If you were to ask me how my Idaho mule deer hunt was going to go beforehand, there is no way I’d be able to land on what actually happened.
The front end of hunting trips for me is always filled with anticipation, expectations, and just pure excitement and wonder. In Idaho this year, I was backpacking into a place I had never been. It looked beautiful on a map, and I couldn’t wait to step foot into this place.
All that to say, I never spend a great deal of time thinking about all of the bad things that could happen before a hunt. Sure, there are some concerns that cross my mind, and I think that’s a good thing, but I don’t generally walk into a hunt paranoid. After this hunt, my mind is a bit up in the air.
As far as the hunt was concerned, it honestly wasn’t great in terms of deer. The views did not disappoint, and the camping was beautiful, even with all of the nasty weather we received, which put a damper on hunt time. All in all, I saw 3 bucks total. 2 were shooters, but things just didn’t line up. Well, it may have on one, but I never stuck around to find out.
As I was watching a real choice buck at the top of the mountain and contemplating how I could get a shot, something jarred me. A rock blew up not 100 yards behind me, followed by the sound of a gunshot. I was wearing orange at the top of a ridge. I didn’t know exactly where it came from, who it came from, or if there would be more shots. All the while, this buck lay down on the ridge in front of me, 800 yards away, with no approach.
From the moment I heard the gunshot, mentally, I was done. Even so, I wrestled with myself about what to do. I had one more day, but now felt incredibly uneasy, and the fun/adventure had been pulled out from under me. Finally, I had a great buck found and would have loved to stick around to see if he moved into a better spot for an approach. However, at this point, the deer wasn’t worth it to me. I packed my things and left immediately back to Arizona.
There were two sides of influence going on in my mind throughout this entire thing. One side was telling me everything would probably be ok. I could have just moved from where I was watching that deer and called it good. The other side thought of my family. Of course, my wife and daughter were heavy on my mind, but also, my wife’s cousin was paralyzed from a rogue bullet in a hunting accident. Dark thoughts of this potentially happening to me floated around in my head and ultimately pushed me off the mountain. I have no regrets here in the least and feel perfect about my decision.
I’ve been home for about 3 weeks at this point since this all happened. And while everything was fine and I got home safe, I’m not gonna lie. It was really scary. I have no clue if it was someone shooting at a deer, a rock, etc. Whatever it was, it was too close for comfort on my end, and it’s not the first time I’ve had bullets in the air near me while hunting. I don’t like it one bit, and I might just be done with it altogether. Safety is something I don’t treat lightly, especially when there are firearms involved. I’m well aware that not everyone has that same approach, but that is mine.
I’ve thought about this a lot, and the more I’ve done so, the more I’m leaning towards potentially stepping away from these rifle hunts and fully committing to bowhunting only. I don’t have anything against rifle hunting in the least. It’s more of a personal thing for me here. Having had several similar experiences involving guns, it makes me wonder if there will come a time when I’m not so lucky. And to me, it’s just not worth it. Focusing on just archery hunts puts my mind a bit more at ease if I’m being completely honest.
Anyways, that’s where my head is at right now guys. My outlook may change in the future, but right now, I’m fully focused on my bow and archery seasons. I wanted to share with you what happened to encourage you not to take safety for granted. People get lifelong injuries and even die out there due to improper safety practices with firearms. Exercise them. Wear orange. Know what you’re shooting at before shooting. Assess the surroundings of your target. Don’t shoot towards the top of a ridge, because the bullet can travel past that point. Don’t walk around with a round in the chamber. Educate yourself and stay safe out there.
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