Indiana Dude

My second biggest mistake was taking a wee with my gun 10 ft. away and
watching 2 decent bucks trot past at 30 yds.

But my biggest mistake is one that I have made on several occations.
I have a bad habit of passing up a good shot hoping for a little better one.
It always feels like the right thing to do but in hindsight, after the deer
takes an unexpected turn, I`m always kicking myself in the rear.
Now, when I see a deer I have to force myself to take the first
GOOD shot, dont wait for the perfect shot.

lhook7

My biggest mistake didn' t cost me a shot, but it did cost me the deer.
I was 14 years old and this was my first season of deer hunting alone; I was shooting a 12 gauge with a slug. On opening morning I had visions of a monster buck running through my head, but after three days of sitting in a cold tree stand seeing nothing but a few does, I had more realistic expectations of taking anything with some headgear. On the afternoon of the fourth day a doe came into the clearing followed by a little 6 point. They stopped broadside at about 25 yards offering me a perfect shot. I shot the little buck and he dropped like a rock. I immediately unloaded the gun and climbed down to examine my trophy; when I got on the ground he was gone. There was blood everywhere and I trailed him about 100 yards to a swamp where I lost the trail. I went and got my high school baseball coach and we took his dog to try to trail the deer, but the dog couldn' t stay on the trail through the swamp. We gave up at about 10:00 that night and I got a lecture on waiting at least one half hour after shooting a deer before approaching it.

Taxman003

My first year of hunting in 2001, four of us were sitting on watches at the end of the fourth day without seeing any deer. The weather was unseasonably warm and we felt that the rut was off as a result.

Anyways, we agree to sit until 5:00. At 4:45 I get bored and get the bright idea of dogging around a hill back to one of the other watchers. Maybe it worked, but the first watch west of me fired a shot just as I was rounding the corner. I saw the deer who was taking off tail down. I was going to try a shot (first year remember?) but a small mound of earth took it away.

I found a trail and tracked the deer for about an hour and a half walking right by where I was sitting. I' ll never know for sure:

If I would have had a good shot
If the deer had slowed down by that point
If the deer ever survived being hit (we never did find it).[:' (]

PABowhntr

The usual.....drawing when the deer was too close...not wearing some sort of camo to cover up my face.....buck fever....the usual.

ducksndeer

I feel asleep in my stand, woke up to a nice 10 pointer 15 yards away. It took time, but I finally got my bow pulled back. I must have still been sleepy cause I didn' t see that little tree in front of him. Wouldn' t you know, I nailed that 4 inch diameter tree right in the middle of it. Think the deer may still be running.

jred

Boy where to start? Over the years I have learned alot because I have lost alot! (deer)

Biggest thing I can point out is staying vidulant, aware and awake! Have your rifle or what ever you use ready and in a position that it can me easily ready to draw and fire.

Yep, and having your cartridge in the chamber helps....

Jred

kreg

About 3 years ago I made a bad mistake of putting the arrow on the right side of the rest (I had one of those prong style rests) so that way the arrow doesnt fall off or anything. And my plan was when a deer came I' d put it back on. Well a deer came, and you cant think of anything else but the deer, so obviously i never thought of putting the arrow back on the rest. I drew back, everything turned out right, he never saw me...shot..arrow flew far to the right. It took me until I went to bed that night to figure out how that happened. Later I kept the arrow on the rest, which I always do now, and well that next deer didnt get so lucky.

King Hugh

Picture it. A perfect fall afternoon, Dutchess County shotgun season. A crisp breeze, and it' s beginning to snow, just a little. This is the kind of day I hunt for.

Anyhow, I find a low hung pine tree to climb under to avoid the falling snow and the breeze. Very comfy (too comfy) and warm. I fell asleep. BUT that wasn' t the problem.

I don' t know why I woke up, but I did. There is now about 1/2" of snow, and it' s still falling gently. I see this buck, nothing huge, 4 points, but at this time I hadn' t ever shot a deer. So this 4 pointer may as well have been a 350lb 16 pointer. Any how, the deer walks up the trail, and stops about 10 yards from the tree I' m sittin under. Oh boy.....

I raise the gun, and exhale to try and relax before I take the shot. Turns out I exhaled directly on the eye piece of my scope. IT FOGGED!!!

Ok, I reach up with my gloved thumb and wipe it off, as I' m shouldering the gun again the buck leaps over a hedge and bounds away, never to be seen again.

It was still a good day. I was in the woods when it was snowing, got a nice nap, saw a deer. Doesn' t get any better.

bobo21

Like you I was traveling up a hill when a heard of axis moved across the road in front of me. I loaded a round or at least thought I did. When in the stand my rifle clicked and I missed a good doe.

Jason

Robertesq1

Leaving car and quietly attempting to chamber a round in my Browning autoloader. As a result of not fully racking the weapon the round did not fully seat and when the buck provided a perfect target...no discharge.