My dad was a road hunter

[Jdd2035]

So, I am relatively new to hunting, I mean real hunting. See my dad (I think he tried his best) was intermittent during my youth in teaching me how to hunt and fish. In fact I can count on two fingers how many times we went hunting after getting my hunters safety license and both times was nothing but road hunting. I didn't know any better at the time but it was fun for most of it.

Any way getting back on track I turned 18 years old and joined the Navy and it was ten years later that I finally got back into the outdoorsy life. And I am apparently a blank slate. Any advice, tips, or tricks are welcome. Also this is my hello I'm new to EHJ Forums post so hi.

 

[Vikingload]

Where do you plan to hunt? What do you plan to hunt the most? The answer to those questions will help narrow the advice down. The one thing I'd say is read the posts around here, there is some solid info to come by.


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[go_deep]

Welcome! First tip start to hunt once you can't see the truck anymore. My dad didn't even take me hunting that many times when I was a kid, he just handed me a gun and said have fun.

 

[River Rat]

Welcome to the forum

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[firebeck]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Gr8bawana]

Welcome to the forum. Usually the farther away from the road you get the better the hunting will be. Lots of practice with whatever weapon you plan to use. If you're in an area you aren't familiar with don't hesitate to use a GPS of some kind. Have a pack of some kind to pack out your game when you are successful.
Good luck to you on your future hunts and be persistant even if it take a couple of season to finally connect.

 

[hoshour]

Welcome. I had the same experience with my father but it took me until my 50s to get back into it.

You can learn a lot between the forum, the journals, the shows and Mike Eastman's books but there is no substitute for being out there. I hope you can find a mentor to help you up that learning curve. It can be a real challenge for a novice.

How to help new guys get the education and company they need in the field has been something I have thought about many times, especially if they don't live out West. I hope guys who grow up hunting realize what a gift that is.

 

[Tim McCoy]

Welcome. My Dad did not hunt at all. My Grandfather and Uncle took me 3-4 times between age 12 and 15. I fished a bunch too, pretty much fished all the time until my early 30's. Then my oldest son said I hate to fish and want to hunt. So I pretty much followed what hoshour layed out above, pre-Internet, figured I better relearn hunting before the kids first hunt. Picked two states and hunted both twice, took the kid year three for a buck in both places. I have done about 50/50 hunting and fishing since.

To learn to hunt, the other piece of advice I'd offer, is to have at least one state/spot, you can hunt for the same species, each year for 3-5 years. Or possibly two states/spots you can hunt 2-3 years. You will learn more that way than jumping all over to different spots IMO. One can build points if they want while learning, and once it clicks, you learn what type of terrain you like and the behavior of the critter (s) you chase. Then the training wheels are off. It is so much easier today, than 25-30 years ago to get up to speed, due to tools like this Forum, Eastmans Mag, and other similar resources.

 

[stevevan]

Well said Tim. I think you and I are from the same generation of pre-internet. So much more info. to access and tools now days. With Google Earth, Onx Maps, GPS, etc. todays hunters have a big head start before they even reach the trailhead for the first time.

 

[Tim McCoy]

Well said Tim. I think you and I are from the same generation of pre-internet. So much more info. to access and tools now days. With Google Earth, Onx Maps, GPS, etc. todays hunters have a big head start before they even reach the trailhead for the first time.

Haha Steve, we for darned sure are!

 

[Cobbhunts]

Welcome to the forum, where do you currently reside?

- And thanks for your service. Everyone that served in my whole family was Navy except my dad who was USAF. I was the only one that went Army

 

[Jdd2035]

For every one that has asked I currently reside in North West New Mexico Units 2, 7 and 5. I currently have a Turkey and Black Bear tag as drawing for any thing else is almost as improbably as winning the lottery.

 

[marcusvdk]

Welcome to forum

 

[missjordan]

My father isn't a hunter either, but I got into it from an ex boyfriend my mother dated, and it's stuck ever since! It's a very nice hobby that anyone of any age can excel at. I also suggest if you have a mentor who can help get you started or even joining a local gun club is a tool to use, since most of those guys are hunters themselves


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[rjroberts15]

Welcome. You can still buy points for Wyoming until October 31st. I think it's a total of $120 for deer, elk and speed goat.

 

[swampokie]

Welcome! My dad was a road hunter also but not in the same sense as yours. Welcome.

 

[Calbuck]

You can learn a ton by targeting your species of choice and then going out and just finding them. Take a camera if you want. You can do this any time of year or on years you don't draw. Learn to know your weapon(s) capabilities and limitations. It will come together eventually.

 

[Manualman]

You can't learn on the couch, so just hunt something. Turkeys and bear in the spring. Prairie dogs & coyotes in the summer. You learn a bunch about different things whatever your hunting. You learn to glass better that way. Buy points in Wyoming while you still can this year. Antelope are a high success hunt so try that. Doe tags or cow tags all get you in the woods

 

[Swedishhunter]

Welcome. A lot of great info on this site. If you narrow down your options a little you will be able to find an awful lot of info by state and species. I would think mule deer or antelope is a good place to start. Make sure you read up on the regulations in whatever state you plan to hunt, it can take some time to really understand how they work.

 

[Jdd2035]

I have OTC tags for bear and turkey. I can't afford out of state tags yet but when I can Wyoming is on my short list of states to hunt.