Hunting regrets learned the hard way

I’ve had my share of seeing the hind end of an animal disappear into the bush. Most of us have been there — filled with regret, questioning our choices, kicking ourselves for making the wrong play. The right move often only becomes clear after you’ve made it (or didn’t make it), and it’s part of the often-challenging learning curve of hunting. While I’ve flubbed hunts for deer, bear, and small game, the moose and turkey hunts are often the most memorable (and painful). Here are a few. Impatience: The root of many errors Most of my regrettable errors are linked to impatience. I’ll ask myself, “Should I sit tight and wait, or should I be aggressive and make a move?” More often than not, I choose “fortune favors the bold,” when patience might be the wiser choice. Sometimes I do sit tight, but it’s tough. And once I’ve scared away what I was after, I find myself reflecting, wondering why I was so rushed, foolish, or bold. On the flip side, it does work out sometimes — just enough for me to keep doing it. This is part of what I love about hunting: the constant change, unpredictability, and the need to keep learning and adapting. Most of my mistakes, as we’ll call them, generally happen when hunting moose and turkey. While I’ve flubbed hunts for deer, bear, and small game, the moose and turkey hunts are often the most memorable (and painful). Bull in the bush One particularly painful moose hunt from years ago still lingers. We hadn’t had much luck, and a few days in, while calling, I heard a bull respond. I was in an old cut with poor visibility, though I’d set up in a spot with decent views in a few directions. The bull was within 200 yards, at the edge of the cut, but completely obscured. I quickly weighed my options: 1) sit tight, keep calling, and hope he comes close enough for a shot, or 2) go on the offensive, close the distance, and try to get within shooting range. Given the area’s limited visibility, I chose to sit tight. But nothing happened. No response, no noise, no crashing bull. Just silence. At first, I chose to sit tight. But nothing happened. No response, no noise, no crashing bull. Just silence. Impatience eventually won, and off I went. Once out of the clearing,