Work. Its constantly interfering with my hunting schedule!
Seriously though after more than 45 years I've identified more than I really care to admit. The worst thing is I'm very self aware they're deficiencies but I can't seem to be able to consistently correct them. A few in no particular order.
Alertness, I have been known to nap a bit in the tree (I did mention I'm old right ) listening instead of watching. I'm sure some quiet deer slide by me undetected every year. And now with those cell phone things . . . I'm sometimes guilty of killing time on this one hunting forum I frequent when things are slow.
As others have said, my entrances and exits, probably more specifically my exits. I'm honestly just not as careful on my why out as I am on the way in.
Repeating mistakes. I've learned a lot in all these years, if I could only apply it all on every hunt. Honestly though I still find myself making rookie mistakes that I always end up saying to myself "Doh! You know better!". Example: A few years back I had a 10 point and a smaller buck following a doe right toward the tree I was in. I couldn't draw because they were walking straight at me and would have seen the motion. Plan was to let them go by and draw after they walked by. Well long story short, the doe caught a whiff of me just as she passed by the tree and spooked. In the resulting chaos I should have drawn but didn't. Sure enough the buck hesitated for a bit in a perfect shooting location. I would have had time to shoot but I didn't have time to draw and shoot.
Safety Issues. I never wore a harness when hunting from a tree stand . . . had them, just didn't like them. In that regard I'm way better in the saddle. That said, I hunt alone, remote from home for most of the season. If something did happen it could be a couple of days before anyone missed me and even then they would have no idea which direction I might have walked out of camp. I try to leave a log with my intended hunting destination in the camper but I'm not religious about it and I also have a strong tendency to second guess my plans and change it up once I walk out of camp.
On the other hand, there are some things I've been successful at correcting over the years. Probably the biggest is not getting frustrated when things aren't going my way. I used to get absolutely grumpy if I wasn't seeing deer, if there were other hunters in "my area" or if the weather wasn't cooperating. I can honestly say I've put that behind me. I hunt for enjoyment and I'm not letting things I can't control bother me anymore. It spoils the fun.
Seriously though after more than 45 years I've identified more than I really care to admit. The worst thing is I'm very self aware they're deficiencies but I can't seem to be able to consistently correct them. A few in no particular order.
Alertness, I have been known to nap a bit in the tree (I did mention I'm old right ) listening instead of watching. I'm sure some quiet deer slide by me undetected every year. And now with those cell phone things . . . I'm sometimes guilty of killing time on this one hunting forum I frequent when things are slow.
As others have said, my entrances and exits, probably more specifically my exits. I'm honestly just not as careful on my why out as I am on the way in.
Repeating mistakes. I've learned a lot in all these years, if I could only apply it all on every hunt. Honestly though I still find myself making rookie mistakes that I always end up saying to myself "Doh! You know better!". Example: A few years back I had a 10 point and a smaller buck following a doe right toward the tree I was in. I couldn't draw because they were walking straight at me and would have seen the motion. Plan was to let them go by and draw after they walked by. Well long story short, the doe caught a whiff of me just as she passed by the tree and spooked. In the resulting chaos I should have drawn but didn't. Sure enough the buck hesitated for a bit in a perfect shooting location. I would have had time to shoot but I didn't have time to draw and shoot.
Safety Issues. I never wore a harness when hunting from a tree stand . . . had them, just didn't like them. In that regard I'm way better in the saddle. That said, I hunt alone, remote from home for most of the season. If something did happen it could be a couple of days before anyone missed me and even then they would have no idea which direction I might have walked out of camp. I try to leave a log with my intended hunting destination in the camper but I'm not religious about it and I also have a strong tendency to second guess my plans and change it up once I walk out of camp.
On the other hand, there are some things I've been successful at correcting over the years. Probably the biggest is not getting frustrated when things aren't going my way. I used to get absolutely grumpy if I wasn't seeing deer, if there were other hunters in "my area" or if the weather wasn't cooperating. I can honestly say I've put that behind me. I hunt for enjoyment and I'm not letting things I can't control bother me anymore. It spoils the fun.
Last edited: