New Hunters, learn from our experience......

Learn to shoot, and not from a bench. Practice from field positions until you have it down, both you and the game deserve your competence with your tool of choice.

I pack nitrile gloves for cleaning game, they are cheap, easy and give you a much better grip on a slick knife when your fingers are freezing.


Mark
 
ibloom said:
this is great guys, thanks so much for sharing! I'm a new hunter with only 1 goose and 1 duck under the belt (and 1 spooked coyote :mad:). i put my name in for a deer draw and am keeping my fingers crossed. this info will come in pretty handy if i get a tag!

i was once told "you don't know what you don't know"; and this info is proving that quote correct.

cheers, and wish me luck!
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Good luck and enjoy the learning experience, it never ends.
 
mmattockx said:
Learn to shoot, and not from a bench. Practice from field positions until you have it down, both you and the game deserve your competence with your tool of choice.
Mark
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This is a very important point, IMHO. It's so easy to screw up at the moment that matters most. Practice taking difficult offhand shots. Once you have a few animals run off on you, you'll know what those shots look like. Trees, hills & targets that relocate themselves around those obstacles are not things you see at the range.

Being able to control your breathing, steady your aim and squeeze the trigger from a bench is one thing. Being able to do those things during a split second opportunity on top of the pressure of being able to close the deal on a hunt you've planned, scouted, and worked hard for over many months is much more difficult. Your heart will be pounding harder than you've ever felt.

I love that feeling :D
 
I agree with as soon as you get the sights on the animal's kill zone take the shot, you most likely wont get a better shot. Also agree with practising off hand standing and kneeling at realistic distances like 30-60 yards instead of 100 yards off a bench. Also practice taking several quick shots at targets set out apart to develop target acquisition and operating the action efficiently. Lastly when on watch stay quiet, dont move around and dont expect to see the entire animal in the bush-as long as you can identify it and get the sights on the kill zone take the shot.
 
Don't let ####ty weather keep you in the house! I've shot my biggest buck in the rain, shot a big tom this spring in 50mph winds, coyotes come to the call the hardest when its -30 out.

be patient it will happen!
 
The problem I see the most...people can not sit still, or they get bored after 30 minutes. :eek:

While you are in your blind/tree-stand, movement should be kept to a minimum. Make sure you are comfortable when you 1st set-up (1/2 hour before legal MIN)...and stay that way.

Use all your senses when hunting. I have been able to smell many bucks before I've shot them. Listen for other animals that start calling...Blue Jays have tipped me off to the presence of deer.

Leave your smartphone in your pocket!!!! (on vibrate). Don't play games or watch videos while on stand.

You are there to hunt...so hunt!
 
Trigger locks. Don't forget the keys. Better yet I went out and replaced all my keyed locks with combination locks and set them all to the same combo.
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Or simply don't bother with trigger locks on your non restricted weapons.

Wear good boots, stay dry, and always carry toilet paper. Two sharp knives, and a Wyoming saw, usually make it quicker and easier to clean or quarter animals.
 
Put in for as many draws as you can. Right now you think you'll never want to shoot a moose or a sheep, but in 10 years your intrests may change and if it takes you 12 years to get your draw, you might die before you ever get a chance to go on your hunt. Besides, any money spent will go back to the resource and that's somthing you can stick in the face of anti hunters who don't contribute a dime to any cause they preach against.

You know that great big bowie knife you walk around in the bush with? Get somthing smaller.

Always bring your camara.

Invest in good boots and use them. You won't see anything from the road, and I'm not talking about game.

Learn how to use a compass, never rely on batteries to get you home.

You can't eat horns.

Never try to impress others. Don't ever let hunting (or fishing) become competitive.

Plan on spending the night.
 
While you're sitting in your blind/stand waiting for first light...try not to fall asleep. Not that I would know anything about that :rolleyes:
 
Some good advice in this thread. New people, you don't necessarily need a $70,000 truck to haul your two new $10,000 quads. Nor do you need the latest whiz bang rifle in some oddball caliber. A good many of us struggled along on foot with an ugly old bubba'd .303. I am not saying you shouldn't have all the latest stuff. If that's what rings your bell, go for it.

Enjoy your time out hunting, and have fun preparing, making plans. Smell the smells, hear the sounds, see the things to see. Hunting has always been a pleasure for me, whether or not I even see any game. :)
 
If you buy a new pair of hunting boots break them in well before hunting season. Always carry a sharp knife and a small steel.
Remember to bring your tags.
 
I don't carry wipes but guys talking about them made me think of this:

When you first think you may want to defecate sometime in the future look around and pick 3 of the plants you see everywhere. Scrub a little spot with one above your elbow, another just below your elbow, and the third plant above your wrist, remember which is where.

1/2 hr or so later when you want to do your business check your arm, and pick a plant that has left no marks on your arm to be your wipe.

Wouldn't want to wipe our tender heiny with something itchy now, would we?
 
Cheap ammo kills critters dead, just as well as the premium stuff does. But you will actually shoot for practice, if the ammo is not a paycheck per box. Shoot lots! Buy premium ammo for the hun, if you figure you need the confidence boost, but practice lots anyway.

Learning to sit still, and to move smoothly when you look around, goes a long ways. You will see a lot more of what is all around you, if you can sit still and stay alert for 15 minutes at time.

All time out, is scouting time. Learn to see the signs left by what is in the area, learn to recognize what you are dealing with, try to see if there is a pattern to the signs you see. Tracks, trails, rubs, wallows, etc. Sightings of animals out the window as you are driving around the countryside, too.

Have a plan for what you will do when you get something. Got a place to hang it? A freezer to keep the meat in? Someone available if you get lucky, but need a hand? Plan!

Think in terms of probabilities. You can always think of more gear that you could be carrying, but what is the probability that it will get used, or is it just dead weight? If you load up to capacity, and hike into the boonies to hunt, can you carry out the gear and the game together? Weather? Probabilities of rain/snow/freezing/too hot to hang game?

Find a friend that is compatible, to hunt with.

Cheers
Trev
 
Big, important stuff first!!

My biggest advice? The following three things:

- Water. No one has mentioned water, either carrying it or making it drinkable. The human body needs lots, even on cold days when you are only out for a few hours. The human body needs it for everything. I usually pack water and a few tablets in case I'm out over night.

- Medications. Another thing not mentioned. You mildy allergic to something? Take a couple of antihistimines with you: they are what?... 1 oz for 2 tablets? That weight beats taking a reaction 3kms from the vehicle with no cell reception. Emergency meds for heart condition or what ever you have are included.

- Snacks. That funny stuff the hiking store sells might taste like horse grain/ rabbit food/ beer malt waste, but a lot of time it comes in minimum packaging that is quiet to eat and it has half a meal per bar. I often see people drool when I pull out an energy bar after a short tough drag. Yeah, I know... you have a Quad... might want that bar after spending 30 minutes winching it out of that stup!d hole you got it into.

Then there are the three simple things:

- Wear it in. Boots, belts, slings, socks, jackets... the list is endless. When I buy boots I water proof/oil/treat them and then while they are clean wear them around the house until they get that "cumfy flexy" in them. I do that to everything else. Blisters suck... so does noisy kit, stiff socks, crinkly jackets...

- Socks. Bring an extra pair. I wear 2 pairs even in the summer: an inner "sweat removing" style, usually a poly blend that is ultra thin (think Under Armour), and a thin pair of wool over top. The wool stays warm when you soak your feet bad.

- Practice. Last and said last for effect!!! As another poster said: you and the game deserve you to know your game, play your game and bring your A game: including knowing that tool you throw into your shoulder to create a win out there. edit: I also suggest hiking around a bit in full gear before the season: you get to know what works and doesn't... and what slows you down: you to need stuff, but the kitchen sink is overboard!!!

That's my big 6 things.... :D
 
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Still a new hunter here, but here's my advice to other new hunters. Go with someone who knows what they're doing.

Makes it so much easier, more successful and more enjoyable.
 
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