So I got the idea for this post while DM'ing a fella about a gun he had for sale. This isn't so much about accidental discharges, although post them (if you are brave enough). But more about just plain stupid. For example when I was 14 or 15, in high school but not driving, My best buddy Clay and I were squirrel hunting in the woods near my home in South East Texas. Village creek cut through this property, and the only way to access the small patch of woods across the creek that we could hunt on was to go all the way around and cross the highway bridge, wade the creek ( at a very particular spot) which was usually not a big deal, but it was February and the creek was high, or use the railroad trestle.
Now, if you have ever walked railroad tracks you know that the spacing of RR ties is not conducive to a human stride. But, on RR tracks you have the fill to walk on. On a trestle it is just air between the ties. Well we 2 teenaged rocket surgeons elected for the railroad trestle, then we heard the train. We took off running and I, ever the epitome of grace and athleticism, tripped. My trusty nylon 66 slipped from my grasp and skittered across the railroad ties, and as I watched in horror as it agonizingly (almost in slow motion it seemed), tipped barrel down through the gap in the ties and fell into the muddy water below.
As for the train, well it wasn't even on that particular track, it crossed upstream about 100 yards on the other side of the highway from us where the tracks skirt what is now Village Creek State Park.
I spent the next 2 or 3 summers, until I graduated and left Lumberton, diving all around that trestle digging in the silt and mud to no avail, they have since torn the trestle down and the tracks up, the land that was the hunting lease has been sold and I haven't been on village creek in an age, although my Mom still lives right there.

Thankfully I haven't done anything stupid enough to post, but I do have a funny story from hunting with my grandfather. He took me turkey hunting and the turkeys had us going in circles making us work for it. We gave up and was walking back to the truck to get lunch and 3 gobblers came walking into the road right at the cusp of the hill. My grandfather starting blasting them and downed two of them. Once we got to them I saw all the color drain from his face and he said "I forgot I parked just on the other side of this." Got to his truck and he had shot up the entire side of his truck

Thats the kind of story I am talking about. Maybe not stupidest thing, but the thing that makes you go aww sonuvabitch

Does missing the perfect 20yd bow shot and wounding the deer and not finding it count? I still feel pretty stupid over that one!

I lived in Lumberton for 5 years, Boykin subdivision. Been on Village Creek a few times

Lived in Village Creek Estates, as I said Mom still does. Right on Village Creek.

Well let me be the first. I shot a hole right thru my blind sitting with the gun across my lap flipping the safety on and off. It was a Savage 340 in 30-30 scared the you know what out of me. That was the last time I ever pulled a stunt like that just saying young and dumb.

Met up with my buddies at the ranch. I got in late evening Ed was already there with his grandson. Said I would be hunting bow in the morning and I need to check the pop up blind before the hunt. Grandson wanted to go with me and could he bring his new 30.06. Looked over at Ed he said sure why not. Up the hill working on the pop up grandson sez he sees hogs. Probably going down to a feeder. “Can I shoot it”? Sure put him down. Three shots later and that hog is still not down. Go down to check it out. Told him let’s get back to the house and get your grandpa. Had to wake up Ed told him to get dressed we gotta go. We all jump in my truck and I head out the front gate. “Where the he77 you going”? Ten minutes later we are knocking on the front door of old man Yantis. Comes to the door and looks us over sez nothing good can come out of a visit a 1:00am. Said he didn’t want to hear anything and to meet him at his front gate at 8:00. I said boys get some sleep. We have some serious esplaining about the first Great Horned Hog ever killed in these parts.

Hunting - I was a poor kid, so when I thought I had a chance at a $40-50 coyote hide, I took a .22 to my stand during deer season. Coyotes had been there the last two times; I was pretty sure they had a den nearby. By stand, I mean a tiny 1x10 seat in the tip-top of a wavy elm tree. It was a hard enough climb without a gun, so I left the .243 at home so's to not blow a big hole in said coyote. So there I sit, with no legal deer means, and a nice 3yr old 8pt shows up 30 yds from my stand. Coyotes were a no-show. Dad was unhappy as we kinda needed the meat.

Shooting - ear pro, nuff said. I had a couple of accidental firings 35+ years ago but learned from those mistakes. Good thing, at least I had the weapons pointed in safe directions.

I got a late kitchen pass to go hunt one day and grabbed my rifle bag (I have 3 exactly alike because they fit my needs so well) and headed to go hunt. Instead of showing up with an AR15 in 6.5 Grendel, I showed up with a S&W M&P15-22 in .22 lr....after a one hour and 20 minute drive. I sat in my blind for a couple of hours to at least see what was going on at my place. I ended up watching a sounder hogs at 100 yards eat my corn. They left and I left..., no shots fired.

My former lease in the hill country had some really steep hills. One particular hill was so steep, you could barely get a 4 wheeler up it. One day, I tried take a Kubota 500 up the hill and bogged down about 3/4's of the way to the top. I put it in neutral and let it start rolling backwards down the hill. About 1/2 way down I had some stupid idea to try and slam on the brakes and spin the Kubota in a 180 (like you see people do on TV). I got about 1/2 through the turn and everything came to an immediate stop as the soft rocks and gravel stopped me. How I didn't flip over I'll never know.

Grabbed the wrong shell bag showed up to dove hunt with 12ga shells and a 20ga shotgun. Oh well had the 243 with me and walked around a bit, caught 2 pigs at a feeder and got them both so wasn't a wasted trip.

Not me, but brother in law of a guy I worked with. Shot a really nice buck up in Michigan. Laid his slug gun on the deer for photos. Getting ready to load deer and grabbed the shotgun barrel to pull it towards him. Antler catches trigger and sends a 12 gauge slug through his palm and up his arm, exiting at the elbow. Literally blew his forearm apart. I saw the pictures before and after surgery. Amazingly, the docs were able to get him back to about 80% after multiple surgeries.

Oh, and one day during a special muzzleloader draw hunt on a local WMA I hunted the entire day with no primer in my muzzleloader. Hunted that particular area because we had seen a giant buck running does there the previous weekend while quail hunting. Kinda glad I did not see him, as I would have been devastated if I actually had a chance to get a shot.

Deer hunted national forest north of Houston. Never been before. Took a climbing stand and my trusty 30-06 browning BBR rifle 2 hours before sunrise.. Walked in a northernly direction in the dark a couple miles till I found a good tree and a likely ambush spot. Hunted from dawn till about 10:30am.

Got down and headed back in the direction I had come in. Now I have this awkward stand and my rifle on my back. Some pretty dense cover with lots of brush. When I get to my car I have no rifle on my back.

I realize pulling through the brush and thickets my rifle some how came off.

Needless to say I'm totally stressed with the situation. Fortunately I had my hand held GPS with the track mode on. So for 2.5 hours I walked back and forth over the track memory and was lucky to eventually spot the rifle. Those tracks are not too precise but I did find the rifle. The sling was apparently weathered and broke while i was pulling through some brush. I always make certain to inspect my slings every year before I venture out to avoid that nightmare again.

Stories like that are why I cringe at some of the harvest photos. Only takes once and too many people have been killed by ‘unloaded’ guns.

I had a buddy show up for a mule deer hunt in Montana with his 6.5PRC rifle and a box of 6.5 Creedmore shells

On a hot July evening I was hog hunting with my daughter, we had taken water with us as we were sweating sitting in the blind. A sounder of about 30 pigs showed up about 30 yards in front of us. She put down her rifle and grabbed the AR as she knew she could get a few of them. She planned her attack and picked the two biggest ones to shoot first and fast, as she knew they would scatter. Then she emptied the remaining 18 rounds into the dust filled area hoping to get a few. I was to her right and dodging hot brass that was sizzling as it hit me in the neck and was going down my shirt. I had multiple burns on my neck, arms and inside of my shirt on my chest and stomach. She wondered why I was jumping around as she was shooting.
She got four pigs and a few blood trails that we gave up on.

Here is but one - there was a little moisture falling, but I chose to park 500 yards away from the deer stand and walked in. Upon my return, I put my rifle on the truck box and my day pack in the bed. Got in vehicle, started her up, began driving only to hear the rifle sliding off that tool box. Made a quick stop, looked in my sideview mirror to find my 270 sticking barrel down in the mud straight up & down as if someone had purposefully planted it.

Early one morning in an unfamiliar WMA , I climbed a dead tree with my Summit Viper. Thought I was dead when I felt the tree base begin to give way from about 12 feet up as I was still climbing, but by the Grace of the Almighty, I made it back down safely.

Never climb a dead tree.

I was a teen hunting on a lease with my dad & brother in Campbelton Texas. We were allowed 1 buck & 1 doe each. The deer were plentiful & I got my buck early. To continue enjoying the hunts & outings, I hunted coyotes & hogs waiting on my doe. I told myself "You can get a doe anytime." When the last day of the season arrived the weather had changed & was horrible. Hadn't seen a deer all morning until a lone doe wandered out about 150 yds. Bang-flop! When I walked up it turned out to be a button buck. To this day, I have never forgotten that deer & I won't shoot a doe unless I have a point of comparison & can thoroughly study its head. I don't wait to the last day of the season either!

Timmy once brought in a doe and we discovered it had balls.

It happens lol. I was guiding doe hunters on a 5,000 acre ranch. Took a close friend's wife and a few others down to an area with lots of does. Came up on a group of does and got her into position. Big doe on the left....yes....on the left...yes big doe on the left broadside...you ready...yes....take her....bang flop. Umnnnnnnn. Walked over and she had made a perfect shot on a nubbin' buck, she shot the wrong deer. This ranch had very strict rules and this was going to be a big deal. She was in tears. I couldn't let her get into trouble, as she made an honest mistake. I was ultimately responsible anyway so I took the blame for it. Boss was not happy and certainly didn't help my image with him, and I took an [censored] chewing, but at least I got her to stop crying.

Very nearly removed my thumb about 10 years ago with the crossbow string:

Damn!
My sister in law did the same thing

That will leave a bruise and some scarring, hopefully no nerve damage.