Weakness, Failures and Mistakes?

[mcgroundstalker]

Always be ready on the still hunt! Don't distract yourself looking at a bunny on your left and let the buck on your right see ya first! OMG!

... mike ...

Originally posted by 30coupe:
PICK A SPOT!      

same here!!!!  

[Littlejake]

Should have went with my gut instead of my head.

[lunchbucket]

Never ever forget to watch your back trail.I did but Mr.Antlers didnt.............

[JO_EZ]

I learned that I should hold off on those shots when the deer is looking right at you.

Also, if you reduce that tag soup down to tag gravy and pour it over a roast from your Son's first deer, it doesn't taste bitter at all.

[yukon chuck]

30coupe said it all...
Pick a spot, pick a spot, pick a spot !!!!!!!!!

First time out on a piece of private land, with only about 30 minutes worth of scouting the week before. An hour and a half in, I had a big bodied, old, 6 point come in to within five yards of me on the ground. Looked right at me twice and dismissed me. I allowed him to drift out to about 12 yards. Broadside...never knew I was there... And I made a perfect kill shot on a 6" tree that he had his head behind. He busted out to thirty yards and never came back in.  I hate that tree.

In the time it took for him to mosey out to 12 yards, from 5 yards, I had a complete and total melt down. Buck fever after 30+ years Bowhunting. I felt like a twelve year old kid. That's what keeps me coming back, and that's why I love ground pounding.
Merry Christmas,
Chuck

[ronp]

Like you, Izzy, I am always rushed and end up forgetting something.  I usually have my bow, arrows and glove, though.  One thing I learned, is to get one of those lights that go on your hat brim! I am luck I didn't twist my ankle walking up Ken's mountain in the dark LOL.  It was like stepping on bowling balls.  I am glad you had me covered!

[J.Williams]

I have to stop fidgeting and moving around so much in the treestand.Had 2 bucks bust me moving around one morning this season.They saw me first.

[Izzy]

Wow, seems a lot of you fellas are working from my playbook. It's always good to reflect back a learn from the past. I had a good year but a few of my encounters where I should have had a deer still nag me. Next year I won't be hunting half as much as this year cause Ill be looking over Noahs shoulder and trying to coach him into keeping it together and not making my past mistakes. The only problem that I foresee with that is that I'll probably be more excited than if the bow was in my hands.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

just last night i forgot to pick a spot!

[Mike Gerardi]

Looking at the whole doe ,shot over her back. And I should of made a stand adjustment 15yds. I knew I should of moved the stand but thought the buck would make the adjustment for me. He did not. Have'nt seen him since our gun season began.

[30coupe]

Originally posted by Mike Gerardi:
Looking at the whole doe ,shot over her back.  

Yup!

See my earlier post.    

[Steertalker]

Like Glunt....I too made the mistake of thinking a bull was not at the same location as the last bugle.  Furthermore......it never ceases to amaze me how darn quite an elk can be in a thick forest with blow downs and leaf litter everywhere; got caught with my pants down while sitting a water hole this year.  
A nice 6 X 6 bull and a large mature cow came within 5 yards of me without me ever hearing them......I should know better.....eeeerrrrrgh!!!!

Brett

[joe skipp]

With my limited time in the woods this year due to family commitments, I made one error that I always told my students and customers never to do...

Always enter the woods with the proper mental attitude and awareness. Too many things racing through my mind one morning, trying to solve a problem when opportunity knocked. A clean miss at 25 yds at an unsuspecting doe.

Nothing between me and her except brown leaves and a couple squirrels. The mental concentration just wasn't there at the time of the shot. I always bear down on the vitals and tell myself.."Your a dead deer"....Don't remember telling myself that.

[HOWITZER]

With all the success I've had in the woods this year it feels like I can't make a mistake...But the three previous seasons O-man the mistakes.  

I started practicing with all my hunting gear on.  Why? Because I missed a five yard shot at a doe because I lost concentration on my spot when my string contacted the brim of my hat, I looked up at the hat as I released the string.  I no longer wear brimmed hats.

Second miss...always wear safety harness under at least one article of clothing.  I missed a 10yard shot when the string caught my safety harness buckle yanking the bow out of my hands and tossing it to the ground 20feet below.

Third mistake if you decide not to shoot...DONT SHOOT...Had a decent buck moving through heavy brush at 15-18yards and decided in my head not to stop him and shoot because I didn't want him to jump the string, he stopped in the only opening possible and I rushed the shot over his back.  Lesson learned if a buck is in the area assume you’re going to get a shot.

Fourth Miss and final lesson learned...the last week before gun season is way way way important, missed a six pointer at 10 yards while in a homemade ground blind that I only hunted the last day before gun season, checked my trail cam the same day after the shot and the bucks used that area heavily that week, and after gun opened, never got another picture of a deer on that camera.  Lesson learned more time in the woods.

After learning so much over the past few seasons the most important thing I learned is confidence. I CAN harvest deer with the recurve, and now, they better look I'm becoming a warrior with venison on my brain.

[Bowwild]

The 'fat lady' hasn't stepped up to the mike yet here in my area.  I can't recall if I learned anything from a mistake this year but I was reminded of a couple of things.  

I do have a grudge match going with a doe and her two young'ns. They busted me within 15 yards last time out. I relied too much on trail cam evidence and was going to stand up in 30 more minutes and face the direction I thought they'd come.  They were early and I got caught.

I hate it when deer cuss.

[Mike Gerardi]

Originally posted by 30coupe:
 

Originally posted by Mike Gerardi:
Looking at the whole doe ,shot over her back.  

Yup!

See my earlier post.      [/b]

It was a long, lonely walk back to the truck  

[LimBender]

Like you Izzy - rushing, forgetting, and not enough time.  Guess those are all related eh?    :D   Been a great year, but taught me that I need to practice, practice, practice.  I don't really have the pick a spot or panic problem, it's more like the don't always hit the dang spot problem, especially 20 feet up!

[misfire]

Not enough preseason scouting. I just decided to hunt areas that had deer in past seasons. This made for long days in the stand when the mind wanders.

When Still hunting take the time to really look around before moving. Got busted by a nice Tom this Spring and a Doe this Fall because I didn't do that.

I gotta slow down...

[Charlie Lamb]

I was hitting a button on my bibs with my bowstring. I thought my bow was out of tune. It had cost me BIG!!!

To the Trad Gang member who pointed it out in a picture... THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!