Stupidest Mistake Hunting

[Lyfter1013]

Well guys I feel like an idiot just posting this but figured what the hell.. So I’m on a Mule Deer rifle hunt and on my walk in to my glassing spot this morning I see the white butt of a mule deer about 250 yards up the hill and I see him lift his head and all I see is antlers very very tall, heavy, not the widest but his height was something else far and away would be my best buck to date . I drop down check the time it’s 6:50, sunrise is 7:27 so legal light is 6:57. So I start setting up and waiting and all I can think in my head is I can’t believe its not shooting light yet it’s brighter than needs to be but I hold off waiting until 6:57. The buck must’ve caught my wind and I could see him getting nervous I check real quick and it’s 6:54 my heart sinks I know what’s about to happen he’s nervous and he’s about to leave and that’s what happens....

now for the idiot part something just doesn’t sit right with me I knew it should have been legal light I could see him and his antlers no problem at 250 yards even in the shadow of brush with the naked eye.. i Get to the top of the ridge where I know I’ll have service and I check again what time sunrise is.... I couldnt believe it when I looked up sunrise the night before it showed for the state capital which is over half the state away... I type in the local town I’m Staying in and sunrise is 7:14 I had been in legal shooting time from the time I spotted the buck..

I’m still sick to my stomach at this point came to town to grab a decent lunch and headed back out for an evening hunt. I can’t believe after 18 years of big game hunting I could make such a bone headed move.

let’s hear your guy’s idiot Moves while
Hunting that cost you a shot.

 

[Durango Mike]

Mine was a NM archery hunt, we had hunted hard for 3 days and just could not get close enough to close the deal, but in elk every day. We were walking down a side hill and I had to pee so I stopped and took my release off to pee. We continued down into a little valley when we hear a very close bugle and some brush thrashing. There is one likely shooting lane so I move up and my partner starts with one short bugle and we get a reply along with brush moving about 50 yards ahead. I had dropped my pack, and when I nocked an arrow I realized I had hung my release on my pack when i peed. The Bull came out about 30 yards away, walking toward the last bugle and on the fight. My partner cow called and stopped him, he stood broadside for 5 seconds and then took off at a trot. My partner comes up and is incredulous that I did not take the shot on a nice 6 point, I tell him why as he hands me my pack with the release hanging on it and starts laughing! Bad enough doing something stupid on your own, when you have a witness who can't wait to tell our hunting buddies the story it is worse. From now on I pee with my release on!

 

[mdhunter61]

Well guys I feel like an idiot just posting this but figured what the hell.. So I’m on a Mule Deer rifle hunt and on my walk in to my glassing spot this morning I see the white butt of a mule deer about 250 yards up the hill and I see him lift his head and all I see is antlers very very tall, heavy, not the widest but his height was something else far and away would be my best buck to date . I drop down check the time it’s 6:50, sunrise is 7:27 so legal light is 6:57. So I start setting up and waiting and all I can think in my head is I can’t believe its not shooting light yet it’s brighter than needs to be but I hold off waiting until 6:57. The buck must’ve caught my wind and I could see him getting nervous I check real quick and it’s 6:54 my heart sinks I know what’s about to happen he’s nervous and he’s about to leave and that’s what happens....

now for the idiot part something just doesn’t sit right with me I knew it should have been legal light I could see him and his antlers no problem at 250 yards even in the shadow of brush with the naked eye.. i Get to the top of the ridge where I know I’ll have service and I check again what time sunrise is.... I couldnt believe it when I looked up sunrise the night before it showed for the state capital which is over half the state away... I type in the local town I’m Staying in and sunrise is 7:14 I had been in legal shooting time from the time I spotted the buck..

I’m still sick to my stomach at this point came to town to grab a decent lunch and headed back out for an evening hunt. I can’t believe after 18 years of big game hunting I could make such a bone headed move.

let’s hear your guy’s idiot Moves while
Hunting that cost you a shot.

I think you're being a bit hard on yourself, to me that sounds like an honest error as opposed to a boneheaded move. Thanks for sharing the story.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I have held fire on game many times when I wasn't a hundred percent sure on exact start/end of shooting hours. Be proud that you had the ethics to take the high road and pass on the shot.

 

[Losing_Sanity]

Bonehead move? Where to begin....

 

[HiMtnHntr]

I packed in several miles and set up a camp once only to check my tag and discover the season had ended. Would've been great hunting.

 

[Elkmagnet]

Bonehead move? Where to begin....

Right? We have to choose just one.....

 

[pointingdogsrule]

First rifle elk hunt in New Mexico. Small bull crosses the road in front of me. Looking for meat and to fill a tag. He stops 100 yards away a looks at me. I get out of the truck and grab the rifle. He's still looking at me. Easy 100 yard off hand shot. Instead I drop the rifle bipod and get set up off the road. At that point he says goodbye.

 

[OntarioHunter]

First rifle elk hunt in New Mexico. Small bull crosses the road in front of me. Looking for meat and to fill a tag. He stops 100 yards away a looks at me. I get out of the truck and grab the rifle. He's still looking at me. Easy 100 yard off hand shot. Instead I drop the rifle bipod and get set up off the road. At that point he says goodbye.

Oooh, that's a real arse kicker for sure!

 

[Lyfter1013]

I think you're being a bit hard on yourself, to me that sounds like an honest error as opposed to a boneheaded move. Thanks for sharing the story.

Yea I know I am and I’ll probably laugh about this in a week or 2 just a lil too fresh in the mind especially when I can still perfectly picture what he looked like.. maybe a few beers will make me forget what he looked like lol

I have held fire on game many times when I wasn't a hundred percent sure on exact start/end of shooting hours. Be proud that you had the ethics to take the high road and pass on the shot.

Well I’m glad to hear I’m Not the only one then. Thanks for the comment on ethics at least in my mind I was doing what was right haha. Hopefully guys will learn from
This and not make my mistake.

oh and on a side note the new update from onX maps shows sunrise And set times for where you are at wish I woulda realized that yesterday haha.

 

[LuketheDog]

I once spotted a HUGE buck approximately 2 miles away across a valley. I hiked all the way over there, out of view of the deer the entire time. Then, instead of being cautious for the last few hundred yards because I didn't know exactly where he'd be, I rushed in too close and spooked him right out of the bed he'd moved down to and he took off, never to be seen again. It was by far the biggest buck I've ever seen with a tag in my pocket, in an area not known for big bucks, and I think it would've been really difficult to ever shoot a bigger one...stupid, stupid, stupid

 

[Sytes]

I packed in several miles and set up a camp once only to check my tag and discover the season had ended. Would've been great hunting.

Bet an epic bull stepped broadside and gave a Farside Larson smirk.


One of too many to count incidents...

Set base camp 5 hrs from home. Next morning, prepped pre dawn, opened rifle case to find my .17 caliber rifle smiling back at me.

 

[timmy]

I sat down for a break then hiked for nearly a mile before I realized I left my bow where I sat down. I guess it didn’t cost me a shot but hand to hand combat with an elk probably would not have panned out.

 

[teej89]

I started hunting chukars.

 

[Khunter]

i did not let arrow fly on this bull when I called him in to 24 yds, and then reconsidered and CALLED HIM IN TO 17 yards. He has a small 5th on one sode. good grief, what was I thinking? Both times I was at full draw and he was pretty much broadside.

So I guesss it is the two most bonehead hunting moves I have made. Shot a small bull 14 days of hunting later...

 

[MarvB]

Year my daughter was born (two days before the opener of my rifle buck zone) I basically had one shit show after another push through during the entire season with a newborn and never could get the time to get out and hunt. Finally we had a nasty storm come in, low snow, (rarely happens in this zone) and on a Friday to boot.

I couldn’t take it anymore... called and woke my boss up at 3am (he wasn’t thrilled) that morning and asked him for the day off so I could get out before the weekend crowd. He obliged (probably didn’t really want to see me at that point anyhow) and I threw my gear together and headed out for the two hour drive up the mountain. 4-5” of snow, deer tracks EVERYWHERE migrating off the tops. Couldn’t believe I had the place to myself!!! Hunted hard for the first three hours of the morning, passed up on a few dinks, had stopped to throw down a sandwhich and get a “where are ya” text from my buddy at work. I smugly answer that I’m on on top of the ridge, the deer are moving, and I’ve got the forest all to my self! This was immediately followed by my phone vibrating with him in the other end belly laughing that “of course you do dumb ass, that zone closed last weekend!” .... my next two kids were born in the spring!

 

[rtraverdavis]

I once spotted a HUGE buck approximately 2 miles away across a valley. I hiked all the way over there, out of view of the deer the entire time. Then, instead of being cautious for the last few hundred yards because I didn't know exactly where he'd be, I rushed in too close and spooked him right out of the bed he'd moved down to and he took off, never to be seen again. It was by far the biggest buck I've ever seen with a tag in my pocket, in an area not known for big bucks, and I think it would've been really difficult to ever shoot a bigger one...stupid, stupid, stupid

 

[HighDesertSage]

Back before I could afford a gun safe, I drove all the way (1.5 hours) to the trail head only to discover upon arrival that I forgot to take my trigger lock off my rifle before leaving the house. The keys where at home.

 

[Addicting]

Bet an epic bull stepped broadside and gave a Farside Larson smirk.


One of too many to count incidents...

Set base camp 5 hrs from home. Next morning, prepped pre dawn, opened rifle case to find my .17 caliber rifle smiling back at me.

It’s all about shot placement! Lol

 

[Islander]

Drove to a remote island to camp and feed myself with squirrels. Hiked a mile to camp. No 22lr ammo! Had some 22 shorts back at the truck. Ever tried to hand load a 10-22? Made me wish I had brought the Marlin, which can shoot shorts, longs, and long rifle, all in the same tube magazine.

Now I permanently keep an ammo box in the truck filled with 22lr, 12 gauge (7s & turkey loads), 30-06, 6.5, 9mm, and 380.