Most expensive piece of gear you've lost on a hunt?

[IdahoElk]

While not actually hunting this has been my most painful loss to date.

One December fishing off the coast of NC for Giant Bluefin Tuna a combination of a tight outrigger release and a slack rod safety line lead to the loss of a brand new Penn International 50w and rod, words can't describe the feeling when a massive tuna strikes followed by the terror of seeing your $800 rod /reel sailing through the air into the Atlantic.
That hurt!

 

[Gunaddict]

I know a guy who lost a Swaro spotting scope and tripod. It came off his four wheeler and he did not realize it. It's somewhere around the the Steens mountains.

 

[manitou1]

A grunt call.
I was dragging a deer out one evening and it was well after dark. I stopped for a break and heard something drop in the leaves behind me. I had no flashlight, but felt around in the leaves and found my pistol. If that pistol had fallen out at any other time during the drag, I would not have heard it drop.
I left a razor sharp, wood handled hunting knife at the site of gutting a deer one night. Went back the next day and found it in the vicinity of the (coyote cleaned up) gut pile, with the bloody handle nearly chewed off. I cringe to thing what that coyote went through after chewing on the razor sharp knife.

 

[HuntInWild88]

A glock 43x. Had it on my hip belt of my pack. Made a 6 mile loop once I got back to truck noticed the holster was gone! Only thing left was the metal clip.....retraced my steps for 4 hours..

 

[SWOHTR]

2015, October. Lost my InReach. Never found it, and never really looked. Wasn’t a fan of it to begin with so while I was out $200 I wasn’t overly agitated...

 

[weekender7]

My wife and were turkey hunting out of state in two seperate vehicals. She dropped the tail gate on my truck and laid her fully loaded backpack on the tailgate. This was before daylight. I got in my truck not knowing and drove off. The backpack slid off somewhere before she realized what she had done and called me. I went back looking for it but no luck. Range finder, binos, seat, decoy, tripod, video camera, calls, food and drink plus other nick nacks.
We had to replace all, that one stung.

 

[Jbehredt]

Bugle tube. A nice right hand OR glove. Left a rangefinder on the mtn once. Went back for the that the moment I realized what I had done.

 

[ReddingArcher]

Nothing too major. I gave a buddy my rangefinder when he went on a stalk and he came back without the buck or the rangefinder. We spent a while searching but never turned it up. I still think about that when I hike past that spot.
Another time out fishing with my brothers and dad my brother pushed me off the boat and I lost my rod and reel in the lake, I gotta admit it was well played on his part I came outta the water laughing my ass off.

 

[NB7]

A glock 43x. Had it on my hip belt of my pack. Made a 6 mile loop once I got back to truck noticed the holster was gone! Only thing left was the metal clip.....retraced my steps for 4 hours..

oooof. that's painful. that made me go check on my precious 43 just to make sure it's still where i put it!

 

[generalist]

A glock 43x. Had it on my hip belt of my pack. Made a 6 mile loop once I got back to truck noticed the holster was gone! Only thing left was the metal clip.....retraced my steps for 4 hours..

Ouch, not only the cost of the 43, but were you worried at all about legal stuff? I'd hate to report anything gun related to authorities, but I wouldn't want the cops showing up at my door cause whoever found it used it for a crime.

 

[Firestone]

I could buy something really nice with the amount of grunt tubes i have left on the mountain.

 

[rclouse79]

The first range finder I ever bought lasted till mid morning of my first hunt. When I saw it had come off my belt I retraced my steps to no avail.

 

[OughtsixAi]

Lost a rangefinder. Ranging a couple goats across a ravine about 300 yards away. Turned around and had 4 nannies and 4 kids walk up behind us within 20 yards. Put the rangefinder down somewhere and never found it.

 

[Diesel]

Step son lost two hand held radios on two separate hunts. He doesn't hunt anymore.

 

[Loper]

Step son lost two hand held radios on two separate hunts. He doesn't hunt anymore.

Haha...that last sentence made me smile.

 

[MattB]

The most expensive thing I lost while hunting was the rear wing window on my 1998 4runner.

Back story is I had hunted one spot, set my bow down next to my vehicle while packing to move, and drive away. Got to the next spot, had everything ready to start hiking, and realized I had left my bow at the previous spot. I was so flustered trying to rush back to my bow that I locked my keys in the vehicle in the process.

I spent a couple of minutes evaluating my options, the best of which was pitching a 10# rock through the wing window so I could unlock my vehicle.

The bow was still there when I got back, but the broken window ended my hunt.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

I've permanently lost two items. First was a Kuiu down jacket. No clue what happened with it. This past weekend I lost a Benchmade pocket knife while checking trail cameras. Not going to make a trip against just to look for it. Hoping that I find it when I go back out in a couple of months but will not hold my breathe. I will be replacing it before then.

I've temporarily lost a few items.

On one hunt in Mexico my rangefinder was put down during the commotion of going after a buck. Came back and could not find it. Looked and looked and noticed a cow that was not there previously. So I made a wise remark about the cow finding it. Sure as hell I walked up to the cow and there was my range finder.

On another hunt I lost my wedding band. While it was not much money, I caught hell from the wife. She was not keen on me just replacing it as it would not have the same "meaning". So this fool went on a fool's errand to go back out and find it. Did what I could to "kind of sort of" trace my steps while I was hunting. Did get to one spot that I knew that I took my gloves off. The sun was just right and my wedding band was there plain as day. I should just go buy a few of them and not tell the wife!

 

[Fridaythe13th]

A whole boat load of right handed gloves. Probably 20 of them.

 

[Carpenterant]

Rangefinder

somehow I don’t feel so bad knowing I’m not the only one

 

[eod.tek]

Before I bought my exo pack I'd stick my game bags in my pack. In an attempt to not soak my first lite puffy in blood I strapped it to the outside of my pack, but not well enough. By the time I got to my truck I noticed it was gone. Traced my steps the next day but no luck.