What is your most bonehead move ?

[Stid2677]

An aluminum bottom boat is an excellent tool in these coastal environments. Did you not have a dingy or packraft? You already nailed your poor manenuvers so I won't. I'm so pleased your still with us. Just shows your much tougher than most.

I've had a boat go high and dry too. I just throw my floater on the shore too. Most experienced men I hunt with carry a shore bag off the boat every time.

I do all those things NOW. Knock on wood, I have not let it go dry in years. But there was a learning curve, I make sure to keep a survival suit on shore at all times when the boat is on the hook.

In that first photo, my anchor buddy was one boat length short, that is a bungee cord that pulls that boat back out into deeper water. I have since added another and run two together.

I have been boating on the salt my entire life, but the tides in Alaska happen faster and more extreme than anywhere I have ever seen. The last photo with the bear hide went dry while my friend was standing there, he was SUPPOSED to keep that from happening. So we had 6 hours to flesh that hide,, was a SNICKERS moment, NOT GOING ANYWHERE SOON!!!

 

[Jager]

Stid that was a great recollection of your 'adventure', lucky to be alive I think, ah yeah, nice looking boat.

 

[robby denning]

Saying I Do

Dam, that's brutal!

Mine is finding a wide buck in 2011 in August. The season didn't open until October and I decided to show up a few days early just to "make sure" he was still there. Day before the opener I sneaked into the basin. There were fresh buck tracks in the trail but I thought "that's prolly a little one" and kept trudging along. Next thing I know, the wide buck I'd seen in August is bolting for the timber along with another 180-190 class buck with long main beams. I'd walked right into them on the trail. Last I've ever seen of either.

 

[Eric S]

Mine was trusting my GPS over the map I had in my hand. My GPS showed a trail that cut at least two hours off of the hike to camp. I found out later that the trail disappeared sometime in the early 80's due to wash outs and lack of maintenance. I spent the entire day with 70lbs in my pack walking back and forth the same 4 miles and gaining the same 2000 feet elevation over and over until they day came to an end. I spent 9 hours on the trail and at the end of the day I was an hour from the truck and 5-6 hours from camp. Vacation day blown.

 

[tttoadman]

In 2011 my brother shot a little bull about 2 miles from the truck at dark. We still packed bones in those days, so that can be fail #1. This was a new area for us, and we didn't have any GPS stuff at this time. When we got to where the elk was, I said "I think that road should be pretty close up on top, you want to go take a look before we pack up?". Keep in mind this was all steep rocky side hilling to get back to the truck. We made 2 pack trips that night in the dark and his feet were bleeding from bad boots by the time the night was over. A couple days later I was on the other side of the basin. In the middle of the day, I saw a pickup parked on the skyline(obviously on a road) about 400yds up the hill from his gut pile. Priceless fail #2!!

We got back to the truck and realized in my frenzy to get going, I had locked the only set of keys in the pickup. Of course onstar can't see it where we are. I thought I would break a corner out of the back window. Now I now how tempered glass works a little better. I smacked the window with a pc of chain. The entire window exploded all over the seats and clear up onto the dash board. We enjoyed a 40 mile drive in 15deg weather to get the window fixed for a nice cool $400. fail #3. All of these in a 8 hr period.

 

[MesaHorseCo.]

Been there on e few of these..

 

[WonkyWapiti]

Years ago, my buddy and I decided to check out a new area towards the end of mule deer season in Eastern Wa. We found it and my buddy wanted to go see "just what's over that ridge." I left my pack with my water at the truck as did he since we would be right back. Well there were mule deer just over that ridge and they were 4 huge bucks. I called that afternoon the Coulee City death march. Temps were in the high 90's and we chased those deer forever like the morons we were. I got super dehydrated to the point of getting scary and I vowed never again to leave my pack for any reason and especially for "just a short jaunt."

 

[Bonedalien]

oh man,well here goes. after a few days in the woods mt house meals start to get to me. if i scurry off in the dark before we head out,no problem.
one morning last season a bull woke us up screaming 1/4 mile from camp before our alarms. he was going off,so i got my gear and said "screw it im going",and headed off into the dark downwind. as the sun came up i was right where i wanted to be,it was all good. then my gut told me it was time..NOW.. or the trousers are toast...didnt get an elk that day. 5 more min at camp would not have screwed that up as much as running out there did.

 

[Craig Van Arsdale]

I put together a spring brown bear hunt in PWS with a friend the first year I lived in Alaska. We get together and make our plan to take my boat from Valdez to Hitchenbrook Island. I have a 21 ft Wooldridge Alaskan II, with all the safety gear, sat phone, survival suits, VHF, ect…. Our plan is to take the boat to Shelter bay and stay in the Forest Service cabin. Well Shelter Bay is a bay that is kind of hidden with an entrance to it that is hard to find if you have never been there. Plus the map I had showed the cabin on the open water side. So we get there and can’t find cabin. We anchor the boat and try to scout for the cabin on foot, takes us 15 minutes to figure out where it is and how to get the boat there. By the time we got back to the boat the tide monster had already bit us, the boat was 15 feet from the water on a mud flat. No big thing, already had the anchor out with 200 ft of rode and had another 400 ft coil of rope to tie to the boat and secure on shore. My friend tied off the extra rope and we were on our way to scout around the bay and wait for the tide to come in. We no sooner get around the corner when we spot a HUGE brownie, he had just pushed out and was hanging out just above the tree line.

Okay Rookie mistake number 2, THINGS ARE NOT AS CLOSE AS THEY LOOK. After a horrible 3 hour climb, hampered by rotten snow and fallen timber we get to within 400 yards of him and the wind shifts. He gets our wind and is gone. The skies have turned an ugly black color and there was rain on the wind. We head down and make for the boat. We get there after about an hour and half, cold wet and tired. We are horrified to see that the tide has returned and the boat has come untied and is being blown out to sea by 50 MPH winds.

Rookie mistake number 3, I think that I can walk out to the boat on this mud flat. Water temp is 38 degrees. I get out about 1/3 of the way to the boat and see that the water is over my head. My friend had a boat get away from him as a child in Canada and almost died getting it back, he wasn’t going in that water for love or money. I stripped off to my under wear and started to swim the 400 yards to the boat. The wind was blowing it off shore and as soon as the water got deeper than 200 ft the anchor would swing under the boat and it would have been gone. Almost all of our gear was on the boat, another Rookie mistake. I swam about half way to the boat, that’s is when hypothermia started to set in. I started to not be able to move my arms or legs. I held my breath and was able to reach the bottom. I used the bottom to bounce my way back to shore. Now I’m hypothermic and not thinking good at all. I’m still focused on getting to that boat if it kills me. I see a large tree trunk that has floated up on shore. I get my friend to help me get it into the water, I used it like a surf board to swim to the boat. When I got there I let the tree go and tried to climb into the bow. My arms and legs did not have the strength to get me in the boat. I thought OH $%it I’m going to die right here at the boat. I had enough strength to get to the stern and was able to crawl in using the motor and the trim tabs. Once in the boat I had dry clothes and a propane heater. It still took me 30 minutes just to be able to lift the anchor and motor to shore.

Once at the cabin, I continued to make mistakes in my hypothermic state. I anchored the boat and had to get out of the driving rain and 50 plus MPH wind. During the storm the wind blew the water to our side of the bay, this storm surge along with the monthly high tide and me failing to properly moor the boat caused the boat to end up about 20 feet from the water. It took us 2 days to get the boat back operational and in the water. We never saw another bear. We faced a storm equal to hurricane force winds 4 days out of 7. We were so happy to have the seas die down so we could get back to Valdez. I learned many lessons on this trip. I should have known I was in for trouble when I saw all that 3/8 inch cable holding down that cabin. I felt like a train was driving by for 12 hours straight. The worst storm I have ever seen, we had gust to 90 MPH. So that trip was my scariest out hunting .

Steve

Damn, that's some scary stuff!!

Amazing how situations can turn to $h!t so fast!!

 

[Nick Muche]

Yeah, Holy Sh*t Steve!

 

[Ray]

One morning duck hunting up the Knik, I tested the bottom with the oar and found it was pretty solid. I stepped out of the boat and just kept going until I was floating in waist deep muck and a half foot of water. Turns out I had been hitting the sunken heads of old grass clumps and alders with the oar. I was too fat to haul myself back over the side of the boat, so I moved the boat past me till I was at the stern. I could not get my feet up out of the muck and debris to climb up the motor. I then moved the boat back past me and managed to kick float the boat closer to a grass area. My feet became free of debris and muck but now I was in water over my head and hanging off the side of the boat.

The boat a Devlin Black Brant III that I built in 2003 and has a wide side deck with a coming to grab on to. The boat is also mind boggling stable. Dog tired, I managed to use some of my old rock climbing skills and hooked my right boot heel over the side deck. Using all my strength I slowly pulled my fat butt over the edge of the boat and rolled onto the floor completely winded from about 30 minutes of stuggle.

The entire time my 14 month old lab puppy was jumping all over the bow of the boat. I was thankful I had tied her on so that she would not jump out. I don't think I could have gotten both of us back into the boat. I am also thankful I built one of the best sneak boats out there. A normal skiff or jon boat would have flipped right over on top of me on that roll over manuver I did. But the old BBIII just tipped a little and popped right back to level float. That boat saved my dump ass.

I am still short, but no longer as fat, but I will still not be getting out of the boat in that area of the swamp. There are no ducks there anyway.

 

[6x6]

Long story short, archery elk hunt, terrible site selection for my super tarp when I was trying to set camp before dark. Woke up and left camp before light. Endured a mid afternoon monsoon, taking cover under various trees. Got back to camp to find that I pitched my tarp in a dried little creek bed, and yes, it was now flowing straight through my tarp, which was still pitched. Opened the annex to see all my gear floating around in the tarp. Actually quite funny watching my ti goat stove, food bag, sleeping pad and bag floating around in circles. Best break I got was that I always kind of gather my bag and put it on my pad befor I leave. It was still in it's place, floating on my pad. Long night under the stars. Lesson learned.

 

[miggles]

Three boneheaded moves in one trip. One not checking the weather right before leaving (checked a few days before and assumed it wouldn't change). Two not packing rain gear as part of my standard kit. Three leaving my shelter to try to hike out in a rain storm with 38 degree air temp and very high winds without a shred of rain gear or cold weather gear on me. Won't make that mistake again!

 

[ishootdasmallones]

I took a really good paying job in California. I lasted 14 months and got out.....

 

[Craig Van Arsdale]

I took a really good paying job in California. I lasted 14 months and got out.....

I did the same.... But apparently you are smarter than me!

 

[velvetfvr]

Last season. Had a nice velvet buck and second guessed myself. Shot and I didn't get him. Shot high.

 

[vegas hunter]

I've got a good one. Worst trip I've ever had, by far. Not sure I should tell it cause it makes us sound like idiots. :/ But here goes....
Started off I had just bought a new trailer for the wheelers. Never really used it until hunting season and found we could not keep the wheelers from sliding around. This caused several of our ratchet straps to break. Luckily we had extras.
Then one of the ramps fell off and we had to back track 15 miles to find it.
Finally make it to our area and stop at a gate so I do a quick walk around. I noticed the hitch looked funny. The nut had completely fallen off the hitch ball!! Only thing holding the trailer on the truck was the weight of the wheelers! Yikes! I hope that happened after we got off the pavement. So we ditch the trailer and finish getting the last few miles up the canyon to set up camp.
This was our first year using an ez-up gazebo for our kitchen area. My buddy brought it and he had just bought the side curtains for it. Turns out he bought a straight legged curtain kit but his gazebo has angled legs. We had to bunch it and tie the curtain in multiple places so it would fit. While doing that I put my knife through the roof of his gazebo. Ugh. But wait, it gets better!

The next day was opening day in the Rubies and we went high. Awesome day. Seen over twenty bucks. My buddy seen a bruiser but could not get on it. Anticipation of great things was high!

Thankfully the next day we went to Elko and bought a new hitch ball "just in case" something bad happened and we needed to get out of there in a hurry.

Third morning started great. My buddy decided he just wanted a meat buck and we found a little 3 point just above camp. I jumped on the four wheeler and took off down the road to get around and above the buck. Made it about 500 yards and my hat blew off my head. For some reason I turned my head to see where it went and next thing I know I'm getting pitched onto the road. The wheeler rolled a time or two and my storage box on the back came down on my right shoulder...that did not feel too good. Turns out it fractured my scapula, which is your shoulder blade bone for those of us anatomy challenged folk.
I had my Browning A-Bolt in a mount across my front rack. Right away I seen my scope was bent and broke. Not the most expensive scope but it was right at $200. Got back to camp and my buddy looks at my rifle and finds the stock broke across the pistol grip. Oh joy.

So I can tell I messed something up, not horribly but I should see a doc for sure. So we decide to get out of there and head back to Vegas. Everything went good on the way back down except just before Ely, at near midnight, my buddys truck runs out of fuel! Turns out his fuel level sending unit, which had not given him any problems before, decided to go bad on this very trip. He always brings extra fuel so he dumped it in, primed the system and got on our way.

I don't know what kind of weird mojo was going on with this trip, but I've hunted since I was 12 and I'm now 42. Never before or since have I had even one of these kind of crazy follys. Or shall I say f'ups! Well... now I did go on a Colorado hunt a few years back...

 

[vegas hunter]

Bonehead move number 2... "never borrow horses to go on a pack in hunt". Borrowed 2 horses from a friend for a Colorado second season elk hunt. Had to get them shoed and inspected so they could go across state lines. Turned out the unusually large mare hated other horses. Or should I say wanted to show her dominance. Wouldn't you know it we went to a well used trailhead with a LOT of other horses around. Nearly had to throw my rifle down and get her tied around a tree when a pack train came down as we were going in. Seen 2 cows the entire 6 days.
I have since watched Robbys "got harses" videos and learned a lot. Thanks Robby!

 

[JoshTX]

Most bonheaded moment..

I'm 11 years old.My dad and I were hunting whitetails in mid-December. We had finished up the hunt, got into the truck and drove back to the camper to eat chow and warm up. We both walked in, took off our boots and hunting clothes. I wanted to watch a movie or something and being 11, I got distracted by it. Dad see's my rifle (6mm Rem Mod 7 ) standing up in the corner and walks over to it. He asks me.."Did you check this weapon and make sure it's clear". My response went something like this.."Geez dad, how irresponsible do you think I am. I'm very responsible, I would never leave an unverified weapon laying around.." Dad grabbed the little rifle with one hand, pointed it at the door (no one else around for miles) and squeezed the trigger and, much to my chagrin, BOOOOOM!!!! I was stunned and shocked. "Buuutttt, I checked it, I swear!" "Son, you didn't check it and if you did, you DID NOT VERIFY cause that gun did not load itself!"

Suffice to say, I learned a valuable lesson from it and it has not happened since.

 

[Floorguy]

checking a small little trap line 2 years ago there had been a warm up and a creek I had to cross had lots of overflow I would up finding a spot I could jump across but my trailing foot broke through what I thought was snow on solid ground but it was wind blown snow on overflow. That made it so on the return trip I would have to find a different spot to cross. I wound up picking up a prime fox and started making my way back got to the creek again found a narrow spot took off snowshoes pack and tossed it all over to the otherside of the creek with the fox. As I went to jump one foot got hung up and I went through the overflow and everything else and was about chest deep in a slushy. This spot was narrower with high banks, I had to reach over my head to grab onto anything and all that was there was pencil sized willows. The sides were slick and didn't have anything to get foot traction with after the third time of pulling and falling back into the water I actually stopped and wondered what the F*** I was actually doing I looked around and couldn't see anything that looked like salvation I faced forward grabbed handfulls of the willows and pulled one more time this time my foot found a hold and i pulled my self out of the slushy mix face first into two feet of powder got up and assessed everything quickly I was 3 miles from my truck the temp was @28 degrees. Called my buddy who had been out on the line with me and left a message for him to call me. He called back I told him what happened and talked to him all the way back to the truck probably walked those three miles faster than anyother time. My truck was parked in my pastors driveway and he just happened to be home I knocked on the door and he opened all I could think to say is "Do you have any dry clothes I could borrow?" he got me some coffee and a change of clothes we talked about the line hunting and stuff. I got home and walked in the house and my wife looked at me and asked "Who's clothes are you wearing?" followed by "Why are you wearing pastors clothes?"

Then there was the time I had something get in my eye and had two stainless steel bottles one with water one with water mixed with emergen-c guess what I flushed my eye out with... talk about feeling the burn.