How did you guys who had no one to teach you get into hunting?

[Loo.wii]

I've never had anyone to teach me hunting my family is from a country with no hunting culture what so ever. I remember one of the first video games I had back in the day being Cabelas big game hunter. I always wanted to hunt and one day last year I decided i was just gonna hop in. How did you guys with no one to teach you get into hunting ?

 

[87TT]

When I started, I had Jack O'Conner, Ted Trueblood, Russel Annabelle, etc. Read everything I could. Now with the internet, Youtube and all, it should be way easy. No substitute for getting out and doing though.

 

[Loper]

The first year I was married to my wife, my FIL didn’t have anyone to go on a waterfowl hunt to Canada and invited me. I think he was surprised when I said I’d go. After that I got involved in my local Ducks Unlimited chapter to meet other hunters and got some of my friends into hunting. A buddy of mine was interested in Western hunting so we started with antelope and have gone West every year since for various species.

 

[simplepeddler]

My uncles. We all lived on Ruby street. Ruby was my grandmother. It was all property that my great grandfather had handed down.

My dad worked all the time. He had a 24 hour towing and recovery business. So my uncles would pick us up and haul my brother and I hunting and fishing. The rifle in my profile pic is handed down from one of those uncles. He is now passed, as all of them are.

My dad, did however, loved guns. He taught me the appreciation for quality firearms, He just never even shot them much less hunted with them.

To this day, I am not sure if I like hunting as much as I love accumulating the guns that go along with it.

 

[jodafo]

My buddies and I are still learning as we go. They started 5 years ago, I started 3 years ago. We have almost all gotten deer. Every year we laugh or try to laugh about all the mistakes we made the year before.

YouTube, Google, onx and these forums have been a huge help.

Finding someone to go backpack hunting with is the thing I'm struggling with most now. That and convincing the wife to let me spend more time in the woods.

 

[Rifleman86]

Friends Dad’s in middle school took me for the first time. Took a hunter safety course when I was 12-13 IIRC. I hunted on my own through most of high school.

Read books and magazines. Watched the old Saturday morning hunting shows.

Pretty much self taught… I had a lot of unsuccessful years early on.

You guys getting into in on your own these days have it relatively easy.

 

[zman]

Was in a big fishing family growing up. Nobody hunted but I got a cheap fiberglass bow for my 8th grade graduation. Got hooked on shooting that. Eventually got a compound. Neighbor moved in who hunted. Let me sit in his treestand and I got hooked. Took my 5 years to kill my first deer. Wasn't easy. Read alot of bowhunter magazine. Would have loved if there was club or any sort of hunting culture anywhere near me.... I think one other kid in my high school hunted.

 

[PNW bow hunter]

I got a driver license, and just started going with a my buddy. His dad “hunted”, but that consisted of a camping trip with some driving around in the truck with a rifle. We all had fun, but my buddy and I definitely had a urge to actually hunt.

It took 4-5 years of learning on our own, reading lots of books, and just spending time in the woods to START figuring it out. Around then we ditched the rifles and started bow hunting. That gave us even more time in the woods learning.

There’s no quick short cut if you don’t have a mentor unfortunately. Read as much as you can about hunting techniques and learning about the actual animals you want to hunt. Spend as much time as you can in the areas that have the animals you want to hunt learning about them.

Where I live, I actually ended up meeting some of my current best friends at the local outdoor archery club 15-20 years ago. Lots of evening were spent up there around the campfire listening to hunting stories from very successful guys. I didn’t join thinking get anything out of it but a place to go shoot my bow, but it opened the doors to several friendships, lots of information, and several hunting opportunities.

So if you’re a bow hunter that may be a place to find some people willing to help teach you. It definitely wasn’t something I sought out or asked them for, it was just something that happened hanging around people with similar interest and passions a lot at the range shooting.

 

[Loo.wii]

Friends Dad’s in middle school took me for the first time. Took a hunter safety course when I was 12-13 IIRC. I hunted on my own through most of high school.

Read books and magazines. Watched the old Saturday morning hunting shows.

Pretty much self taught… I had a lot of unsuccessful years early on.

You guys getting into in on your own these days have it relatively easy.

Back in my day we hunted up hill both ways, in the snow, bare foot, without all this sexy gear.

Lol I definitely believe it’s a bit easier

 

[Rifleman86]

Back in my day we hunted up hill both ways, in the snow, bare foot, without all this sexy gear.

Lol I definitely believe it’s a bit easier

Lol, fair enough!

I guess I’m getting older…

But yeah, be thankful for the resources you have!

 

[Dos Perros]

I was in a fraternity with some good redneck dudes.

 

[jlw0142]

I would just read every book/article, watch every video, and listen to every podcast you can. Take in any info you can. Then, go and apply it as much as possible so that you can form your own opinions and understand it better. I know its overwhelming starting out, but I have hunted as long as I can remember and I am still learning pretty much every day about new hunting tactics, management strategies, etc. Just recently got into western hunting and realized how different it was and how much I didnt understand, so I started devouring any material I could find on backpacking, mountaineering, and western hunting. You will never know it all and you will always be learning, so just enjoy the ride because when it comes together after all of your work it is *priceless*!

 

[william schmaltz]

My uncle took me deer hunting when I was probably 16 or 17. My Dad worked 6.5 days a week my whole life and owned a butcher shop so no way he was going to create more work for himself. Also had a couple friends who were brothers living with a single mom and we all figured things out together.

My mentor died 10 years ago, right before moving to AK. When I got here, I had only really hunted birds and deer and had hardly slept in a tent besides drunk at music festivals. Luckily moved in next door to a guy that was just as new to AK as us and was an eagle scout. Learned a lot from him on our numerous adventures. But I just hiked into places and booked flights and figured it out as I went. Found Rokslide a few years later and glad I didn't right away. I feel like I would've got wrapped around the axels with too much reading and fear mongering on here before actually going out and trying. I've killed a zoo worth of animals since. I came to find people overcomplicate most hunts, or least portray it that way. Just do it and most of the time it works out.

 

[roosiebull]

I've never had anyone to teach me hunting my family is from a country with no hunting culture what so ever. I remember one of the first video games I had back in the day being Cabelas big game hunter. I always wanted to hunt and one day last year I decided i was just gonna hop in. How did you guys with no one to teach you get into hunting ?

I just started going and making mistakes… lots of mistakes. I feel extremely fortunate that I didn’t have anyone to help me out and show me the ropes, it forced me to form my own style, own ideas, own theories, with zero distractions.

Just start going, focus heavily on the basics, and let your mind piece things together.

 

[Beendare]

I just did it. yeah, I palled around with a bunch of different guys but my knowledge came from just doing it.

Go to Co otc during elk season, cover ground and study sign

 

[Ralphie]

Just went. And sucked at it for a long time. No internet, no dad that hunted, no uncles, nobody took me. Well my parents would drop me off some where and that was it. Once I could legally drive I could go more often but still no one to teach me.

Used crappy clothes and boots too. Killed my first bull in blue jeans and a long sleeve camo no name cotton t shirt and a boonie hat.

What a bunch of sissies these days. When I was your age….

To be honest though it is a little hard to take grown men needing YouTubers, tag services, online schools, and magical clothes and kits to run to hunt something.

 

[Loo.wii]

Just went. And sucked at it for a long time. No internet, no dad that hunted, no uncles, nobody took me. Well my parents would drop me off some where and that was it. Once I could legally drive I could go more often but still no one to teach me.

Used crappy clothes and boots too. Killed my first bull in blue jeans and a long sleeve camo no name cotton t shirt and a boonie hat.

What a bunch of sissies these days. When I was your age….

To be honest though it is a little hard to take grown men needing YouTubers, tag services, online schools, and magical clothes and kits to run to hunt something.

Daggum all these hippie hunters with all their kIfArU and FiRsTliTe. Back in my day we hunted in blue.....
lol. Thanks bro

 

[rideold]

I started on my own as an adult. I went on one elk hunt with my brother-in-law before he passed away and then it was all just reading and watching and absorbing on my own. I learned a little bit from him that first hunt but I had to develop my own style and learn to think. That first hunt I really just followed him around all day. Like others have said....get out there. Summer or winter, rain or shine, early in the morning and late in the evening and everything in between. I have learned more just by being in the field than any book, article or podcast has ever taught me. Sure, there is great info on the web and in books but in the end it all just points you in the general direction. The details you learn in the field are invaluable. Just go sit on a hillside with your binos for a few hours every week or two and see what you can find and watch the animals and how they move. Wander in the woods following sign and spooking animals. Above all else have fun and enjoy the time in the field.

 

[Customweld]

If you are looking for a place to start, a lot of areas have winter archery leagues and spring/summer campout shoots. Most of the guys and girls for that matter are welcoming and will help you out. Keep in mind that it might take a while for anyone to invite you to go along with them.

 

[Hnthrdr]

My uncle took me fishing and bird hunting, as a kid then when I was old enough to afford the gear I ventured in big game in 2014, I had an older friend who mentored me and taught me a lot of stuff and a couple buddies who helped, struck out a season, then was deployed a season, then got back and killed a bull and buck in 2016 , and have been able to figure it out since then, switched to archery gear and am 3/3 on elk in the last 3 years.

Honestly hunting can have a steep learning curve, but the internet, YouTube, and forums have greatly reduced it. Now if you have 1000 bucks you can get outfitted and hit the woods and probably find some success