Mistakes you have made bowhunting?

[daddysprad]

Practice judging distances, you don't always have time to use a range finder.

  I agree.  My method is to start at the target and throw a bean bag or softball.  Walk to the spot where it landed, judge the distance and take a shot.  If you hunt in thick cover, practice in thick cover.  If you hunt in the open from a stand, practice that way.  Ranges look different in thick VS open.  If you hunt from a stand, have someone on the ground move your target to unknown distances and angles.

[daddysprad]

Oh, and make sure they move before you shoot.

[Miles]

Splitting the pins due to being unsure about the distance to the target.   Don't do it, you'll miss every time (I did anyway).   Now I just pick a distance, pick ONE pin and let the arrow fly.  It's a much more effective way to kill a deer.

so what do you do it you have a deer at 45 yds?  Me being a somewhat competitive shooter at 3-D shoots split pins all the time.

I usually step back 5 yards and use my 50 yd pin.



Not really, but I guess I should have explained it better.

 When I was younger and starting out bow hunting I would say "it looks like somewhere between 30 and 40".   Problem being if it was 30 and I split the pins, but my 30 was at the bottom of the chest I would usually shoot under...   Or if it was closer to 40 and my 40 pin was on the back...over the back the arrow would go.

I had better luck picking one pin and focusing on a specific hair/spot while aiming high or low on the target (with that specific pin).   For example, if I thought the target was 25yards away, I would FOCUS on my 20 yard pin and then pick a small spot on the top 1/3rd of the kill zone.   I rarely miss a deer since I stopped splitting pins.   For me it just helped me to focus on a smaller point and it improved my shots.   Maybe it made me commit to a specific yardage rather than a range?  Either way I do not split pins, even when target shooting.

[Miles]

Thinking a two blade broadhead would work just as well as a three or four blade.

Care to explain a little further?

[Todd_ID]

Thinking a two blade broadhead would work just as well as a three or four blade.

Care to explain a little further?

Uh oh. Here comes a "short" answer. 

[Todd_ID]

My bowhunting mistakes have been numerous and hurtful.
Not waiting on cold calling setups costs me at least one bull per year for the last 30 years. Those hurt something fierce because you know better.
For many years I'd had a 3 or 5 pin fixed sight. Any critter at 33.75 yards would be in trouble. I'd just put all the pins somewhere close, but that doesn't pan out to well at all if it's not at that exact distance. RAD's Little Thing of centering the pin versus the sight frame handed me plenty of misses over those years. Switching to a single pin movable fixed that problem instantly.
Moving too fast through the woods has hurt me over the years. Getting some fleece stalking booties has helped a ton to slow me down and make me conscious of the noise and speed I was making.
Poor Shoot/Don't Shoot skills hurt my success in the early years.
Not stretching my effective range through focused practice hampered me.
Not seeing a limb has cost me dearly many times. (A 360 bull at 16 yards last year). 

[Machias]

Most of these were in my early years:
Shooting too far
Not bending at the waist when hunting out of a treestand
Having a noisy TM Hunter rest and drawing on a very close animal when it was deathly quiet

[RadSav]

Thinking a two blade broadhead would work just as well as a three or four blade.

Care to explain a little further?

Uh oh. Here comes a "short" answer. 

OK here is a short answer. 

Personal kills with two blade broadheads = 40 even.  38 of those with a 1.5" cutting width.  Lethal shot placement that resulted in failure to kill animal quickly with 2 blade = 5.  Not sure about others standards, but IMO a 12.5% failure rate is way too high.

In contrast - I believe my harvest numbers are very close to that same number with the Zwickey Black Diamond Delta with the bleeders.  I spent a lot of time meticulously sharpening and honing those little blades.  Not one single failure.  And usually VERY short blood trails!

[Smoke]

driving the quad into the woods... hiking to the stand... setting down for the long wait and realizing I left my release back at camp....

[Annette]

My bowhunting mistakes have been numerous and hurtful.
Not waiting on cold calling setups costs me at least one bull per year for the last 30 years. Those hurt something fierce because you know better.
For many years I'd had a 3 or 5 pin fixed sight. Any critter at 33.75 yards would be in trouble. I'd just put all the pins somewhere close, but that doesn't pan out to well at all if it's not at that exact distance. RAD's Little Thing of centering the pin versus the sight frame handed me plenty of misses over those years. Switching to a single pin movable fixed that problem instantly.
Moving too fast through the woods has hurt me over the years. Getting some fleece stalking booties has helped a ton to slow me down and make me conscious of the noise and speed I was making.
Poor Shoot/Don't Shoot skills hurt my success in the early years.
Not stretching my effective range through focused practice hampered me.

 
Just let it go!!

Not seeing a limb has cost me dearly many times. (A 360 bull at 16 yards last year). 

[tgomez]

Used the 30 yard pin on a 24 yard shot. Shot over the bucks back! HAIRCUT

[RadSav]

Used the 30 yard pin on a 24 yard shot. Shot over the bucks back! HAIRCUT

Dude, you need a faster bow! 

Or some bigger deer to shoot at!   

[elk247]

Having my bow in the case on the way to elk camp two days before the opener. Cinnamon Bruin 35 yd chip shot that I never had the chance to take.

Pushing a blood trail too soon after a shot. Biggest mistake imo for new bowhunters.

The next biggest mistake is being dependant on your rangefinder.

Finally, shot placement. Quartering to shots are not something I care for on elk. I would rather move to either side or wait for the opportunity to take a broadside or frontal. Quartering away is perfect!

[GameHunter1959]

Can someone answer these simple questions...

If I am shooting "up hill" at say...40 yards. Where do I place the 40 yard pin?

If I am shooting "down hill at say...40 yards. Where do I place the 40 yard pin?

Lastly..

Last season I used an average range finder. You press the button and it gives you a range; nothing fancy. This year I would like to upgrade to a nice unit specific to archery, but I would like to be able to range out to 600 yards during the modern rifle elk season. I am not ready to hunt elk with a bow- IMO.

Any suggestions on an awesome unit?

Thanks GH

[andrew_in_idaho]

First year bowhunting I stalked within about 10 yards of a 170" bedded muley, wind was stiff, unchanging and in my favor, the buck was bedded in some tall grass and all I could see were those antlers and ears, he had zero clue I was within a mile much less 10 yards. But being young, dumb, and impatient I thought if I drew my bow and stood slowly I could sneak an arrow into his vitals and be done with it, not the case, but seeing his eyes bug out of his head was almost as satisfying(I'm lying to myself). I have never in my life seen a muley move as quickly as that buck did that day