Over twenty years ago I was still hunting on a snowy day. I snuck up behind a deer in some short pine trees who was getting fidgety. I couldn't see all of the deer under the pine boughs. I had a Mossberg 12 gauge slug gun and I was bent over severely under the pine boughs looking at that deer's butt about 60 yards ahead of me. I felt the deer was getting ready to take off, so I put the shotgun up in that goofy contorted position I was in - bent over at the waist, leaning forward, and struggling to peer through the scope and get a shot. Didn't even have the butt against my shoulder - too intent on that deer. I spined it right under the tail and it dropped like lightining hit. But, I felt like Mike Tyson caught me under my eye and to the side of my nose. I picked up some snow to clean off some off the blood - looked like I was in a bar fight.
Not the first time I 've been smacked under the eye and bled, well, first time with a riflescope though. Soon forgot about it.
About six months later, I got a bad toothache alongside my nose. I went to the dentist who x-rayed my teeth. He came back kind of smiling and asked me who I got in a fight with. I told him, I hadn't been in any fights and asked him what he was talking about. He showed me that one of my from teeth had been fractured across the top, about 1/4" from the tip of the root, and the nerve had died. It couldn't be fixed - had to be pulled, and then dug out that piece of root. The fractured root lined up perfectly with where that scope smacked me.
The 3-tooth bridge was an expensive lesson. The deer sure was good eatin' though.
