I plant bulbs in fall and only a few come up - what am I doing wrong?

The most common reason. That bulbs don't flower is because the soil is too shallow - they should be planted as deep as at least 2-3x the height of the plant. Could that be it?

squirrels are also known to dig up and eat bulbs if not planted deep enough. You also need to make sure you are planting them with the root side down. A simple mistake to make especially on some bulbs

Either they were planted upside down or to deep.

Could be squirrels eating your bulbs. Try putting pet hair in the holes and around the planting area to help keep them away. I have a friend who works in a hair salon and she brings me home human hair clippings that I use in and around any new bulbs that I plant as well as the hair from our dog. Squirrels use to eat my newly planted bulbs until I started doing this. Someone told me to try it as it worked for them, worked for me as well.

Buy a bulb planter, they are only a few bucks, push the planter down into the soil until the top is even with the soil surface, them remove. The planter will be full of soil, as it is shaped like a cone without a bottom. It leaves a hole just the right depth for a bulb, around 3,1/2 - 4",

Yes, make sure the roots are facing down. Turn the bulb planter, now full of the soil you removed, upside down letting the soil fill in the hole with the bulb in the bottom. press the soil firmly.

If you don't do so I have found sometimes skunks will dig in the fresh hole looking for grubs and in the process dig up the bulb leaving it to dry up on the soil surface. It is a good idea to check the areas where you have planted in the near future to make sure they have not been disturbed. Also stay away from bargain priced bulbs, you get what you pay for.

If you have deer 🦌 in your area don't waste money on tulips, deer love them. They usually will not eat dafodils.