So There I Was........

[Buckmeister]

So there I was.....sitting in my blind, it was just a few minutes before 9:00am. I had already been sitting there since just past 7:30am. It wasn't raining for a change and the day looked promising.

My trail cam pics told me there was a decent 4x4 white tail that had been frequenting the area on and off for the last month. On the walk into the blind I had scent drag trailing behind me with some doe estrus. When I arrived at the blind, I left the drag in a nearby Charlie Brown tree. I had also brought some fresh fruit and veg for the bait pile, so I set it in place, then settled into the blind.

For a seat in the blind I have an upside down 5 gallon pail for a seat...it works. I set my rattlers on the ground to my right and I had my doe bleat can in my pocket. I also had my fully charged smart phone with me to help occupy the time with some rousing games of solitaire. My rifle sat in my lap.........

[Buckmeister]

The view from inside the blind isn't much. I can look to my right down the trail I walked in on for about 50 yards. There is a small hill top directly behind me. The trail passes in front of the blind and visibility to the left is limited to about 20 yards. Next year I will have to do some small tree and branch thinning to help improve the view. In front of the blind on the other side of the trail is standing timber with limited view as well. The location is a nice setup for bow hunting, but hey, it's still rifle season, so I don't mind having the boom stick with me.

I got comfortable and fired up the smart phone. My intent was to sit as long as possible, 3 - 4 hours, go for a short hike to stretch the legs over to another blind I have set up and swap SD cards in the trail cams, then sit back in the first blind for another 2-3 hours. I started playing solitaire, and every 15 to 20 minutes I would either tip the doe bleat can over a few times or do a session on the rattlers. Things were pretty quiet for the most part except birds and chattering squirrels. At about 10 mins to 9:00am I had another session with the rattlers.......

[hntcrazy]

ok you got me ................and??

[adriaticum]

Oh the drama

[Buckmeister]

As I had already said in the first post, it was now a few minutes before 9:00am. I was enjoying yet another stimulating round of solitaire when I heard a slight sound. I quickly glanced to my right. The Charlie Brown tree obscures a small portion of the trail to my right, but through it's branches I could make out the sight of antlers beyond. NICE! There was a buck about 40 yards away with his head down sniffing the trail. I could see one side of his rack and could easily make out 3 tines. I figured this was the decent 4 point I had been seeing on cam.

With my heart starting to race and my breath becoming quick, I slowly set my phone down, I had a set of ear plugs that I quickly set into my ears (I nearly deafened myself a few years ago shooting out of this blind), then I carefully flipped open my scope covers so as to not make any noise, all the while keeping an eye on the buck. He started making his way closer, taking a few ground sniffs as he walked. I could see his rack was a nice deep chocolate color with light brown highlights where he had been rubbing. I knew my safety made a fairly loud click when moved quickly, so I VERY carefully slid it off with two fingers so as to not make any noise. The buck was now about 40 feet away and looking in my direction. Thats when I noticed his brow tines were about 4 to 5 inches long. The buck on my trail cam only had about 2 inch brows. "Hey! This is a different buck" I thought to myself. I did a quick count and noted this buck was a solid 5x5. "Thank You Lord!". I was starting to feel real good about how this hunt was turning out.

Now that my gun was ready, all I had to do was align my body so as to make the shot, which meant I had to pivot on my bucket about 180 degrees. Just as I was starting to pivot, the buck made a few steps to his right, turning broadside and stopping and dropping his head for another sniff. Awesome! Perfect shot opportunity!!! This hunt was getting better by the second. I was worried that my pivot would make too much noise and alert the buck, but that wasn't the case, he didn't seem to notice. However, when I raised my rifle he somehow noticed or heard that and turned his head in my direction. But now I had my sights on him and I knew it was now or never. I took quick but careful aim on his vitals, dropped my finger down, squeezed the trigger, AND............

[hntcrazy]

Bbbbbbboooooooooommmmmmmmmmmm. Lol

[ccrcc]

oh no..... 'click'...?

[ruger#1]

What really happened?

[Ddog]

then you woke up?

[Buckmeister]

"click"

CLICK????!!!!!!

CLICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!:shock::shock::shock:

"Here I am about to shoot a beauty 5x5 and my gun goes CLICK?!?!"

Horror of all horrors. I couldn't believe what was happening. I went from elation to utter horror in about 0.05 seconds flat. The next 3 seconds played out like this.
I thought to myself, "Did I not load a shell? Or was it a misfire?". I know my routine before I hike in, I put my magazine in the gun and I cycle the bolt, watching the shell enter the chamber, then I set the safety. But, I now doubted myself that I actually cycled the action. Regardless, I had to get a fresh round in the chamber. The buck had heard the "click", but he stayed put, but I could see his eyes starting to bulge, as were mine. I figured time was of the essence, so I performed my quickest ever bolt cycle all the while keeping the gun aimed the bucks direction. The movement of my hand and the sound of the action was all the warning the buck needed. He started to wheel around, doing a 180 turn. As my hand was settling back towards the trigger, I heard the distinct sound of a round hitting the ground beside me.

&%@#, missfire, now I was miffed. I was about to try to get a new bearing on the buck, but it was too late. With two quick leaps he was out of sight and flying through the trees away from me. I stepped out of the blind and started walking the direction he left hoping to all hope that maybe he had stopped or slowed down and I could get my second chance. But it was pointless, he was gone. "What just happened???? Why????", I said to myself about a hundred times.

I took a few minutes to compose myself, and then settled back into the blind. I decided I would continue with my original plan and wait to see if more bucks would show up. I spent the next 6 hours waiting, but nothing showed. Looking at the ejected round, I could see an indentation in the primer. "Why did this not go off???".

When I was done hunting, I finally got back to my vehicle a few miles away, carefully carrying the misfired round. I gently placed the round back in the chamber, and closed the bolt. I pulled the trigger and.....BOOM!!!

That really sealed my day. :mad::mad:

[Redo]

Nightmare. Great story, horrible ending.

[Whonnock Boy]

Ugh....... That sucks. Sorry to hear man.

[whitespringer]

Brute. Terrible ��

[mastercaster]

Factory load or hand load??

[HarryToolips]

Haha...lol just kidding, that's really shitty luck dude, wow....buy your lotto ticket tomorrow cause a drastic change in your luck has gotta happen..

[The Hermit]

dude even just reading about that hurt... I'd be checking the firing pin...

[Buckmeister]

Factory load or hand load??

Factory. Barnes Vor-Tx Tipped TSX 180gr


dude even just reading about that hurt... I'd be checking the firing pin...

Yes, my thoughts too. Upon inspecting the now spent shell, the indentation on the primer is certainly deeper the second time round.

It's a new to me gun a year ago. It had about a box through it before I bought it. I fired only a few shells to sight it in. Didn't have anything to shoot at last year, but I killed a small mule buck in Oct with one shot. I'm going back out tomorrow, but I'm taking my trusty old .303 instead, I know it fires.

[last light]

Sorry to hear. Hopefully he gives you another chance. Good luck.

[adriaticum]

what gun???

[Buckmeister]

what gun???

Tikka T3 Hunter .300 Win Mag. It's been good up to this point.

[adriaticum]

Tikka T3 Hunter .300 Win Mag. It's been good up to this point.


https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=455198

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php?topic=26002.0


etc

[Buckmeister]

https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=455198

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php?topic=26002.0


etc

Hmmmm... I guess I will have to have my bolt and firing pin checked and cleaned at the very least. Didn't realize this was an intermittent issue with these guns. Haven't heard anything bad at all about the Tikkas. Hopefully I can get this resolved, I really like this gun.

[landphil]

I feel better about hiking a few km this afternoon without seeing anything. Crappy deal man - you had me on the edge of my seat... ... then I fell off. :(

Pretty great experience right up to the ending though.

[gamehunter6o]

Hi Buckmeister, You have reminded me the same sort of thing happened to me with my Mossberg ATR 100 in .308. Went click but no bang, just a dent in the primer. When my bolt is shut and cocked with one up the breech and the safety on, the bolt does not lock shut and when laying down for a prone shot for a long time I knocked the bolt up maybe 2 inches but not enough to actually open the bolt. When I pulled the trigger the bolt has to drop down into the completely shut position for the firing pin to fall so impedes the hitting power of the pin on primer.
Does your Tikka T3 Hunter .300 Win Mag bolt lift when cocked with safety on?
If it does, try dry firing it and you'll notice the impeded sound.

[Ferenc]

Better lay that bolt out on the table and take it apart before you go out again... Check the firing pin...bet money once you clean it you'll notice some pitting... Check the spring... Clean everything up good... Brake clean works... Small amount of dry graphite is what I use on the pin..... Going from warm places to very cold... Vehicle eg ... Can cause issues... Especially this weather we have had this year... Keep her clean... Check out Wolff springs and if you need a new firing pin... some sell them in stainless.... Now go back and get that buck... I wanna see some pics !!!

PT&G for the firing pin

[uraarchr]

I bought a new Tikka 6.5 and it was doing that.I used gun wash on the bolt a couple times :thoroughly hosed it down,dry fired it a bunch .It's never done it again.i think maybe the factory oil/grease hardened up.?

[.308SLAYER]

Don't feel bad buddy happens had a buddy click on a big bull elk a few years back. Yesterday I jumped the nicest whitey buck I've layed my own eyes on as quick as I bumped him and a doe from there beds I layed down got the cross hairs on him all I seen was ass as he laughed running away. Coulda shot him but would have been a very bad shot so I didn't take it...

[Brambles]

DAMN.....that stings.....sorry to hear about your bad luck....

[carnivore]

A sorry tale indeed but your write up and descriptions had me in stitches! At least your around to report on the matter, if it would have been a charging grizzly you might not be.

[kennyj]

That sucks!!! One of my worst fears, but fortunately has never happened to me. Great story just the same. Maybe you will get another chance at him?
kenny

[604Stalker]

Happened to me in the spring. Sent me down a hill solo for about a click and a half after a potentially wounded bear. Turned out I had short stroked after replacing my clip from a missed opportunity. Happened to my partner this october he missed the twin of the buck I got. Stuff happends all we can do is try to come back

[Fisher-Dude]

Barnes. Oh geez. Bartell and Gatehouse will be holding a damage mitigation conference today.

In seriousness, shitty luck Bmeister. You've come away from it with a great campfire story that you can share for years to come, if that's any consolation.

[Timbow]

Wow, great story without the happy ending! I had the same experience but mine ended in 3 misfires and the last one went off. The rifle I had at the time was a Midland. Upon further examination, the gun that I bought that summer had so much grease in the action it likely caused my misfires compounded with below freezing conditions.

I guess on the bright side you have a great story to share over the campfire for years to come, hopefully he doesn't grow bigger every time you share it��

[Buckmeister]

So this story took place on Friday morning, my son went back in there yesterday but saw nothing. I went back in today with my dad but neither of us saw anything. The bait pile where I saw the buck was hardly touched. Went to swap the game cam SD card but I noticed I forgot to turn it on, must have been too flustered. The bait on the other blind was cleaned out. Game cam there shows some does and fawns ate it up last night. Gotta work this week, so next time I go in there will likely be next weekend with the crossbow. Probably should have been using it on Friday, oh well.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Blind hunting is boring as eff......but somehow you managed to make it very exciting! Well done even though it ended with a punch to the nutz.

I wish you the best of luck in the next two weeks!

Dont waste much time on the location where you had the encounter.
Even though you have to work, you can use the hours of darkness to keep up the goodie stash

SSS

[.264winmag]

Well done getting him dead to rights! I feel your pain, got screwed by technology on a big buck this season too. Move on, and keep at er. Good luck!