Most expensive thing you lost while hunting

[hikenhunt]

Wow, this is a great thread!

About 10 years ago at a trailhead, I turned my garmin on and set it down while I put boots on etc. Forgot about it and didn't remember until I was too far down the trail to go back. Stupid thing is that I forgot about it when I got back and drove off without even thinking about it until I got home. It was about $250 new and was already a few years old so I never bothered to go look for it.

 

[hobbes]

I temporarily lost a 4 wheeler (my dad's) years ago while whitetail hunting back home. I dropped a buddy off at a location, drove him across a field, then reloaded the 4 wheeler. I applied the break, was supposed to have left it in gear, and used a strap across the back. I got 3 or 4 miles down the road where I was planning to hunt, hopped out and no 4 wheeler. Holy $##:;!!!!

I drove that 3 or 4 miles back and forth In a panic three times before I spotted a reflection from the tail light 20 yards over in the woods where it had rolled undamaged on all 4 wheels.

I was certain that if someone hadn't hit it sitting in the road that it'd be stolen. I'd almost convinced myself it was stolen by the time I found it. I was a little late getting in the stand that morning.

 

[Geewhiz]

Lost a hoochie mama. Found a nice sig rangefinder.

Came out ahead so far. haha



On that note if anybody lost a sig rangefinder in SW MT last fall, tell me what it is and where you were and I'll give it back to you.

 

[h2so4]

I lost a croc in the Colorado during a Grand Canyon float trip this summer.
Planning to hike out of canyon that morning. Hit me the raft at 3am for a 200 yard float to the pullout. Missed the pullout due to a variety of reasons- mostly it’s dark as shit and flashlights of any power don’t light up the canyon enough to float it. Go through one rapid in the dark and we agree we have to stop asap. We get to one side and I try to grab a rock. I get a good hold and the raft spins with current and then gets pulled out from under me. I take a swim off the front, pop up and take two strokes to boat. F that, I’m headed back to the rock. Pull myself out and grab the one croc I can see. Other croc is gone. Later we see where the boat and myself pulled out, we got lucky.

 

[Holocene]

Lost an inReach and trekking pole on last day of a hunt in California last year. I think I know exactly where it is but haven't gone back to check. $350

Lost my quiver full of arrows during an elk hunt and a buddy went back with his truck (he had drive in access) to exactly where I remembered a "tug" and there it was.

Lost a Leica rangefinder my first year elk hunting and went back to where I felt a branch "tug" me and lo and behold there it was.

Remember the "tugs" and little voice in your head that says "If I leave this here now I might forget it."

 

[TheGDog]

I know some guys that have lost their wives over hunting, very expensive.


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It takes a long while after to realize it... but... actually in that instance, the more expensive thing would have been NOT losing those wives. In terms of Happiness.

 

[Ridley]

Sworovski SLCs fell out of the truck when I got out to take a leak. Didn’t notice for about an hour and when we went back someone had already found them. That stung for a while.

 

[Kindo]

Not my loss personally, but I witnessed a bow case filled with bow and goodies fly off the back of a wheeler in the bed of a guys truck going 80 down I70 between the tunnels. Based on the amount of traffic, I'm quite certain that bow was toast. We couldn't catch up to him for 10 miles. Hell of a way to start your trip...

 

[GSPHUNTER]

It takes a long while after to realize it... but... actually in that instance, the more expensive thing would have been NOT losing those wives. In terms of Happiness.

A friend of mine got a divorce. Months later he told me, Somethings are worse than being alone. Being miserable.

 

[TripleJ]

Left my bow on the side of the road besides the truck once, when I got back with a load of meat from an elk my friend had shot. Didn't realize it until we were back at camp over an hour away. Got there before light the next morning to hike in for the last load of meat, and the bow was still there, right where I left it. You could see my tire tracks from where I turned around in the dark the night before, and I had missed the bow with the truck by about 1 foot. Ending up shooting a bull with that bow 2 days later so it all worked out. Other than that, I've lost at least 3 grunt tubes over the years. I've also lost several call cases full of elk diaphragms in the heat of the moment. And I lost a Montana elk decoy that somehow came unstrapped off my pack once, too. As I have gotten older, I have become a lot more deliberate and habitual in where I put things down, and also running through a mental checklist before I stand up and walk away.

 

[Crusader]

I left a very nice Ross reel on the bumper and drove off a few years ago. Heading out one night after dark and passed a truck with a very nice spotter sitting on top the tool box. Guys clearly hit the trail in a hurry and left it on top of the truck box. It should not have been a though but I would be lying if I said did not have a wandering thought about a nice spotter... I felt crappy enough about thinking it, that drove back a mile or so and placed in it the truck bed so some one else did not see and snag it or they accidentally get back late and drove off with it still up their. I still don't own a spotter and I am no saint.... but a week or so later I found my spyderco knife at the bottom of a pack that had been mising for a few years.... sometime things come back to you.

Biblical (and farming!) principle--you reap what you sow.

 

[doc holiday13]

Friend of mine lost a Glock 10mm this past spring while hunting bear in idaho

 

[Yoder]

This was a good one. I was rifle hunting in Vermont. I got back to my truck and I was pretty beat. I leaned my gun up against the tire of my truck like a dumbass and then took off my pack and stand. I know I shouldn't have done this and yes the gun was unloaded with the mag removed. I put everything in my truck and drove away. About 5 minutes down the road I looked in the back seat and realized I FORGOT MY GUN! I hung a U turn and raced back to where I was parked. It was gone. I felt sick to my stomach. About 30 seconds later a guy pulls in and asks if I lost a rifle. He seen how crazy I was driving and figured I had to be the genius that left the rifle behind. I was really happy to get the gun back. Unfortunately I drove over the gun. It was a Remington 760 pump and the action and barrel were both bent. It was a great lesson.

 

[duckhuntr]

Well, thanks to all that replied, but I can bow out of this thread now…I can’t believe it worked, but one of the people in town had the idea of posting it to the town Facebook community group… and 3 days later, a guys son saw the post and mentioned to him, He called me and has my f’n boots!!!

And Thank god, I hunted for Muley today back home in my old cabelas boots and my feet are killing me. . . The lesson here is buy good boots. And don’t leave them sitting on the ground when you leave.

I’ve definitely lost a few knives over the years, and fishing poles… but losing those boots was most $$$ and because they ended my elk trip early made it suck even more… so thankfully I’ve not lost anything too expensive now…. Now if we want the next thread to be about most expensive thing you’ve broke/busted hunting/fishing, I can definitely put in some solid entries… Yamaha 60HP for starters

 

[Thinkingman]

My sister studied in Switzerland for a year. While there she bought me a black swiss army knife. It had my name embossed on it. Just the right tools on it for a pocket knife for my purposes of cutting cheese and trail bologna in the woods. I cared it for years. When I got home to Florida from a walk in hunt in Ohios Wayne National Forest I couldn't find it anywhere.

The loss not a great monetary loss but I knew my sister probably stretched out to buy it for me on a students budget. I felt terrible.

A year goes by and I find myself in the same area in Ohio. I start thinking about that knife. The last I can remember using it is cutting a hunk of cheese near a big huge blowdown in a drainage. I figure I’m a mile from there so I still hunt over there. I find right where I remember sitting. I start moving the two feet of leaves around and I see something shiny. I found that knife laying there with the blade open.
It was in good shape and only slightly weathered.

That was in 1993 and carry that knife in my pack to this day.
I cant recall losing anything else hunting. I lost a pair of $300 sunglasses fishing.

Best 5 years of my life were spent in Athens....Glad you found the knife.

 

[cjdewese]

I’ve misplaced stuff throughout my life. But one time I hikes forever though the dark and was sitting next to elk at shooting light to only realize I didn’t have my release

Did this for the 1st tine locally. Just started slow hinting my way through an area with good sign and as a nercous tick I kind of play with my release. Well it sucked when i realized i had forgotten it at home.

 

[Stalker69]

While " hunting" to lose my virginity, at 14, I met a girl that is now my wife of 40 years. Damn it's costed me alot of of money, and still is. Lol, she's a great wife and person, I don't mind it for minute.

 

[Swamppirate]

I almost lost my 870 when I fell out of a canoe thru the ice duck hunting…. but alas, I held onto it and got to shore. I did lose several boxes of steel loads and a maglite. The swamp gods were appeased.

 

[Fordguy]

Near miss- On my first Wyoming antelope hunt, after the shot, I set my leupold range finder down in the clump of sage that I shot from. I walked out to the antelope, then looked back when I realized what I had done. All those clumps of sage look the same. Lol. It took quite a while but I did eventually find it.

 

[nettereo16]

I lost a nice Beretta shotgun while duck hunting when my softcase opened up on the slog out. I went back after work and dragged a super magnet through the swamp for an hour. I eventually found it!!