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What bonehead mistakes have you made?

4K views 57 replies 53 participants last post by  BRODIESDAD 
#1 ·
what mistakes have you made while hunting. I've gotten out of my blind and had turkeys within 15 yards away. I've climbed down from stand and had a monster buck 20 yards bolt away. I also have walked half a mile to my stand and forgotten my release. How bout you guys?
 
#2 ·
One misty drizzly morning I climbed down from my stand to go home at about 10 o'clock. But before leaving, I wanted to snip a twig off that was in one of my shooting lanes. Left my bow with arrow still nocked hanging from the stand and just when I got to the twig, I saw a nice buck come and put his nose to the ground about 40 yards from my stand. Great timing dumass. So I manage to sneak back about 10 yards to my bow still hanging from the rope. Tried to grab my bow without taking my eyes off the buck. Bad idea. At the time I was using aluminum arrows and my bow swung around tapping the arrow against my quik stik ladder. He didn't like that:embara::mad:
All I had to do was stay in my stand about three more minutes.:doh::frusty:
 
#3 ·
This past fall I blew it on a big bull for a buddy. I was calling and videoing for his hunt. I got a 300-320" bull in to about 15 yards, but it wouldn't come past a brush screen to give him a shot. I stayed put trying to get the "ABSOLUTE BEST" video of a monster bull being shot. What I should have done was backed up the hill 100 yards. The bull would have stepped on him to get to me, and we would have had a dead bull. As it was, all we got was a ton of footage and no kill shot: all because of my greed. That was BONEHEAD 101!
 
#7 ·
I went hunting with a friend who had the ok to hunt some land that was surounded by a big state park. The land we were on was about 12,000 ac. Well after a morning hunt with no deer we went to get lunch. As we were looking at the map a park ranger came over to our table and told us that the ranch is now state park land. The owner died after last hunting season and willed the land to the park. There were no signs no new maps just me and my bow hunting right in the middle of a state park. Real glad we didnt see any deer that morning.
 
#8 ·
This past year was the year of "bonehead moves" for me.

Late last October I set a stand on a ridge I never hunted before. The tree I wanted to set the stand in was aobut 40 yards away from the tree I actaully set the stand in. Dont ask me why I did it, but when I set it I knew I was going to get burned. A week later I hunted the stand of the first time. Around 7:30am I had a doe with a gorgeous 150" 10 pionter (neighbor shot him gun season) dogging her. He was aobut 40 yards behind her and she was coming right for me. First off, they came within 10 yards of the tree I WANTED to place the stand in the first place. Second, I chose a tree that didnt have much cover and when the doe got to within 5 yards form the base of my tree she stopped to eat acorns and decided to look up at the camo dressed moron up in the tree. She got spooky and took the buck down the ridge with her. I never could get a clear shot at him. I learned that you should trust your gut instinct and never be in a hurry.

Second "bonehead" move I made this year was in early November. At 11am my cell phone starts vibrating. It was my little brother who was hunting a different part of our farm. He shot a doe and needed help dragging her out. So I was going to get down and drive around to the other side of the farm to meet him. I look around and I make sure theres no deer coming. I lower my bow to the ground with a rope and climb down the tree. I get to the ground and untie my bow from the rope and look down there ridge about 75 yards and here is a 140" 8 pionter looking at me. If I would have waited 5 more minutes to get down, I know I would have atleast had an oppurtunity at him.

I have done alot of stupid things over there years, but those two situations are still eating at me. Thats why they call it hunting!!!
 
#10 ·
It would probably be easier to discuss bonehead mistakes I haven't made. I have dropped by bow (from the tree stand), forgot my boots (hunted in dress shoes), forgot to pack my release (I know leave one in the truck), drove to Nebraska without my range finder. I could go on forever these are just some recent ones that come to mind.
 
#11 ·
No tag

My buddy had a javalina tag and he and his son were going to rifle hunt in AZ. He lived about 60 miles from me. He asked me if I wanted to go along. Not wanting him to go hunting alone, I said OK. He said be sure to wear your camo. At 6 am I met him at his home in AZ before heading to his hunting area. When I was unloading my gear into his truck, he said, "Where is your bow?"

"My bow, why? I don't have a javalina tag."

He said, "Yea but you can buy an archery deer tag on the way as they have left over tags over the counter!"

An early morning call to my sleeping wife was not appreciated!!! In her jammies, she brought my bow and arrows half way to shorten our trip to get my gear.

No deer and no javalina, but a fun trip anyway. At least I was hunting!!!
 
#14 ·
2 yrs ago i was huntin what i figured was a 160" -165" 12 pnt. Seen him several times, always out of bow range, with no presentable shot. Sneaked close to his core area and hung a stand. 3 weeks later, got down out of the tree, with my bow still hanging, (don't ask) and had him behind a doe at 30 yards looking at me. I'm standing there looking back with my bow in the tree behind me. I backed up, climbed back in the tree, all the while with him and the doe watching me. They didn't smell me, so they didn't really spook. The doe was very curious as to what i was, and came within 15 yards of my tree. Not the big 12 pnt. He angled off and never gave me a shot. Never saw him again. I don't think anybody shot him or i would have heard about it. If i would have sat 5 more minutes she was bringing him right by me gift wrapped!
 
#15 ·
i bought

a bowtech....:zip:
 
#17 ·
While hunting some lower ground on Duncley pass a few years ago. My son & I had set up on a small pond one evening a couple hundred yards apart. We could hear sheep moving towards us off in the distance(crapola).With every hour that went by they were getting closer. Finally convinced myself we were wasting time ,got up & walked to my son. Had just informed him that nothing would be moving to the water with all the sheep so close & he pushed me to the ground.Standing on the oposite end of the blown down quakie I HAD JUST BEEN SITTING ON:mad: was a nice 5x5 bull & his 4 cows. Folks, were talking 25 yds max! My son has been known to have his pants down & his bow hanging 10' away when they come thru:wink:
 
#20 ·
the biggest mistake was killing a deer. now thats all i can think about and it controls my life.
 
#19 ·
the biggest mistake was killing a deer. now thats all i can think about and it controls my life.
 
#21 ·
I went hunting with a hydration bladder straw attached over my left shoulder hanging down towards my heart. I had a broadside bear at 30 yards, the only bear that I have ever hat a shot at and the 1st of only 2 that I have seen in the woods. When I released, my string cought the straw and pulled it into my left forearm. My arrow went about 5 ft to the right, into a tree and my arm had a huge welt. I was to mad and still am. :mad: (Never hang those over your left shoulder!)

I slipped and broke my release on the ground, but brought a spare that was at camp so it wasn't so bad.:embara:

Left camp without my contacts in and couldn't tell until it got light.:confused:

went out with low gps batteries and my spares were bad from the last time I swaped them out and didn't replace them with new ones.

Went out with my arrows not shooting straight, they fishtailed quite a bit but were accurate, and missed a nice 6 point bull elk because my arrow hit a tree about 5 inches from the back. The window was plenty big for a straight flying arrow. The bull was 23 yards. I didn't shoot an elk that year.:cry::cry:

I could go on and on. :mad::cry:
 
#22 ·
I was in the tree a few years ago and saw a couple of does making their way towards me. They stopped about 50 yards away and started looking at my tree, stomping, snorting, the whole 9 yards. When they finally ran away, I realized that I had left my strapper retriever unwound and hanging from my stand. Thank God it wasn't a big buck!
 
#23 ·
re

Once while buck hunting during rifle season( I was young) a nice 10 point came behind the tree I was in. It looked like he was alone. I turned around got into position for a shot, took my eye off from him for like 20 seconds, aimed and shot. A deer goes down, and the big buck stands up(it must have laid down when I was positioning for a shot, and a smaller deer appeared) The big ten point runs away and I ended up killing a spike. I learned my lesson that year. Dont take your eye off the deer you wanna kill
 
#24 ·
I was 12 years old and had just got my hunting license (had to take a 6 hour course to get it at the time). I drove 3 hours with my dad to go dove hunting and as I was loading my shotgun, I realized that I left my license at home!

At least I didn't have to lug the shotgun around all day while my dad got his limit!
 
#26 ·
I know better.

I did something last elk season that was really dumb. I had a rough night with almost no sleep chasing a bad bear out of my cook tent several times in our main camp. The next morning I got up about 3:30 am to head for an area where there had been a real nice six by seven hanging out with three cows. I got to the area and got the bull to answer me a couple of times. I spent the whole morning following them around, but couldn't get close enough for a shot. Things got quiet and I lost them in the thick stuff. I stopped to have a snack and just listen for a while. I was in between two downed trees in the sunshine. I made the mistake of laying back against my pack and fell asleep. Sometime later I awoke and looked at the time. I had been asleep for almost two hours. I was kind of upset with myself and immediately stood up without looking around first. Guess who was standing broadside, quartering away, looking at his girlfriends down the hill, at only 30 yds. I got a real good look at him as he jumped out of his skin and took off. It almost doesn't get any better than a shot like that and I was asleep at the switch. Then, I pull a little kid mistake at 52 years old. I guess every once and a while simple lessons need to be re-enforced. O well, something else to look back and laugh about.
 
#27 ·
Coming up with a plan, then not sticking with it.

There's a place I used to rifle hunt for elk. Perfect spot to get in just before shooting light, and try to ambush them as they head back into the timber. One year I got back there early 45 minutes before shooting light. Five other hunters blew past me right into the opening and chased the herd over the top.:mad: Over the top on the other side was a guy that shot a small 6x6 from that herd. I talked to him and he said he's there every year.

The next year I saw the same hunters the afternoon before opening day. That evening I glassed 25 elk out feeding in this opening before dark. I figured the same guys would do the same thing that year, so had to come up with another plan. I knew the same guy would be in his spot over the top, so I needed to get up there and cut them off before they got to him. The only way was up a severe slope all the way to the top. Nobody else would be going in that way. So that's what I did. Unfortunately, near the top there were multiple meadows scattered all over the place. I didn't want to blow through these to get to where I needed to be before shooting light.

I should have done it anyway.:mad: 10 minutes after shooting light I heard two shots from the direction I was heading. As I got to the top I could see the five other hunters in the big opening where the elk had been the night before. I continued on to where the other hunter sets up, and he had a really nice 6x6 laying there. I should have gone to the spot I wanted to and been there when they came through, but I didn't want to spook anything else out of the meadows in the dark. Oh well.
 
#28 ·
I was hunting a small overgrown field one evening, and was getting quite bored. I hadn't seen the first deer, and there were ALWAYS deer in this field in the evening. About dark I decided to hang it up for the night. I put my release in my pocket, and clipped my bow to the rope. I was just about to drop my bow, and I heard something running. I look up and 3 does go bolting across the field like thier tails were on fire. Behind them was the biggest buck I have ever seen, dead or alive. I get my bow off the rope, and release on the bow string. About the time he stops, I decide he was at 40yrds. I bury that pin in his chest, and squeeze off the shot. I watched that Luminock dissappear with that distinct thump we all know, and start freaking out. I'm not talking about the I just killed a deer, freaking out, I'm talking, I just killed the state record for my FIRST bow kill. Well I didn't wait long to climb down, and check out the situation. I get out to the field and find no blood and no arrow. After a little looking, I find no blood and decided it would be best to wait until morning after the next hunt. I slipped into my stand, and right before shooting light, he steps out. I was in AWWW! I was for sure that I was going to find him dead, after I climbed down, but here he was standing in the field. Just to make matters worse, he walks to about 25yrds, and looks directly at me and wanders off into the woods. The shot was actually 54yrds, NEVER again will I hunt without a range finder.
 
#29 ·
Very small peice of property so i can only hunt it with a west north west wind. Had a great weekend of hunting comeing up. saterday i get there only to find out i left my quiver at home with all my arrows. Sunday i get there early afternoon to find out my hunting boots are at home. I have on clean socks and my hunting slippers i use to and from home. Well let me say they dont keep your feet dry, socks clean of warm. After the ditch i crossed i threw them away at the end of the day.
 
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