How best to get into hunting?

[TT_270wsm]

The best way to get into hunting is to get yourself a shotgun and just go for a walk in the woods. From there just learn to blow things away indiscriminately like tweety birds, squirrels, magpies, crows, etc. Once you get the hang of being able to kill stuff, move up to grouse, ducks, geese, beavers, rabbits. Before you know it, in a couple of years you will be laying waste to moose!

Right, because the will to kill creatures and accuracy with a shotgun are the limiting factors in hunting big game and migratory birds.

That might be acceptable if you were a 7 year old boy with your first pellet gun in hunt camp, but seriously, grow up.

 

[murph83]

Hi. You have to join a shooting club to shoot restricted firearms anyway. You'll meet all kinds of great people who will help you with that at your new club. Eventually, you'll very likely be invited to hunt with 'em too. Might take a few months, but it'll happen.

 

[blasted_saber]

The best way to get into hunting is to get yourself a shotgun and just go for a walk in the woods. From there just learn to blow things away indiscriminately like tweety birds, squirrels, magpies, crows, etc. Once you get the hang of being able to kill stuff, move up to grouse, ducks, geese, beavers, rabbits. Before you know it, in a couple of years you will be laying waste to moose!

Nevermind the law or anything pesky like that. Or ethics. And morals.

 

[spacejanitor]

Thanks for all the replies, guys! I don't have the desire to go "blow things up indiscriminately", but rather kill and eat for sustenance and a greater awareness of where food actually comes from... besides obviously the camaraderie of the sport.

I think I will join a club as suggested and check out the mentoring thread as well; see what comes of it.

One thing I found a little disconcerting is learning how tightly the restricted firearms are controlled. It would make sense to me to keep something like a .44 magnum close at hand while hunting in case of any close-range animal attacks, but then again, I have never hunted and maybe watched a few too many spaghetti westerns.

 

[TT_270wsm]

Unless you're hunting in Grizzly/Polar Bear territory (and maybe not even in that case, I wouldn't know) you have nothing to be worried about. There is no animal in Ontario bush that you need to fear with any shotgun/big game rifle in hand. You cannot hunt with a restricted in Canada in any form, let alone carry it in the wild barring certain and very few exemptions, such as being a certified trapper.

 

[Brno8x57]

Unless you're hunting in Grizzly/Polar Bear territory (and maybe not even in that case, I wouldn't know) you have nothing to be worried about. There is no animal in Ontario bush that you need to fear with any shotgun/big game rifle in hand. You cannot hunt with a restricted in Canada in any form, let alone carry it in the wild barring certain and very few exemptions, such as being a certified trapper.

TT270 is absolutely spot on here.
If you are hunting and carrying either a rifle or shotgun, there is no need for the "backup" of a hand gun. The gun you have in your hands or slung on your shoulder will be the one that you will bring to bear (excuse the pun) in any defensive situation.
I have over 40 years of hunting and bush work experience and fortunately have never yet been attacked by anything more annoying than black flies.
Honestly, I am way more concerned about encountering other hunters in the bush than I am about anything else.

 

[Slaymoar]

I have encountered a bear once. I was in a truck. And I tell ya, if I were walking, that thing would have destroyed me. It was in Northern Ontario between Hearst and Hornepayne. Seriously we drove up to it with a silverado beeping and all it did was stand on its hind legs. If there wasn't the cover of a huge truck, I don't know.

However, that was the only time this ever happened to me. Otherwise, the scariest moment is when a moose ran out of the bush onto the trail I was walking. You know, these things don't really seem like they will harm you until you see one up close and personnal. My heart was beating like crazy and it scared the living #### outa me. I felt the ground shake when it happened, I tell you nature is way more impressive when it is right in front of you. Up to then I have always known how big a moose was, but I never really understood the magnitude and commanding presence one of these things would have.

I have a profound respect for nature, and that is why I keep a large clip of high velocity rounds with me.

 

[TCDimension270]

"HOW BEST TO GET INTO HUNTING".....Well, i grew up always wanting to hunt but it didnt run in my family and I was to young to go into the woods with my grandfather to hunt moose then he got to old to go into the woods and eventually passed. So, then the wanting to hunt passed, I was only 25/26yrs old before i made the steps to become a hunter. Once i was certified(PAL,Hunter safety course etc.) i waited for deer season(because we only have 2 big game animals deer/bear) i pick up gear i thought i needed(learned there were things that i didnt need to carry). opening day came, i took a buddy with me and we set off into the woods! and boy oh boy the mistakes i made, the things i learned for messing up or spooking deer. and now 3 years later, I know more than I thought i would ever know. just by messing up and learning from mistakes

So, from that what im trying to say is and THIS IS JUST MY OPINION "the best way to get into hunting"...tie up your boots and jump 2 feet in!

 

[LarryG]

If the mentoring thing doesn't work out, Start with small game like rabbits grouse maybe squirrels. A single shot in 12 or 20 gauge is all you need, although i would recommend a Savage model 24 22 lr-20 gauge. You will learn lots of things that will help you if you move up to deer etc.
In preparation for that practice your shooting skills with clay targets thrown with a hand thrower and shooting paper targets off hand.

 

[BigUglyMan]

If you took your hunting course, you have the basics to grab a firearm and go hunting. As long as you are safe and responsible, the rest is all about learning the game you are hunting. If you want to hunt a certain animal, then find out what people generally use for a firearm, what locations are best, and times of the day, seasons etc.. Depending on where you are from, the trickiest part can be how far you have to travel to go hunting / finding a good hunting location.

While I don't disagree completely with what you're saying, I believe that a mentor is the most crucial thing a new hunter can equip themselves with. A new hunter might luck out and find a good spot and connect with their quarry, but this leaves them in the unenviable position of standing over the downed beast, knife in hand, rubbing their head and saying "oh crap, now what?" Having a mentor will make this rather difficult learning curve easier by an order of magnitude and thus increase the enjoyment of the whole experience. Nothing will sour someone as fast as botching the field dressing of their first big game animal

 

[MusicianShooter]

Talking about firearms only:
- In SW Ontario, a shotgun is your best choice. Say a Mossberg 500 or Rem 870, you can get lots of barrels for whatever season. Rifled for deer, long or vent-ribbed for turkey/waterfowl, short 18.5" for the Zombie Apocalypse.
- a second-hand .22 is also good for target shooting. Go used single shot to minimize cost.
- Contact your local MNR (ministry of natural resources) office and ask if they have maps of crown land. They are pretty helpful.
- Consider it an opportunity to explore the province! Areas with crown land up past Barrie or Peterborough are on maps, and are pretty. Only a couple hours, you can make a weekend out of it.
- Practise! You may only get one shot at deer or turkey. No screwing up with your safety or working the action right.