Looking to Get Started! (deer / boar)

[DJespersen]

Hello all, I'm 28 years old with a few years of self defense/sport/tactical type shooting under my belt. I've always wanted to get started hunting for the challenge, learning, experience, failures, triumphs and self discovery involved. Mostly interested in white tail deer or boar.

I'm reaching out to see the best way to get started. I'm aware of the beginner safety education courses and administrative type tasks. But i have no one to mentor or teach me (though if anyone's willing to take on a helper for a trip, i'll do all the harder work just to tag along and watch). A couple thoughts below:

1. I'm considering paying for some guide or hunting "trip"? Not sure if the options i've look up would be a trip led by a guide, or just some land where they put me in a stand near common deer paths? Anyone able to recommend any places or guides?

2. Ultimately i'd love to get back in the woods on my own, on public land or WMAs. what's the best way to get started doing that? i'm not afraid of getting out and exploring, but i'd have no idea what sign to look for, how to avoid giving myself away via sound/scent.

3. Harvesting the animal is something i've never done so i'd not know how to do that part, though i hear you can take the animal to harvest stations and they'll service you for a fee.

4. I have 10.5'' and 16'' 5.56 modern sporting rifles (AR15) that i'm quite familiar with using, and believe i have sufficient accuracy from a stable/prepared shooting position out to 100yrds give or take. Would this be sufficient with 62grain federal fusion or 70grain barnes tsx? or should i look into something entry level like a mossberg patriot in .308?

All advice and help is more than appreciated!

 

[SOLGardener]

You'll get a lot of views, opinions and tips.

The first I'm gonna give is get a 30/30 or such so that you have a more powerful round. .223 is the very minimum of ethical rounds and IMO, takes some skill in shot placement to be sure you drop an animal and don't wound it. too much risk of hitting a twig or pulling the shot and hitting but not dropping.

My first deer I shot with a 130gr PSP in a 270 from 15 yards. The round went in just behind the left, through both lungs and exploded the heart, and out the right shoulder, nearly severing it. That little deer ran over a hundred yards through a pine thicket and when field dressed, her heart fell out in pieces. .223 ain't enough to be sure it drops.

Watch some youtube videos on field dressing and quartering/processing and you'll see once you did the deed, butchering it isn't hard. Again, IMO, you killed it, don't drop it off for someone else to do the dirty work.

 

[SOLGardener]

If you haven't taken the hunters safety course, you'll need to so that you can get a license.

 

[24on48hunting]

^^^Good advice^^^
Anybody born after 1967 will need to take a hunter safety course in order to obtain a hunting lisence.
I would definitely start out with a larger caliber to increase the margin for error. I've killed several deer with a .223, but a beginning hunter will fare better with a larger caliber. Learn the anatomy of a deer to assist with making proper shot placement and to make field dressing/quartering a lot easier. There are numerous places to hunt public land. It'll be harder to take an animal on public ground, especially because of the sheer numbers of hunters on most of the hunts. It'll be best to go far back in there to get away from the crowds. Your avaerage public land hunter doesn't usually venture far away from the road. You won't find many folks who are willing to give up their honeyholes to strangers. I'd recommend getting out there and burning up some boot leather. Learn the lay of the land. Look for signs of deer frequenting an area. There are many resources available to help learn the finer points of scouting for your quarry. I would recommend starting out with small game if you decide to go it alone. Work your way up to big game. If you can find a seasoned hunter to learn from, you will learn a lot more as opposed to figuring it out as you go along. You can be successful on your own but learning how to be a good woodsman will increase your chances of success dramatically.
Being a good woodsman is something that will take years of practice-you'll never perfect it. A deer's nose and ears are hard to fool. Even seasoned hunters won't always get it right. We will all make mistakes and learn equally from our successes and failures.
Learn the animals' habits, what they feed on, where they bed, the routes they take. Setup can make or break a hunt. Use the wind and topography to your advantage. Hunting from a treestand or elevated position will help you tremendously. Invest in a quality harness if you decide to use a treestand.
Good luck and feel free to contact me anytime for any clarification on anything that I mentioned.

 

[SOLGardener]

Yup, I did/do the same- I hunted public land for years and typically I drove in as far as I could, then hiked in a couple miles (mountains) to be sure I was by myself. downside is if you happen to shoot a big deer, you now have to either quarter it and pack it out, or drag it the couple miles back, so keep that in mind on your hike and gear up with this in mind. A school backpack won't do. you need a frame (because I'm not dragging even an 80 pound field dressed deer2 miles through the mountains!)

On that note, I still hunt. A stand drives my mind batty. I know they're the next ridge over and it eats at me and I have to see, so I don't bother with a stand.

 

[Allsmiles]

I'm going to give you some different advice on your gun. Keep the lower and put a 7.62x39 with a 16" or longer barrel on it. This is the 30-30 from Hades and ammo is cheap and easy to practice with. I've taken a lot of GA deer with this round (Wolf 123 gr HP actually). Just know that you may hunt a long time before you actually see a deer in the woods hunting, happens a lot. Since you haven't taken the hunter safety course, I would suggest to get on the list. While you are waiting, practice your marksman skills shooting 40-50 yards both off hand and using a rest. Most deer in GA are taken under 100 yards and most of mine were under 50 yards. I would also suggest that you spend some time in a city where there are known deer and just learn how to look for them in the in woods. They are not nearly as big or obvious as you think they are. They can move without a sound and stop and just disappear right in front of you. The city deer don't act like their woodland cousins that are hunted; but you will learn a lot just watching them. I'm sure that a bunch of us could go into great detail of what we consider required gear and stuff like that. However, I think the most enjoyable part of hunting is just being out in the woods and harvesting a deer is a bonus. BTW, you will hear some freaky sounds when you first start hunting and remember you are not the only predator in the woods...

 

[DJespersen]

Thank you all for the advice.
Firstly, I appreciate the honest advice on my AR rifle as a hunting tool. While I have heard it is sufficient, it might just be best to get a larger caliber as a beginner. That being said, what would you recommend? .308 is a round i was already interested in, or 30-06.

Secondly, i'm mostly looking for advice on the process of getting started, or seeking out free or paid for ventures to expand my experience. For instance, wandering in the woods and looking for sign is something i plan to do, and think this is possibly a good time of year to do so? any advice for online research tools to use? or just use google earth to find some backwoods trails and "burn some boot rubber".

Also, feedback on hunting trips would be helpful. While i'd much prefer to do it all myself, getting started all alone leaves me a bit lost with some things.

I'll do some research on harvesting the animal, and some research on the vitals and shot placement. Thanks a lot.

 

[Allsmiles]

Just a word of advice, I would stay out of the woods right now as the bow hunters are already out and you can easily ruin their areas. Gun season starts Oct 21 and what ever you do, don't go exploring as that is a dangerous time with new hunters in the woods. Also, ticks, chiggers, and snakes are still out in full force just to add another level a misery. I'm still itching chigger bites from over a week ago.

 

[SOLGardener]

if your hear something coming around the tree, its probably a squirrel. their hopping around sounds like a footstep.

things youll begin to recognize is game trails, scat, scrapes and rubs as rut comes on, especially.

ive been told that deer will walk higj on a rodhe in the morning and low in the afternoon.

also that during a full moon, the jed more and graze at night.

finally, theyre everywher before season and ghosts once the season opens.

my deer were in my front yard two weels ago amd i hear and see nothing now

 

[DJespersen]

if your hear something coming around the tree, its probably a squirrel. their hopping around sounds like a footstep.

things youll begin to recognize is game trails, scat, scrapes and rubs as rut comes on, especially.

ive been told that deer will walk higj on a rodhe in the morning and low in the afternoon.

also that during a full moon, the jed more and graze at night.

finally, theyre everywher before season and ghosts once the season opens.

my deer were in my front yard two weels ago amd i hear and see nothing now

So, i'm too late for this season to even get some experience scouting in? or maybe i could head out at a different time of day as to not bother people but still get something accomplished this season?