Where to hunt deer..Erie area

**Jay5oh** · November 4th, 2008, 09:32 PM

My boy turns 12 in a couple weeks, is taking his gun safety class (as long as his mother gets him there) and wants to hunt deer.

I think I'm going to bring him up here to hunt. Where is a good place to go that you don't need a 4wd to get to?

The second 'problem' is that while he understands he will have to shoot something other than his .22 he is hesitant to shoot anything else. He's reluctantly shot my AR a few rounds and won't shoot the AK. I don't know if it's a noise thing (we wear muffs) or a recoil thing. He just says he doesn't want to shoot them.

I have a .223 and 8mm mauser bolt gun. The consensus seems to be that a .223 is not a deer caliber (aside from a good shot) and the 8mm has a good bit of recoil. So now what do I do? Buying another rifle is out of the question for two reasons. 1. I'm unemployed 2. I'm not buying a rifle for him to go hunting the first day and decide he doesn't like it.

**ar15jules** · November 5th, 2008, 12:53 AM

Originally Posted by Jay5oh

My boy turns 12 in a couple weeks, is taking his gun safety class (as long as his mother gets him there) and wants to hunt deer.

I think I'm going to bring him up here to hunt. Where is a good place to go that you don't need a 4wd to get to?

The second 'problem' is that while he understands he will have to shoot something other than his .22 he is hesitant to shoot anything else. He's reluctantly shot my AR a few rounds and won't shoot the AK. I don't know if it's a noise thing (we wear muffs) or a recoil thing. He just says he doesn't want to shoot them.

I have a .223 and 8mm mauser bolt gun. The consensus seems to be that a .223 is not a deer caliber (aside from a good shot) and the 8mm has a good bit of recoil. So now what do I do? Buying another rifle is out of the question for two reasons. 1. I'm unemployed 2. I'm not buying a rifle for him to go hunting the first day and decide he doesn't like it.

I would do him a huge favor and maybe take him out small game hunting this year provided he is able to take his hunter safety course. The small game season will be open again after Christmas. Going deer hunting all willy nilly will likely result in a "not so good" experience for Junior. Having a comfortable rifle is step number one. Having a spot to hunt that you have scouted out is step number two. Do you know anyone who would be willing to let you guys "tag along" on a deer huning trip? Just my opinion here. I am not bashing the noble idea of taking your son hunting, just wanting to make sure he has an enjoyable and safe time.
Jules

**Jay5oh** · November 5th, 2008, 01:05 AM

My plan was to take him for deer. He wants to go and I'd rather he go with me than his mother (that would be a complete disaster). Now I can predict the outcome already and here is how it's 'probably' going to go down. Early morning wake up..he's not going to like that. Getting motivated once awake..he takes forever to get moving. Eat breakfast..another hour. Get dressed & put boots on..half hour. By this time it's going to be approx 8:00am. Drive to spot..he's fallen asleep in the car..the whole 'wake up' scenario all over again. Half hour into 'hunting' he will be cold, bored, hungry and thirsty. Home by 11:00am

I love my son but I think his thoughts of hunting are..go to the woods (any woods), see a deer (cuz you know, they are everywhere...it's the woods), shoot the deer (what do you mean track, clean and drag?), go home and play x-box all in a hour.

Then...next year take him small game hunting

As I said, I love my son. I hope he proves me wrong on this.

**CoyoteJack** · November 7th, 2008, 07:29 PM

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&sadd...38109&t=h&z=15

The forked trail on the north side of Rte 5 here is just west of the mouth of Elk creek access area. It leads back into state park land now called the Bluffs. I hunt on private land just west of it. The trail follows along a large ravine that leads to the lake. There are several spots along the trail where you can sit and look down and see a good view of the ravine. There are generally alot of deer moving through here during rifle season. There are usually other hunters in the area but not as many as most game lands. Get in there and find a spot the week before and try to get to it before sunrise and there is a good chance you'll intercept deer moving east to west as they head to bed.

Another spot I frequent is a little south of 98 & 6N just inside Crawford county. Heading south of 98 & 6N you'll come to Game Rd. Turn right and go maybe a half mile and you'll come to a parking area on the left and a gated trail on the right. That trail will head north and branch off into several food plots.

**CoyoteJack** · November 7th, 2008, 07:38 PM

As for what to have him shoot that is tougher. My two deer rifles are spoken for this year but if you know someone with a .243 you could borrow that is about as low as I'd suggest.

Another option would be if you could borrow a .308, .30-06 or a 7mm-08 Remington makes a reduced recoil load that is more than 50% less recoil and still quite effective out to 100 yards.

**Jay5oh** · November 17th, 2008, 02:02 PM

Thank CJ.

Well he's not going to hunt deer this year. The safety course his mother was supposed to sign him up for a month ago (but failed to) is now full. We did go out and shoot the mauser saturday. He fired two rounds without a hesitation. took a break becasue his shoulder hurt and then fired another before calling it a day. All 3 shots were good. One on the line between the 10 ring and 9, one in the 9 and one in the 8 at 50 yrds. I'm proud at how well he shot the rifle.

**killemall24** · March 9th, 2009, 07:47 PM

I remember my first hunting season. i was so excited that I couldnt sleep and was wide eyed and bushy tailed when my father thought it would be a day like you expect. I didnt see anything but it was still a good learning experience about what hunting was about and what not. Next year i wasnt so excited but i did get to shoot a deer and was hooked ever since.

What ever happened to a good old 30-30. that was my first gun it wasnt too big and it got the job done. thats how we were started.. now im 23 and love any hunting i can get into but for deer all i take is my 270!

**ChuckS** · March 10th, 2009, 10:31 AM

Originally Posted by Jay5oh

Thank CJ.

Well he's not going to hunt deer this year. The safety course his mother was supposed to sign him up for a month ago (but failed to) is now full. We did go out and shoot the mauser saturday. He fired two rounds without a hesitation. took a break becasue his shoulder hurt and then fired another before calling it a day. All 3 shots were good. One on the line between the 10 ring and 9, one in the 9 and one in the 8 at 50 yrds. I'm proud at how well he shot the rifle.

First, sorry about the safety course filling up, but there should be others around. It can allso be done (in part) on-line now; you might want to look into that.

Also, what are you or can you do to make the target shooting more fun? I mean, punching holes in a piece of paper is not all that much fun. Try a few balloons blown up. Maybe put some flour in a couple. Necco wafers and charcoal lumps can be fun too. Conclude a milk jug filled with water...great ending. Just clean up the mess when you're done. If you want more suggestions try this fun at the range

What part of Erie county? I can give some west county recommendations if needed.