What's your worst mid-hunt equipment failure?

[Reburn]

benelli click with a super vinci at a pacific eider in the decoys at 20 yards in cold bay alaska.
It was my fault as I will sit there and mess with the bolt handle when I'm bored. When I released it the bolt didn't go into battery fully.
He got to fly away. Only 1 of 2 eiders we saw the whole trip.

 

[beauhunter]

Last year, my best friend and I, had a November elk hunt in Idaho. We found a herd on a far mountain and marched down the one we were on in 1 1/2 feet of snow heading north. I fell multiple times stepping on fallen branches I couldn't see. Started up the next mountain, minimal snow, until we could not go farther because we're would be spotted. Remington 700 SPS 7MM Rem Mag. Shot from 250 yards and the trigger was solid. Horror. Tried again, solid. Said screw it and put the safety back on, BANG! Wasn't even on Target. Scared the shit outta me. I'm assuming the firing pin was frozen in the bolt due to getting stuffed with snow, me continuing to hold the rifle by the receiver in my hand. it probably melted snow that had gotten packed in from falling and then refroze while I was sneaking up on the herd. Got back to my camper and warmed up the gun and it has fired perfectly ever since. Took the bolt apart and cleaned it after that trip. Still debating on buying something else for this year's trip? Not to trusting any more!

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Had the same experience about 15 years ago. Drew an antlerless elk tag in NW Montana and borrowed my dad's Weatherby Vanguard in 7mm Rem Mag. I was 16 at the time and in my infinite wisdom I cleaned the gun a few days before I went out. It was a November hunt and was miserably cold and snowy. My truck was actually froze to the ground when I headed home and we had to use a weed burner to free it up. Had a 5 point bull at 50 yards (I could shoot a bull, but it would've nullified my antlerless tag) and nothing happened when I pulled the trigger. Figured I forgot to flip the safety off and when I brought the gun to my hip to check it went off. Like you stated above, not a fun experience. After telling my hunting partner the story that night he asked if I had cleaned my gun recently. I said I had and he told me that the firing pin had likely froze from excessive oil in the action. That night I wiped the bolt down as clean as possible. The next day I kicked up a bedded cow that stopped at 40 yards and looked quizzically at me, broadside. Pulled the trigger and nothing. After holding on target for about 5 seconds I quickly threw the bolt up. She's still watching me. Pulled the bolt out and put it in my pants to try to thaw it out. Still the cow is watching me. Put the bolt back in and tried shooting again. Still nothing. I watched the cow turn and slowly walk away. I almost puked. I now use cleaning oil sparingly and never clean my action during season unless necessary. Hard lesson to learn.

 

[Teemster]

Looked down and noticed my limbs were delaminating during a hunt. October 26th of last year. Had a 2 shooters come in and one was a giant....smh

 

[lyle_destroys]

Squeezed off on an old 270 pump, at a nice mule buck. Firing pin broke. The one that got away!!

Wouldn't happen to be a 7600 would it?

 

[hevi14]

What piece of gear was it and how did you overcome the problem?

my boat got swamped by a yacht on the river while i was away hunting

 

[Gatorgrizz27]

My REI sleeping pad on the first night of a 6 night elk hunt last year. A lot of my gear was new and untested on an actual hunt, which was the stuff I was worried about.

It all worked flawlessly, but my “trusty” 5 year old pad which only had a couple dozen nights on it blew a baffle internally. It still held air but was like trying to sleep on top of an exercise ball. I ended up having to halfway deflate it and sleep completely flat like a starfish. Any part of your body that got lower would end up hitting the ground.

It really pissed me off as I take good care of my gear, am not heavy, don’t plop down on my pad, and I brought a patch kit also. No way of fixing that though, and it didn’t seem worth the 5 mile walk and hour drive each way to see if there was one to buy in the nearest small town.

 

[16Bore]

Frozen Power Bar.

 

[ODB]

benelli click with a super vinci at a pacific eider in the decoys at 20 yards in cold bay alaska.
It was my fault as I will sit there and mess with the bolt handle when I'm bored. When I released it the bolt didn't go into battery fully.
He got to fly away. Only 1 of 2 eiders we saw the whole trip.

The perils of inertia-driven, rotating bolts...

 

[Fatcamp]

The perils of inertia-driven, rotating bolts...

Still a huge bummer. I jumped an Eider off a lake here in South Dakota. It jumped up and flew by me in the wind it was blowing 40 mph so it just kind of scooted by me. Not sure why it didn't turn with the wind. I got a really good look and could have killed it over dry ground, let it go. Too cool to kill.

I have a Winchester 120 that had a stripped screw in the bolt. Fought that thing forever. Worse than a single shot. When it would come apart I had to break down the whole gun to shot again. Eventually replaced the bolt and it's my favorite shotgun.

I will say that waterfowl hunting as an adult getting back into hunting was an excellent training ground for the big game adventures I now engage myself in. Lots of lessons to be learned on dark water.

 

[kopecsean]

What piece of gear was it and how did you overcome the problem?

Awesome thread!

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[Reburn]

The perils of inertia-driven, rotating bolts...

It's 100% worse when you know it was you that caused the problem. That gun never gave me the Benelli click again. Sold it because of the front mounted safety and my bad shooting mechanics caused it to smash my middle finger with 3.5" loads. Bought a SBE3 and it never clicked on me last season. Seems benelli has fixed the issue.

 

[[email protected]]

My buddies hammock ripped in half night before the opener this year, he froze on the ground hiked out the next morning drove 60 miles and bought a new one. Few years back killed a cow 6 miles in loaded up the first load in my “trusty” Kuiu pack made it about 200 yards and ripped the right shoulder strap off. Just held onto the strap to get the first load out, then switched to my sons horn hunter to get the next load out.

 

[macdaddy]

I lost a small screw from my archery release, fixed it with a small nail and duct tape.


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[eamyrick]

Duck hunting flooded rice south of 1-10 and it was pouring rain. Narrow ditch road near the blind. I dropped 5 guys off and had to back up 100 yards. Slipped off the muddy road into the rice field right near the blind. Ruined the hunt and had to have my truck chain jerked 400 yards. Truck had every warning light possible on. Next year high centered a truck on a canal bridge duck hunting. Starting to understand why seasoned guys ride ATVs everywhere down there.

 

[backcountry_hunter]

broke the plastic cinch buckle on my waist belt on the hike in for a week long solo hunt. had to tie my belt the rest of the trip. was a big pain (all though nothing like turning my truck into a bonfire). I now keep a buckle kit in my truck at the trail head

 

[Marble]

After killing a great 6x6, tracking down dads 5x5 and killing it, then during the breaking down of the second bull, I slipped, fell and put the brow tine 3" in to my inner bicep. Hiked back to my horse to find the son of a bitch picked his lead rope off and disappeared. I walked off the mountain, he stayed and I returned in the morning to find him tied up. A fellow homer located him and tied him up for me.

 

[wind gypsy]

Leica Rangefinders - whenever it's below 40 degrees..

 

[WV Mountaineer]

Had several. First was a bow string breaking on the hike in opening morning here for archery deer. About 20 years ago. I left my buds drove to the nearest town, found a shop, knocked on the door, the guys wife answered, called him since he was out hunting, and he came and made me string. We put it on, I resighted, drove back to hunting grounds, walked in, passing my buds on the way out for lunch. I climbed a tree, got settled in at 1:05 and killed a deer at 1:20

Second was on an elk hunt. Third day, I bushwhacked through the worst oak brush a man could ever walk through. On an off all day. I covered many miles, come back off the mountain and detoured around that huge mess. Found a smoking hot wallow and decided to set it until dark. Set it and ended up getting cold and stiff about prime time. Figured I had better draw my bow to loosen up. I was horrified to find my peep and kisser gone. So, i humped it 4 miles back to camp, got there about dark, found a peep, tied it in, resighted in the head lights that night, and killed an elk the first thing the next morning with it.

 

[SPARKY418]

Equipment failure....just myself. forgot my release while on the hot trail of a nice 6x6 and had to run back down to camp to get my spare. Luckily I was able to get back up to my hunting buddy that kept tabs on him and we were able to harvest the old bull by bugling him back to us.


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[swampthing]

When I was younger and didnt have much money for gear I bought a simmons scope. Worked great till I hunted in the rain for a couple days and then it got sunny. The scope got so clouded with internal moisture I couldnt see through it! 4-5 hrs on the dash with the heat on cleared it right up!