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Dumb things done while hunting, that you knew better, and it cost you.

Let's see.... Didn't tie the platform to the seat climber, and watched it slide down the tree when I pulled my feet out to turn around. (A friend had to come help on that one) Tried to jump off the side of an old Baker stand, when it was three feet off the ground. (It spun, I fell hard, and lay there for a good while thinking I was really messed up} Recently passed up a chance to get some hard to find cartridges, thinking I could find them cheaper. (That was just plain dumb!)
There are more, but I will stop before I really start looking stupid!
 
I've had so many, I can't count them. I was bowhunting back when we had the week of archery between ml and gun in November. I was hunting with a Martin with double hatchet cams. What was back then a really nice 8 point sneaked in right beside my stand. Less than 10 yards. I managed to get stood up, bow in hand, turned around in position to shoot without scaring him. He was broadside, licking his shoulder so that his head was hid from me - PERFECT! I went to draw my bow that cold November morning and in my cold state, I could not break the cams over the hump. I pulled and pulled. I finally pointed the bow up toward the heavens and drew one last time - the arrow fell off the rest, the buck took off like a bullet and was gone! Sold that bow and bought a Mathews the next season.

One morning during ML season, it was drizzling the rain. I had put a percussion cap on my American Knight ML once I was up in my tree. I was watching a squirrel on the ground, when all at once, he ran up a small tree - hanging upside down, he started looking out the ridge, wagging his tail. I watched the same direction he was watching and sure enough, here came the biggest buck I'd ever seen in the woods at that time in my life. He was trotting like he was on the scent of a doe. He made it about 80 yards from me and cut down in the holler and disappeared. I pulled out my can call and hit a few times. In a couple of minutes, he came back up on the ridge and straight to me, stopped about 40 yards broadside....just like he'd read the script. I put my crosshairs on him and pulled the trigger - SNAP! HUH??? I looked down - no percussion cap!! It had fallen off. Normally, I have one right at hand, but since it was raining, I had stuck them in a pocket. But, in my nervous state, I couldn't remember what pocket! He got nervous and took off running. Never saw him again. I was sick.

These are but the tip of the iceberg! I've often thought about, and even started one time - writing a book about these type experiences and the hunting lessons I learned and the life lessons I've learned. Maybe someday.
 
DMD said:
I've had so many, I can't count them. I was bowhunting back when we had the week of archery between ml and gun in November. I was hunting with a Martin with double hatchet cams. What was back then a really nice 8 point sneaked in right beside my stand. Less than 10 yards. I managed to get stood up, bow in hand, turned around in position to shoot without scaring him. He was broadside, licking his shoulder so that his head was hid from me - PERFECT! I went to draw my bow that cold November morning and in my cold state, I could not break the cams over the hump. I pulled and pulled. I finally pointed the bow up toward the heavens and drew one last time - the arrow fell off the rest, the buck took off like a bullet and was gone! Sold that bow and bought a Mathews the next season.

One morning during ML season, it was drizzling the rain. I had put a percussion cap on my American Knight ML once I was up in my tree. I was watching a squirrel on the ground, when all at once, he ran up a small tree - hanging upside down, he started looking out the ridge, wagging his tail. I watched the same direction he was watching and sure enough, here came the biggest buck I'd ever seen in the woods at that time in my life. He was trotting like he was on the scent of a doe. He made it about 80 yards from me and cut down in the holler and disappeared. I pulled out my can call and hit a few times. In a couple of minutes, he came back up on the ridge and straight to me, stopped about 40 yards broadside....just like he'd read the script. I put my crosshairs on him and pulled the trigger - SNAP! HUH??? I looked down - no percussion cap!! It had fallen off. Normally, I have one right at hand, but since it was raining, I had stuck them in a pocket. But, in my nervous state, I couldn't remember what pocket! He got nervous and took off running. Never saw him again. I was sick.

These are but the tip of the iceberg! I've often thought about, and even started one time - writing a book about these type experiences and the hunting lessons I learned and the life lessons I've learned. Maybe someday.
Click to expand...
There are a million ways hunting a mature buck can go wrong, and about 3 ways it can go right!
 
Just now. Reading TNdeer while on stand. I look up and a pair of mature does were just staring at me. They saw me look up, flagged up and alarm snorted and sped outta here to parts unknown.
 
I used to be an above average shot with a bow. I used to shoot all the time. Back when I shot all the time, had a nice buck come in one morning. One of the very few times in all my hunting that when I shot at a deer with a bow, it didn't leave the area. I shot in front of him, he was facing to my right. I knocked another arrow, shot again, almost hit the first arrow. Maybe a 15 yard shot. I had no clue. Went to George Curevich archery store that day, Glen was there. I told him what happened. Went out back and shot I hit way right couple times in a row. Glen told me to give him my release, he went inside and came back out with release and told me to shoot again, I was back shooting as well as I could. Like now, I hunted every second I could, no matter the weather. My release had some rust and without realizing it, when I squeezed the trigger I pulling my bow to the right, I shot over 80 lbs at 50 percent let off back then. I killed that buck the next time I saw him.
 
Common mistake I've made is losing sight of an animal, trying to anticipate what it will do, and getting busted moving in to a different position. This has also worked, but I've been busted more times moving than staying still and letting things play out.
 

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