The Forgetful Deer Hunter
I once left my release at home. Luckily I had a shooting tab in the case.
I’ve left the black powder at home before the ML Opener. Luckily I had a spare pound at the farm.
I’ve left ammo at home, but I had a spare rifle handy.
I’ve left my safety harness home a couple of times. I didn’t realize it before I got into the stand. I just sat quietly until it was time to go in.
I once left my boots behind on a backpacking trip. Luckily I had an old pair of work boots in the trunk that did me just fine for the trip.
I’ve been so absent minded during my life outdoors that I actually plan to forget things. Most of the time I forget something. Most of the time I have a back-up.
One of the more irritating parts of having a year-round deer camp is that I can never remember if something is back in the city or down at the farm. If it turns up missing, I don’t know where it went missing. As a result I have to start six months ahead of time getting ready for a given season. Most of what I’m taking turkey hunting has already been put in a trunk down at the farm during deer season. Most of what I’ll use during deer season is stashed away during turkey season. It leaves me 6 months to sort out the unknowns. Thing like license holders, and skinning knives that move between seasons have to be stored according to certain rules. I keep everything stored where it was last used. For instance, my hunting license and buck knife are stored in my turkey bag until Squirrel Season. Then they’re put in my squirrel bag. When I deer season comes in, they get put in my deer bag. That’s another thing I do: Every season has a bag– except coyote. Coyote has a waterproof box with the electronic call and the speaker already inside. If I find something that I lost, it goes in the appropriate bag until I need it.
Everything has a hat too. This sounds a little obsessive/compulsive, but it’s not. It’s actually just handy. If I lose my turkey hat, I have a squirrel hat or a deer hat to fall back on. You get the idea.
I learned back in grade school that I had a penchant for misplacing things. Therefore, there are some thing that I found it was easier to just buy enough that it never much. Combs– there’s a good one. I bought so many cheap combs that I never had to worry about having a comb to put in my pocket. One day I decided to find all the combs I had– filled up the top of my dresser. I do the same thing with some of my hunting gear. I can’t tell you how many grunt calls I have.
Another trick is to always buy the exact same thing over and over again. Take socks. If you buy the same socks over and over again, you never have to worry about putting together a pair.
Guns and ammo. I usually have the ammo pre-positioned at deer camp well before season starts. I leave it there after I’m done sighting in. Before that, I always tried to pack ammo and rifle together– not in the same container, but at the same time. Rifle goes into the case; Ammo goes into the suitcase. Important rule: always put at least one magazine in with the rifle. There is nothing quite so useless as a Rem 742 with no magazine on Opening Day.
There was something else I was going to say, but . . . I forgot. I’ll see if I remember later.
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For foodthey are shot up crmmaed into pens when you go hunting is actually more humane personally id rather be blindsided by hunter than killed in an assembly line.An assembly line style slaughter where they mostly grow up the next time she eats beef or chicken.