# Bow hunting mistakes



## Bowdacious (Sep 16, 2007)

Who likes to fess up to mistakes? I don't. My dog doesn't. Few of my friends do. My wife surely doesn't. The president doesn't even make mistakes.....

It has been my goal during bow season to never repeat a mistake, but after each season I still can add at least one"major mistake" to the never repeat list.

Last year I had a new bow set up and eliminated my 20 yard pin. Well In the heat of the moment of a big bull elk screaming at me from 30 yards away I used my 40 yard pin instead of my 30....I shot him back (hard quartering away shot) and high....just below the back of his back straps....no mans land....three drops of blood, bull not recovered. I added that to my "do not repeat" list!

Let's hear your "never repeat" mistakes of bow hunting.


----------



## manysteps (Sep 28, 2009)

Never trust a "wire range finder" (one of those things that you measure back to brisket) to tell you a deer is 40 yards when he's really 20...

Mistakes, oh, I've made tons, and I've learned from every one. That's just the first "archery" one that came to mind.


----------



## bow_dude (Aug 20, 2009)

Sight your bow in with the bow quiver on the bow. Don't shoot with gloves on unless you sight your bow in with the gloves on. Re-sight your bow in at hunting elevation once you get to camp. Always shoot your broad heads to make sure they hit where you expect them to. When shooting longer distances and there are overhanging trees or brush, if shooting a multi pin sight, check to see if your 20 or 30 yard pin are on line with the obstacle even though you are shooting 40 yards. When using a single pin sight, set the yardage for the average distance that can be shot in the terrain you are hunting in. While hunting, take the time to smell the roses. The ultimate goal is to enjoy yourself, not be so caught up in killing something.


----------



## Mr Muleskinner (Feb 14, 2012)

I failed to knock an arrow my first time. I did take the shot though............dry fired.:smile:


----------



## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I got surprised by one of the biggest bucks that I have ever seen, drew the string and arrow back and watched the arrow flutter out of the bow like a wounded duck for about 15 yards before it hit the ground. All I can figure is that I just pulled the string back a couple of inches instead of a full draw.


----------



## Bow hunter mojo (Oct 12, 2013)

I have had my arrow fall off the rest on draw. this happened on 3 different occasions. Now i have wisened up and changed my arrow rest so this doesn't happen any more.


----------



## polarbear (Aug 1, 2011)

I was wearing those stupid fold-back floppy mittens. I drew back on a deer 20 yards away only to have the mitten hit the release mid draw. The arrow sailed over the deer's back. Knocked another arrow, mitten hit the release again, and stuck in a tree right in front of the deer. Mittens went in the trash.


----------



## Huntin8 (Jul 15, 2013)

My first bow hunt, I was walking with my uncle when we walked to 40 yards of a nice 4, I nocked an arrow and was about to draw when my uncle pulled an arrow out of his quiver and clinked it on the frame and the buck ran off.


----------



## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

I'm not a super patient person and I need to learn to sit still and hug a tree. I can't tell you how many times I have moved from a spot, only to find deer/elk in that exact spot later in the morning/day. Be patient, hold still and wait.;-)


----------



## hoghunter011583 (Jul 21, 2008)

I made a terrible mistake last year. My bow is a slow shooter and I keep my range to 30 yards. Well, it was the end of the season and I had a shot at 40 yards. I made a perfect shot, problem is the deer took a few steps in the time it took to make contact and I hit the back ham!! I was sick but I did watch that deer for 2 months over the winter and I'm it survived the winter but it made me solidified on keeping withen my range!!


----------



## Spry Yellowdog (Sep 8, 2007)

The switching wind is never your friend. I have learned that so many times i quit counting when I ran out of fingers and toes to count with.

Spry


----------



## Bucksnort (Nov 15, 2007)

When I drew back on my first elk (a cow of all things), I was so excited i never even attempted to look down my sights. Just pulled back and let it go about 6 feet over her back, all while staring at her. I did not even bother looking for the arrow after it launched into the next county.


----------



## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

I missed a broadside shot at a raghorn elk at 10 yards. I was staring at his antlers when I shot and that's exactly where my arrow went. He just stood there while I grabbed another arrow and dropped it on the ground. Can you say "buck fever?"


----------



## APD (Nov 16, 2008)

i shot a 30 pin on a 20 yard shot. to make things worse it was a 33 degree slope so that shortened the distance that much more. it was a quick decision since i busted his twin brother out of the same bed i was shocked to see him still bedded and staring at me. no time to think and just made a bad shot. it was a clean miss by an inch or so above the back.


----------



## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

I've made lots of mistakes, but three really haunt me:

1. My friend behind me had the rangefinder on a Wasatch LE hunt. Had a really big bull at 54 yards, but I thought he was 65-70 so I let him walk. Solution: always carry the rangefinder. 

2. Drew way too early and a good 5x5 bull on a general unit. By the time he was 42 and broadside, I was shaking so bad I blew the shot (buck fever played into this one, as well). Solution: there is no solution on this one. Bowhunting is all about timing on the draw and there's a lot of guesswork that goes into this. 

3. Waited for 90 minutes on my knees for a good 4x4 to stand up. When he did, the sagebrush was covering his vitals and I couldn't shoot. Solution: stand if possible so low brush won't get in the way. I stood after my next stalk and waited for a couple of hours for the buck to stand. When he did, I drilled him.


----------



## Bowdacious (Sep 16, 2007)

Early on in my bow hunting, spot and stalk career, I would often go to where I knew the animals were. I soon realized it was much more beneficial to go to where the animal would be and meet him with a broadhead tipped arrow....even if it is longer and takes more work.


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Never ever, I mean ever, hang your call around your neck when bow hunting. An elk call caught in a bow string when releasing an arrow is a significant event.

.


----------



## bowhunt3r4l1f3 (Jan 12, 2011)

On my LE elk hunt I had setup a tree stand and had been sitting in it all day. I kept thinking to myself "you should really clear out those branches there, they could be in a shooting lane..." needless to say a very nice 6 point bull cam running into the watering hole I drew back and those branches were covering his vitals. I couldn't believe he stopped right there! I will never make that mistake again!


----------



## Idratherbehunting (Jul 17, 2013)

I posted about this in the ground blind discussion, but make sure your cam is not resting/touching something when you release. No matter how much you practice in different positions, something will be a little different when you draw back. My buddy gave a spike elk a pretty good scare when his cam that was either on his leg or the ground made his bow kick up a little. The shaft of the arrow hit the spike on the back.


----------



## klbzdad (Apr 3, 2012)

I tell the story about how my very first buck was taken by shooting him right between the eyes because that is all I could see. Truth is, he stood up out of his bed and was quartered toward me a tiny bit and I used my 40 pin for 30 yards.......this:










And I don't want to hear about the mullet. I murdered that thing twenty five years ago!


----------



## Dunkem (May 8, 2012)

Wish I had the hair to grow a mullet :mullet:


----------



## utahgolf (Sep 8, 2007)

I'm not an archery guy but I was always curious about shooting from a tree stand. I see multiple shows where they shoot over a deer from a treestand and they show tons of footage of them practicing on a level archery range. If hunting from a treestand, wouldn't you want to practice from an elevated position the most instead plugging arrows away from a level position?


----------



## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

i have learned to take my time and sit longer at a spot. All was go with your gut feeling. Last year ranged a deer at 60 but my mind and gut was telling me to shoot for 70 up hill. Nope I shot for the 60 and it went way short lol. another one dont ajust for the deer to take a step aim at teh same spot as if her was going to stand there. done that and shot right in front of his noise as he stuck his head out further to eat that was on a 5x5. Another you got a shot take it dont look for a better opening to take it. i did this on a big 4x4 and he ran off. those last two have gave me bad nights of sleep.


----------



## UtahMountainMan (Jul 20, 2010)

Mistakes while bow hunting. Oh man, there are a bunch. A few that stand out:

1 - Not having a range finder that calculates ARC. First year, a buck was bedded 40 yards uphill from me. I estimated the distance and when he stood I shot. The arrow went just under him. Same year, I was in a tree stand, a cow elk walks into the wallow I was sitting over. I shot and watched the arrow literally shave hairs off the top of her back, no blood, 2 hairs. 

2 - Make sure your clothing is going to allow you to shoot clean. I once missed a shot because my jacket sleeve was too loose/baggy and the string clipped the jacket as I released. 

3 - Use an arrow rest that contains your arrow so that it doesnt slip off the rest and clink against the bow when your slowly trying to stand and shoot. I made this mistake once. 

4 - When you sit down to watch over a meadow or wallow or something, always make sure you practice picking your bow up and down a few time to make sure that no weeds or sticks or anything get in the way or clank against your bow or tangle up in the string or quiver. 

5 - When your riding your ATV, triple check that whatever forks or brackets you are using to secure your bow to the atv are tight. They will work themselves loose over time and you may be driving and hit a bump and have the bow bounce off the front of the atv and run over it and break parts off the bow. Yes I made that mistake. 

I have made and learned from a lot of mistakes while hunting! I figure after another 30 to 40 mistakes I should have everything figured out.


----------



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

klbzdad said:


> I tell the story about how my very first buck was taken by shooting him right between the eyes because that is all I could see. Truth is, he was stood up out of his bed and was quartered toward me a tiny bit and I used my 40 pin for 30 yards.......this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That's the second, AND THIRD, damnest things I ever heard.

.


----------

