Have ypu ever fallen or dropped your rifle and knocked the scope off and ruined a hunt

I had my rifle drop 30 feet while pullimg it up the tree and it bouned on the recoil pad .The gun and svope was not hurt but later that day i found out when i shot a deer it was two feet off.I knew it knocked my svope off bit it was 50 miles home and this was a draw hunt only very 6 years .I shot a deer that afternoon and it hit two foot high .Its a miricle i popped that deer in the spine .
My nephew just leamed his rifle on a tree and it fell over and his varix 3 leopold was off 2 feet .His girlfriend used it and missed a buck of a lifetime close .

Yes, I nearly lost my life falling into a steep crack in rocks, scope was smashed, stock damaged and barrel scraped up. The rifle was attached to my backpack, it was the only thing stopping me falling the other 80' down the crack. I didn't see it, it had been filled with forest debris and I stepped into the middle of it. My hunting buddy rescued me…we laugh about it these days, but it was a serious thing at the time.

Cheers.

dgr416 said:

I had my rifle drop 30 feet while pullimg it up the tree and it bouned on the recoil pad .The gun and svope was not hurt but later that day i found out when i shot a deer it was two feet off.I knew it knocked my svope off bit it was 50 miles home and this was a draw hunt only very 6 years .I shot a deer that afternoon and it hit two foot high .Its a miricle i popped that deer in the spine .
My nephew just leamed his rifle on a tree and it fell over and his varix 3 leopold was off 2 feet .His girlfriend used it and missed a buck of a lifetime close .

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Not yet! However, we use quick release base/rings and carry a backup scope already zero'd and ready to put into service.

I once banged it really good, tested the scope for zero……thought that I may have to go to the backup, but didn't.

This reminds me though, I changed bullets and loads I need to re-zero my backup! memtb

Q: Have you ever fallen or dropped your rifle, knocked the scope off, and ruined a hunt?

A: Yes, but it did not ruin the hunt. In 2003, I hunted with my son's .30-06 with 3-9 Leupold VX-I. It was a muddy mess. I slipped, and both I and the rifle hit the dirt, denting the bell. Despite it, I harvest a muley doe at 200 yards. When I got home, I asked my son if I should replace it or send it to Leupold to be serviced/checked, and he said, "No, it adds character". The rifle remained as-is and has harvested many games to date.

Kind of the opposite. I had a sling break as I was getting into a stand. I had it slung over my shoulder unloaded, and caught the sling as the rifle fell. It banged against the tree and put a nasty dent in the scope.

Borrowed a rifle and missed a shot at a very nice buck that evening. Took it to the range the next day and it was way off. My scope was spot on...

Almost. If the shot was any longer it would have ruined that morning's hunt. Took a Ruger M77 to NM for a five day deer hunt. On first day slipped on a flat rock and did the instant bananna peal fall. Back then I didn't know enough to hold the rifle and had it hanging from a sling on my shoulder. Made a visable dent in scope. I had a second scope at camp with rings already on it. On the way back stumbled into a barely legal mule deer at 40 yds. Got him! Later on when home I went to the range and the rifle was over a foot off at 100.

No, but I always have an extra rifle ready to go at camp.

A deceased acquaintance had a 9.3x62 with a dent on the top of the scope objective housing. He was walking in the bush one day with his rifle on the shoulder when the barrel caught on a branch and the barrel-mounted sling loop fell off. He fitted a sling stud to the fore-end and kept using the scope. As a consequence of that incident I will only use a barrel-mounted sling attachment if it has been slid onto the barrel and then soldered in place.

Knock on wood I've not had any issues. I do always bring a backup gun ready to go . I did buy a Winchester 70 ranger model from my old boss who gave up on getting a elk tag . We'll I kinda bought it from the guy that bought it from the boss . He shot 1 round and said it was to much . Just a 06 nothing special. The boss had took a hard fall with it and put a dent in the bell of the scope . I had a break installed on it as it was going to be a loaner gun . The smith never said a word about the cracked stock or bases . I lent it to my buddy for his granddaughter to use for Jr deer . He said scope would not hold zero . I said I'd pay to replace it . New scope added and same issue . The bases were cracked and the guy installing the scope didn't replace them . My buddy returned the scope . So when I got it back I pulled it apart and yep the bases and rings were junk along with the old scope . All new stuff added . Off for a recoil pad and my stock guy says hey the stock is split from the tang thru the back . He does amazing work and fixed the stock and bedded the action. My 400 buck gun now had atleast another 1200 into it . Then I donated it to a kid to hunt with. My issues have always been archery hunting .

Pretty close my friend! I fell stepping out of the blind ! The rifle was in my hands as I stepped through the zipper door ! Caught my foot down I went ! I was in a hay field ,with about 8 inches of snow ! Used the rifle as a crutch to help me stand up ! Leupold 2.5 to 8 was still fine ! It was a soft fall for the rifle !

Only once in decades of hunting. On a trip to Alberta 15 years ago, while walking out to a stand on the dark, I stepped into a gofer hole. When I went down, the bell of the scope "slammed" into a log on the ground, hitting so hard that the front, scope base screws were pulled/bent, with the rifle, un-useable, with a field repair, not possible. I ended up borrowing a friends Tikka in 270WSM with a 12x Leopold, shooting a mule deer later the same day. When I returned home, I replaced the scope mounts. To my surprise the Huskemaw 5x20x50 scope that was mounted on my rifle, and assumed to be damaged due the force of the impact of the fall, tested out to be in perfect operating condition and remains so to this day.
The borrowed Tikka and Mulie:

Yes sir. I was a senior in high school at the time. Got out of the truck that afternoon and just bumped the scope on the edge of the door. I just knew it had knocked it off but wasn't going back to the house. Missed the biggest deer I have ever seen that evening. 3 times! To this day that gun hasn't been fired or taken down off the wall in that safe. Left a bad taste in my mouth lol.

30 foot high tree stand? That's up there. And then missed 2 feet high but still spined him, they grow 'em thick where you are.

Once. Rifle shouldered, walking on wet logs, I slipped and landed flat.on.my back and the rifle took the brunt of it. Went back to camp, and shot it, way off.

With no confidence, I switched to my spare rifle. Killed 2 days later.

When I got home, found out the scope was trashed. So I am glad I left it in camp.

I always take a spare rifle (or two or three), AND a spare scope zeroed for my main rifle now.

On a side note, how big of deer are you shooting? To be "two foot off" and still hit one in the spine? I thought Irish Elk were extinct.