outdoor338

Ok, hunters, which mistakes have cost you a shot or spooked game? I have made many mistakes, but would like to know how yours happened. How did you prevent it from happening again....thanks.

Dr. Mike

Angus74

Ive made so many mistakes hunting deer and turkey that it seems like Ive made them all. The biggest would have to be moving at the wrong time, and calling too much. I like to call deer and turkey and have noticed it hurting me sometimes, but the last year or so Ive really been trying to tone down my calling and also my volume. It has made a huge difference so far. As for moving Ive been trying to be more patient and sitlonger but changing to a more comfortable treestand worked wonders.

bullsi

Swicth to from tube type peep to a two string peep and still had string in way of a doe went back to tube type-arrow dropping hitting stand then ground deer ran away.And could name a few dozen more.

justhrowit

Last year I made two dumb mistakes two weekends in a row on two very nice bucks. I did' nt pull the trigger on the first one. He was a very nice 10 point. I was just waiting for that perfect shot. I guess it was' nt a bad move. I was uncomfortable with the shot he presented, so I did' nt take it. I know I could have put the arrow where it was supposed to go, but for some reason I did' nt take the shot. It was the first day of the season in low light conditions, and I did' nt care that much.

The very next weekend was a big dummy mistake. I had a VERY large 8 point come in behind me through a been. I was hunting the edge of the been field and an overgrown corn field (bedding area). He came in behind me to my left where I had no shot due to limbs in the way. Then he moved his way to the right. I hid myself with my tree, and drew back. As I drew back I hit a branch behind me with my elbow!!!!! He never actually saw me. It just made him aware of soemthing out there. He moved back to the right, and hopped the fence further down the fence row. He then came back in front of me. I still had no shot....too early in the season and all the leaves were still up. He just made his way back into the bedding area. Those branches aren' t there anymore. I was quite upset with myself. I did see him again later in the year, but he was a ways out there. Maybe this year!!!!!

Of course I' ve made other mistakes. Moved too much or at the wrong time. I forgot to get the mud off my boots once, and it fell at the wrong time. Grunted too loud or too much. I was' nt ready in time after a rattling sequence, and before I knew it the buck was on top of me. I' m sure there are more.

Antler Eater

You name it, I have done it [:' (]. In the early days of stick and string we didn' t have the barrage of educational information that we have available now so much of what was learned was " on the job training" .

The funny thing is after 30 years of " on the job training" one would think a guy would run out of mistakes, but it is a mistake to think that way .

Two stupid ones jump out at me. Years ago I was sitting in a tree stand that was ony 15 feet off the ground and I saw a buck coming my way from a long ways off. He was down wind of me and I figured he would wind me so I had no chance. With that frame of mind I just sat there watching him and I didn' t prepare for the shot, in other words I didn' t even pick up my bow. As I watched him come closer and closer I couldn' t believe he hadn' t picked up my scent for it appeared he was walking directly in my scent stream. Before I knew it he was within easy bow range and all I could do was watch. When he got to under twenty yards I couldn' t take anymore and I thought I would at least make an attempt to get my bow. BUSTED! He caught my movement, we had a stare down contest, which I also lost, and he decided to vacate the premises. (If I would have been wearing a scent-lok suit I would have shot that buck and thought it was because of the suit).

The second example was very embarrassing. I was teaching a young hunter (age 14) to bow hunt. I hung two stands in a tree so we could hunt together and I could be there to coach him. A nice nine pointer came in one morning on my side of the tree. I could have easily shot him but I wanted the boy to get his first buck so I let the buck continue his approach. He eventually stopped at the base of our tree and only needed to take a few more steps to give the young archer a great angle for a shot. The boy could have got off a shot from where the buck stood but I wouldn' t let him because I didn' t like the angle. At this point the buck is at ease and I can smell victory right around the corner. Things can certainly change in a hurry. To my horror I see our pull rope dangling a few feet in front of the bucks face. The movement didn' t bother him in the least but it triggered his curiosity so he moved closer to investigate this strange looking " vine" ... He put his nose right on the rope and inhaled...he nearly did a back flip trying to get out of there. My carelessness had cost that young man his first buck, and a nice one at that. Fortunately things came together for us about a week later out of that same tree... but the pull rope wasn' t hanging down .

The mistakes that a guy gets caught on are the easy ones to identify and correct. The hard ones are the ones you don' t know you are making, causing reactions that you can' t see or observe, and repeating these mistakes day in and day out.

MATTHEWS

I had a 6 point walk under my stand broadside at 10 yds with his nose to the ground. While coming to full draw I realized I never put my arrow on my rest. No way of putting my arrow on my rest I had to let up and the buck took off running leaving my without an opportunity. This day I am still haunted by my mistake. Now I purchase a new rest and can put my arrow on at full draw in case I forget by just twisting my wrist that grips the riser. This mistake will never happen again.

In my early years of hunting I remember setting up along a trail, and at first light I had two nice bucks walk directly underneath me. That was all I did was watch I totally forgot that my bow was in hand. I never even thought about shooting untill they were long gone. Not harvesting a buck with the bow yet I guess I had buck fever.

bogobble

I' ve missed many deer by rushin my shot. that' s my biggie! but I' m gettin better

Macdaddy

two years ago It was geting cold out and I put on my jacket. I didn' t put on my arm gard and when I took a shot at a nice 8 pointer the string hit my jacket and the arrow hit the ground 5 feet in front of the buck! I grunted and the buck came back around, it took him about 20 min and I just didn' t ever get a shot.

That sucked no buck that year.

wimp

Being spotted while drawing, but fortunately this hasn' t happened in a long time. Careless scent control, that spooks the deer. Once I dropped my flashlight case at the base of my tree, which happened to be the trail the deer were walking out and they smelled is and threw them into high caution as they gave it a 10 foot berth. I still could have shot the deer, but wasn' t able to take a doe at that particular hunt, but that could have cost me had it been a buck. Once i was figdeting round in my stand trying to keep warm and a nice buck picked me out from 50 yds.

Dalejbrass

Last season I was hunting my cousins ranch in North Central Oklahoma. He took me to the stand before first light and instructed me that " most" approaching bucks would be coming off the ridge to my left or off the ridge right in front of me. Five minutes before first light I had a very nice buck right in front of me but I didn' t even think about shooting because all I could see was silouettes. About 15 minutes after first light I performed my first rattling sequence (this ranch has a 1:10 to 1:0 Buck to Doe ratio and calling works very well). No more than I had started, I hard that bitter-sweet sound of a deer within bow range off to my right. The problem was that my bow was still hanging comfortably on it' s hanger and I had a pair of antlers in my hand. Before looking, I hung my horns, slowly grabbed my bow and eased body and bow towards the sound. At about the 2 o' clock position my eyes focused on the biggest buck I have seen alive in the wild outdoors. He was a main frame 10 pointer with matching 6" kickers coming off the g-2' s, incredible mass and wide. HE WAS LOOKING RIGHT AT ME! All I could do was watch him turn and walk away. That buck scored 176" and dressed out at 225 lbs. I know.....because my cousin killed him with his bow out of the same stand 3 days later. I will never ever make a mistake like that again......but then again, if I hunt, I probably will!!