New hunter with LOADS OF questions

[Kai]

Good Morning ladies and gents,

I am new to hunting and have a couple of questions and get opinions / thoughts / suggestions.

i am looking into hunting for the first time this year. have been an avid shooter but never hunted.. i have decided to go with the Savage axis 30-06 with Bushnell 3-9x40 scope. I am planning on using WMA lands.

Thoughts on the gun?

Thoughts on the scope?

Thoughts on Good WMA land to hunt on based on the want to tag deer and Feral hog?

Is it necessary to buy sent cover?

Planning on doing a couple of days on the start of rifle season. which is Oct 22 on most wma property.

Are you guys seeing more activity in the morning or evening?

Do you guys prefer to process your own or have them processed? any recommendations for the winder/Bethlehem area for processors?

Do processors charge less if you have already done most of the work? (IE) Skinning, quartering, deboning?

What would you guys say is top 10 in the list of things to have on your hunt?

also any other thoughts, opinions, and questions /answers that i may not have thought of

 

[Cornholio]

Good Morning ladies and gents,

I am new to hunting and have a couple of questions and get opinions / thoughts / suggestions.

i am looking into hunting for the first time this year. have been an avid shooter but never hunted.. i have decided to go with the Savage axis 30-06 with Bushnell 3-9x40 scope. I am planning on using WMA lands.

Thoughts on the gun?

Thoughts on the scope?

Thoughts on Good WMA land to hunt on based on the want to tag deer and Feral hog?

Is it necessary to buy sent cover?

Planning on doing a couple of days on the start of rifle season. which is Oct 22 on most wma property.

Are you guys seeing more activity in the morning or evening?

Do you guys prefer to process your own or have them processed? any recommendations for the winder/Bethlehem area for processors?

Do processors charge less if you have already done most of the work? (IE) Skinning, quartering, deboning?

What would you guys say is top 10 in the list of things to have on your hunt?

also any other thoughts, opinions, and questions /answers that i may not have thought of

Gun and scope is fine, Cohutta has deer and hogs but is very difficult terrain, hunt the wind and use scent cover if it gives you confidence. Wmas in the south tend to have some good hogs, depending on what you are hunting is when you will see the deer. I like to hunt trails in and out of bedding areas, I process my own but I would suggest using one for now, some charge less if it is quartered. Top ten things, gun or bow, flashlight, knife, thermacell, bottle of water, GPS if you don't have a good sense of direction

 

[Mrharper]

Gun fine
WMAs can be quota so check on that
Come Nov. all day is good
Read,read, read, books or hunting articles
DO NOT WATCH HUNTING "SHOWS"
Cover scent no, hunt the wind
As LT. Dan says keep feet warm and dry !!!
Your age? Have to have hunter safety card before going


Last and most important read and re-read the hunting regulations many times till you "completely " understand.

 

[SlowMotion]

Gun fine

DO NOT WATCH HUNTING "SHOWS"

Wait, how else is he supposed to learn how to look at the camera and say "SMOKED'EM!"

 

[karlvv30]

Good Morning ladies and gents,

I am new to hunting and have a couple of questions and get opinions / thoughts / suggestions.

i am looking into hunting for the first time this year. have been an avid shooter but never hunted.. i have decided to go with the Savage axis 30-06 with Bushnell 3-9x40 scope. I am planning on using WMA lands.

Thoughts on the gun?

Thoughts on the scope?

Thoughts on Good WMA land to hunt on based on the want to tag deer and Feral hog?

Is it necessary to buy sent cover?

Planning on doing a couple of days on the start of rifle season. which is Oct 22 on most wma property.

Are you guys seeing more activity in the morning or evening?

Do you guys prefer to process your own or have them processed? any recommendations for the winder/Bethlehem area for processors?

Do processors charge less if you have already done most of the work? (IE) Skinning, quartering, deboning?

What would you guys say is top 10 in the list of things to have on your hunt?

also any other thoughts, opinions, and questions /answers that i may not have thought of

Gun is good to go. Scent killers have worked well for me, but you can get the same effect by playing the wind. Plan your hunt and try to keep the wind in your face. The best advice i can give you is to buy a climbing tree stand. I learned the hard way that ground hunting in georgia is tough. With a climber you can change your location easy and you will be more flexible as to where you hunt. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Comanche]

There are some great hunting books at the library.
WMA.s are ok but you might wanna go in much further than your comfort zone so nobody stinks up your spot.
Don't forget your safety harness and rope.....mine dubs as a great deer dragging harness.
Take as much water as you think you'll need.
When I go in far I take two, sometimes three bottles in case I need to drag one out myself....nothing worse than being parched and exhausted a mile in while dragging one.
Most processors charge $10 extra to gut the deer but I suggest you do that yourself for
Many reasons.
YouTube videos are great learning tools and you can watch ten different videos
With ten different ways to field dress a deer bit by that time you should have a good idea what to do.
Other guys covered most of the necessities above.
The only thing I can add is bring rain gear if the forecast calls for rain and keep your
Body movements in the tree
Slow and deliberate.
One twitch of the toe can cause an alert deer to bolt.
The more time you spend in the woods the more you will learn what works for you and what don't.
Oh and bring a back up flashlight or headlamp and carry
Extra batteries.......don't get caught in the dark in a WMA in bear country in 10ft tall scrub pines that all looks the same.
I carry three headlamps and extra batteries....I've learned from mistakes.

 

[drewga11]

Might seem stupid, but dont forget to load your gun. Nothing worse than having a deer in your sights and hearing "click" when you pull the trigger. Toilet paper might be a good thing to pack, just in case. Cant think of anything else at the moment that hasnt already been mentioned. Oh, definitely wear plenty of orange if hunting a WMA.

 

[ADAduckhuntr]

GON forum.

 

[Benhad]

Get you a chair and your rifle and get into the woods early...be very very quite!

 

[rockyfatcat]

I suggest that you pay for a first hunt.

I will compare it to flying an airplane. You only have to know about a hundred things. But you have to know all of them at once without stopping to think about it.

If you pay for a guided hunt. The guide will have thought about most of them for you before you get close to a shooting scenario.

Hopefully you will find someone who is willing to teach, and when you bag an animal, watch and learn the tricks to remove the guts and keep things clean and edible.

The number of things that have to go right is impressive, unless you are incredibly lucky.

Hours and hours of complete and utter boredom interrupted by a few moments of excitement. (If you are hunting hogs, those moments can be lethal) And what you do in those moments can mean the difference between a successful hunt and coming home empty handed.

The first time I hunted hog. I bagged a 300 lb boar at danger close range. (15-20 feet) The guy I paid to guide me earned his money and I learned way more than I thought I would. (HINT: do not drop your sight picture until you KNOW it's down and going to STAY DOWN! It took me forever to pick up my front sight after that pig got up!)