Biggest mistake I ever made wasthinkingI couldjudge distances in the woods.

Second biggest mistake was thinking I was an expert with my gun.

Depending on the kind of hunting you do either get a range finder or do a lot of practice in real world settings where you have no idea of the distance. Especially if bowhunting.

No such thing as too much practice.Practice like you hunt if possible. Going beyond target practice is critical. Being able to hit a target is great, but you need to make sure you can handle yourweapon in a variety ofscenarios.

Few examples.

Bow
Letssay you hunt with a bow that has a removable quiver. Make sure you know how the arrow will fly with the quiver on and off. That way if you're caught off guard with the quiver still on you can make the shot.

Make sure you can shoot while sitting, kneeling, standing and any other position you can come up with.

Shoot with your hunting clothes on so you know the sleeve isn't going to get in the way of the string when you release it.

Being able to shoot instinctively is a great tool even if your bow has the best of sights.

Gun
Make sure you can shoulder it quickly with the clothes you'll be using in the field. This way you'll know whether your clothes are going to grab the butt of the gun on the way up when you're trying to shoulder it.

Not everyone agrees with this one, but put the safety on between each shot while target practicing. That way when your brain is on autopilot during the huntflicking off the safety will be as automatic as shouldering the gun. This is sort of like holstering(and using the snap depending on the holster) a self defense handgun between each shot. When the time comes and your adrenaline is pumping you want your body to be trained to pull it from a holster not pick it up off a table.

And just like a bow, make sure you can shoot accurately from any position you can think of.

Put as much time into mastering the tools of the trade as you do mastering the hunt so when the time comes you're not your own worst enemy.