BB 0,.. Nature 1 :(
Massachusetts
Hello Fellow Ma., Bowhunters
Guys I got whooped by nature bad this morning,..
First time out hunting in 25 years and it was a comedy of errors ,.. I was out the door at 5 am all seemed good to go. In reality it was the beginning of a Steven King like Movie!
So to start off with I had forgotten just how disorientating the complete darkness truly is. I learned this lesson long ago (used bright eyes tacks back then) but somehow decided to unlearn that lesson during the last many years,.. I could not find my hunting spot,.. it gets worse,.. much worse..
So I start to get that rising fear of ,.. Dang it I can't find my tree stand location... I start trying this way, that way,. sweat starts from brow wandering in the dark. Today there are many leaves down fresh from the wind and rain last night,.. the ground all looked the same,.. freshly fallen leaves... all of a sudden I take a step and go in up to my knee into muck swamp. The weight of my gear, backpack, stand, and bow propel me forward and the other foot follows the first into the muck,.. it gets still worse,..
The momentum of it all continues to carry me forward, falling now,.. I prevent a face plant only by putting out my right arm/flashlight hand into the mud,.. it goes in past the elbow. Other arm has the bow,.. So now I have 3 of 4 limbs a foot deep in muck and the lights just went out. The light is also now a foot deep but still in my hand,.. thank god!
Now there is a moment in time where ya just have to chuckle at your predicament,.. that was not the time,.. I was pissed. I pull out of the mud and the flashlight still works but it is dimmer,.. and on the positive side I have a good cover scent cause the smell of the swamp is strong and all over me,.. it was freaking disgusting!
I sat down and thought,.. came to the conclusion that I had failed and needed to get the hell out and regroup,.. I was humiliated and pissed,.. I decided to leave for the car,..
Now here is the topper,. gets really funny,.. the light was an elastic band red light, goes around your head light type. I had it in my hand when going in, to dim it occasionally ,and keep it low. When I decided to leave the band was completely covered in mud dunk,.. I looked at it and laughed,.. I put the Freaking muddy thing on my bald ass bean and marched out laughing at my Crown of Mud now on my head,.. I tell ya if someone could have seen me or if I had the wits to take a photo,.. it would have been precious.
The King of Mud,.. BB,. one bruised ego!
I lost the first battle,.. but not the war,.. will regroup for afternoon :(
This was all a true event with no embellishment,.. Sadly! LMAO
haha! that is pretty funny. just glad you didnt get hurt.i tripped on fishing line this summer at dark,heavy pack on,and did a faceplant on a rock....nose was a mess for a month or so. just sayin.
BB, if you ever get disoriented, and can't find a spot/stand, just sit down. Pick a stump or a rock, and sit down. No sense in stumbling around, sweating and making all sorts of noise. Everyone has been there. Just wait for some light and chances are you're pretty damn close to where you need to be. I know I have been in that situation a few times.
Get all the cob webs out now. I've had plenty of stuff like that happen but I keep on keepin on. Sucks but don't give up keep trucking!
So freaking funny I forgot I was hunting. Almost busted a laugh out loud.
You got that out of your system. It will get better. Hang in.
I have a honey bee and a tree rat trying to get my pb&j.
Pi
happens... when it rains it pours... I've been disorientated before... not fun... you got all of the kinks out now and will be ready to go for the afternoon. Good luck! PS... thanks for the laugh.. you tell the story great!
Agree dark is very disorienting. Couldn't tell you the number of times I've gotten turned around, even in my small woodlots. The thing is, vast majority of the time when I do regain my bearing, I realize that I'm only 5 or 10 feet from where I'm supposed to be. I think Moons has the right idea, just sit down and relax until there's some light.
"So I start to get that rising fear of ,.. Fuck I can't find it... I start trying this way, that way,. sweat starts from brow. "
that is the worst feeling ever!!!! sorry to hear but I think we've all been there. good luck next time.
I am now, after hearing his story upon arrival home calling him Elmer Mudd, Mud Puppy. Glad the kinks are over for a successful season. Suzanne (other half)
BB, thanks for taking us along on the maiden voyage. But I was really hoping that you snapped a selfie after all that. Please tell me there is and you're gonna post it.
Everyone nailed the real feelings your post generated... However, after the knee went in and you fell forward, I was anticipating a med evac... Glad this was not worse - and that you have an amazing memory of your first hunt back!
No harm, no foul.
BB back,.. takes laptop from Lady of the House,..
Ya I told the guys at the shop the tale,.. we all laughed our asses off,.. bought the bright eyes,..
So they R&R said same thing just sit and wait until light,.. you re probably 30 yards off target.. don't F up your spot by stomping all over and sweating,..
At least I can laugh at it a bit more now,.. was not a happy camper earlier !
Elmer Out!
Best I got is this post photo,.... my head was not in document this mode,.. it was pissed and red faced,..
Left foot was first in and went deep even my waste got wet from almost lying in it,.. right foot looks like about 8 inches as I was falling at that point,.. right arm went deep cause I could not spread out fingers as I was not letting go of the light hell or high water,..
Hahaha happens to the best of us. Keep at it hope this afternoon goes better
Moons nailed it. I’ve very similar outing BB. But learned quick to just sit down and wait for a little light.
Maybe bright eyes prior to opening day next year. Best advise (besides the preceding sentence) is to sit and wait for first light. I've had to do that more than once. Good luck.
BB I'm sorry but.....LMAO!!!!!!!!!... We've all been there...I'm still laughing
Been there, done that - and next time, I'm going to move your bright eyes and put you right back in that mudhole. (I've got a reputation to uphold...)
Great story, and yes, just sit. I took a doe a few years back on the ground waiting for light cause I got lost. You just need to recognize an opportunity when it presents itself. Can't wait to hear how your afternoon goes.
when you get lost like that and you plan on looking for your stand put on some doe pee and if you get lucky to find your stand the buck that follows that will be confused too still lmao as i sit hear glad your Ok and ready for your next hunt may it be a good one
BB. Look at it this way. It can't get any worse for you. Better to get the early season screw ups over with all in one trip. You're good to go for the rest of the year now. We are all pulling for ya. Go knock a big one down now
BB everyone has been there. 2 years ago got up the gumtuon to setup up 35 yards deeper than I was familiar with beyond a wall of hemlocks I was hearing all the action the morning before. Well when I walked in found the tree I wanted put climber on the caught the wiff of gut pile. Which totally threw me for a loop because I had some permission to hunt this. Well I found it 30 ft away then went looking for another tree, nothing looked good too thick undergrowth so head back to area I usually sat. Can't find it. No problem pull out phone to use app, phone battery dead. No problem sit and wait another 35 minutes for sun up. Grey sky, no sun, starts raining. Go to pull compass, guess what, switched bags night before and forgot to transfer it over. Thank God I was in farmland / woods 15 minutes from my house because big woods like NH this would gave been really bad. Well 1 1/2 hrs later and 85 acres across nastiness later i have to nock on door to door use phone. Anti hunter, yup. Then call my buddy who gave me his lucky compass "so this would never happen" to pick me up. Lol. Next day went back in in the light and where I was "lost" was literally 30 steps from my familiar zone.
BB... I think I got a pic of you on my trail camera this morning.
BB, you know that apple orchard in Belchertown that's now a country club? I went there opening day of shotgun years ago and as soon as I started walking my light went dead. I decided to keep walking and at the time they were bull dozing the trees to make the country club. I stepped in ruts and fell on my face and cracked my elbows in rocks trying to cover my shotgun. Been there before bro. I smartened up and waited until light after my fifth fall.
Hey Guys thanks for the kind words,.. I am not discouraged,.. maybe disgusted,.. but I am a persistent SOB,.. my ego may be damaged but I will continue forward,..
I had a good afternoon hunt but I tell ya the winds were kicking,.. I would close my eyes and listen and it was a cocouphany (SP?) of noise. I would not move, if I was a deer, and had radar ears,.. Plus chilly in the wind i was under dressed...
Into the blind tomorrow with buddy,.. I ate beans tonight ,.. Whoot !!! Just kidding.
Oh that's so damn funny, I had to read your story to my nonhunting wife and she even got a good laugh at your expense. Sorry BB, hope your day goes better tmw
Good luck BB keep us posted!
Every time I see ur pic of ur boots I start laughing! BB I'm sorry but that opening day story is hilarious. Day 2 and I'm still laughing!
Enjoy the laughs folks no harm in laughing at me,.. I sure as hell did,.. My other hunts have been fun but nothing matching that first hunt out of retirement ,.. it was a doozy,..
Later that King of the Mud day I took to a ground hunt at a field edge and ended up eyeing an elderly gentleman far away on the farm with binoculars,.. he was walking his dog with a rider lawn mower,.. not joking here. The dog had one of the extendo leashes and he drops it. The dog runs off in the brush dragging the leash handle part 20 feet behind him. The old guy gets off and trys to find the dog but he can't walk well. After a while of watching this, 10 minutes, I abandon my chair at the field edge and hike over a distance to help him out,.. it was the second odd hunt of the day. He was very thankful and I found his dog hung up in the scrub. Got to learn a lot about the land too,. it was the Small Farm Institute and the guy runs the Belchertown Public Garden part of the land. Bruce was his name, we chatted for some time. Blew the hunt though.
So the next morning I am in the blind with my buddy at 5 am and he cuts loose a big fart and he starts laughing,.. now he is trying hard to not laugh but he cannot stop chuckling and that causes me to start laughing,.. So there us idiots are like school kids laughing at a fart in a blind,.. ? WTF?
It took me to this evening,.. 4 th hunt of the season to have a standard nothing happens boring hunt that I am used to back in the day.
Whew thank god!
I will say it has been really fun picking the sport back up again,.. glad I have made time to enjoy it again,.. Thanks all for helping make it happen!
Lol BB it's all uphill from here.
BB, I read this from the stand this morning, my face and stomach hurt from holding back laughter. Sorry the opener was such a tough one, but I really appreciate the entertainment.
BB, that's why I hunt alone, if anybody farts you know it was the deer :)
Wow that search feature works really good,.. found my old thread,..
I was just reviewing my First Hunt after 25 years debacle. Chuckles,..
Things have improved significantly over the last month !!!!
BB I was scouting an area last week, following some fresh tracks, took a step and ended up knee deep in muck. I instantly thought of you and couldn't stop laughing. Almost had to pull my foot out of the boot and dig my boot out, lol.
Addicted,..
HaHa,.. infamous,.. in a sorta embarrassing way,.. ok just delete the "sorta" part,.. :/
Guys it has been great getting back into the hunt,.. I took deer back in the day with shotgun but as a hack a bow kill eluded me,.. someday maybe on this forum I will post a
BB1 ,.. Deer -1
:)
Thank you to all the folks here who have responded to my questions and helped me out,..
Thank you very much folks!
For those new to the site since last year,.. enjoy!
BB
That's awesome. I can attest with everyone else here that we've all been there. It's not bad when this type of stuff happens in the morning. You can relax for a few and wait for some more light. It's a different story at the end of the day and you're heading out and it's getting dark!
I've had a few mornings when I walk to where I think is my stand and find out its missing! Been stolen!!! SON OF A B!!! SOME ***** STOLE MY STAND!!! I CANT BELIEVE IT!!!! IM SO MAD I COULD BREAK SOMETHING!!! IF I EVER FIND OUT....oh, there it is. Never mind.
