Thinking about hunting, never have

[22-rimfire]

Most hunters are conservationists, versus environmentalists. Some people don't understand the distinction.

I definitely suggest you take a hunter safety class and you will get to meet others of similar interest. You may also run into people at the range who are members of clubs or have land where you might hunt. These people are a resource.

My suggestion is that you take the hunter safety class and begin to read about hunting. You can learn a lot about deer behavior simply by spending time in the outdoors. Hopefully you will find someone who will help mentor you a bit and get you started. Getting started is the hardest part.

Finding a place to hunt can also be an effort. I would start with the FL fish & game WMA's (wildlife management areas) and start there unless you run into someone who will take you out and help show you the ropes. It's a bit daunting at first.

In TN, many of the WMAs are black powder, shotgun, or archery only. A permit is required and they will usually have a quota of permits that they will issue. So find out when it is the proper time to apply and apply at several different WMAs. This may affect what firearm you might choose to start out with. Black powder rifles tend to cost less than regular centerfire rifles.

Even if you don't hunt, the cost of the license is a donation to a good cause. I keep that in mind every year.

 

[Scottish Highlander]

Hi Dakota,

Come to Scotland and I'll take you out and show you how to get on your belly and crawl through the mud with your face in it till your 50 yards away from a red deer stag . My first memory of going hunting ended very differently to the way I had assumed it would have gone. Basically a long story short I was taken stalking by my dad ( Gamekeeper ) for my first shot at a deer. I'd shot rabbits and ducks etc but nothing like this before. So we headed off and I was very excited with this amazing chance to shoot a red deer stag. I was only 12 at the time and to get behind a 270 with this amazing animal in the scope was some what intimidating....We found a good stag and stalked into him for about and hour and got within 80 yards. I'd shot targets etc to make sure I was good to go. I got into position with a good rest steadied up the rifle and started observing him. He was strutting his stuff with all the ladies up there, big antlers and just magnificent really. My adrenalin was going over time, heart thumping in my chest. When the moment came dad said ok , safety off and when I say put the + just behind his front leg. 1/3rd up and squeeze the trigger. The stag turned perfectly side on and stood still....basically in a nut shell I froze!!! Completely and utterly couldn't do it.... I put the safety back on and said to dad....I cant do it' I'm not ready. He just smiled at me and said well If you aren't happy and can't I'm happy. Better to just slide away and move off back out of sight than make a mess of everything. I thought he would have been upset with me but he respected my decision. Lucky stag

Moral of the story is I was born into this. I thought I'd find it easy because of that but in a way I think just because I have seen a lot of hunting I've also been taught to respect the animals too.

The following year I shot my first stag, 1 shot 1 kill. A good outcome.

I'm now 35 years old and it was a long time ago. Dad is 63 now and I do a lot of the conservation with deer in the winter. last year his very words were "my hearts not in it this year" and he is a seasoned hunter.

You need to learn where to place your bullet for the best chance of a killing shot. Each time you hunt the deer never act the same. You have 2 main killing zones with deer.
1st is the ribs shot. This area is where the heart lungs and all main organs are. The heart is just behind the front leg. 1/3rd up from the belly. The shot in the ribs is catastrophic to the animal and some times they tend to run on a bit which is mainly down to adrenalin. I hit a red deer hind in the heart last autumn and a heart shot is normally quite obvious because the deer's reaction is it tries to run but because there is no pump to pump blood to the muscles it can't.
Lung shot the deer tend to run for a bit.

2nd is a neck shot but I would never advise a beginner to take a neck shot.personally. It is a far better killing zone. If the shot is placed well it is a far quicker death for the animal. Literally it is like flicking a light switch. With a neck shot obviously you sever the neck bone and all communication between the brain and body.

If you can pay for a day to get taken hunting with an expert I'd fully recommend you do that first before buying all the shooting equipment. You'd be far better to spend however much it is on an experienced hunter who can talk you through it and teach you what to look for and show you how to. Its not always about the shot as my story at the start indicated. I didn't pay for that day but if I had I still wouldn't have taken the shot. As someone said previously , a lot can be learnt from picking up a camera and go shoot some animals with it first. Observe there behavior and imagine every time you shoot that camera it was a rifle. When you find your up and personal with the wildlife with the camera swap it with a rifle. The outcome will be some what different at the end of it all though. Good luck with everything and keep us informed of your progress.

Jamie

 

[MWalsh]

I'm also thinking of going hunting for the first time this year. I've shot a couple of birds with BB guns as a kid and always felt guilty, but I was doing it for "sport", really pointless killing of an animal, and so the guilt was well-founded.

My wife insists that killing a deer would cause me duress, but I am not so sure. I am sure it would be very memorable, but I eat meat all the time and I am increasingly of the opinion that at least for me if I lack the guts to kill a deer I hardly have the right to eat an animal. This is akin to my thoughts that a person ought not to be for the death penalty unless they are capable of pulling the switch themselves.

 

[johnwilliamson062]

Start with squirrels. They aren't any smarter than fish and once you take what you want any dog will be more than happy to eat what is left.

I'll agree with other posts that camo is over rated along with most of the other gadgets. A tool to take the game and something comfortable to sit on are the most important. You can always still hunt and then the comfortable seat isn't even needed.

 

[Old_Dog]

Hunting hogs is VERY popular here in Florida. However I do not hunt animals. After hunting humans, hunting animals seems so unfair. Not against hunting and realize that someone has to kill the meat I eat. Just that I do not find it sporting to hunt something that cannot shoot back.

 

[Spats McGee]

dakota.potts, clearly you've put a lot of thought into whether or not you want to hunt. That's a good thing. The questions that you ask are certainly not stupid questions. Hunting raises many more issues than just gear and tactics. There are also ethics and legalities to consider.

Here are my two big ethical considerations:
1) I make a clean kill. The ideal situation is that the animal dies immediately. If that does not happen, I put the animal out of its misery as soon as possible.

2) I eat what I kill. While I might make an exception to this rule for nuisance animals, I do not care to trophy hunt. There's even a program (at least in Arkansas) called Hunters for the Hungry. If you kill more than you can eat, you can donate it to Hunters for the Hungry. Various businesses donate their time to processing game for the homeless and impoverished. (It's actually a pretty cool program, IMO.) If you go hog hunting, but don't want to eat the meat, perhaps you could donate it to a similar program in your area?

I strongly support the idea of a Hunter Education Course. It may even be required by law that you take one in your state. It is in Arkansas. After that, the easiest way to try your hand is to find another hunter, and just ask if you can tag along. Ask what you need for the trip (what kind of gun, license, etc.), and be a good guest.

Come to Scotland and I'll take you out and show you how to get on your belly and crawl through the mud with your face in it till your 50 yards away from a red deer stag.

Oooh, ooh! Take me! Take me!