What did you do wrong this year??

[atlasman]

I believe we all learn more from our mistakes then we do from our success...........we've all read the "He came out........I shot him.......He fell" stories 100 times this year and as great as they are I wouldn't mind hearing some of the things we've done that hurt our chances or ruined a spot or hunt for whatever reason..........maybe keep someone from repeating the same mistake.

I learned the hard way this year that I need a different rope to hoist my gun then my bow rope. My gun was too heavy and broke the small clip and fell to the ground from about 5 feet []........no damage and I was basically out for a sit with dad because I only had a doe tag left but it could have been MUCH worse. Used that rope for like 5 years now with no problems until then. That sucked.

I also set a stand in what I thought was a PERFECT spot........until the leaves fell and I STILL could only see 10 yards with all the brush. I saw a couple deer from that stand and don't even know what they were. I don't mind thick but that was like hunting in a shoebox.

I also got lazy and didn't put up a hang on at the back of one farm but I wanted to hunt there so I lugged my climber all the way back and was soaked in sweat every time.........don't know if that's why I saw nothing but it sure didn't help. Next year that will be stand #1 hung.

[mobow]

I learned that while it's extremely difficult, stay alert on stand. You never know when a 100" buck might stroll through one of your shooting lanes at 25 yards.....

[GMMAT]

1. Entered the season with a sense of bravado that I regret.
2. Hunted when it was too hot on several occasions.
3. Took a shot at a second deer .....when I did not see the first one go down.
4. Began the season aiming too high on the deer's vitals. This cost me one recovery (recovered the deer.....but after too long in temps. See also, No. 2).
5. Hunted some areas TOO much.
6. Hunted "questionable" winds too much.
7. I learned that MANY things are better kept to oneself.

I'm sure there are more mistakes I made.....but that's a plenty to learn from.

I also did a few things "right"......but not enough to rank this season over last year's. I DID accomplish my goal (to date) of not releasing an arrow that I wasn't proud of. I feel extremely good about that (form a mental aspect).

[Planter]

I learned I like bow season more not only because I see more deer but because it is so much warmer!! I just can't sit long when it's 10 degrees out. ARG...

I also learned to always be in the woods the first week of November when thebucks are hot and the does are not.

I also learned I don't have to carry Snapple bottles into the woods to wizz in. (Nothing like lugging 2 quarts of urine around). My wife has not gotten over seeing two full bottles rolling around the back of the SUV. She officially thinks I am fried.

Must say I learned to hunt for myself and no one else. It takes the fun out of it if you put to much preasure on yourself..

[rybohunter]

Mistakes I made"¦..I must have made alot because I didn"™t get a shot at a buck meeting my standards. I wish I could pin them down to specifics, but I don"™t think I can for the most part.
A few I can pin down are forgetting my strap to hang my stand with. No strap, & no ability to hang stand = big buck hits scrape that I was to be sitting over.
Next mistake was spending more time trying to figure out the odd patterns of my "œhome"� deer, instead of spending time in the hot action, tons of sign areas of new (and far away) places.

[farmcntry]

I have a stand I haven't hunted all year (we have 2 weeks left) and I went by there yesterday to seethe woodsdemolished by some gnarly tree shredder.[]
I regret not hunting this stand in early bow season.

[WILKESFASTJAY]

Trim better shooting shoooting lanes!!! Twice this year i had shooter bucks in range ( 20 yards or less ) but could not shoot because of underbrush.

[BowHuntingFool]

I have learned AGAIN not to rush a shot! I had the "buk of a Lifetime" come in grunting and chasing a Doe, I stopped him at 24 yards and rushed the shot. The shot was just underneath him, I barely missed him!

Also, as much as I want to I don't hunt when the temps are to high, no fun! To much can go wrong after the shot!

[Dr Andy]

Getting to my stand too late!
Saw a big buck on a morning sit,rattled and grunted, he looked my way but continues into a wetland gnarly area to bed down. I figured I'd set up for a late evening encounter. Got to my stand at 3:45pm and you guessed it, he was already there waiting for me! Checkmate!

[peakrut]

Still plenty of season left I will get back to you on this.