent the receiver and the barrel. Gun was toast.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

When in college, a friend and I left one a Friday night and drove through the night to rifle hunt the next morning. Got to the parking area at 3. It was a couple hours Hike so we decided we’d hike in and if there was time, catch a bit of snoozing before daylight. He left his bolt on his table after cleaning the rifle on Friday afternoon.


Broke my bowstring an hour before daylight on opening day of bow season. While walking in. That one sucked.

Tore the peep out of my bowstring one day while elk hunting. Busted oak brush all evening till finding a great wallow. Set there for a couple hours and decided I’d draw the bow to stay stretched out. It was prime time. Imagine my surprise when I drew the bow and no peep.


Was out west again and packing my bow on my pack. Lost the quiver. It’s the biggest reason I use a bolt on two piece now.


Lost all my arrow packing my bow through the brush once. In a bolt on two piece quiver.


Killed a deer opening day of rifle season a touch over 4 miles from camp. No knife in my pack or pocket. That was a long day by the time I walked out, walked back in, broke the deer down and got it out.


Went on an out of state hunt to Alabama once. Tore my mcl and meniscus on a roof the day before I left. I still went.


In a stand one day and decided I’d draw my bow to stay loose. I misfired the release and busted my lips real good. Run off a deer I didn’t even know was there.


Was in a stand once and usually used a long bow arm. Had a short version that day. Got twisted up trying to hang the bow and was forced to drop the bow in order to grab hold of the tree versus falling out. I dropped the bow. It restrung and blew apart.


I was shooting my only compound 5 days before I left on an out west elk hunt. The upper limb cracked. I was ecstatic over that. Rushed and bought a new one. Great way to add unforeseen costs on a hunt.


Had my bow blow up mid season while practicing one evening for the next mornings hunt.


I could literally type 5 pages of this stuff. I’m pretty certain I’m about as lucky as a bag of rocks. My hunting life has been a struggle. A sheer testimony to not give up I am.


P.S. I had to edit and add this. I packed up one Friday and drove like heck to get to my fishing grounds. It was a leafless, hot April day. I had worked on a roof all day. Was dehydrated when I pulled into the parking area. Carried a pack that could be measured by kilograms instead of pounds. I had everything but the kitchen sink. 4 miles. All in a huge hurry to beat dark. Made it. Went to the river to purify water. I was certain I was going to drink a couple liters. My filter was stopped up and no matter what I did, I couldn’t get it to work. Not one drop. I hiked out in the dark. So dehydrated I can’t even explain it. When I got to clean water I drank a LOT. Finished hiking out and drove home.

 

[Banded_spooney]

In 2021 we rented a cabin in Colorado for 3rd season. While unloading the truck the day before opener I fell down the stairs, sprained my ankle and cracked my tail bone. Ended up in the hospital in vail. I was in PT until October 2022

I killed the first 4 pt off my crutches/quad that I could find since I wasn’t packing anything. Shot the buck through front shoulders to anchor where I could drive to him but some how he ran into the bottom of the drainage before me hearing a crash. Had to call my buddies on the radio to go pack it out while I sat on the ridge top and ate my breakfast. I have good friends.

 

[Trackerbacker]

Couldn't tell you how many times I thought I had or have actually lost/dropped my phone. Left it at my shooting location on a New Mexico pronghorn, back tracked and was able to find it. Other times thought it was at my last glassing location or something before driving back down the road and realize that it's still playing over the Bluetooth on the truck (dropped it between the seat and console) or I just put it in the wrong pocket and have now spent 30 minutes walking down a road looking for it.

I do somethinglike this.

Sometimes I'll swap things in my memory. Example- let's say I put my small game kit in the right cabinet above the work bench, and my fish kit in the left cabinet. Mentally, I might think I out the small game kit in the left cabinet.

Then I go looking in the left cabinet. Not there. Hmm. How bout this spot...nope....how bout over there...nope...crap I swear I put it in the left cabinet...only to have confused the small game kit and the fish kit.

Now I just use the work bench to lay everything out in an ocd fashion. If I put it all in 1 spot, much easier, less confusion hah

 

[EastHumboldt]

I’m As dumb as anybody. I am, however, smart enough to notice that I am dumb. I compensate for this in two ways. I have a checklist which I use religiously. I keep it on my computer, so I can modify it easily, which is often necessary. I have developed one of my few good habits, which is to take a slow and observant walk around the house and garage before I leave for a trip. Looking for that thing I forgot. I do the same thing before leaving Camp.

One year I was coming out of the mountains with horses, and we had some trouble with the packs. So I was kind of distracted. I left my rifle, leaning on a tree and walked an hour down the trail to the truck with the horses. It was snowing to beat the band. Two hour round trip in the snow to fetch my rifle.

 

[SWOHTR]

Checklists help!

 

[MallardSX2]

I make a list in my head of the stuff I CAN'T forget, and I check to make sure I have it twice.

Boots
Gun
Bullets
Bow
Release

The rest is semantics and can be suffered through or doesn't matter until something is lying there dead and I can typically improvise if needed. lol

Skinned a many of animals with my Leatherman tool......

 

[roadrunner]

Whitetail season 2021 I had a new rifle that I had spent several range sessions getting dialed in. After the final session I wiped the gun down and laid it in a Tipton gun vice so it would be handy to grab for opening morning. The day before season opener was crazy at work and I got home late and had to rush to get my gear ready for the next morning. I'm fortunate to own a farm that's a 30 minute drive from my house so no need to leave super early. I get to my farm with daylight not far away, grab my pack and rifle and head to the blind. I get all settled in and put the magazine in the rifle and reach for the bolt to cycle a round and no bolt. WT? Then it dawns on me that I had taken the bolt out when I wiped the gun down to give it once over too and it's at home laying on the bench. So it's starting to get light and I'm totally dead in the water. Not wanting to sit there with a dysfunctional rifle I pack it up and head home. I have a commitment later that morning so I miss opening day but no big deal. That set the tone for the rest of the season and never shot a buck.

Whitetail season this past fall (2022) gets here and the night before opening day I check and double check that the bolt is in the gun and the magazine is in the pocket of the pants I'm going to wear. Opening morning off to the farm I go with a good feeling that I'm better prepared than last year. I'm in the blind and 30 minutes after legal shooting hour a really nice ten pointer appears and one shot and he's down. I start to get out of the blind and reach for my pack and no pack. That's right I tell myself I left it in the truck. No problem I need to get the truck down to the deer anyway. I get back to the truck and no pack. WT? I later find it by the door at the house. So now no pack and no knives since they are in the pack. I rummage through the truck for a knife and nothing. I do have a tool belt and in it there is one of those orange plastic box cutters with the snap off blades. Perfect! This surely will work. Have you ever tried to field dress a deer with a box cutter? In my wildest dreams I never imagined it could be that hard. Then the rain came. Not just casual showers but off and on downpours. I was finally able to get into a routine of working on the deer and trying not to cut a finger off and jumping in the truck to keep from drowning. Over an hour later was able to get the deer loaded and head home. I'm positive I won't forget anything this year How about you, ever had one of those days??

Yes.

 

[49ereric]

1st year of retirement 2020 come duck opener I loaded the Stevens 311 in the canoe and pulled up to shoot and click click wtf?
I grabbed the mossy 835 and finished the morning with a limit of ducks though.
the day before I cleaned the 311’s a 12 and 20 gauge and I put the 20 gauge stock on the 12 gauge barrel.

 

[TheHammer]

2 years ago at elk camp I dropped the trailer pulled the truck forward to unload some gear and set up base camp. As I was jumping out of the truck with excitement, I landed in a 8” hole twisting my ankle and heard a nasty pop. Went to the back of the truck told my hunting partner, he set up a chair, said some choice words to me, I sat down and pulled my pants up a few inches. My ankle was already swollen twice the size with some neat colors. Thank God my kenetreks are high rise and acted almost like a brace. Getting my boots on and off all week was something. Last elk season I got giardia 6miles in, On opening day. Had a tent fail, sleeping pad pop. One white tail season I hiked in a few miles in a northern Wi forest was planning on camping in there, dropped my bow, limb hit a climbing stick, string came off. In 2017 I fell 26’ outta a stand messed myself up pretty good, phone was up in the tree yet and I was 4 miles from the truck, 1/2 of it was waist high swamp muck, keys were in my pack next to the phone….

 

[MarlinMark]

You Sir, are a menace.

 

[MarlinMark]

With all due respect.

 

[UpTop]

I’ve left my shotgun in the parking lot and got a good 45 mins down the road when it dawned on me. Worst experience was taking a good friend out of state hunting in a fairly remote area waterfowling and when we got setup to hunt for the day the shells weren’t fitting in the gun. It was at this moment it was realized it was a 16 guage in the case not the trusty 12 guage expected. We shared my gun for that hunt. We then spent the good part of one of our hunt days trying to track down 16 guage steel shot. Which most folks know is not typically easy to find. Several mom and pop sporting goods shops later and several hours of driving we found 2 boxes to last another 3 days of hunting. I now ALWAYS bring backup guns.

 

[Mtns2hunt]

Whitetail season 2021 I had a new rifle that I had spent several range sessions getting dialed in. After the final session I wiped the gun down and laid it in a Tipton gun vice so it would be handy to grab for opening morning. The day before season opener was crazy at work and I got home late and had to rush to get my gear ready for the next morning. I'm fortunate to own a farm that's a 30 minute drive from my house so no need to leave super early. I get to my farm with daylight not far away, grab my pack and rifle and head to the blind. I get all settled in and put the magazine in the rifle and reach for the bolt to cycle a round and no bolt. WT? Then it dawns on me that I had taken the bolt out when I wiped the gun down to give it once over too and it's at home laying on the bench. So it's starting to get light and I'm totally dead in the water. Not wanting to sit there with a dysfunctional rifle I pack it up and head home. I have a commitment later that morning so I miss opening day but no big deal. That set the tone for the rest of the season and never shot a buck.

Whitetail season this past fall (2022) gets here and the night before opening day I check and double check that the bolt is in the gun and the magazine is in the pocket of the pants I'm going to wear. Opening morning off to the farm I go with a good feeling that I'm better prepared than last year. I'm in the blind and 30 minutes after legal shooting hour a really nice ten pointer appears and one shot and he's down. I start to get out of the blind and reach for my pack and no pack. That's right I tell myself I left it in the truck. No problem I need to get the truck down to the deer anyway. I get back to the truck and no pack. WT? I later find it by the door at the house. So now no pack and no knives since they are in the pack. I rummage through the truck for a knife and nothing. I do have a tool belt and in it there is one of those orange plastic box cutters with the snap off blades. Perfect! This surely will work. Have you ever tried to field dress a deer with a box cutter? In my wildest dreams I never imagined it could be that hard. Then the rain came. Not just casual showers but off and on downpours. I was finally able to get into a routine of working on the deer and trying not to cut a finger off and jumping in the truck to keep from drowning. Over an hour later was able to get the deer loaded and head home. I'm positive I won't forget anything this year How about you, ever had one of those days??

Snuck into my blind one time. Field was just full of deer. Got settled in and went to load my rifle and no bolt. It was evening and the drive home was about 40 minutes. Just got out the blind and without looking back walked back to the truck. Yes I know the feeling!

 

[TFrank]

My dad always said, "Gun, license, knife. Everything else is secondary"

Yep, forgot ammo though.

A way to kill, a way to clean and a way to be legal

 

[AndrewD]

Checklists help!

I refuse to make checklists because it would open the "checklist paradox", since I would need a checklist to remind myself to make a checklist. I don't want to be responsible for tears in the temporal fabric.