Brand new to hunting

[beeflomein]

Hey all,

I'm brand new to hunting, 29 years old from NY. I wanted to know if there were any good beginner resources out there if I don't have any friends that currently hunt. I've been putting in range time to get better at shooting, but am at zero as far as gear knowledge and hunting knowledge goes. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Jake Larsen]

Finding a good mentor is going to be by far the best way to go about it. Maybe someone on here would be willing, or know somebody so could help you out. Reading/podcasts can be great, but its very difficult to sort through what is good information and what isn't. For western hunting, there's some good podcasts ect, but i don't know about the eastern stuff.

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[boom]

welcome to the chasm that leads to the slippery slope that ends with the void....

i've been hunting, but i still feel like a rookie. i am not super successful (in general)

my tips.
dont get caught up in all the gear.
hunt in a target rich zone.
and enjoy the event on it's own. dont get bummed out not tagging out.

 

[IdahoElk]

Where in NY?
When I started hunting(10yrs old) in New Jersey most of my time was spent first wandering in the woods learning about animals, where they lived and exploring,took years to get my first animal on my own.Hunting is a process and can take a long time to figure out,enjoy the journey, find a good mentor but don't expect success over night.

 

[the_bowhunter]

PM me your email and I can send you a couple of articles that can help get your started


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[beeflomein]

Where in NY?
When I started hunting(10yrs old) in New Jersey most of my time was spent first wandering in the woods learning about animals, where they lived and exploring,took years to get my first animal on my own.Hunting is a process and can take a long time to figure out,enjoy the journey, find a good mentor but don't expect success over night.

I'm out of Queens so I'd have to travel out of the city to do anything, but I'm interested in the process too. I've been reading "How to hunt everything" and i've got some of steve rinellas books in the wings.

 

[beeflomein]

PM me your email and I can send you a couple of articles that can help get your started


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Thanks a bunch. I can't PM yet but I'll shoot one over as soon as I can.

 

[PA Hunter]

You might want to join some gun ranges and make some friends.

 

[kiddogy]

great gear isn't real important at first BUT I would advise you to get the very best glass you can afford . I am a FIRM BELIEVER IN LETTING MY EYES DO AS MUCH OF THE WALKING AS POSSIBLE.
imo, good glass is THE most important gear item in any hunters aresenal. more important even then the weapon you choose .

can't kill what you can't find.

you will hear an endless steam of hunters who walk 10 plus miles a day. not necessary on most occasions.
learn to hunt smarter ,not harder and you WILL find success.

have you ever tried to pack a deer or an elk out from 5-10 miles in ? I have .it is not a pleasant experience . though it is satisfying three or four days after it's over.

 

[Mt Al]

Welcome to the tribe! I started with friends (35+ years ago) as my family didn't/doesn't hunt and do understand that you friends don't. I was very intimidated about, frankly, what happens when you shoot at something and they die or don't die.

I recommend starting with a guided hunt for something simple-ish, like white tail does, culls on an exotic ranch in Texas or something like that. Not expensive, zero pressure, have them show you how to gut, then guy one out, then (if they do this) help them butcher one or at least break it into quarters. THEN......then....cook up the backstraps on-site and savor consuming what you just took. Do research and talk on the phone to get the vibe of the outfitter and tell them you have zero/nada experience and are going to learn. Plenty of good places out there, but there are guides and outfitters that are challenging to say the least.

My 2 cents, get your feet wet with a few guided hunts, see how you feel about things and then go from there.

Takes a brass pair to live where you live and jump into this, but you're in excellent company and will add a depth to your life beyond what you can imagine.

 

[beeflomein]

Welcome to the tribe! I started with friends (35+ years ago) as my family didn't/doesn't hunt and do understand that you friends don't. I was very intimidated about, frankly, what happens when you shoot at something and they die or don't die.

I recommend starting with a guided hunt for something simple-ish, like white tail does, culls on an exotic ranch in Texas or something like that. Not expensive, zero pressure, have them show you how to gut, then guy one out, then (if they do this) help them butcher one or at least break it into quarters. THEN......then....cook up the backstraps on-site and savor consuming what you just took. Do research and talk on the phone to get the vibe of the outfitter and tell them you have zero/nada experience and are going to learn. Plenty of good places out there, but there are guides and outfitters that are challenging to say the least.

My 2 cents, get your feet wet with a few guided hunts, see how you feel about things and then go from there.

Takes a brass pair to live where you live and jump into this, but you're in excellent company and will add a depth to your life beyond what you can imagine.

I'm looking into hiring a guide, thanks for the tips on calling them and getting a feel, I'll definitely do that.

 

[Fowler530]

Welcome to the Forum and to the hunting community! Regarding good resources, you’ve found a great one already here at Rokslide!! Lots of solid info for beginners to the well seasoned. As mentioned previously, finding a good mentor or going with an outfitter are both good initial steps. Though not necessary, they’ll definitely help shorten the learning curve and get you on the right track sooner to enjoying this great sport!! Get in, buckle up and enjoy the ride!!!

 

[socoalt]

I started hunting about 12 years ago (age 27). Immediately after my first big game hunt I took up small game hunting. I found that to be an invaluable tool to keep me in the woods year around and allow me to hunt/scout areas that I think I would like to apply for big game tags in. It also allows me to scout for the big game almost year round while still being able to leave the woods with meat and also continue to practice field care and keep the freezer full even if I don't fill big game tags. I also try to take advantage of learning more woodsmanship skills as far as species of trees, grasses, weeds etc. and what they look like through out the year and what they are doing for animals in the area as far as food sources, shelter sources etc.

 

[Bubblehide]

You can contact your Department of Fish and Wildlife or the International Hunter Education Association for advanced hunter education courses. But, the information you can find here is very often the best you will come by.

 

[brettdunn7]

What kind of hunting are you trying to get into and where?


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[PA Hunter]

Hey all,

I'm brand new to hunting, 29 years old from NY. I wanted to know if there were any good beginner resources out there if I don't have any friends that currently hunt. I've been putting in range time to get better at shooting, but am at zero as far as gear knowledge and hunting knowledge goes. Any help is greatly appreciated.

You can pm me and call me if you want I will help you anyway I can. Not sure what kind of hunting your interested in but I moose hunt every other year elk hunt every other whitetail and I love pheasant hunting. It slipped my mind I bear hunt Quebec every spring.

 

[BackcountryBloodline]

Just started fresh a couple years ago myself, I'm 29 now. Didn't have a mentor or hunting partner either, also legally limited to bowhunting only for the time being. I put as much time in at the range as possible and started wandering around the woods with my son, looking for sign and figuring out what animals hung out where. Made some connections through local hunting forums and was able to connect with a more experienced hunter and take my first spot and stalk black bear in spring 2018. This spring I was able to get it done again on my own in a spot I had found myself while wandering around my first week hunting, I knew if I put the time into the area it would pay off eventually and it did. I think it's easy to get discouraged not seeing any game in a particular area once or twice and moving on, "grass is greener" syndrome. If you find sign stick it out though, getting to learn a small pocket of timber intimately is far better than knowing your way around all the backroads in a 60 square mile radius. YouTube is a great resource, not 100% sure how exactly I knew how to quarter a large animal up in the field and get it off the mountain when the time came but I assume it's mostly from watching born and raised outdoors, hushin etc in my free time. Guys like Chris Bee would be more suited for your area, as I said I'm a western bowhunter so can't help much with rifle tactics but I think tree stand hunting is pretty common out there. Don't put pressure on yourself to kill anything your first couple years at it, I know guys that have been rifle hunting 5+ years out here and haven't killed a thing yet...of course there are other guys that go out with a seasoned vet and kill a cranker buck their first couple hours hunting on opening day, I can guarantee you when that's the case though you can't appreciate it like you would if you put countless hours in burning boot rubber and getting to learn why certain animals behave in certain ways at certain times of the year.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Shoot me a PM. I have been hunting southern NY for a while now. I can help get you pointed in the right direction.

 

[beeflomein]

What kind of hunting are you trying to get into and where?

You can pm me and call me if you want I will help you anyway I can. Not sure what kind of hunting your interested in but I moose hunt every other year elk hunt every other whitetail and I love pheasant hunting. It slipped my mind I bear hunt Quebec every spring.

In my head i wanna say whitetail and turkey, just cause that's what I've seen and can be done locally, but I'm open to making my way out west for stuff eventually.

 

[brettdunn7]

In my head i wanna say whitetail and turkey, just cause that's what I've seen and can be done locally, but I'm open to making my way out west for stuff eventually.

Watch TheHuntingPublic on YouTube. You can learn a lot from those guys in whitetail and turkey hunting.


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