Lets hear about the your biggest mistake in 2017

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bowfreak8
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Re: Lets hear about the your biggest mistake in 2017

Unread postby bowfreak8 » Wed Feb 21, 2018 1:41 am

Grunted in a 140 inch 10 point to 20 yards and stuck him right in the shoulder. The arrow broke off right where the broad head screws in. This was a buck I had hundreds of trail cam pics of since the summer and was just waiting for him to slip up. Still haunting me to this day.

I am trying to learn from this and make some changes.
1. Switching from mechanical heads back to fixed (Wasp Drone)
2. Bought a much newer faster bow ( Mathews DXT to Mathews Halon)
3. Shooting 70lb draw weight (was shooting 65)

At the end of the day these changes will help if this situation happens again but bottom line is the opportunity was perfect and I just made a poor shot. Wasn't nervous just blew it.


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Jonny
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Re: Lets hear about the your biggest mistake in 2017

Unread postby Jonny » Wed Feb 21, 2018 1:50 am

Lack of preparation when it comes to being ready with my gear, and having spots to hunt. I really shot myself in the foot because I only planned on hunting big woods, when I had multiple days I sat around doing nothing when I could have been diving into a marsh by my house. I also was not prepared enough with my ability to hang my stand/sticks quickly and efficiently and I know that cost me a buck with the bow (shot that buck with my gun as redemption). Also put off most of my bow shooting until the month before the season and ended up not having the confidence I wanted in my bow.

The other one is forgetting to have fun. When I'm not having fun, I don't enjoy hunting. Ended up worrying about other people, or my school stuff when I should have been focusing on my hunting at the time. Getting worried about somebody getting mad if I show up late to dinner so I don't go hunt 2 hours back in the swamp like I wanted to and hunt the hardwoods by the road instead and don't really gain anything from the hunt, and feel like I just wasted a sit without learning anything new.

2017 was an interesting year for me, and I think I learned a lot about life and trying to find the balance between meeting demands of me that I have to fulfill, and getting my fill of hunting. Didn't think the line was that fine, but it is what it is. Still surprised I actually killed something given how crappy my season was going into gun season. Just goes to show your season can go from bad to good in a matter of seconds. And good to great in 15 minutes.

It's really interesting reading about everybody else's mistakes. Might seem dumb to write about it, or bring up the past, but there is a lot to be learned knowing that the hunters you really look up to still have bad days in the woods and are human. Ultimately shows that becoming a great hunter is all between the ears, and in your heart, and not anywhere else.

Good stuff guys
You have a monkey Mr. Munson?
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<DK>
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Re: Lets hear about the your biggest mistake in 2017

Unread postby <DK> » Wed Feb 21, 2018 1:56 am

Biggest mistake I made was thinking I could be over prepared for the season.
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Re: Lets hear about the your biggest mistake in 2017

Unread postby Rome » Wed Feb 21, 2018 2:32 am

I made a lot of mistakes trying bed stalking/still hunting this year.

The biggest mistake I made twice, and probably will again. I had bucks spotted, bedded, within 30 yards, and would have had shots if they stood up. I should've waited, but pushed closer, got myself in areas i couldn't shoot, and the greed cost me.
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Re: Lets hear about the your biggest mistake in 2017

Unread postby tgreeno » Wed Feb 21, 2018 2:35 am

I think all other "mistakes" pale in comparison to wounding a deer and not finding it! This has happened to me 3 times. And every time it's sickening.
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Re: Lets hear about the your biggest mistake in 2017

Unread postby hambone » Wed Feb 21, 2018 2:59 am

My biggest mistake of 2017 was not testing ever single piece of my equipment. Somehow, I got ahold of a Montec imposter after one of my broadheads went missing. I have my suspicions as to where the original Montec broadhead disappeared to, but it is still somewhat of a mystery to me. I've never shot a bad flying Montec, or had one spin badly, so...I screwed the Chong-Tec onto my arrow, thinking it was a Montec. The deer I was after, stepped into the wide open at 27 yds. It was 4:30 PM. I drew, took my time, picked the exit spot and expected to see my arrow disappear behind the bucks shoulder. The arrow flew so low, that I didn't even see my lighted nock, nor could I tell where it hit. I only knew that I had missed. Not until the next day, when I FINALLY inspected my equipment, did I discover the betrayal. I have no clue as to where the broadhead came from, but I do know where it went! btw, Don't make the same mistake I did, in this regard, either...I almost let this incident ruin my season. The fact my Son killed the buck a few days later, made the medicine a little easier to swallow. The deer was a mature 164" deer. All these years later, and still being taught hard lessons, by the little things. I did get a chance to redeem myself with an actual Montec tipped arrow, after firearms season. It was another mature buck at 27 yds. This one fell whithin sight.
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Jonny
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Re: Lets hear about the your biggest mistake in 2017

Unread postby Jonny » Wed Feb 21, 2018 3:21 am

tgreeno wrote:I think all other "mistakes" pale in comparison to wounding a deer and not finding it! This has happened to me 3 times. And every time it's sickening.


I disagree. The biggest mistake is making a mistake, and not learning from it. I have wounded 2 deer and know exactly why they didn't end up in my truck, or alive to see another day. The first was getting down from my tree too early without letting the buck die, and the second was an unethical shot.

We all make mistakes and I guarantee everybody has or will wound a deer. It happens and is acceptable, provided you figure out why you missed, and do everything you can to fix the mistake and prevent it from happening. I passed up a shot at what would have been the biggest buck my family has ever shot in 50+ seasons of deer hunting because I wasn't confident in my ability to take the shot that I had, and flashbacks to the heartbreak of losing another buck on a similar shot. The big buck lived, and I have no regrets over it.

I don't want to know how bad I would've felt if I made the same mistake twice and wounded another buck. Happy I didn't have to find out. Make a mistake once, you're human. Make it twice, now there is a problem
You have a monkey Mr. Munson?
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Re: Lets hear about the your biggest mistake in 2017

Unread postby Grizzlyadam » Wed Feb 21, 2018 4:11 am

^ I agree. Losing a deer is the best learning experience a hunter can have. We analyze everything that went wrong and ensure that it never happens again. It leaves a mark and does hurt though.
I had a darn good 2017 deer season, nothing sticks out that I screwed up with too bad. I would say that I did not move around as much as I could have and probably ended up over hunting some spots.
Spring turkey was a different story. I was running and gunning with the bow. I had two nice toms all fired up so I hit the dirt at the base of a big oak tree while they closed the distance. When they came in to about 15 yards I drew from my knees and picked a spot. They were both standing next to each other with about a two inch gap between their heads. I figured I would aim there and either hit one or the other. Wrong!! Arrow went perfectly between them exactly where I was aiming. :doh:
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Re: Lets hear about the your biggest mistake in 2017

Unread postby BradC36 » Wed Feb 21, 2018 4:28 am

1. Hunted too much, scouted too little
2.Passed an opportunity at a nice 3.5 because I was too indecisive and underestimated him at first glance
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Re: Lets hear about the your biggest mistake in 2017

Unread postby harold » Wed Feb 21, 2018 12:24 pm

Where to start? :lol: I have many, but I'll share the one I learned the most from.

I was doing an all day sit in early November on a bench. To access this spot I come in from the top and descend the steep side above the bench. This morning I got a little far to the right and instead of walking directly to the tree I hit the edge of the bench thirty yards or so to the side. Wanting to get set up as quickly as possible I just turned and walked down a narrow deer trail that runs about five yards behind my spot.

Fast forward to about 9:30 and I peeked behind me to see a nice buck coming off the hillside quartering toward me. As he's about to step onto the trail at nearly the very same spot I did and walk directly behind me he freezes, pauses, and then changes directions to walk across the bench now quartering away from me. I had no shot in that direction as thick as it is and don't feel comfortable at that distance anyway.

Lesson learned. Access, access, access. Ground scent is just as critical as the wind. Take your time and do it right.
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Rob loper
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Re: Lets hear about the your biggest mistake in 2017

Unread postby Rob loper » Wed Feb 21, 2018 12:48 pm

Ill let you know the long list of misakes im sure im gonna make in 2018. So im sure this will be bumped a year from now lol
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Re: Lets hear about the your biggest mistake in 2017

Unread postby bigbucks1234 » Wed Feb 21, 2018 3:54 pm

My biggest mistake of last year was a failure to even make a move on a possible opportunity. November 1st I traveled to north central Wisconsin for a 5 day bowhunt. This is big woods with a few rolling hills public. A half mile from my parking spot a beautiful 8 pt jumps the logging road in front of me at 10 am. It didn't even dawn on me I could do something here :doh: :doh: In stead I drove to my parking spot and carried on with my preset plan. In hindsight, I could have possibly tracked this buck as we got a couple of inches of snow during the night and at the very least back tracked this buck possibly to a bedding area in the process learning how he was navigating the area. Lesson learned, get better at RECOGNIZING an opportunity like that. Miles and miles of public ground and a big buck sighting and I did nothing with it. That buck could be taught me so much if I would have taken up his track, either pushing him or backtracking him in the fresh snow.
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Re: Lets hear about the your biggest mistake in 2017

Unread postby tjraley2 » Wed Feb 21, 2018 4:15 pm

My hunting time was limited, but I had plenty of time to screw up.

1) I learned that just because you shoot a doe doesn’t mean you’ve messed up the area for a few days. If the conditions are right and the deer are bedding nearby, hunt it. I hunted a small food plot near bedding on Oct. 29 and took a doe. Saw nothing but small bucks the rest of the evening. The next evening, two of our target deer, a 4 year old 8 and a 5 year old 10 hit the field an hour and a half before daylight. Seeing the pics made me sick. I was back in the field the next evening and the same 8 and 10 came out right at dark. I took the 20 yd broadside shot at the 10, hit it just behind the front should about 1/3 of the way up his body, had a complete pass through and great blood and then the trail went cold. Got pics of him a week later. He was shot about 300 yards from that stand in December and the meat from his front shoulders was discarded due to infection. No clue how he lived.

2) I learned I need to ditch the climber and get either a saddle or sticks and lock on stand. I put myself about 20yd out of the game on public and had to watch as my deer of choice returned to his bed one morning.

3) I learned I need to secure my arrows better. I saved a spot for a cold day during our January rut (Deep South). I got out of bed at 2:30 am, drove over an hour, strapped my bow to my backpack, crossed 4 creeks without waders, walked through 2 miles of thick brush, packed in all my clothes for a 19 degree morning (real cold for here), climbed the perfect tree, got all setup, turned to nock an arrow and realized they had all been pulled from my quiver on the walk in. The thick brush plucked them out 1 at a time. I found only one arrow on my way out. All that work for nothing.
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Re: Lets hear about the your biggest mistake in 2017

Unread postby Nocturnal » Thu Feb 22, 2018 3:12 am

A couple mistakes made on my part were getting to close when the sign was hot enough to sit further back.

Second was getting in later than I should have a couple times.

3rd for me was not properly trimming trails in a couple areas and taking me twice as long to get in and setting up later then I like. Falling back on my 2nd comment.
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Re: Lets hear about the your biggest mistake in 2017

Unread postby Kraftd » Thu Feb 22, 2018 4:31 am

My biggest mistake was probably taking a mental break during the rut. Hunted hard early, had two bucks dead by November 10. Got caught up in work and getting the home front in order a bit and should have pushed hard another week or two. From what I observed driving around, the kill zone here, and some buddies, the big boys came off lockdown around then and some slobs hit the dirt the following week in my area. I've realized I have a tendency to do this the last couple of years. Probably worth pacing myself starting in September a little more to be peaking during the best chance I have to kill a giant.

Other than that didn't miss, made good quick kills on the two bucks I shot, learned some new areas. Getting cleaner, but always things to learn from. Couple of times pulled up short of where I wanted to be and didn't go well, few times tried to lean too hard on cyber scouting instead of field scouting and realized I couldn't get in quiet enough for it to work, and pushed the wind too close a couple of times and got busted. Keep on keeping on.


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