Learning to hunt

[Db30513]

Hello longtime lurker, 1st time poster.
I have always wanted to learn how to hunt and learn how to provide meat for myself and my family, but I really have no idea what to do. No one in my family hunts and I really dont know of any resources for first timers like me. My state does provide a Learn To Hunt program but I really dont if it is worth it. Are there any resources for a complete newbie like me can learn to hunt?

[JeeperCreeper]

Hello longtime lurker, 1st time poster.
I have always wanted to learn how to hunt and learn how to provide meat for myself and my family, but I really have no idea what to do. No one in my family hunts and I really dont know of any resources for first timers like me. My state does provide a Learn To Hunt program but I really dont if it is worth it. Are there any resources for a complete newbie like me can learn to hunt?

Not sure your area, but if you look into a sportsman's or gun club, they will have people and resources to try out. Even if there is an application or meetings or fees or sponsorship stipulations, if you call and explain your situation, most places will work with you.

My other suggestion, get a .22 and take a hunter's safety course. Then watch a weekends worth of YouTube or Meat Eater on Netflix, and then go squirrel hunting on public land.

Squirrel hunting requires little equipment and allows you to figure stuff out without a lot of assistance. Depending on your area, rabbit might be good too.

[raptor2]

I agree with above advice. It is frequently possible to find groups in need of a hunting lease participant. This is an excellent way to address 2 issues...whereto hunt legally as well join knowledgeable people on a hunt.

The other thing you can hunt are feral pigs. Depending upon your area they are typically fairgame year around and plentiful.

[woodsghost]

Hunters safety and either a .22 rifle or a 20 guage shotgun are where I would start.

I learned to hunt by taking a hunters safety course and then walking around in the woods shooting squirrels when I could find them. I had much better success with the shotgun than with the rifle.

Butchering a squirrel is something I read about in a survival manual and then tried when I finally shot a squirrel. I sucked. So I watched some videos and got better. Same with rabbits.

If possible, meet up with someone at church (if you attend one) and go hunting. "Church" is where I have met a LOT of people with great skills who are usually willing to help teach someone. Most of my paultry deer skills came from learning to hunt with folks who really know what they are doing.

I am NOT a master hunter. I am just someone who has picked up the hobby by bits and pieces here and there and started with NO background, just a fondness for guns and a willingness to develop relationships/friendships. The best way is to find friends who are experienced. The second best way is to just go out and do it, but watch videos before and after each trip out.

[BullOnParade]

Taking a course is almost always worth the time if you have an open mind, especially as a newbie. The state course should at the very least teach you how to understand the local hunting regulations. In my area, changes happen almost every year to one game animal or another, and these changes are not well advertised, it's up to us to educate ourselves of these changes and follow the rules. It should also cover some basics which you can review after the course through other means. It is only a starting point.

Assuming you are looking at starting with firearms, as stated above, .22 is an excellent starter for squirrel, rabbit or grouse, if your area allows it. I've heard of areas allowing turkey with a .22, but it's not common and very challenging.

Starting with small gives you time to aquire equipment opposed to jumping head first into large game, which will usually require camo or blaze orange clothing, seasonal clothing, calls, blinds or tree stands, and probably a few other things I'm not thinking of off the top of my head.

I started with deer a few seasons ago when another member at my gun club invited me out. He had the spot, which helped, but was also fairly new. A seasoned hunter might even have some spare equipment to loan.

[Db30513]

Not sure your area, but if you look into a sportsman's or gun club, they will have people and resources to try out. Even if there is an application or meetings or fees or sponsorship stipulations, if you call and explain your situation, most places will work with you.

I live in North Georgia, close to the Tennessee border. Sadly no such organizations exist where I live. I do have a couple of guns and have thought of squirrel hunting on public land just to get my feet wet. My problem is are you allows to hunt on national forest or just WMA, I really cant tell the difference between to two and cant really find any info that can answer my question.

[JeeperCreeper]

Not sure your area, but if you look into a sportsman's or gun club, they will have people and resources to try out. Even if there is an application or meetings or fees or sponsorship stipulations, if you call and explain your situation, most places will work with you.

I live in North Georgia, close to the Tennessee border. Sadly no such organizations exist where I live. I do have a couple of guns and have thought of squirrel hunting on public land just to get my feet wet. My problem is are you allows to hunt on national forest or just WMA, I really cant tell the difference between to two and cant really find any info that can answer my question.

Quick answer is just calling your state's DNR or Game Commission. I would also assume a hunter safety course would cover that for your state.

I'm not sure if the rules for GA

[JeeperCreeper]

Sadly I'm not aware of any "Tinder for Trophies" where you can just match up with a local guide to take you.

If you want to go digital dating, your next bet would be looking up a Georgia hunting/fishing/outdoor forum and asking for help on there.

Might get lucky and not get catfished.

Do you have any co-workers or anything? That's always a decent option too as I would assume if a close friend/family was able to help, you would have asked them.

[BullOnParade]

Why are you skeptical of the state hunter education course? Most of your questions seem regional specific, so it should be the best way to go.

Asking questions on an (inter)national web forum or watching hunting television programs where pros are paid to seek exciting, exotic game across the country may just cast more doubt in your mind until you have a grasp of the basics.

[Stercutus]

Depending upon your age you will not be able to get a license without taking a hunter safety course. This year in Texas, for example, you have to be born before 1971. The course tells you a lot about hunter safety, hunting regulations and some will tell you how to field dress a deer safely. If it isn't mandatory for you, do it anyway.

It does not however teach you to hunt. As a starting point I am going to suggest a couple of articles that have resources in them and will keep me from repeating the articles, as they are both decent.

https://www.mantripping.com/stuff/how-t ... unter.html

https://gearjunkie.com/how-to-start-hunting

[PistolPete]

Calling your conservation department should help out with info. Figure out what it takes to get a license, in my state you have to pass a hunter safety course to get a hunting license or permit. Once you have that, figure out what's in season and start exploring public land. Learn when the animals are active, where they travel, what they sound like. You will learn so much in those first few outings, even if you don't have an opportunity to take a shot.

And on the topic of taking a shot, know what your ethical range is, and practice estimating that range. Pick a tree, guess the distance then pace off to that tree and repeat until you get good at it. Then at the range figure out the size of the kill zone on your game and figure out at what range you can land that shot 100%, while standing on your feet unsupported. For a lot of people that range is a lot shorter than they think it is, because most people shoot rifles from a bench, an object that doesn't exist in the woods.

Once you have a few trips under your belt you'll have a better idea of what you don't know. You'll start learning the lessons that only experience can teach. But taking a few trips without the expectation you'll take a shot may be the best teacher of all. Finding a good place to sit at dawn and dusk may offer the best chance for animals like turkey, squirrel and deer. Rabbits and birds you'll have better luck moving around and jumping them from brush. Know what you want to hunt, choose a good cartridge for it and know how to clean it and head to the woods.

Good luck! Every new skill is daunting at first.

[raptor2]

I live in North Georgia, close to the Tennessee border. Sadly no such organizations exist where I live. I do have a couple of guns and have thought of squirrel hunting on public land just to get my feet wet. My problem is are you allows to hunt on national forest or just WMA, I really cant tell the difference between to two and cant really find any info that can answer my question.

Here are links to some GA hog hunting commercial hunts.

http://www.huntthenorth.com/GeorgiaHogHunts.html
https://www.woodsnwaterinc.com/wild-hog

[boskone]

Might try camera hunting. If you can shoot well normally, and you can get a good picture of a game animal, you can almost certainly shoot the animal with a gun.

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

Echoing what's already been said, but check with your state Fish and Wildlife department (not sure what they're called in Georgia, but we call them the Game Wardens in Texas) and when you take your hunter education course, ask the person teaching it.

And if you have a Facebook account, try finding a local hunting group and ask some questions there.

Also, your state should have a little book with all the rules and regulations in it. In Texas, it's called the Outdoor Annual and you can pick them up for free anywhere they sell hunting and fishing licenses. I figure Georgia's version would be the same.

Good luck on your foray into the world of hunting and welcome to ZS.

When you get a chance, please drop by the Introductions forum, tell us a bit about yourself there and check out the rules page if you haven't already.

[lailr]

Like everyone else has said, a class is knowledge, and that's an investment no one can take away from you, and never depreciates.


And I'd also like to echo squirrel hunting, which has been the best practice for young hunters for hundreds of years. In N.C. the wildlife game digest is free digitally, and lots of places have a printed version you can obtain when you buy your hunting license, and that should guide you to when, and where you may hunt.

Also an idea, where deer hunting clubs are in place, sometimes they may be quite exclusive......but, feral hogs destroy everything, and a club that's either out of your price range, or someone has to die for you to join, may be very open to letting you exterminate some of their feral swine.


Think about the things your quarry wants. Which is food, water, and procreation. Those are basically an animal's three drives. Figure out how to intercept them in those three endeavors, and you'll be on the way to a successful hunt

[Evan the Diplomat]

DIY hunting bow from schedule 40 PVC. [YouTube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTkNNbZk5Ms[/YouTube]
Or a DIY board bow I've heard some recommend bamboo flooring too. [YouTube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=y ... VCMsbF_OD0[/YouTube]

Hunt rabbits with blunt head arrows at twilight.