Someone who has never hunted before

[kodiakjack]

I agree and disagree with the don't pay to play for land owners

Paying cash will make you both feel dirty

Pay in meat, labour, liquor or gift cards.

The way I've seen gift cards managed was "Here is a gift card for you take your wife out to dinner" Then she will remember you too
carra is good because it covers about 6 different restaurants

But you do this after the hunt with no expectations up front.

Yes.

Especially labour. It’s the time of year a lot of guys are stacking wood, and loading wood rooms.

 

[brybenn]

Lots of knowledge out there... lots of BS too. Til you figure out which is which...double check things. You are lucky in that the device in the palm of your hand has pretty much the answer to any question you ask it.
Pont in case...aging meat. Look at federal guidelines on handling meat.
Another good 'un is which calibers are best for 'busting brush' ( no bullets are not deflected by twigs)...don't blindly follow advice from the old timers... and I am sorta an old timer, lol.
We drug lots of false rules from the olden days...double check our wisdom...lest it be BS. Just don't bust us on it to our face...not proper to serve us 'Old Balls' comeuppance to our faces. We get grumpy then.
And stay safe. Good luck too

Even my 458wms 500gr woodlieghs can be deflected by a 3/4" branch enough to miss a bear broadside. Sure scared the hell out of him though

 

[blasted_saber]

We are living in an era where the amount of hunters is slowly decreasing. Those who do want to start hunting, especially being from major cities, have certain hurdles to overcome. These obstacles are a result of a lack of knowledge. I have some questions that if answered can clarify a lot for the newbies (like myself):

1) How long do people usually travel to hunt deer? Bear? Turkey? Is it normal for someone to drive for 10 hours just to hunt a deer? Is it normal for people to sleep overnight in their camp to hunt a deer or turkey?

2) How do you find private land to hunt on? Is there websites or landowners that are in the business of selling you the opportunity to hunt on their land? Is it worth purchasing?

3) How many acres of land is considered decent to hunt an animal on?

4) Any extra tips that people have, who remember the difficulties they began with, would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

1 - Solely depends on where you live. Unfortunately for you, you;re probably in the area of Ontario that requires the most amount of driving to find Crown Land. The nearest bears to hunt would be the Bruce Peninsula I think, and if not there, North of Orillia. Deer you can find close to Windsor, but you'll need to knock on doors.

I drive 30-40 minutes for big game to my property. I hunt waterfowl about 5 minutes from my house at a lake. Thereis Crown 10 minutes away from me but I dont bother with it. Many people in Ontario walk out their back door and start hunting.

2 - Knock on likely looking doors

3 - Depends. With a bow you dont need much. I would not gun hunt with a rifle or shotgun slug on less then 50 acres.

4 - Be friendly, be honest, and look good when you knock on doors. Offer to help around a farm. Offer game meat. Dont focus all your help now. If you find a place to hunt this fall, stop by in the spring and see if they need any help and feel out next falls hunting opportunities. A feed of fish usually goes over pretty well too for most people on a nice summer evening. I would look to join a local fish and game or gun club too.