Rifle Found - California D17

[Nine Banger]

Definitely looks like it was manufactured in that color, it’s consistent throughout all sides.

Ahh, rust and anodizing. My imagination was way off.

 

[GARLICSALT]

Anything is possible, but if that is the case then this particular lowlife went through a lot of trouble to drive to the middle of the desert, then hike even farther into the middle of the desert, to ditch this gun.

My guess is that it fell off someone's pack and they didn't notice until they got back to their truck or to their glassing spot. Must have been a bummer to realize you lost your gun off the back of the pack. Hopefully they didn't miss an opportunity at a buck out there because of it!

Another interesting thing to note is that it has the little rings where a rifle sling would go, but no rifle sling attached. I considered that maybe the strap broke and that is how they lost it, but in that case I expect they would have noticed.

I usually hike with OnX tracker on, mainly to see how far my hikes were, but now I have an even better reason to use tracker regularly. If I ever lose something like this I should be able to track back and find it.

So, did ya see any deer?

 

[kpk]

I once dumped my pack while archery hunting antelope in SD. I had a moment of panic when I turned around and realized everything looks exactly the same in every direction as far as you can see and there was no landmark as to where my pack was. Surprisingly easy to do something stupid like this in the heat of the moment.

 

[JGRaider]

Indeed. Good on you. I would love to hear the story on this one. As a Marine, I am always morbidly fascinated by stories of lost rifles. It’s nightmare material.

Nice gesture OP.......QS, thank you very much for your service to our great country.

 

[WrstMuleHntr]

So, did ya see any deer?

Yes! Only 8 does on day 1. Day 2 I met up with a buddy and we saw 4 does, 2 spikes and a legal forky. My buddy made a stalk, but got winded before he could even re-locate the buck once he got within about 50 yds.