Let's hear Your Blunders while you were Hunting with your MLer. Here's a few of Mine that I'll never forget.
I shot a Big Doe one evening, I saw it was a Perfect Shot so I did'nt bother Reloading My Mler. I figured I'd collect My Doe, drag Her out and go Home and Clean My Mler. Meantime My Buddy heard My Shot and said dont drag her all the way out I'll come with the Truck and meet you at the gas Well in the Corn Field, I agreed. I dragged the Doe to the Gas Well, a little exhausted I laid the ML accross her and laid on her waiting for My Buddy to come.
Meantime I saw a Big Bodied Deer cross the RR Tracks and come into the Cornfield. Now the Deer was working his way twords My other Buddy who was in a Stand not far from the Deer and figured he'd take it. As I watched the Deer he kept looking My way and sniffing the air as he worked his way accross the field. Now the Deer was in range of My Buddy but he wa'nt shooting so I looked in My Scope and saw it was a BIG 10 Pointer and he was still sniffing the air and comming My way.
Now Im still confused as to why My Buddy was'nt shooting him and now the Buck is comming closer, he's about 75 yds from me and closing the distance. Im NOT Loaded and now starting to Panic as he's HUGE and comming, sniffing the air and comming right for me.
Now as Im laying flat on the Ground Im trying to open My Fanny Pack and get out My Bullet and Sabot and more Pellets. There's a Steel Fence around the Gas well and Im on the side of it trying like hell to get loaded fast while Im laying on the ground hiding next to the Doe, the Bucks closing the gap Fast!
Now it's hard tyring to reload your Mler while layng on the ground and having the Buck of a lifetime watching you and now he's about 30 yds. I get the Pellets in, XTP loaded and I cant believe the size of this Buck and how he doe'nt see me but just keeps sniffing the air and comming, he's now 20yds away. I get My Primer out and all I have to do is get in in. While keeping a eye on the Buck Im trying to load the Primer and it wont go in, I cant take My eyes off the Buck as he's now at 15yds and It's hard to move, he's a Monster!
The dang Primer WONT GO IN......finally I have to look to see why and when I shot the Doe as I never reloaded I also never removed the spent Primer. I get the spent Primer out and the new one in and close the breech and look up, he's looking right at me at about 8yds!
I slowly try to raise the MLer and he runs away!!!!! I cried! The Buck was about a 160 Class 10 Pointer with about a 20"+ inside Spread with a-lot of mass. He was mine if I'd only reloaded My MLer after I shot the Doe. It was still legal shooting time, I still had My Buck Tag so why the heck did'nt I just reload! So ALWAYS Reload reguardless, especially if it's still Legal Hunting time, anything can happen at any time, it cost me a Monster Buck.
Now after the delema, I found out My Buddy that did'nt shoot never saw the Buck, he was SLEEPING in his Stand. Dangerous, not really as we build Permanent Stands that are Safe and Big and you just cant fall out of em, he was embarrassed. Now I figured out the Doe I shot had to have been in Heat and that's why the Buck kept sniffing the air and came right to me from a-long way.
One other quick one.....It was 74 Degrees and 45 mph winds, I was a stander on a Drive, but I figured I'd see nothing so I just layed in the field and got some Sun. I looked up and at about 75 yds I saw a Massive Buck looking at me, I raised the MLer, pulled back the Trigger, Aimed and CLICK!!!!!!!!!!! NO Primer, he ran away. I never put one in, again the Missing Primer got me.
(BP)