1 Piece of Advice to pass onto a New Hunter

[microtus]

I'll assume were talking deer hunting. Don't stress if you get a deer or not, it's not the only definition of a successful hunt. I started deer hunting at age 12 and didn't harvest my first deer until age 54. I had 42 years of great hunting and a ton of awesome memories to go with them, no regrets.

 

[Travis907]

Enjoy the sport and do what you can do to positively promote our hunting heritage! Don’t let the negativity of social media influence or ruin what you enjoy. Get out there and hunt and learn as you go!

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Don't define success on your 1st hunt on weather or not you notch a tag...success should be based on the experience you had and what you learned while trying to fill your tag. Filling a tag is just a bonus.

 

[hunt1up]

Location, location, location.

 

[Team4LongGun]

No need to "go deep", be mobile and find animals/sign before backpacking in several miles.

 

[Gwchem]

Four legged animals can smell you, so hunt with the wind in your face.

Birds can see you, so sit still.

 

[TheBootBowhunting]

Dont go from texas and west without chapstick. If Im left with a choice between toilet paper and chapstick out that way, Im going to be finding something else to wipe my arse with.

Dont let the stuff you see on instagram and youtube be a yardstick to measure your experience out in the woods. Your experience is what is real.

There was none of that stuff when I started hunting. It was just me and my grandpa chasin deers, or setting crawfish traps or gators or rabbits or hogs or turkey etc. Try to make it as simple as that.

 

[MightyWhitey]

No amount of gear or the price of that gear can replace woodsmanship. Get out there and study animal behavior, be observant and pay attention.

Don’t waste your valuable time with bad hunting partners. If they’re not an asset to you get away from them. You’re much better off in the long run by yourself in my opinion.

 

[Btaylor]

Four legged animals can smell you, so hunt with the wind in your face.

Birds can see you, so sit still.

And whitetails and turkeys can hear you change your mind.

 

[Scoot]

Persistence kills.

Sometimes you have to convince yourself what you're doing is fun. Sometimes it's kinda not that fun, but make the best of it. It'll be both fun and funny when you tell the stories about it.

The comment above about woodsmanship is spot on.

 

[rideold]

Walk slower!

 

[Ferrulewax]

Buy points now. Can't go back

 

[dtrkyman]

Walk slower!

x1000...slow down!

 

[30338]

Learn how to cut your own game.

 

[CJ19]

Move very slowly. Still and quiet.

 

[Sherman]

As a new hunter myself getting skunked for the first few years, I realized the value of scouting and preparation. Since spending more time scouting vs the hunt, my sons and I haven’t eaten a single tag going back to Turkey last year to my sons first elk, a few deer tags in between, and my first muley last week.

Scout. Find the animals before the hunt.

 

[EastHumboldt]

Be patient when conducting a stalk. I have seen many stalks blown because the stalker did not have the patience to wait for the deer to get up when they got in really close. Instead of waiting for the deer to get up they kept trying to get closer.

after you shoot a buck, spend a minute or two very carefully studying the micro terrain where you last saw the animal. It’s very easy for one to go down in the brush and if you were not really careful to positively identify the location, you can spend a lot of time combing a patch of ground looking for your animal that’s 50 yards from where your buck actually is.

As others have said If you are back country hunting, take care of your feet. Also take care of your feet, and take care of your feet. Did I mention you should take care of your feet?

 

[Geewhiz]

Dont let the stuff you see on instagram and youtube be a yardstick to measure your experience out in the woods.

My advice would be to ingore social media all together. It gives a false perception of reality and makes the incredibly uncommon look common.

 

[Fartrell Cluggins]

The best hunting is behind the "NO TRESPASSING" signs.

 

[packer58]

Keep October / November for yourself .... No anniversaries ...... No birthdays