Idahoan Who Has No Idea How to Hunt

[Freyzen227]

Hey everybody, kinda new guy here! I've been hunting basically my whole life and have harvested about 4 deer over that span of my hunting career (Im 23 now).

I have never been on a hunting forum this religiously until now because I've moved from the western side of Idaho to the eastern side away from my family and friends that I used to go hunting with.

Semi-recently I posted about advice on areas for my first solo hunt I want to plan for this year and I got a lot of great advice!

Until I made the realization that I have no idea how to hunt... I guess I just didn't ask enough questions or pay enough attention throughout those years of hunting with my family/friends but now that I want to hunt solo, I have no idea what to do.

Im never going to give up hunting and I'm still going to try to do a solo hunt but if any of yall can help this FNG out with this crisis and help me answer some questions that are really the core of me feeling like I dont know how to hunt.

-Im going to be hunting new areas now that I'm on the other side of the state so... How do I e-scout? What should I be looking for on these maps available to find the best habitat?
-How do I find deer to hunt/how do you scout? So I find a good looking area but what are some tactics yall use to actually find the deer in the area.
-How do I make sure when opening day happens I have the best chance of finding those deer/deer in general.
-For those people who get deer regularly, what is your hunting routine? What's your schedule? What do you do to be so successful? (Only answer what youre comfortable, dont need to give secrets away or anything)
-What other tactics do you recommend? Anything that might give you more advantages or just overlooked things that really gives you a better chance than the other hunters.

Anything helps! I dont think I can PM yet but anything yall feem comfortable with posting will help! I feel like I'm starting brand new! Thank you guys!

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[87TT]

Spend as much time as you can "hunting". Always be looking for animals. Spend the time, cover the miles but always be ready for and animal to appear. I personally don't do a lot of pre season scouting. I do like getting out and exploring and make note of the game and terrain. But the animals are usually not in the same places they were before season. Spend as much time during the season "hunting". When you jump animals or see fresh sign, slow down and "hunt"

 

[MeatBuck]

Never seen this before.

So basically you take a legal weapon of choice otherwise known as a “method of take” and walk into the (whatever game you’re chasing) woods, in hopes that you see whatever game you’re chasing.
Most guys use what are known as “eyeballs”and “legs” to spot and move to as close a position as necessary to effectively and ethically harvest your quarry with your chosen method of take.
Spotting the game animal you intend to harvest is best done during “daylight hours” generally from 1/2hr before sunrise to 1/2hr after sunset. Advanced hunters wear “boots” and carry “binoculars” to gain vantage and enhance the view of the terrain while searching for game.
Once you get eyes on the target animal and are in effective range for your method of take, you can attempt to ethically harvest that animal. So long as the animal is considered legal to harvest under the state and or federal regulations and tag or license you hold for the game animal you are seeking.
Now say you got lucky and have a target animal down, meaning dead, you will inevitably need a “knife”, preferably a sharp one to either “field dress” or “quarter” the carcass so you can continue the harvest by taking the meat. Be sure to keep the meat cool, clean and free from “guts”, “piss”, “shit”, “dirt” and “fly blow”.
Some experts use “packs”, “frames“, “sleds”, “carts” or even “livestock” to haul the meat back to their camp or truck so they can take it home or to a butcher or processor for aging and packaging to freeze for future meals. While more novice individuals tend to attempt to “drag” their quarry out of the field whole and in doing so generally exhaust themselves to a point where they abandon the animal and worry solely about getting themselves out of the woods which will no doubt ruin their hunt-harvest experience.

I think most of this goes without saying but you asked so...

Good luck this season. Be prepared and Be safe.

 

[Freyzen227]

Never seen this before.

So basically you take a legal weapon of choice otherwise known as a “method of take” and walk into the (whatever game you’re chasing) woods, in hopes that you see whatever game you’re chasing.
Most guys use what are known as “eyeballs”and “legs” to spot and move to as close a position as necessary to effectively and ethically harvest your quarry with your chosen method of take.
Spotting the game animal you intend to harvest is best done during “daylight hours” generally from 1/2hr before sunrise to 1/2hr after sunset. Advanced hunters wear “boots” and carry “binoculars” to gain vantage and enhance the view of the terrain while searching for game.
Once you get eyes on the target animal and are in effective range for your method of take, you can attempt to ethically harvest that animal. So long as the animal is considered legal to harvest under the state and or federal regulations and tag or license you hold for the game animal you are seeking.
Now say you got lucky and have a target animal down, meaning dead, you will inevitably need a “knife”, preferably a sharp one to either “field dress” or “quarter” the carcass so you can continue the harvest by taking the meat. Be sure to keep the meat cool, clean and free from “guts”, “piss”, “shit”, “dirt” and “fly blow”.
Some experts use “packs”, “frames“, “sleds”, “carts” or even “livestock” to haul the meat back to their camp or truck so they can take it home or to a butcher or processor for aging and packaging to freeze for future meals. While more novice individuals tend to attempt to “drag” their quarry out of the field whole and in doing so generally exhaust themselves to a point where they abandon the animal and worry solely about getting themselves out of the woods which will no doubt ruin their hunt-harvest experience.

I think most of this goes without saying but you asked so...

Good luck this season. Be prepared and Be safe.

Hahaha I guess this is what I made it sound like, thank you for the laugh!

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[MeatBuck]

Have some friggin confidence too.
Seems like that’s what you’re lacking most

 

[MeatBuck]

And don’t be afraid of failure. It’s part of it

 

[Freyzen227]

Spend as much time as you can "hunting". Always be looking for animals. Spend the time, cover the miles but always be ready for and animal to appear. I personally don't do a lot of pre season scouting. I do like getting out and exploring and make note of the game and terrain. But the animals are usually not in the same places they were before season. Spend as much time during the season "hunting". When you jump animals or see fresh sign, slow down and "hunt"

That makes a lot of sense, thank you! That seems to be what my friends and family would do and it looks like it works just fine!

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[Freyzen227]

And don’t be afraid of failure. It’s part of it

Yeaaa I guess I just watch too much outdoor channel where everybody gets deer no matter what. Makes me remember the quote "It's called hunting not killing"... Thank you for the advice and boost!

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[MeatBuck]

Maybe watch YouTube instead of outdoor channel, more guys who don’t know what they’re doing and even less guys care about “production quality”.

 

[taz_gerstman]

I would recommend maybe becoming friends with other hunters in your area. Perhaps those you work with etc. Ones that you can trust and depend on and ones who have quite the experience. My dad has always said the key to successful hunting is location, location, location. Common sense says to look for stuff like food, water, shelter and places that make them feel safe. Spend as much time as you can scouting and learning the area and just watch how the animals react or figure out their patterns but don't let scouting be the only time you learn or observe. Always be paying attention even when hunting. I hunt in the south eastern area of the country so how I approach hunting may be different than how you do it but overall I think the basics are the same. As mentioned above Youtube is a great source and if you can afford it don't be afraid to go on a guided hunt. You might be able to learn a few things there as well.

 

[Freyzen227]

I would recommend maybe becoming friends with other hunters in your area. Perhaps those you work with etc. Ones that you can trust and depend on and ones who have quite the experience. My dad has always said the key to successful hunting is location, location, location. Common sense says to look for stuff like food, water, shelter and places that make them feel safe. Spend as much time as you can scouting and learning the area and just watch how the animals react or figure out their patterns but don't let scouting be the only time you learn or observe. Always be paying attention even when hunting. I hunt in the south eastern area of the country so how I approach hunting may be different than how you do it but overall I think the basics are the same. As mentioned above Youtube is a great source and if you can afford it don't be afraid to go on a guided hunt. You might be able to learn a few things there as well.

That is some really good advice, thank you! I guess that makes sense to make more hunting friends since I left the old ones hahaha what youtubers would you all recommend for good learning??

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[Hogyotedeer]

it's like a fish not knowing how to swim, Welcome to the forum.

 

[SawtoothOle]

Hey everybody, kinda new guy here! I've been hunting basically my whole life and have harvested about 4 deer over that span of my hunting career (Im 23 now).

I have never been on a hunting forum this religiously until now because I've moved from the western side of Idaho to the eastern side away from my family and friends that I used to go hunting with.

Semi-recently I posted about advice on areas for my first solo hunt I want to plan for this year and I got a lot of great advice!

Until I made the realization that I have no idea how to hunt... I guess I just didn't ask enough questions or pay enough attention throughout those years of hunting with my family/friends but now that I want to hunt solo, I have no idea what to do.

Im never going to give up hunting and I'm still going to try to do a solo hunt but if any of yall can help this FNG out with this crisis and help me answer some questions that are really the core of me feeling like I dont know how to hunt.

-Im going to be hunting new areas now that I'm on the other side of the state so... How do I e-scout? What should I be looking for on these maps available to find the best habitat?
-How do I find deer to hunt/how do you scout? So I find a good looking area but what are some tactics yall use to actually find the deer in the area.
-How do I make sure when opening day happens I have the best chance of finding those deer/deer in general.
-For those people who get deer regularly, what is your hunting routine? What's your schedule? What do you do to be so successful? (Only answer what youre comfortable, dont need to give secrets away or anything)
-What other tactics do you recommend? Anything that might give you more advantages or just overlooked things that really gives you a better chance than the other hunters.

Anything helps! I dont think I can PM yet but anything yall feem comfortable with posting will help! I feel like I'm starting brand new! Thank you guys!

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

Listen to Remi Warren's Podcast "Cutting the Distance". Remi gives all the secrets away. I met Remi scouting my hunting grounds on notellum mountain in Idaho, I informed him that mule deer were far and few between up there. Later that year he scored a beaut of a buck cause he's relentless, high integrity and a heck of a guide.
We all need to be the kind of hunter you want to meet on the mountain.

 

[dreamingbig]

What about asking your family to mentor you? Sounds like you have some hunters in the family.


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[PathFinder]

The best thing you can do is get off the internet and spend time on the mountain. I'm not being rude, I'd say 95% of my knowledge comes from field time, or time spent re-studying what I saw in the field.

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[taz_gerstman]

well I like the following personalities myself: Randy Newberg, the Hush team, born and raised outdoors team, corey Jacobsen, Remi, Steve Rinella. I am sure that some have issues with either one of these but that is who I like to watch from time to time primarily because they mostly hunt public land. I agree with Pathfinder as well. You can learn quite a bit watching but you have to execute as well and that requires time out in the field so that you can also learn from your mistakes, etc. The biggest thing for me though when hunting is safety. no matter what you do, where you go or what you hunt always practice safety. If you start hunting with "new" people make sure you can trust them. I have been hunting several times out in Wyoming and New Mexico and being an eastern hunter I was sure glad I had someone from there I could depend on. Also remember to just have fun and enjoy it. Hunting is more than just the harvest. Your young. You will figure it out. ha

 

[Freyzen227]

Listen to Remi Warren's Podcast "Cutting the Distance". Remi gives all the secrets away. I met Remi scouting my hunting grounds on notellum mountain in Idaho, I informed him that mule deer were far and few between up there. Later that year he scored a beaut of a buck cause he's relentless, high integrity and a heck of a guide.
We all need to be the kind of hunter you want to meet on the mountain.

Saved it and going to listen asap! Thank you very much! Very sound advice too!

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[Freyzen227]

What about asking your family to mentor you? Sounds like you have some hunters in the family.


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That's probably an easy, great idea hahaha ask how my Dad found all his hunting grounds he used to take me to

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[Freyzen227]

The best thing you can do is get off the internet and spend time on the mountain. I'm not being rude, I'd say 95% of my knowledge comes from field time, or time spent re-studying what I saw in the field.

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That was going to be my next move! Whether I got answers or not I was going to burn the leather and get out there! Thank you for letting me know it worked out best for you!

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[Freyzen227]

well I like the following personalities myself: Randy Newberg, the Hush team, born and raised outdoors team, corey Jacobsen, Remi, Steve Rinella. I am sure that some have issues with either one of these but that is who I like to watch from time to time primarily because they mostly hunt public land. I agree with Pathfinder as well. You can learn quite a bit watching but you have to execute as well and that requires time out in the field so that you can also learn from your mistakes, etc. The biggest thing for me though when hunting is safety. no matter what you do, where you go or what you hunt always practice safety. If you start hunting with "new" people make sure you can trust them. I have been hunting several times out in Wyoming and New Mexico and being an eastern hunter I was sure glad I had someone from there I could depend on. Also remember to just have fun and enjoy it. Hunting is more than just the harvest. Your young. You will figure it out. ha

I've seen the Hushin channel a couple times and they are awesome! I'll check out the others! Thank you for the advice! Maybe I just need a change of mindset!

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