brand new hunter has a simple question for everyone.

[cody6510]

I'll echo what many others have said, and that is, be patient. This is coming from a pretty impatient person, so I know not being patient can be detrimental to your success.

 

[fngTony]

Learn something from everday in the field. Even if you don't see or harvest an animal. If hunting with kids/family make it about the memories. Assuming its legal/ethical do what you want go where you want, get the experience. Invest in good clothing and equipment.

If you have a mentor/hunting partner both need understand each other. I'm not wired the same as who mentored me and we should have recognized that way sooner

If you would take it on your last day, take it on your first day. After your first harvest you can be picky.

 

[Dfive]

I wanted to say thanks again to everyone. The response was much better and much more productive than I had hoped. I want to absorb as much information as I can in the short time I have so I can be the able and ethical hunter I hope to be. Hunters in general seem to have a diminishing public image so I don't want to fall into any of the lesser stereotypes that make the sport look bad. Unfortunately, I think a lot of the hunting shows on tv help contribute to a largely unfair view of hunting some people
have and if I can I would like to change that for the better, even if only a tiny bit. This thread was a great start to putting it all together.

 

[BackcountryBowhunter]

Great question! I would have to say... enjoy the moment. Dont be so focused on killing, instead be focused on learning and spend time in the woods!

 

[Ross]

Lots of great replies....i will just echo all that ha been said. Above all have fun as this will set the stage for future years. Plan, train,practice, find a mentor if possible to share info and help the learning curve. Good luck and keep us in the loop on how the adventure is going!

 

[BroodBuster]

Be mentally and physically prepared to kill something from the very first moment.

My first trip hunting I couldn't get to camp until about mid-morning of opening day. As I rolled into camp a whole herd of mule deer were crossing the road not 100 yds from our camp. Everybody else was off hunting somewhere else. There were two legal bucks in that herd. My ammo was in a box in the back of the truck. By the time I got it dug out they were long gone.

Doh-Lesson learned!

 

[CookeMonster]

1. Always have your weapon with you. . . Even for a #2. Getting caught with your pants down shouldn't ruin your opportunity, never mind self-defense.

2. Don't buy a cheap sleeping bag and plan to sleep any colder than you have your thermostat set for. You don't need the $800 bag, but the $20 Walmart special works as well as a pair of sweats. You won't enjoy it or last very long if you're exhausted from the hunt and can't sleep at night (general advise for newbie -- not saying OP is new to outdoors, but some reading may be).

3. Log some "practical to your hunt" miles in your footwear before hunting. Not laps around your subdivision, but many miles going uphill, sidehill and downhill. Through wet and slick, over jagged rock and dusty sand. Gets them good and broken in, and you will learn if they are area specific or all-terrain, or even compatible with your feet. I love me some molded rubber sole football cleats for late summer bow hunts. Not so much for wet, cold October rifle season. Sucks to learn where your footwear comes up short on Saturday morning.

4. People have been killing with 30-30s and iron sights for a LONG time, and were killing for hundreds of years before that with stick bows. The big money weapons are nice, but used ugly ones work too. * Good optics will buy you an extra 30 minutes of dusk shooting time. ** A disproportionate number of shot opportunities will come up during this time. *** When checking out scopes or binoculars in the store, use them to look into the dark corners of the rafters in the store. Some will look like a black hole, others will allow you to count the rivets in the trusses. Now, can you make out the nub of a forked antler at dusk, or will you have to pass up a shot because you can't tell?

I'm a (relative) newbie myself, but I have learned these either by hard knocks, or because my mentor warned me and I got to watch other people suffer the consequences.

ETA - 5. Either be proficient at knife sharpening or bring lots of knives. Gutting, skinning and / or quartaring will go through some edges. Not to mention any camp work that needs to be done with them.

 

[Grumman]

I would say write down every one of your kills. I didn't and have lost track of the deer I've killed and some of the memories along the way. There is a great hunting show in KY called KY Afield. They had an episode called Cogan's woods that was one of the best shows I have ever seen. A dad hunted with his son all through childhood. After every kill he would write a note on paper and roll that up and put it in the shell casing. Now even after he has passed the son has all of those memories right there with the spent shells. There are many ways to do it, but a hunting journal will help you keep track of your memories.