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

[summs]

Lots of long days and seasons seeing nothing.

 

[cjdewese]

Started when I was 37. Dad hunted three times when i was a kid but didn't really like it.

Got a bow, learned to shoot and got confident out to 40 yards. Have killed 2 deer in the last 3 years in Southern California.

Learning to hunt in areas with single digit succeas rates has been a challenge to say the least but I learn something new every season.

Biggest thing I've found is being in good shape has been my greatest asset. Need to cover quite a bit of ground to find a pod of deer, then need to find a way to hunt them.

I do wish I had a mentor or two local to my area that I could ask questions to. This forum has been a huge help with general tactics and things to try in my area.

Whether you have someone to help or are completely new the biggest thing for your success is the effort you put in and to learn from your mistakes. Try to only male the same mistake once.

 

[Nockemdwn]

cjdewese

“ Whether you have someone to help or are completely new the biggest thing for your success is the effort you put in and to learn from your mistakes. Try to only make the same mistake once. “

This is so true !

I was in my early 30’s when I first got into deer hunting. Man I was like a crack head I couldn’t get enough of it !

First it was modern gun then it was muzzle loader and of course that wasn’t enough and yes got into bow.

No one really “ taught “ me unless you count the hunting shows that came on cable back in the day.

I did meet some like minded guys and we would hunt different farms. Man I miss those days being out freezing your a$$ off !

But cjdewese is right !

 

[saskhunter]

I've learned a lot by f'ing up a lot.

The internet helped a bit but messing up and winging it got me where I'm at.

 

[SoxOnDMoon]

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.

That’s where I’m at right now. I’m moving to a new state, leaving almost everyone I know behind, in less than a month and at the same time I’m wanting to get into backpack hunting. I’m sure with enough YouTube and reading these forums I’ll have decent enough of an idea to try it myself, but it’s always nice to have a buddy with you.

 

[49ereric]

wasn’t taught a damn thing.
I walked the woods with a 410 got an occasional squirrel and rarely a grouse as numbers were down when I started hunting.
FIL advice for ducks “get under them” took me a quite a while to fully grasp that of course with no experience and learned to use the canoe and sit in the wild rice where the duck feathers are thick on the water cuz they decoy easily where they are used to sitting and not hunt from shore where most of the shots you get are passing.
FIL said “follow the deer tracks in the snow” learn how the deer use the land after a 3”-4” snowfall. Basically learn some of their patterns. I have an area where deer will pass thru before dawn after a snowfall and return on the predawn trail just before dark.
We don’t get snow in deer season like we used to now. Learned to track in the snow when there are old tracks all over by putting a finger in the deer track and seeing if the snow is loose or hard to determine which set of tracks is reasonably fresh.
now I just sit in known places where a buck will come walking or trotting by maybe
FIL also said “hunt for bucks where you can’t see far“ cuz the buck stick to the thicker areas and try to “hunt trails in thick spots that seem barely used for bucks”.
doe and fawn trails get used a lot buck trails don’t.
his advice works for here.