RE: Dumbest thing?
Last year: Opening day of bow season
I had been scouting hard for the months preceding the opener, and I thought I was in a PRIMO spot to take my buck early. The night before, I couldn't even sleep - I was awake almost all night checking my daypackmaking sure everything was right (new batteries in everything, plenty to eat, the right calls, cell phone charged, licenses, etc.). I had everything cinched and packed neatly in the garage.
After a sleepless night, I get up extra early, and I pulled into the farm at 5:30 - an hour and a half before shooting light. I decide to go climb in early and enjoy the darkness. I re-apply my de-scenting chemicals, put my stand on my back, and grab my..... bow.... WTF??? Where the #$&$#%# is my bow??
I rack my brain...
Yep, I definitely left it laying on the table at home... (Words can't even express the feeling that you get when you do something as magnificently stupid as forget your bow on opening day) Deer across America were laughing at me, and I knew it.
So, like a maniac, I raced home to get my bow. I was blowing by cars on the highway like a wildman. I swear, the ghost of Dale Earnhardt possessed me, and I drove that car like I stole it, chirping and redlining every gear. At 6:30, I was back, tires steaming- running across the beanfield as fast as I could run without breaking a sweat. I stopped at the woodline, huffing and puffing and totally furious - long enough to re-apply my scent killer, and crept in - it was already cracking daylight. I didn't even need a flashlight.
As quietly as possible, I put the climber on the trunk and climbed up to around 18 feet. After putting my rubber hooks in the tree, I pulled my bow up. It's around 7:00 now, and I'm still out of breath. Before I could even get the quiver off of my bow, I caught some movement and here they came, feedingup over the bank - one, two, three bucks. I nocked an arrow and drew. A nice eight pointer walked right into range and I cleaned him out. I couldn't have been in the stand for more than ten minutes.
This year, I plan on taking my bow with me on opening day.