It was a rough one for me as well. I was in my stand for most of the day. It was youth firearm weekend so blaze orange for bowhunters as well. I just don't have that high confidence level when in blaze orange. I had the only dear I'd seen all day come within 35 yds when she just stared right at me. It took her less than a second to turn and be out of sight. I came down late in the afternoon and headed for the trail to lead me back to the truck. On my way out I tripped on a downed tree hidden in the brush and fell over into a nasty thorn bush. I still have about a dozen or so thorns stuck in my right hand, can't get 'em out. I got myself back on my feet and made the trail and a half hour walk to the truck. On my way driving home, near home after an hour and a half drive, I went to make sure I had turned off my handheld gps unit. I keep it in a "Buddy Lock" pouch on my pack. Or at least I used to. My pouch was gone. Not on my pack, not on my seat, not on floor, gone. My heart drops as I realize what was in my pouch. My gps of course, my gloves which I should of been wearing, my rattle bag, and oh yeah, all of this seasons tags. It all must still be hanging on the bush I fell into. What a way to end the day. Several hundreds of dollars in the hole.

Well, I've reordered the gps, bought 1 new set of either sex dear tags (getting the other ones replaced by the DNR but not in time for vacation) bought new gloves and a rattling bag. I'm heading out to (hopefully) the same spot on Monday to look for the lost items. If I had my gps I could be sure to locate the spot. How ironic!

Lesson learned. No valubles in "Buddy Lock" pouches. As a matter of fact no Buddy Lock anything.

Better luck to the rest of The Big Ten.
I'm going back to plucking thorns.