Mistakes you have made bowhunting?

[biggfish]

Showing up has been my biggest mistake someday not exclusive to bowhunting.

[7mmfan]

My biggest mistake was not taking the shots when it was presented. I am haunted by 3 opportunities I had early in my bow hunting career where I wasn't prepared (mentally) when the shot opportunity presented itself and waited for no apparent reason. One was a beautiful mule deer buck during late archery that had his head buried in a small fir tree tearing it to shreds 25 yards from me, oblivious to my presence. I had an arrow knocked and decided I needed to crouch in the brush for a minute before taking the shot. He winded me and was gone. I was also 16 at the time.

Lesson learned: If you are always ready, you don't have to get ready. From the minute you step out of your rig, you are in kill mode, seize every opportunity.

[cbond3318]

This being my first year Archery Elk hunting I feel I learned a ton in the 5 days in the field.

1) Always keep your reed call in your mouth, when you have a bumped Elk shuttling past you , you will need it to stop them, whistling doesn't seem to work on Elk as it does with Mule Deer.

2) When you think you are moving slow enough, move slower, listen to the woods. It was a constant battle reminding myself to slow down, seem to always be as soon as I thought there were no animals near by I would speed up and bump an Elk.

3) Guessing range across a steep creek bottom is tough, if you have time to range, range it.

4) Chasing a Bugle uphill is tough, what I thought was Elk shape was actually about 75% of the actual shape I needed to be in.

5)It is mentally taxing letting an animal saunter off because you had no good shot, but take comfort in knowing it was the right decision.

6)Wind is HUGE, I don't feel I made many wind mistakes this year as it was my main focus mentally but it needs to be stated again, without playing the wind you are wandering aimlessly through the woods.

7)Connecting your arrow on an animal is the highest of highs, losing blood trail and not finding the animal is the lowest of lows, it will be the toughest mental anguish you go through on a hunt but understand it happens, realize the mistake and correct it for next time, you owe it to the animal.

Hands down the best hunt I have been on to date! What a blast.

[Jimmybelltown]

Being impatient and rushing a stalk. probably cost me a bull on Wednesday.

[GoBeavs85]

One year I filled my tag, now my wife expects it EVERY year 😳 I'm not nearly a good enough hunter to repeat.


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[mikelonsford]

Trying to carefully nock my arrow so the sound doesn't spook an animal, but not controlling the arrow enough to keep it from bouncing off the riser and make an even bigger sound that does spook the animal.  Opening morning should have been more successful.  Oh Well   

[Rainier10]

Trying to carefully nock my arrow so the sound doesn't spook an animal, but not controlling the arrow enough to keep it from bouncing off the riser and make an even bigger sound that does spook the animal.  Opening morning should have been more successful.  Oh Well   

Moleskin on the riser will help this.

[WSU]

Knowing what tag you have RT, I will direct my bowhunting tip from an elk standpoint. I learned this lesson in Oregon a few years ago where I was trying to get ahead of a group of cows and a bull. I had worked my tail off for more than an hour and thought I lost them. I decided to sit down along the edge of the timber to take a break and of course, not a few minutes into the break, I catch movement out of the corner of my eye and here comes a few cows and the bull out in the open. I had no cover around me so any motion I made, they were going to catch and it ended up burning me. Now I try my best to take any and all breaks somewhere that I would also choose as a shooting position because you just never know when something might happen and you don't have time to move.

For elk, this is the best one.  They often come in silent or when you don't expect them.  ALWAYS expect them to show up.  Just because they didn't respond vocally doesn't mean they aren't coming.

I'll tell you from experience, it's a bad feeling to be crunching away on protein bar and then turn around to see a bull watching you eat from 20 yards. 

[jaymark6655]

Focusing only on the deer.  Last year I shot branch because I didn't focus on anything between me and the deer at only 10 yards.  If I had waited and actually looked, she would have stepped a little while feeding or I could have picked a different spot to aim. 

[jgilley]

When behind cover, always draw your bow before stepping or leaning out to make the shot. Way less movement and a much faster shot.

[JJB11B]

moving too quickly bumping into animals, watching my step more than my surroundings, letting the wind shift and not adjusting for it.....where do I stop?

[branches]

Mike, At least you got to nock an arrow opening day. I had the same thing happen the day after I talked to you guys in camp. Tiffany told me to think about the basics. I told her it was about buck fever and not the basics.

[branches]

And Moleskin works great for the bow, riser, rest and quiver.

[Fullabull]

This year:
Moved to quickly trying to get closer to a bugling bull
Being a single hunter and caller is tough, called in multiple bulls that would not step into the open because they thought they should see something or hear something close by.
On one of them, I should have at least tried to make a low cow sound to see if it would pull him the last few yards into the open
If you can hear yourself moving, SO CAN THEY!!!!!! Figured that one out this year also...

Overall I was in to much of a rush on things this year. I need to slow down and be more patient !

[Wetwoodshunter]

Getting up right after dark to walk out. I was sitting by a field as I got up there was a herd funneling in the far side. I spooked them and they were not there the next day possible would have bedded in that field.

Not putting my rain gear on quick enough. Only having 2 elk quarter bags in my pack. Forgetting to sharpen my knife between my mule deer hunt and my elk hunt. Not test riding my bike before the season and assuming since I had a tune up recently it was good to go.