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Thread: How Does Hunting Survive?
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October 26th, 2017, 02:21 PM #1
How Does Hunting Survive?
Truly this is a question I am perplexed with. How does it survive? My Dad hunted before I was born, so I have never hunted. I am a middle aged male. I am interested in hunting, deer specifically.
When I ask, "how do you hunt?" People look at me like I have three heads. And I have asked a lot of people who regularly hunt. Seems no one is in the habit of starting out new hunters or helping them. So how do new hunters become, well, new hunters?
I thought the biggest challenge was going to be finding deer, but God knows I will never even get to that point! I work with hunters; I have acquaintances that are hunters; but I have no close friends or family who hunt.
I'm not asking for any sympathy here; I'm not asking anyone here to teach me. What I am asking is how does a guy who's never hunted learn? You tube is not a reliable source, I need hip on hip training. Granted I don't have a bow so that is an issue as I am restricted to rifle season however I would get a bow to extend the season and improve my chances if someone would help me pick one and teach me how to use it safely.
Here's what I get:
1. Where do you hunt? My uncles farm, my neighbors farm, my hunting camp Well, I don't have any of that and public gamelands here in Berks well they scare me!
2. How do you field dress? Go on you tube. Cut from ass to throat and yank it out. Okay, that helps me a lot. I know I would mess up the meat, I need hand on training.
3. How do you know what to shoot? Three tines or whatever on one side. 1" long. If it's fat enough. If it's big enough. etc.. That strategy seems to be the easiest way for me to get in trouble with the PGC.
4. Who butchers it? Me. Okay, if I don't even know how to hunt, how can I butcher? One step at a time.
5. What bow? Oh, you need this $2000 one!
5. Crossbow? What are you kidding? Aren't you a man? Practice everyday with the bow, you have the time.
Anyway, this is a cross section, not just one specific group. Maybe I'm just not cut out to hunt and they have decided that for me?
Signed,
ConfusedGunowner99 - NRA Benefactor Life Member
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October 26th, 2017, 02:43 PM #2
Re: How Does Hunting Survive?
I posted a similar thread awhile back:
http://forum.pafoa.org/showthread.php?t=324390
I'm starting out hunting as well and am just slowly learning and teaching myself. I've started small game hunting and haven't bagged anything yet, but enjoy being out in the woods. I hunt only public lands so far, but there are co-ops lands where I may ask permission to use the owner's private property (the co-op map is on the PGC website). There are certainly a lot of rules and reading the Game Digest is helpful.
In terms of dressing and butchering a deer, I'm just going to watch videos, wing it and learn as I go. I might not be perfect at first but I feel like I won't screw it up too badly.
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October 26th, 2017, 03:39 PM #3
Re: How Does Hunting Survive?
Ask a Mexican.
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October 26th, 2017, 03:57 PM #4
Re: How Does Hunting Survive?
Dear Confused,
The biggest thing you lack is confidence. In this day and age of information, all is available to you. My dad taught me to hunt when I was 12, at that time, it was the only way to learn. He was long dead (died when I was 16) before I took my first deer.
I hunted game lands, I hunted with friends on property their relatives own, now I hunt my own 40 acres. The most important thing to do is scout an area before you hunt it. Learn the lay of the land, look for the deer trails, find the food, water and bedding areas.
Any quality bow will do as will a crossbow. Like guns, look for what others recommend and make an informed choice. Go to a quality pro-shop and get the bow in a size and configuration that fits you. The pros will now how to do that. Watch videos on technique and it won't take long for you to become proficient. It will take longer for you to become very good.
Field dressing is addressed everywhere. Go to a Field and Stream (the magazine) website and you'll find info. Same with most of the other magazines. With technology, you can literally watch it step by step on your phone as you do it. Butchering is the same way, or you can take your deer to any number of guys that process them.
Your hunting license book will tell you what to look for in antler restrictions. If in doubt, don't shoot. The restrictions allow you to take some pretty insignificant deer, give them another year to get bigger and wait one worthy of the work.
Seriously, the first step is to take your hunter safety course and get a license. The license booklet is a great place to start with maps, regs, tips and so on.
Then progress as you're comfortable. And there are more than enough hunters here (not to mention 10,000 hunting dedicated sites) to answer questions that may arise.
FYI, I spent a lot to time in SGL 80 which is not too far from you. If you're in good shape you can get back in pretty far from the road where 95% of hunters don't bother to go.Last edited by unclejumbo; October 26th, 2017 at 04:07 PM.
"A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself"
"He created the game, played the game, and lost the game.... All under his own terms, by his own doing." JW34
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October 26th, 2017, 03:52 PM #5
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October 26th, 2017, 04:02 PM #6Grand Member
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Re: How Does Hunting Survive?
Well I am mostly self taught for many of the reasons you mention. There are plenty of books on the subject. I grew up in the sticks and enjoy time in the woods, so that probably made it easier. There are plenty of successful hunters that hunt public land. I actually recommend you begin archery hunting. You will learn a shit ton just by doing it, and failing. You will have the woods mostly to yourself, and 6 weeks a year to hone up. There are plenty of good Youtube videos on the subject of field dressing and butchering your harvest. It mostly a time factor. Honestly you do just do it one step at a time. Nobody is completely ready the first 5 or more years they hunt. Don't get discouraged. Try joining a club or hunting lease.
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October 26th, 2017, 04:20 PM #7
Re: How Does Hunting Survive?
There are lots of things about hunting that also parallel being an outdoorsman or woman , first thing you need to do is spending as much time in the woods or afield as you can . You'll start picking up on sign and seeing trails and terrain features that the animals use ect. Spend enough time in the woods and things will start to click and you'll start to understand the animals habits . Actually killing an animal is the easy part of hunting , getting close and not noticed by them is a lot harder .
I'm almost 49 now and have spent all my life in the woods and fields , yes I had a dad and grandpaw that showed me lots of things but I've learned much more by just being out there sitting and watching what was going on around me it's a learning experience every time your in the woods. So go and spend time where you think there's game and want to hunt pick a nice big tree and sit down at the base of it take a deep breath and just relax ! look and listen what's going on and you'll start to notice stuff you never seen .
All that other stuff like skinning or what's legal to shoot , butchering ect you can book learn that stuff . Learn to be a hunter first . One step at a time it's not something you can learn via the web or learn in a few weekendsLast edited by Tim Ault; October 26th, 2017 at 04:26 PM.
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October 26th, 2017, 08:06 PM #8
Re: How Does Hunting Survive?
It's actually fairly simple, just drive around PA at dawn and dusk with your highbeams on, you'll eventually harvest a deer or 2 or 3. Just make sure to cut out all of the bloodshot meat and anywhere that the deer has pooped or peed on itself. It gets to be expensive replacing the front-end of your cars but probably only marginally more that actually buying a hunting license, archery tag, deer shaped target, climbing treestand, body harness, camouflaged scent-free clothing, camo rubber boots, cover scent, attractant scent, gutting knife and don't forget the compound bow or crossbow and atleast a dozen arrows or bolts, string silencer, kisser button, peep sight, release, quiver and laser rangefinder.
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October 26th, 2017, 08:25 PM #9
Re: How Does Hunting Survive?
I took a buck like that just north of Tionesta at 55mph.
I didn't keep any of the meat as I would have had to pick up pieces and out of my grill.
UK.
A lot of good advice in the previous posts .
I had a friend give me a nickel tour of field dressing a rabbit. When I got a deer, he said " just think of it as a big rabbit".
You tube and Google are your friends in today's world.
Watch a lot.
I dontbeven reallybcare about getting any game these days but do like to make jerky when I do.Opinions are like anal apertures. They all stink but mine.
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October 27th, 2017, 12:21 PM #10
Re: How Does Hunting Survive?
Today, I was a back yard hunter. I know deer travel along a bench 30 yards from my back door.
At 645 this morning, I had a buck walk under me.
It was too early to shoot and too dark to verify how many points.
I believe this guy was one of my morning visitors.
2017-10-27_07-00-49 by poofy27, on Flickr
At 725, 2 more small racked bucks walked the opposite direction. I think one was legal but in the 6 or 7 seconds I had to look at both and make a decision, they were in cover.
The point is there are deer everywhere.
I live in a residential neighborhood with woods behind my place. I have probably harvested 8 or 9 deer back there, a few about 30 yds further in with permission of that landowner (3 acres) .
I sit on my deck morning's an watch them. They, in turn, watch me.
Very cool.Last edited by 27hand; October 27th, 2017 at 07:16 PM.
Opinions are like anal apertures. They all stink but mine.
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