My main mistakes are just prior to taking a shot, and they stem mainly from a lack of patience. Last stalk I was pursuing a nice 4x4 buck with bow in hand. I watched him from 500yds away, saw him go into thick cover, and my plan was to stalk close to the bushes and wait until he gets up from his afternoon nap. I got close to the thick cover, started seeing big tracks leaving the area, and thought that he had snuck out. Thoughts overwhelmed me and I began walking through the thick cover. Why? I dont know. From 10yds away, the nice 4x4, a nice forkhorn, and a spike all jump up and run into the next county. That is just one of the times I could just kick myself for not calming down and being patient. Patience is the key to success!