- Joined
- Feb 7, 2013
- Messages
- 65,859
- Reaction score
- 73,846
-
ODT Gun Show & Swap Meet - May 4, 2024! - Click here for info
Never Hunted Anything before, Where To Start?
- Thread starter Brandon Ryan
- Start date
I thought he was about to start sobbing
LOL it was like a little kid asking his dad if he did a good job
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2013
- Messages
- 65,859
- Reaction score
- 73,846
Buck fever is real. If you don't get it, you probably need to find a new hobby. Luke is still being a chick though.
Brandon, there's no substitute for going out in the woods and just watching and listening. Even if you do it without a firearm.
My suggestions, based on what I did when I was in your situation:
1) If you don't already have it, get your hunting license with the WMA access privilege.
2) Find the WMA closest to you. Look on the DNR website for any specific rules for that WMA. Call the DNR headquarters, ask if there are any requirements for that WMA in regards to small game hunting, and make sure you are clear on what small game is legal on the dates you plan to go.
3) Print out a Google map / satellite shot of the WMA. Mark where you will drive in based on directions from where you live. Pay attention to exactly where you start when you go in, mark where you park, etc. You can use GPS, but I highly recommend not relying on technology and instead use either dead reckoning or compass navigation.
4) Start early enough so you will get there at first light.
5) Bring a 22 rimfire rifle, a box of 50 rounds, some water, some snacks, binoculars, if you have them. Clothes and shoes appropriate for an outdoor hike. And your hunting license. Odds of encountering a DNR ranger go way up on WMAs.
6) Walk part of the WMA; enough so you are comfortable that you can find your way back to your vehicle. Focus on moving quietly, learning the terrain, listening for animals (and people). Learn that WMA. More with each visit.
7) Find spots to sit against a tree, a rock, etc. Takes breaks and learn to sit quietly and listen. WMAs are sparse enough that animals will make themselves scarce when you come through. But if you sit quietly and still enough for a while, they will forget you are there and start to emerge again.
Your goal, other than shooting game, is to teach your senses what's happening around you. What do the animals do when you sit quietly? What do they do when it's windy? Raining? What noises do they make? Is that sound of animal moving a squirrel, a deer, or a turkey? There's only one way to accumulate this knowledge: Experience.
If you do shoot something, plan on eating it, if for no other reason than to teach yourself how to process the animal into food.
Good luck. Enjoy. Let us know about your experiences.
My suggestions, based on what I did when I was in your situation:
1) If you don't already have it, get your hunting license with the WMA access privilege.
2) Find the WMA closest to you. Look on the DNR website for any specific rules for that WMA. Call the DNR headquarters, ask if there are any requirements for that WMA in regards to small game hunting, and make sure you are clear on what small game is legal on the dates you plan to go.
3) Print out a Google map / satellite shot of the WMA. Mark where you will drive in based on directions from where you live. Pay attention to exactly where you start when you go in, mark where you park, etc. You can use GPS, but I highly recommend not relying on technology and instead use either dead reckoning or compass navigation.
4) Start early enough so you will get there at first light.
5) Bring a 22 rimfire rifle, a box of 50 rounds, some water, some snacks, binoculars, if you have them. Clothes and shoes appropriate for an outdoor hike. And your hunting license. Odds of encountering a DNR ranger go way up on WMAs.
6) Walk part of the WMA; enough so you are comfortable that you can find your way back to your vehicle. Focus on moving quietly, learning the terrain, listening for animals (and people). Learn that WMA. More with each visit.
7) Find spots to sit against a tree, a rock, etc. Takes breaks and learn to sit quietly and listen. WMAs are sparse enough that animals will make themselves scarce when you come through. But if you sit quietly and still enough for a while, they will forget you are there and start to emerge again.
Your goal, other than shooting game, is to teach your senses what's happening around you. What do the animals do when you sit quietly? What do they do when it's windy? Raining? What noises do they make? Is that sound of animal moving a squirrel, a deer, or a turkey? There's only one way to accumulate this knowledge: Experience.
If you do shoot something, plan on eating it, if for no other reason than to teach yourself how to process the animal into food.
Good luck. Enjoy. Let us know about your experiences.
Getting hella excited and proud is one thing but this mans entire body just gave way to estrogenBuck fever is real. If you don't get it, you probably need to find a new hobby. Luke is still being a chick though.
Very in depth and useful info, big thanks you you for the help
That is assuming I am hunting birds with a friend who wont sue me. I am not hunting birds first (maybe though who the hell knows) and I have no friends, so if i randomly shot someone I feel like they would probably take that legal action, or they'd like, ya know, die
Them Chinese kids can't sew a boot worth a ****
