Complete n00b. . .

[bourne]

Alright guys, hopefully there hasn't been a ton of these posts before, but here goes:

 

I am 33 & have never been hunting. Ever. I am wanting to change that this year. I want to be able to stock my freezer with meat that I procure.

 

So what would your advice to me be? Where should I start? I have a friend/acquaintance or two I am thinking about hitting up for advice & to see if they would be up for taking me, but beyond that I am clueless. Not even sure they would want to do that.

 

Thanks so much in advance for any advice you guys have.

 

 

[Randall53]

You can learn a lot from reading anything and everything you can find online, in magazines (outdoor life, field and stream, etc...) and books to get you on the playing field. Things don't always turn out like they do in the articles but it's a start. But then, there's nothing like getting out and getting woods experience.  I used to love to hunt and couldn't wait for Fall.  I've know people that walk out into the woods and kill a nice big buck on their first or second hunt.  Then spend the next 4 or 5 years trying to duplicate it. It can be a real challenge.  Good news is, there are much more game now days than 20 or 30 years ago.

 

I'm not trying to be negative really, just telling you where the hunting sport has gone. Your first problem is gonna be a place to hunt if you're not hooked up with a hunting group lease already.  Now everything is all about leasing hunting land.  I quit hunting about 20 years ago or so as public land disappeared.  Back in the day you could just ask people that owned land or farms if you could hunt and usually they'd say sure. It was always nice to give them some meat for the privilege back then.  Now, they all lease land to groups of hunters who post the land for their own use and this can get expensive, but it just depends. Outside of leases there are Wildlife Management areas you can pay for but these places are usually packed on hunting day unless it's a quota hunt, then you apply and must get drawn for hunts with quotas. I used to love hunting and hunted deer, quail, grouse, rabbit and squirrels.

 

I'll tell ya what.  I have some books on deer hunting I've had for quite a while. Most are like new.  I got them from the North American Hunting Club when I was a member.  They have a LOT of info in them and if you want them, send me your name and address and I'll send them to you if you'll pay the shipping.  I can send them in a USPS flat rate box pretty cheap.

Edited July 7, 2013 by Randall53

[Wiljo05]

If you live in mid tn I could show you some lesser travelled wma's

[whiskey]

First find a TWRA Hunter's Safety class. The dates/locations and details are available on the TWRA website. There is an online version also, but it is far less informational IMHO.

 

Second, find a mentor. Someone that you can hunt with will keep the sport more fun for you on slow days. For me, hunting is far more about fellowship than harvest. 

 

Learn to walk quietly. :)

[ShaunM]

First find a TWRA Hunter's Safety class. The dates/locations and details are available on the TWRA website. There is an online version also, but it is far less informational IMHO.
 
Second, find a mentor. Someone that you can hunt with will keep the sport more fun for you on slow days. For me, hunting is far more about fellowship than harvest. 
 
Learn to walk quietly. :)

Great info Whiskey. Here are some links for you

http://www.state.tn.us/twra/huntered.html

 

Also look into the apprentice hunting license. Here is the link with license info. Scroll to the bottom of the page and you will see the license info at the bottom for the apprentice license.

http://www.tn.gov/twra/huntlicense.html

Edited July 7, 2013 by ShaunM

[bourne]

Thanks all for the info, advice, & offers. I'll definitely check all of that out.

 

Hope you all have a great Sunday afternoon.

[whitewolf001]

I just stumbled upon this as I was going to ask the same EXACT question, lol.

[Guest Bonedaddy]

What Randall53 said then start small, like with squirrels, just to learn how to be quite, still and aware of your surroundings before you dedicate yourself to bigger game. That big game gets big for a reason, ya know. Study up on critters habits and foods and work on Identifyin' that while your out there. And another thing, some think it's BS but I've found that it's not...solunar tables. Apply the correct times and your odds will go up considerably both huntin' and fishin'. It's not absolute but is held by the majority of critters.