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What hunting item do you regret buying most?

Tethrd mantis, it's a well put together saddle, just didn't work well for me at all. I was so excited to open the box and see the brand new beautiful saddle too, and I tried my best to make it work.
 
My UA stuff is mostly heatgear I had in the dessert, compression Tshirts and boxer-briefs. Was comfortable in the heat, but it got funky really fast.
I have a couple Coldgear mock turtlenecks and my kids had a few for football and cheerleading. Those weren’t bad if we wore cotton T-shirts underneath.
 
No buyer regrets here. I like buying and trying gear. Plenty of seller's remorse however:

1) LWHC stand. Loved that thing. (Addressed this by buying a new one).

2) Kite. Loved that saddle. Disappointed they stopped making them. Hopeful that a TL Covert will help me forget about this one that got away.

3) JX3. Liked much about this. Didn't like certain aspects. Probably did not give it enough time. Been awfully tempted by offers in the classifieds or a straight up re-purchase. Exercising restraint for the time being.

4) WE steps. While I think I'm a settled stick guy, I get the itch to go back to these from time to time for packability.

I suppose I have bins full of odds and ends I've bought to experiment with various mods and whatnot, most of which go unutilized. Spent a small fortune on stuff that was a bad idea. It's funny how I'll worry about spending $200+- on a new saddle or platform (especially considering how easy they are to resell), but I have no problem blowing the equivalent on misc gear that doesn't get used or resold.
 
3 Redneck softsided blinds. Way too big and hard to move around versus a few simple pop up blinds.
 
Some of you guys are making me feel a little better about things I seriously considered but didn't actually pull the trigger on, and there aren't many that fall into that category. :tearsofjoy:

Seriously though I don't really have any regrets about all the unused stuff I've bought to try . . .otherwise how would I know if it worked for me or not. If I had to pick a "one thing" I wouldn't buy again, it would be a multistep aider. Just a couple of trials and one upside down hang and I determined long aiders are not for me.
 
Remington 1187 semi auto 12 gauge. The one gun in my collection I could do without, and the first gun I would sell if I ever needed to sell a gun.
 
Wild edge stepps. Counter productive in most hunting situations for me. Sold some, gave some away and left the rest in the woods. If gear I didn't buy but was given to me counts, the yarak was sweet for about a season but quickly deteriorated to a rag. Had I bought that for the 300 dollar price tag I would've been pissed.
 
No buyer regrets here. I like buying and trying gear. Plenty of seller's remorse however:

1) LWHC stand. Loved that thing. (Addressed this by buying a new one).

2) Kite. Loved that saddle. Disappointed they stopped making them. Hopeful that a TL Covert will help me forget about this one that got away.

3) JX3. Liked much about this. Didn't like certain aspects. Probably did not give it enough time. Been awfully tempted by offers in the classifieds or a straight up re-purchase. Exercising restraint for the time being.

4) WE steps. While I think I'm a settled stick guy, I get the itch to go back to these from time to time for packability.

I suppose I have bins full of odds and ends I've bought to experiment with various mods and whatnot, most of which go unutilized. Spent a small fortune on stuff that was a bad idea. It's funny how I'll worry about spending $200+- on a new saddle or platform (especially considering how easy they are to resell), but I have no problem blowing the equivalent on misc gear that doesn't get used or resold.

I totally relate to your post. I have very few buying regrets but a whole bunch of selling regrets.

My number one is also my LWHC. I would have bought another one by now but can’t find one in stock anywhere right now. I know I could probably buy used but I would rather have a new one.

Also had one of the early JX3’s and let that go and wished I hadn’t now too. At that time I was not comfortable in a tree at all and just couldn’t make it work for me. Now I’m much better and I think I would like it a lot.

Had the WE steps and just sold them. I don’t miss them a ton but did enjoy the ability to throw them in a pack. Got a set of Novix Minis to replace them. I like them more than I thought I would and like the lighter weight. Don’t think I can get as high in a tree as I could with the steps tho. Usually don’t need to go super high in trees around here either though.


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Been very happy with purchases but am having buyers remorse on the saddle kit I bought(not shipped yet). It’s a huge gamble to take in Canada as it costs so much to buy from the US. I hope it works out well
 
Scent lures, hawk climbing sticks, bullman ring of steps, ridge runner, various packs, items given to me the wild edge steps
 
I am sucker for shiny bits and I have bought a lot of bad ideas, but this one hurts.

My most regrettable purchase is my hunting property. I was so excited to buy my own little hunting paradise. It is a beautiful place with hard-wood ridges and a spring-fed stream running through it. A place with limited pressure where me and my hunting buddy could set stands and leave them. Put out trail cameras. Cut shooting lanes. Plant food plots. Practice QDMA. But it's too far from my home (3 hours), I work a lot of hours, my wife and kids liked camping in a state park better than being alone in the woods, and the place just doesn't hold deer. Elk, yes. Deer, not so much. Lord knows I've poured enough money into the ground trying.

I would have never thought this way but after a while it starts to feel like you are farming deer when you have to plant food and create cover and do cuttings and all that to keep deer around. And truthfully, I like scouting and exploring new places so hunting the same place for 10+ years grew stale. But unlike a questionable saddle purchase, when you buy land you get to have buyers remorse every month (even out of season) and getting rid of it takes a lot of time and money. Thankfully we seem to have found a buyer after years of trying.
 
I am sucker for shiny bits and I have bought a lot of bad ideas, but this one hurts.

My most regrettable purchase is my hunting property. I was so excited to buy my own little hunting paradise. It is a beautiful place with hard-wood ridges and a spring-fed stream running through it. A place with limited pressure where me and my hunting buddy could set stands and leave them. Put out trail cameras. Cut shooting lanes. Plant food plots. Practice QDMA. But it's too far from my home (3 hours), I work a lot of hours, my wife and kids liked camping in a state park better than being alone in the woods, and the place just doesn't hold deer. Elk, yes. Deer, not so much. Lord knows I've poured enough money into the ground trying.

I would have never thought this way but after a while it starts to feel like you are farming deer when you have to plant food and create cover and do cuttings and all that to keep deer around. And truthfully, I like scouting and exploring new places so hunting the same place for 10+ years grew stale. But unlike a questionable saddle purchase, when you buy land you get to have buyers remorse every month (even out of season) and getting rid of it takes a lot of time and money. Thankfully we seem to have found a buyer after years of trying.
Buying land is a mixed bag. I'm in a similar situation. My property is about 2.5 hours away. I can't say that I've regretted it though. Yes, I wish it was closer and monthly payments, property taxes, and various maintenance expenses aren't fun.

However, there's very little public ground around where I live anyway. In fact not much in the state really. So I don't mind driving a bit further for exclusive access.

I'm also bad at reading sign and figuring out deer movement so hunting the same property and gradually piecing it together by observation has helped.

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1. expandable broadheads

2. summit climber stand.

3. My wife. Can i say that? although she is great for everything else, she is not as supportive of my hunting endeavors as i wish she was.
 
1. expandable broadheads

2. summit climber stand.

3. My wife. Can i say that? although she is great for everything else, she is not as supportive of my hunting endeavors as i wish she was.


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And truthfully, I like scouting and exploring new places so hunting the same place for 10+ years grew stale.

100%! I hunted my own little piece of private for about 12 years or so and lied to myself every time i hunted. I didn’t want to admit to myself i was just plain bored hunting the same spot over and over because when you’re on public all you want is a private spot all to yourself.

Well, going 100% back to public has infused life back into my hunting as i LOVE figuring out that new swamp or seeing what’s over the next ridge. I enjoy the cat and mouse game with a wiley public buck so much more than killing deer on the same old patch of ground as the year before.
 
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