Stories of dumb mistakes
Connecticut
Hi guys, saw my first deer ever in a stand. I didn't even hear her, just turned my head and saw her staring right back at me 20 yards away. There were five entries to the spot I was hunting and she managed to come through the only one where she could've winded me.
When I saw her, my heart started racing like it never has before. I'm not sure why I did it - there was 0 logic behind it - but I stood up while she was watching me. We both stared at each other, in disbelief at how stupid I was. She turned around, flicked her tail, and left.
All I had to do was sit there for another 5 minutes and she probably would've given me a shot. It definitely sucked, so with that being said, I'd love to hear other stories of people making dumb mistakes while hunting to make myself feel marginally better.
All I can say is that sounded like a great day in the woods. That won't be the last time it happens either, im sure you will be learning more and more every time you go out.
I hadn’t shot my first deer yet with the bow. I was sitting in a climber on state land. As I was pulling my bow up with a rope one arrow got caught on a branch and fell to the ground. Now I only have 2 arrows. A doe comes. I draw back. I didn’t nock the arrow correctly and it falls off the string to the ground. With my final arrow I took a 20 yd shot and missed. The doe stuck around for the next 30 minutes giving me 5, 10, and 15 yard broadside shots. No arrows. Lessons learned.
SCT, don't feel bad; bowhunting can be an exercise in failure, sometimes.
Stories of dumb mistakes - let me get a few pencils and a big note book-
Welcome to deer hunting. I can write a novel on what not to do and things that can go wrong.
That's a minor, easily corrected case of deer fever. The real mistake is when you take a shot you shouldn't have, and wound an animal. What happened to you will be a good funny memory in time, but you never get over losing one
Welcome to the best feeling in the world when you see a deer - buck fever. Adrenaline goes crazy and floods your body. You get the shakes, start breathing hard for no reason, your heart goes crazy beating. Love it!!
One time I had a small buck come straight at my tree offering no shot until it was almost under me. I had a clear lane, drew, settled my pin and shot. And missed! No idea where my arrow went. How could that happen? The buck bounded uphill and stopped. I put another arrow on, drew and hit him perfectly. He ran 15 yards and died.
Still not knowing how I missed a chip shot, I gathered my gear to get out of my stand and noticed the flap to my backpack, which was hanging on a branch, had a perfect four blade broadhead hole in it…..in my haste to aim, my pin was on the deer, but the arrow was pointing right down through the open flap in my pack. Still never found that arrow…. :)
I've learned more from deer I've never shot, than any deer I've shot.
Sh*t happens! Had a buck 15 yards in front of me. Easy shot. As I was about to shoot - bow string got caught on my range finder string I was wearing around my neck. Arrow just dropped to the ground and deer laughed. Lesson- keep your range finder in your pocket. viel Glück!
I had a decent buck very close one morning. Drew, settled and shot. My bottom limb was resting on the upper piece of my climber. It ripped the bow out if my hand and sent it flying. It ended up about 10 ft away from the tree unstrung....smh
Years ago in Hardwick, Ma. I heard crashing and branches cracking then two nice bucks emerged from the brush and squared off 20 yds in front of me broadside. I picked out the bigger of the two, shot and missed.
Congrats, you had your first case of “buck fever”. It’s a lifelong affliction ( if you’re lucky). No known cure, and the only effective treatment is to hunt A LOT!
When you get a lot more experience, you’ll be able to hold it together long enough for the shakes to come AFTER the shot (usually). If you ever no longer get that rush, it’s time to hang up the bow.
Note: Buck fever can be caused by a Doe, a Spike buck, sometimes even a squirrel!
At one location I had permission to hunt, I heard a huge buck fight, complete with snorts and periods of chasing and the crash of antlers. Never saw them but the experience had my heart racing. Next time out at that location I used a rack to simulate the crashing I heard and sat back to see what would happen. Maybe two minutes later I hear a deer walking towards me and I get excited. My problem was that like the earlier deer fight I heard, it was still dark. I couldn't see the ground and have no Idea what the deer who came to within ten yards of my stand looked like. Lesson learned.
Thanks everyone! Definitely some good consolation. Went back out this morning with no luck, but hopefully next weekend is different.
Ha, plenty of those experiences. One time on the ground when I first started hunting, a deer blew at me. I was tucked behind a tree and afraid to move. I don't know if the deer could see me or not. I shook so bad, it was like hiding from someone that wanted to kill me. I couldn't have drawn my bow if wanted to. Fun times.
Ace, no screw up story ? LOL
Interesting stories and there are many many more, this is just the tip of the iceberg. My self I will keep mine quiet although there are many stories !
Iv left my bow at home n drove 45 min to hunt, iv forgotten socks, iv forgotten wet ones…. Worst mistake of all for sure.
Shootin' , your post reminded me of this one. I drove over an hour (early 1970's). Was shooting trad. Got lost in thick scrub oak, by a miracle found my ground blind. Sweaty as hell and a bit testy.( I think back then bow season opened Nov. 1). In the last light of the morning star I pulled an arrow from the metal Bear clip- on quiver. It was still pretty dark (no excuse) when I ran that broadhead over the bowstring cutting it and snapping open the limbs . There was deer sign everywhere. Stormed out of the woods and drove home.
When I was a kid I made the mistake a few times of looking at a deer with binoculars instead of shotgun scope because i thought it was a doe. upon magnification it was a buck and then not open to shoot. I learned quick unless i'm 100% sure shooter or not, to look with the scope instead. Ground hunting in hardwoods.
My last dumb thing was moving to Louisiana! Just for kicks, go to the Louisiana site and see what goes on there !!! Defiantly missing New England this time of year. Good luck to all you CT Bowsiters.
A few come to mind..
Miscalculated first light, and sat for an hour and a half in the dark. Turkey hunting one season, I put a Red Dot on my shotgun. A bird comes in and I forgot to turn on the dot. Fumbled turning it on and poof.. bird was gone. Very first time using my new Summit hand climber. I struggled and sweated climbing up to 12 feet.. And realized that I left my pull up rope on the ground. Another time, I climbed up, and I dropped my release.. Had to climb back down. I now have a spare release in my pack. Set up in the dark for turkey hunting. First light, I'm working a couple of birds.. I can see the pair walking across the field towards me. I look down, and my breech is open. I forgot to load my shotgun.
Just to name a few..
Gene , good luck this season
Big dog that sucks. It happens When it rains it pours. I also once dropped my bow from the stand. The ez bow hanger had been in that tree a long long time. Hung my bow up one to many times. Down it went and landed quiver side down. Climbed down and looked it over quick and not a scratch, tossed in an arrow and sacrificed one into a log at 20, dead nuts. Next day I traded it in for a new one. The bow that fell was an elite energy 32. Loved that bow. They ended up selling it after looking it over for damage. I was upfront about what happened. Don’t want someone else getting fkd up. Curious where that bow is now, it shot a lot of critters.
I've had a bunch, too many to list.
Drove all the way to the Quabbin Reservoir (Mass) special hunt (2 hours). Forgot my boots and pants. Had to wrap my gun case over my white long John's to keep warm. Wore slippers for the whole day.
Drove to RI for a pheasant hunt, forgot the key for the gun trigger lock. Had to watch my buddies shoot all the birds.
A couple years ago I set up in a on the edge of a big swamp and I had a group of does working there way in behind me from the direction I walked in and I said to myself when they get close they will catch my ground scent there going to bust me so let me be ready. One lone doe wander in to right where I stepped 20 yards from my tree and looks right up at me and I was shaking so bad I didn’t even have my bow drawn like I had planned. Needless to say she let the whole woods know I was up there after that
Ok. I’ll add a few more. :)
Got to my spot one morning with my buddy and I drew my bow by the truck in the dark to “loosen up” and it dry fired, string came off the cams. That was fun.
I also misjudged the sunrise as a teenager and got into my stand 2 hours before it got light out. I wondered why the stars were so bright while I was waiting. Lol
Blood I’m always in my stand insanely early. 1.5 hours usually especially if I have a deer showing up 4-630. Kind of creepy tho. I had a fisher cat scream one time while I was walking in, Pissed myself and i ran up the tree.
Of course you are. You and Mathews86 and Mathews68 and BrosBeforeDoes are all up your tree together. Got any pics?
The guys in camp rushed the hell out of me and I walked into the woods all camo'd up wearing my loafers. The list is endless and grows as you age.
Your first learning experience. You are now a better hunter than you were before yesterday. Keep at it!
Sounds like a fun hunt, frankly. You want to talk stupid... I once remembered that I hadnt taken off my shot gun's trigger lock with a tom in range. As you may guess, I did not kill that turkey... But I sure felt like a turkey!
Ooph!
Up on a mountain in NH after dark I came to my car only to realize two things : I had a flat tire and no spare. My mother -in -law , who had the same model car, had borrowed my spare without telling me. No cell phones back then.
Back in the day. Used to take my arrows out of my quiver and strap them to the tree because if I shot with them in the quiver it was loud. Hunted and afternoon,knew I was coming back in the am. Left the arrows strapped to the tree. Came back in the Am. climbed the tree in the dark. Reached around the tree to swing into the stand. got a palm full of thunderhead. Doh! wrapped the wound up with my cut off sleeve and hunted the rest of the morning with my hand throbbing.
A number of years ago I ran a drag rag with Tinks in front of my stand. About 20 yards I stop, take it off, freshen up, and hang on a sapling. I spilled scent on the leaves and stepped on it like an idiot. Walked back to my stand, climbed tree and hunted. Later that morning a nice 8 -point comes in and I figure he's gonna stop at the drag I hung. He goes right past it and comes to the tree and sniffs the scent on the tree step. I had my bow at full draw with no possible shot. All I can do is look down at him with bow at full draw. I'm looking directly down at the deer sniffing and licking my tree step. As he works it like a licking branch, our eyes lock onto each other. I tried looking away, but I knew I was screwed. He didn't know what I was and bolted about 15 yards out and stopped where I proceeded to put an arrow right over his back.
Several years ago I was in my hottest spot, nice and early. When the buzzer rang and I needed to climb down and go to work, I realized that my release was still buried deep in my backpack. Mercifully I paid no price for it, but it could’ve been heartbreaking. Will, what the hell is a “trigger lock?”
Some of you may remember the old string trackers that were mounted on the bow where the stabilizer is. When walking in the woods, you used to have a plug in the hole so the string stayed put while walking so a stick or brush wouldn't catch it. This didn't happen to me, but this person gets into his tree stand and forgets to take the plug out. Later that afternoon a deer comes in and as soon as he shoots, the arrow takes a nose dive in front of the deer.
Jeb, trigger lock could be a form of buck fever .lol.
i was at mt stand early afternoon. i puled my bow back and my sleeve got stuck in the cam. when i pulled it out i popped the string off. i ran down got in my truck ran to the bow shop and he put it back on. took a couple of practice shots went beck climbed in the stand and shot a big spike horn. thanks Paul Hiller
Well funny just the other night about 535-540 just getting to prime time I somehow turned the wrong way in the saddle hitting the button on my thumb release sending it to the ground . Then had to climb down in prime time grab it and climb back up. Thank good it was windy and the leaves covered most of the ascent and descent
Some of you guys live or used to live in MA too (looking at you Jeb and BD :))... Supposed to store your guns with a trigger lock - you know, the little gizmo that you "lock" which makes the trigger inoperable...
Last day of the season turkey hunt many years ago. I had been hunting this turkey for the last three days, trying to convince him to come out of his swamp and into the field where I had set up with my decoy spread. Each day I was getting more and more frustrated because he wouldn’t cooperate and stayed in that swamp. So at the end of hunting day three I took a walk over into the swamp to peek in and maybe try to get him to gobble and get closer to him, but what I found was a very thick nasty and very wet swamp. When I got back to my vehicle, the farmer was there and I told him what was going on and he just laughed and said that turkey is roosted on and hangs out on a small rise , which forms a ridge in the middle of that swamp, but you’re going to need hip boot waders to get to him. So a plan was devised for my hunting partner, and I to grab our hip waders and go after him at daylight the next day, which happened to be the last day of the season. My buddy pick me up at 3:30am, we stuffed our gear in the truck and headed up for the 1 Hour drive to the farm with much excitement and anticipation as we knew today was a day we would conquered this smart old swamp bird. However, when we arrived, and begin to put on our gear , we noticed simultaneously that something was missing. In my haste to grab all the gear from my garage I accidentally left our waders home. We were both only wearing slippers for the ride!
I have been bow hunting deer since the 1980s so I have literally made every mistake in the book. Moving when a deer is looking EVEN CLOSE to your direction is never tolerated by the deer. Slow motion movement on elk, you can sometimes get away with.
My worst mistake bow hunting was on an elk. I was so used to shooting whitetails when semi-alarmed that I developed an unconscious predilection for shooting at the heart. With semi-wired deer they always jump the string a little, even at 25 yards. So I killed a lot of deer perfectly for a long time. But on this elk, which my best buddy called in for me on public land came in near a tree I had ranged for 35 yards. I aimed for 35 but at the heart!!! It's an elk, and they often don't jump the string. It was 38 and the arrow was low. I blew the best opportunity at a big elk with a bow that I have ever had. It would have meant so much to have taken that bull with my best buddy. I let him, myself down but I guess the bull was happy about it.
One fall I was out bowhunting for turkey on state land. I had set up a ground blind where I had regularly seen gobblers while out deer hunting. On the third and last day of my hunt, a line of hens came over a rise about 30 yards in front of my blind. When they stopped to browse ( about 20yds away), while kneeling in the blind, I put my 20 yd pin on the biggest one and pressed the release trigger. The arrow headed right for the sweet spot, then literally took a nose dive and skidded along the ground an inch in front of her toes. That was it, the flock was gone like greased lightning. Later, after finding my broadhead, while I was taking my blind down, I noticed a triangular hole in the sill below the shoot through window. Even though I had a clear sight picture on the hen, when I shot, the arrow went through the wall of my ground blind as it left the string.
I got stuck in climber - 18 feet up- no way down. Had to call my wife to get son out of school get my ladder. FYI. She was not happy
Woodsnut - how about having the bottom slide to the bottom of the tree? Days when Baker and TSS came out, no straps were attached. Had to slide/shimmy down a few times.
Reminds me of a time I pulled the pin out of the chain on my climber to get past a branch. It takes a LOONG time to watch one of those slowly falling to the ground…
Now I have spares. Somewhere!
Nehunter. That’s exactly what happened my tether snapped and bottom of climber went to the ground. I was too high to jump and tree was too big to shimmy. My wife still yells at me about 10 yrs later
