Alternative titles I offered were ‘13 Habits Of Highly Ineffective Hunters’, ‘How To Lose A Buck In 13 Ways’ and ‘13 Steps To Becoming A Vegetarian’. My submissions are currently under review.
Drop of Concentration
This is important at all times while hunting but is extremely essential while still hunting. Constant focus on the travel route you take in relation to the wind, foot placement, speed of movement and the ability to spot game can drain a person mentally and physically in a matter of a few hours. Try not to let your mind drift to other parts of your life or from your intended mission.
High Angle Shots
While it can be a problem for rifle shots, this is more of a problem for archers. High angle shots can come from a variety of reasons such as high stand placement, stands set on steep terrain and shots at animals directly underneath a tree stand. Several problems exist with such shots. Bone deflection becomes enhanced, arrow penetration is often less, especially with open on impact blades, kill zones decrease, increased possibility of a poor blood trail if a pass through doesn’t take place is increased and a change in shot placement due to the extreme angle.
Rainy Day Bowhunting
I’m sure we have all done this and although with ideal shot placement and other proper conditions it can turn out well. But put an animal that is either hit less than perfect, shot in dense vegetation or in an area with an abundance of high grass and the recipe for disaster is there. It is these conditions that warrant a wait for better weather. Granted, a perfectly arrowed animal will usually travel less that 60 yards before expiring, but even the best archery shooters can’t 100% guarantee a perfect hit on a live animal.
Overconfidence
As mentioned above, the overconfidence in one’s shooting ability often comes into play depending on one’s ego. It is extremely important to recognize your limitations in your shooting abilities and stay within those distances, even while under peer pressure or the pressures of the sight of a trophy. Never push your ability to shoot and only take shots at angles and distances that you have practiced and are proficient at.
Rushing the Shot
Ever have that feeling in your stomach just before you pulled the trigger or released an arrow to wait for a better shot? I have, and every time I had those feelings they ended with a miss, lost animal or one that required a follow up shot or an extended tracking session. Bottom line is, when in doubt, hold your fire.
Calls & Scents
All too much in today’s hunting society there is the “sit and be quiet” crowd. While there is a time and place for this, the use of calls and scents is far too often underutilized. Unfortunately, in the process, the tactics for using them is not studied nearly enough and then often used inappropriately.
Driving Too Close
It’s been said that most hunters won’t walk more than a mile to their stand and often it is less than a few hundred yards. Driving a vehicle or ATV too close to your intended hunting area can tip off wary animals and spook them onto the next property.
Over-hunting a Stand
You found a great spot to set a stand and decided to hunt it, and you hunt it day after day. You couldn’t help but to spook game sometimes from either wind currents or moving to and from your stand, but you figure the more time you put on a stand, the odds are that sooner or later good things will happen. While that could happen, often you are doing more harm than good.
Wind Disbelief
This is a common screw up amongst novice hunters. They set up a stand based on the terrain and local deer sign with total disregard to how prevailing wind currents and thermals will be blowing in relation to the feeding and bedding areas. Then they wonder what went wrong with the location and often blame every other possible factor but that one.
Entry & Exit Routes
Many times in my hunting career I have heard deer or other game animals running out of my hunting area as I walk toward my stand. As time progressed I increasingly understood the necessity for intimately knowing a piece of property and how the animals I hunted utilized that property.
Don’t Give Up
Sitting on stand for long hours without seeing any game can be one of the most disheartening things in the world. The mind keeps thinking, “what if I went to the other stand or had tried something else?” Those thoughts and others all play on a hunter’s mind. Couple that with the various types of foul weather and they can make it easy for a person to call it quits and head for home.
Too Many Stands
This is not a problem that everyone has since having many stands can be a financial burden. Having an abundance of acreage to put them on, is also becoming increasingly harder to come by. It’s a good idea to have several stands to choose from, to make it possible to hunt different wind conditions and to allow other stands to “cool down” for a while before returning to them to hunt again.
Upsetting the Pattern
Many hunts are blown even before the hunting season has begun. On my properties, I minimize the amount of intrusions onto the property throughout the entire year so that the animals feel as comfortable as possible.
