How do you get into hunting with no experience whatsoever?

dezignguy said:
The first time I gutted a deer my girlfriend held my phone while I watched a YouTube video and followed instructions.
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First time my son gutted one he said "I think I'm gonna puke."
I said "Well turn your head and don't get any in the meat."
I know , Dad of the year. [smile]
 
4boresandwhores said:
I went to the hunter ed with a buddy of mine and we were supposed to hunt rabbit this Eason both bought .22. Rifles for that exact purpose but never got the chance to and I can’t justify spending the money for a license if the season is about to end in a week. Guess I’ll have to try next year.
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Don’t wait till next year. Get out in the woods now take a slow walk look at all the tracks in the snow learn how animals act sounds habitat. Learn how to move in the woods quietly. Learn some basic map compass skills. Learn how to use on X hunt to find areas you want to hunt.
 
4boresandwhores said:
Already did it, I meant more like what to do after. I know I can buy tags and go on a WMA but I have no idea how to skin a rabbit or a deer or how to process it or where to even look.
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It is very easy.

The only surprising part the first time is how deep to cut around the butthole. Youtube makes it look like a 1" cut in most videos. Think of it like carving an apple, go deep.

Then you cut Deer open without cutting too deep (don't want to cut the organs).

Then you cut the throat.

Then everyrhing falls out.
 
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Broc Tuah said:
If gutting is your concern, shoot me a message and I will meet you wherever you are hunting.

We will gut that deer in less than 10min.

I shot a deer at 7:30, gutted it, drove home, washed my hands and was on a conference call closing deals at 8am.

It is very easy.

The only surprising part the first time is how deep to cut around the butthole. Youtube makes it look like a 1" cut in most videos. Think of it like carving an apple, go deep.

Then you cut Deer open without cutting too deep (don't want to cut the organs).

Then you cut the throat.

Then everyrhing falls out.
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There are two types of people cleaning deer. The experienced ones that just want the job done and the budding surgeon who takes 45 minutes.😆 I can be either depending on how cold my hands are.

Everyone does it a little differently. There are plenty of YouTube vids out there to watch

I never cut the throat, or split the rib cage. It will ruin the pelt of the animal if you intent to mount it. Splitting the rib cage tends to get more debris in the cavity during the drag out. I also don’t split the pelvis. Never saw the need.

I also take the heart and sometimes take the liver on a young deer. I never take the liver of an older deer due to the cadmium issue in the northeast.
 
HorizontalHunter said:
There are two types of people cleaning deer. The experienced ones that just want the job done and the budding surgeon who takes 45 minutes.😆 I can be either depending on how cold my hands are.

Everyone does it a little differently. There are plenty of YouTube vids out there to watch

I never cut the throat, or split the rib cage. It will ruin the pelt of the animal if you intent to mount it. Splitting the rib cage tends to get more debris in the cavity during the drag out. I also don’t split the pelvis. Never saw the need.

I also take the heart and sometimes take the liver on a young deer. I never take the liver of an older deer due to the cadmium issue in the northeast.
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I dont split the rib cage. Too much work. I reach in and cut.

I also dont like to cut too much, if it gets warm, it is easier to put ice bags in the deer.
 
whacko said:
Never forget the bunghole 😂

You should have seen the look on my brother in laws face up in Maine years ago when I push gutted a snow shoe hare in front of him. He was what I call a Gucci hunter.....he hunted pheasant before that was it.....and with a guide lodge in the Dakotas...the guides take care of all the unsavory part of hunting 😂

We got back to the truck and I had a pair to clean up......push gutted the first one and he about had a stroke.....said "i probably don't want to know where you learned how to do THAT" 😂😂

For the un initiated in push gutting bunnies.....


View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WK78UrGmHzc&pp=ygURcHVzaCBndXQgYSByYWJiaXQ%3D
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LOL thats awesome. Never even heard of that. Looks 1000x easier than cutting it up
 
Just go

Squirrel is currently open till the 28th , turkey comes next. Both are pretty simple to get the hang of.

I hardly hunt anymore and biggest hindrance is that can’t hunt on Sundays. Work takes up the weekdays and anything I have to do gotta do it Saturday or I have to work, Sundays are the only day where I have it absolutely free. Once again f***ing Massachusetts sucks
 
MickeyD’s said:
Just go

Squirrel is currently open till the 28th , turkey comes next. Both are pretty simple to get the hang of.

I hardly hunt anymore and biggest hindrance is that can’t hunt on Sundays. Work takes up the weekdays and anything I have to do gotta do it Saturday or I have to work, Sundays are the only day where I have it absolutely free. Once again f***ing Massachusetts sucks
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I'm a mass resident and have all but given up on hunting mass. I live in the Merrimack Valley and have paid non resident nh hunting license fees for about 6 years now. I hunted small game in mass 1 day last year. Nh I was probably 20 days maybe more. Sunday hunting is the best. Worth the $153 for the sporting license....every penny.
 
Are you a member of a "sportsman" or "shooting" club? Maybe you should join one. While the presence of Fudds in these clubs is lamented here on NES, many of those guys are super knowledgeable about hunting and outdoor life. They may not be wearing drop leg holsters, doing barrel rolls, or tucking their pants into their boots, but they are often willing to share their experience. Get to know them and ask a lot of questions.

Chris
 
The hardest thing about hunting deer is getting it out of the woods!
I have not hunted in years, but these days I wouldn't even think about it without a quad or a side by side.

Field dressing a deer is not terribly difficult if it's not gut shot. Think about it..there is a tube in and a tube out. Start at the exit tube and cut that free. Then slice from groin to throat without going deep, with a sharp knife. Cut the throat, grab the intake tube and the output tube and all of the plumbing in the middle comes out pretty easy.
There are plenty of youtube videos out there.

Also plenty of videos on how to butcher a deer. Pro's make it look so easy.
There are probably plenty of guys in your area that will process a deer for a reasonable price.
 
I'm relatively new at this maybe 4-5 yrs in.. a group of 4-6 of us go every November to Vermont to hunt. My buddy's brother has 105 acres in Worcester, VT. 4 years now, and I've not seen one deer live.. Cameras show they are there, but we've seen nothing while hunting.

It's a real process to get up there in the off season to scout or prep with food plots as it's a good 4 hour ride. And terrain is really tough without quads..

1740055641536.png 1740055677524.png
 
EMTDAD said:
I'm relatively new at this maybe 4-5 yrs in.. a group of 4-6 of us go every November to Vermont to hunt. My buddy's brother has 105 acres in Worcester, VT. 4 years now, and I've not seen one deer live.. Cameras show they are there, but we've seen nothing while hunting.

It's a real process to get up there in the off season to scout or prep with food plots as it's a good 4 hour ride. And terrain is really tough without quads..

View attachment 966327View attachment 966328
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In all fairness Northern VT is not the deer Mecca of the northeast. It will take some time to figure it out. I hunt Northern NY and if you are not putting on some miles everyday it’s very hard to see deer.
 
AmeriKHAN said:
I started hunting only a couple years ago. I started with squirrels. Very easy to clean. Start small and work your way up.
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This. That's how my son and I started when he was 12. We love squirrel hunting and still go all the time.

The ops 22 rifle is good for squirrel but unassigned only comes 1 to 9 rifles are legal on squirrel. 10 to 14 its shotgun and archery only on squirrel.
 
whacko said:
This. That's how my son and I started when he was 12. We love squirrel hunting and still go all the time.

The ops 22 rifle is good for squirrel but unassigned only comes 1 to 9 rifles are legal on squirrel. 10 to 14 its shotgun and archery only on squirrel.
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I mostly hunt zone 9 but I find the .22 to be unsporting. I use a 16 gauge Steven's Model 77b with an improved choke (made in 1950) with #4 shot. You gotta be within 15 yards or so for a clean kill.

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whacko said:
I'm a mass resident and have all but given up on hunting mass. I live in the Merrimack Valley and have paid non resident nh hunting license fees for about 6 years now. I hunted small game in mass 1 day last year. Nh I was probably 20 days maybe more. Sunday hunting is the best. Worth the $153 for the sporting license....every penny.
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I’m close enough to CT to hunt and used to when the non resident was cheap still.

But now all my spots are gone and it’s a game of knock and ask. Just such a PIA, and watching buddies lose access every year for no reason at all and then have to start all over again.

If I was retired and had free time I’d hunt everyday. Atleast I can still enjoy fishing and clays on Sundays so not total loss
 
Sparkey said:
In all fairness Northern VT is not the deer Mecca of the northeast. It will take some time to figure it out. I hunt Northern NY and if you are not putting on some miles everyday it’s very hard to see deer.
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Tracking country....deer are thin per square mile........not really for beginners without a mentor, get lost and your kinda fxcked if the weather's bad.

Hunting means a ton of different things...need to be more specific.

All have different things that you need to learn to be successful and find your way out of the woods and hunt safely.

Small game hunting is good practice for large game hunting......and you can learn a lot thru doing spot and stalk, or walking and stopping and observing.

For serious deer hunting... you might get into Treestands, which makes it more difficult, but typically more success as you keep your wind and sightlines away from the games nose and eyes. In most cases it will give you better relaxed shots at game that has no idea your 10 yards away over its head.

Like most said, woods navigation is important, but less so in the small plots around MA. As your always near a road and will either hear, or find it.

I would say of vital importance now, if your in around eastern MA/NH is finding land to hunt. WMA's are OK, but if you want real success you'll need to find private land that people aren't fxcking your plans up on and that deer are more likely to hang out on. Public land is not good overall.

Finding people that let you hunt, understand hunting, and land large enough to hunt in Eastern MA is also not easy. Ive found plenty of people that would let me hunt, but they have no fxcking idea what it entails and the real estate you need in MA to be legally able to hunt. You'll hear friends say just come to my house they are eating my bushes....well, if they don't have about 10 acres or a few neighbors all on board...good luck with that.

More importantly,....you need to know where to find deer, how to scout for sign, how to know that your spot isn't just a night travel route, feeding areas, bedding areas, how to set stands or find stand areas, what deer are eating at what time of the year.

Need to know what equipment you really need and minimize it to just the essentials you will use, so you can make it light and easy to carry and not be bogged down in the woods with shit you don't need.

Gutting deer is like the last thing you need to know and is easy once done a time or two....and depending how you hit the deer its not always the same which will make you want to make good shots, instead of dealing with a gut shot mess.
 
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Mark from ? said:
Tracking country....deer are thin per square mile........not really for beginners without a mentor.
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Absolutely. That was my point you could sit all week in that country and not see a deer. I feel I am a pretty seasoned and decent deer hunter and I have spent weeks in that country and not seen a deer after logging many days sun up to sun down and many miles.
 
Sparkey said:
Absolutely. That was my point you could sit all week in that country and not see a deer. I feel I am a pretty seasoned and decent deer hunter and I have spent weeks in that country and not seen a deer after logging many days sun up to sun down and many miles.
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thanks.. makes me feel a little better..

we'll be sitting there and hear shots ring out in the valley, so someone's seeing them
 
Sparkey said:
Absolutely. That was my point you could sit all week in that country and not see a deer. I feel I am a pretty seasoned and decent deer hunter and I have spent weeks in that country and not seen a deer after logging many days sun up to sun down and many miles.
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Lots of woods, not a lot of deer.....kinda sucks...but when you get one, it means something because you work your ass off for and have a lot of time put in.

I like to see deer, so I'd never hunt those places.....but Ill tip my hat to woodsmen that truly kill deer in the North Country legally during the daytime. (There is a lot of night jacking Im sure that goes on by some of these "trackers" on the way in and out running logging roads too)

I learned early on that if you truly want to kill deer and be successful you can do two things....

A) Put a large amount of time in scouting mediocre land/state (MA) , that you know well and monitor thoroughly......

B) Hunt where the deer are thick and populated on good private land in a good hunting state.

While I killed a fair amount of nice bucks doing A.......

I killed a fxckton of deer doing B with a lot less time and effort, and some nice bucks in between....with bow only.

These game cams make everything a lot easier now...didn't have those when I was seriously bowhunting until the very end, and never had the ones that sent to your phone.
 
fencer said:
The hardest thing about hunting deer is getting it out of the woods!
I have not hunted in years, but these days I wouldn't even think about it without a quad or a side by side.

Field dressing a deer is not terribly difficult if it's not gut shot. Think about it..there is a tube in and a tube out. Start at the exit tube and cut that free. Then slice from groin to throat without going deep, with a sharp knife. Cut the throat, grab the intake tube and the output tube and all of the plumbing in the middle comes out pretty easy.
There are plenty of youtube videos out there.

Also plenty of videos on how to butcher a deer. Pro's make it look so easy.
There are probably plenty of guys in your area that will process a deer for a reasonable price.
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My buddy always said " When the shooting stops , the work starts."
 

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