Mistakes I've made along the way
 

These are some of the mistakes I've made while learning to hunt mature bucks in farm country. No particular order.

1) Not paying attention to the wind.

2) Touching branches and foliage with my bare skin.

3) Hunting too much.
If I don't know where a buck is bedding so I can hunt him right from the start, Ihunt sparingly from observation stands and try to locate one. If I can find one, I don't hunt much until around Oct 17th, when the bucks start coming out a bit earlier to look for does.

4) Being careless and not staying sharp on stand.

5) Not having confidence in myself, my area or my stand.

6) Rushing to my stand instead of trying to sneak up on it.

7) Being too lazy to move my stand when it's not productive and waiting for the deer to come to me.

8) Over looking a spot because "a deer won't go there".

9) Not checking my bow and drawing it once I'm in my stand (cost me a big one). [&o]

10) Shooting does before a buck.
Most of my spots are small and I don't want to disturbit too badly and chance spooking my buck. What are the bucks going to be looking for? Does, the best bait of all. I try to shoot does during late season or during the gun season.

There are more, I'll add them as I remember them.

Anyone else got anything?

RE: Mistakes I've made along the way
 

# 2 is one that gets overlooked by alot of people. Great tips Greg.

RE: Mistakes I've made along the way
 

Poor entry /exit routes.

RE: Mistakes I've made along the way
 

3 gets me. Hopefully next year Ill be able to spread out more where this isn't an issue. I have one spot that is usually killer early season, lost it but am getting it back, one that is killer for rut..now I just need a great late season setup since I historically haven't been able to get it done before late season hits in the first place.:D

All great tips.

RE: Mistakes I've made along the way
 

Oh yeah!! I forgot to put that in there.

I had a spot where the deer liked to bed up on this hill. Well I had to park up by the farm and walk back there. The deer would see me coming! Once I figured this out, I started walking a big loop to get out of their veiw, then I started seeing more deer. It was a much longer walk but if I got lazy and didn't do it, I wouldn't see anything.

Good one Buckeye.

RE: Mistakes I've made along the way
 

Well put Greg and man are you right about the entry!! It almost cost me my buck this year, wait till you see the video he looks like he ran into a wall when he hit where we walked in to the tree because we got lazy carrying all that camera equipment and 21 days of bad luck. But it goes to show if he would have hit the wall and bolted like he should have he would still be alive, but I think because we went in so early 4 1/2 early that afternoon he only got a little wiff! Walt
#1 sorry my #1 is laziness when things don't go right to easy to make excuse's and get slopy.

RE: Mistakes I've made along the way
 

I hunt too much......or....too much, too early.

RE: Mistakes I've made along the way
 

Been there, done that. I've made all the mistakes. Sometimes I learn from them and sometimes I'm doomed to repeat the past!

RE: Mistakes I've made along the way
 

Maybe this falls under no. 4. I personally sometimes hunt when I shouldn't just because I didn't get enough rest and I am prone to get lazy or make mistakes because of it. I dunno Greg, you about covered everything else:).

RE: Mistakes I've made along the way
 

I use to over look the importance of scouting