i didnt really know where to post this. but anyways i'm thinking about taking up deer hunting this year. i was just wondering if you guys could help tell me on how to get started. and whats a good rifle to use?
Woods or open? You can get buy in the woods wih even an SKS... I will say though I will always be partial to my "first"--- A Remi .35--- I was 13---- I sill have te rack too-- PS I am 35 now...
If you have little or no hunting experience, I suggest taking a local hunting safety course first to cover the basics of safety, limits, seasons...etc. Talk to some guys that hunt, and maybe get in on a hunting trip. GET A LICENSE. Since it's your first time, (nobody ever wants to hear this) maybe just "hunt" with a camera. It gives you a feel for the area, and what works for blending in enough for that big buck to come in close. If you feel to macho to not bring your rifle, only bring 2 rounds, and don't carry your gun hot. I know a bunch of guys that got excited, and hurried their first, and missed completely, or hit the deer dirty and lost it. Take your time. Wear your orange, and only shoot if you can clearly see your target (noise in the bushes doesn't mean shoot!) Be mindful of other hunters in the area, and know where the other guys in your party are located. I think that covers most of it. As far as rifle, what do you have now? Are you planning on picking something up? What kind of area will you be hunting? I've know guys to go with anything from .222 to 12GA, so there are lots of choices.To give an example, my deer rifle is a Winchester 94 in 30-30. When my dad would go, he used a Win 94 in .32 Win Special, or a 30-40 Krag. Whatever you decide, practice, be safe, dress warm.
You can get a surplus Yugo M24/47 8mm bolt action and use European soft tip rounds and get in cheap and have an excellent rifle or You can get either of the 2 different Mosin Nagant carbines and use soft tip rounds for hunting, again a cheap way to get into it. Either type of rifles uses a full size battle rifle round and will certainly take out a deer
The 2 main reasons hunters don't get their kill is camoflauge and scent. Make sure that you have a camo pattern that totally breaks up your outline. I use Mossy Oak as I like that particular line of camo better than most of the other ones. It just looks more natural to me... Also, If you are sitting in a blind, make sure that you are far back enough that the deer can't see into it far enough to pick you out of the backlight. Scent Control: Make sure that you wash your clothes in Baking Soda to eliminate any trace of human scent. You can buy the scent eliminating laundry detergents and soaps, but that's just a waste of money. Also, take a shower with Baking Soda as well to make you as scent free as possible. This includes washing your hair with it as well. It's easy to do, just put some Baking Soda in your hand and mix with a small amount of water until it makes a paste, then scrub away. Once you have that covered, you'll need a good cover scent. I use the fresh earth smelling scent wafers from HS Scents. You can get it at Wal-Mart, but they sell out really fast, as they are really cheap and really work!!! http://www.hunterspec.com/Updateable/update_display.cfm?pageID=399&categoryID=32 Other than that, as long as you know how to spot good deer signs and have land to hunt, you're good to go... Stay still, be quiet and don't miss!!! Hope to see pics of that trophy buck soon! GOOD LUCK!
