New hunter

DetroitDarin

This will be my second season living where I live - eager to try deer hunting in the back yard. I have a 10' tall blind, lots of high grass/pasture/with some evergreen trees. Last year I saw dozens of deer throughout the 10 acres.

Here's the thing -

I'm unsure about being able to kill the deer. Not that I'd miss, i'm a great shot. I'm worried I'd chicken-out. Walking up to a just-killed dear, still warm and steaming with a hole in his chest from a 12ga slug...ugh. Heartbreaking.

I want to learn the skill because eventually the zombies will attack and I will have to know how to provide for my family. I cannot make the business case for hunting because I'll be out 300 bux for a rifled barrel for my Remington 1100, plus butchering of the deer. I'll NEVER trophy mount because I think that's sorta gloating.

See, hunting IS a sport - but the other team doesn't know they are playing. For me, hunting is a precious and respectful means of providing for my family. Sure I can go to a butcher and get grass-fed beef - probably a whole cow for what it'd cost for my hunting set up. But...that's killing too - and chances are, right, chances are the deer I'd harvest had a better life than a cow. I dunno...

Anywho - any hunters with tips for the first kill? I'm good with weapons - 8 years in the Army firing 9mm to .50 Cal, to Mk19 to Stinger Surface-Air missiles, to 25mm Bushmaster chain gun. For me, I want to find good ways to respectfully harvest and learn a skill I can pass on to my son and daughter.

Here are a few photos of my blind - and the area around it - (taken while camping with my son a few months ago)

Can see the legs of the blind - and some of the topography - and my pup! - http://d-mphotos.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/eva_camp.jpg

the land - http://d-mphotos.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/campfire_day.jpg

I have two acres behind this type - flat farming land I lease to a local soy bean farmer. Lots of visibility and varying terrain/cover.

bionicrooster

I have been hunting a long time. I killed my first deer with a bow when I was 12. I would suggest, remember that while you are harvesting the animal, you have to respect it to. I feel some sadness with each deer I kill, but I also take gladness in being able to harvest a wild animal that is going to provide great nutrition for my family. Nothing better than participating in the food chain and eating the best food there is, wild game.

sirthickness

Good luck and stay safe. Can't add much to what was said by bionicrooster. Show respect for the animal and it's habitat. Myself, I am heading out for my yearly trip from Oct 17-22.

atsteele

I've been hunting since I was 11yo. My suggestion: Go with someone who has hunted before. I think that if you go with someone with hunting experience, someone who knows the area, someone who is safe & knowledgable, you'll more than likely have a positive experience.

And when your kids get old enough to hunt, it's the beautiful thing.

alsunrise

Here's the thing -

I'm unsure about being able to kill the deer. Not that I'd miss, i'm a great shot. I'm worried I'd chicken-out. Walking up to a just-killed dear, still warm and steaming with a hole in his chest from a 12ga slug...ugh. Heartbreaking.

My first year too!! I went a couple time with my husband last year, but this will be my first year to actually try to kill one myself. I completely understand the 'chicken-out' part. lol I have a 30-06 that I love but the hubby kept trying to get me to get a new Browning that was $1800, NO WAY!!, I couldn't see spending that much on a gun and then possibly not being able to pull the trigger. BTW-I don't think you're supposed to approach the deer immediately after shooting it....

thebowhunter

I’ve been helping keep deer populations under control and feeding my family that venison for almost 40 years. I’ve removed more than 100 deer from the local population over that time. Those are deer that wont get hit by a car and injure a driver. Those are deer that wont destroy the local farmers crops. We eat a lot of venison (eating some today) Most all of my hunting is done with a bow and arrow. You might want to start out with a bow.

alsunrise

I’ve been helping keep deer populations under control and feeding my family that venison for almost 40 years. I’ve removed more than 100 deer from the local population over that time. Those are deer that wont get hit by a car and injure a driver. Those are deer that wont destroy the local farmers crops. We eat a lot of venison (eating some today) Most all of my hunting is done with a bow and arrow. You might want to start out with a bow.

Do you fix a food plot? If so, what do you suggest using?

peachhunting

Firstly, glad to see a new hunter out there. I live in Northern Ontario and hunting is a way of life up here. Not to sound like a whimp, but the first deer I shot I cried when I walked up to her. But that emotion was quickly overpowered by excitement.

I still feel bad/sad for each animal I harvest, and I honestly hope that feeling never goes away - means I'm human.

You'll be able to pull that trigger and you'll love the emotions that follow.

On a side note, you might want to consider butchering it yourself - tons of great videos on youtube and it is very satisfying knowing you brought something from field to table.

trackercasey76

All I can add is that the other teams DOES know they are playing. They were made with large ears, great eye site from eyes placed on the sides of their head, and an incredible sense of smell because they are prey animals, AKA FOOD. We have forward facing eyes, points on our teeth, and claws because we are predators. It has been this way for centuries.

thebowhunter

Do you fix a food plot? If so, what do you suggest using?

No, I dont bait.

GorillaNJ

I was 14 when I took my first deer. I had worked so hard with my dad and my hunting buddies between scouting and countless hours shooting my bow. It was nothing but pure excitement for me. Still when a deer comes into bow range the rush of energy that fills up inside of me is almost impossible to describe.

Then when the butchering is done, nothing better then some fresh venison tenderloin seared on a hot charcoal fire...

digitalbill

This will be my second season living where I live - eager to try deer hunting in the back yard. I have a 10' tall blind, lots of high grass/pasture/with some evergreen trees. Last year I saw dozens of deer throughout the 10 acres.

Here's the thing -

I'm unsure about being able to kill the deer. Not that I'd miss, i'm a great shot. I'm worried I'd chicken-out. Walking up to a just-killed dear, still warm and steaming with a hole in his chest from a 12ga slug...ugh. Heartbreaking.

I want to learn the skill because eventually the zombies will attack and I will have to know how to provide for my family. I cannot make the business case for hunting because I'll be out 300 bux for a rifled barrel for my Remington 1100, plus butchering of the deer. I'll NEVER trophy mount because I think that's sorta gloating.

See, hunting IS a sport - but the other team doesn't know they are playing. For me, hunting is a precious and respectful means of providing for my family. Sure I can go to a butcher and get grass-fed beef - probably a whole cow for what it'd cost for my hunting set up. But...that's killing too - and chances are, right, chances are the deer I'd harvest had a better life than a cow. I dunno...

Anywho - any hunters with tips for the first kill? I'm good with weapons - 8 years in the Army firing 9mm to .50 Cal, to Mk19 to Stinger Surface-Air missiles, to 25mm Bushmaster chain gun. For me, I want to find good ways to respectfully harvest and learn a skill I can pass on to my son and daughter.

Here are a few photos of my blind - and the area around it - (taken while camping with my son a few months ago)

Can see the legs of the blind - and some of the topography - and my pup! - http://d-mphotos.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/eva_camp.jpg

the land - http://d-mphotos.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/campfire_day.jpg

I have two acres behind this type - flat farming land I lease to a local soy bean farmer. Lots of visibility and varying terrain/cover.

With the exception of me being better looking, you and I are the same person.
While I do not relish shooting anything that is not shooting back at me, I also understand the need to learn how to properly dress and preserve an animal.
I have had my hunters certification for two years and I have yet to go out and try to bag an animal.

magdalen13

You're already approaching this so ethically, I think you'll have no trouble with after the kill. It's when you're not bothering to think about it, or when you take joy in causing suffering, that you have to worry. (Disclosure: I don't deer hunt; my husband and daughter do and I have been out in the blind with them and others.) As other posters have said, keep your respect for the animal uppermost. Shoot clean and make a killing shot... whether you approach it right away or not is up to you but some people feel that only distresses the dying animal further. Others feel you need to get out there right away with a second bullet to be sure it's not suffering.

Growing up with many hunters, I know it never really gets easy. Easier with practice, maybe, but not easy, and it shouldn't be. But someone did mention venison on the grill... mmm Though seriously, the best way, I was always taught, to honor the life you just took, is to put it to good use. Field dress it conscientiously, taking everything you can. (I have one relative who feeds the waste and organs to dogs, another to pigs, if that's an option where you live. Just be aware of any CWD concerns in your area.) Use everything you can, whether it's the tenderloin, the stew meat, the deerskin or the antlers. Freeze it for the winter, or give it to the hungry; just don't let it spoil and go to waste As for non-meat parts of the deer, I don't know if you may have local craftsmen who would like a nice deer hide or antlers to create things from. In my area, we have Native American craftspeople who are glad to use those things. Borrow someone's smoker, if you can, and smoke the bones with some of the fat basted on them, and they're great for dog bones all year.

I know this is a long reply but it's honestly the approach we take in our family, as do many others... and it's very satisfying to know that one animal's death can mean so much to so many. I think if you're ethically-minded and survival-minded, you'll enjoy being that close to your food and using it well.

ShmoozyQ

... I would suggest, remember that while you are harvesting the animal, you have to respect it to. I feel some sadness with each deer I kill, but I also take gladness in being able to harvest a wild animal that is going to provide great nutrition for my family. Nothing better than participating in the food chain and eating the best food there is, wild game.

I totally agree. I think it's absolutely human nature to feel some sadness anytime we take the life of an animal. I'd be concerned about myself if I didn't feel that way.

I agree with TrackerCasey also - I've spent my fair share of time sneaking on animals that absolutely knew I was there and played the game with me. I bowhunt without a blind; they know I'm there *most* of the time. If I'm lucky, they only suspect and I can get a good shot.

PanteraGirl

Bump for later when I have a chance to respond :flowerforyou:

DetroitDarin

With the exception of me being better looking, you and I are the same person.
While I do not relish shooting anything that is not shooting back at me, I also understand the need to learn how to properly dress and preserve an animal.
I have had my hunters certification for two years and I have yet to go out and try to bag an animal.

I lol'd out loud

Thanks very much to all for your support and advice. I know the hunting area perfectly well, because it's my back yard. I think I'll set up a trail cam and see what I can capture that way - then I will sit up in the blind and wait. We have to use shotguns for deer around here, so I'll ensure to get proficient with slugs between now and then - just like in my Air Defense days "one shot, one kill!"

My pup will adore the antlers I suspect. I'll use every bit of the animal I can.

Skinny_minny_mo

i'm sure that i'll get some flack for this. but what do you get out of hunting? do you need the meat for food?

is it just a sport i.e gratification from killing something and making an animal suffer in the process?

if its about shooting practice go to a shooting range!

Newf77

I am sure the animal rights activist are soon to arise from their hemp hammocks so here is a link to like minded MFPers' http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/1017-deer-hunters

I was lucky that my first hunt was with a friend who was half Native American. He taught me alot about how to respect the animal. That hunting is part of the cycle of life.
I was taught to track the animal after you sucessfully take your shot {if not a clean kill shot} however allow the animal to pass.

People fail to realize that hunting is an essential part of the animal population control. If ethical hunters were not out there alot more animals would suffer during the winter months from starvation and over population.

Ruger2506

Do you fix a food plot? If so, what do you suggest using?

No, I dont bait.

For the record food plots are not baiting.

To the OP. It is just a matter of "just do it". The only advice I can offer is to make sure it is a clean kill. You do not want to be walking up to a wounded deer who is making wounded noises. It will ruin you for sure.

You have the respect thing down, work with that.

Ruger2506

i'm sure that i'll get some flack for this. but what do you get out of hunting? do you need the meat for food?

is it just a sport i.e gratification from killing something and making an animal suffer in the process?

if its about shooting practice go to a shooting range!

It is a challenge. Beating the game on it's own terms. It is my heritage. Walking in my ancestors foot steps. It is to put meat in my freezer. No different that killing a cow or chicken. Except I respect that animal more and it lived free. And lastly....IT IS MY RIGHT!

thebowhunter

i'm sure that i'll get some flack for this. but what do you get out of hunting? do you need the meat for food?

I cant speak for others but I am a meat eater. I like lean vension and since I cant buy it locally, I have to hunt it to get it. If I am going to be a meat eater, I would rather get my own meat that is organic and free of all the things farmed meat has in it. It serves a valuable purpose in terms of reducing the herd so there are less car deer crashes and it is part of my heritage to hunt. If I am going to eat meat anyway, the venison I hunt is a far better option than the meat I could purchase.

is it just a sport i.e gratification from killing something and making an animal suffer in the process?

ITs not at all about sport gratification and I completly discount your claim about suffering. The animals I dispatch dont suffer and die very quickly. Animals raised on factory farms suffer and live an undignified life.

if its about shooting practice go to a shooting range!

Its not at all about shooting practice. THe practice is done on targets to make sure the animal we shoot are killed as quickly, cleanly and humanly as possible because we are a proficient hunter.

thebowhunter

No, I dont bait.

For the record food plots are not baiting.

I completly disagree. If you are a hunter that provides food for game for the purposes of attracting and congregating game to advantage you as a hunter in seeing and/or harvesting game, you are baiting and you are a baiter by definition.

In regards to food plots, I will never understand (using logic and reason) how somebody would separate the two methods of hunters providing food to deer to advantage them in seeing and harvesting game. They are absolutely and without a doubt the same action yet many try to spin and justify food plots by adding all sorts of ancillary justifications and rationalizing unrelated to the core issue but meant only to distract and justify. They food plot because it attracts and congregates deer to their area which gives them an advantage in seeing and harvesting deer, regardless if you hunt over it or down wind of it or on a trail between the food and bedding or if its just to keep game close by rather than on somebody else’s land.

Regardless of all the others things food plotter want to talk about to try and convince me, They food plot because it attracts and congregates deer to their area which gives them an advantage in seeing and harvesting deer. Its really that simple. Everything else is just excuses and justification to help them feel better about their baiting. To be in favor of one bait deliverly system and not the other is disingenuous and hypocritical.

dougt333

I was taught to hunt by my family, in which we are extremely respectful of what we kill (We're Cherokee by the way.) But I will say it is a rush to bring out the "Man" in you so to speak and became part of the circle of life.

On a more fitness related note, Venison is much healthier than beef, and the jerky makes a great, high protein snack.

Ruger2506

We can agree to disagree. A food plot can be 10's if not 100's of acres. A bait pile is 3' X 3'. Drastically different.

FWIW I don't have any skin in this debate. I am a spot and stalk hunter. No sitting in a tree like a vulture for me. No sitting over food plots. Just a pair of binos, a spotting scope, a pair of boots and a weapon.

JimLeonardRN

i'm sure that i'll get some flack for this. but what do you get out of hunting? do you need the meat for food?

I cant speak for others but I am a meat eater. I like lean vension and since I cant buy it locally, I have to hunt it to get it. If I am going to be a meat eater, I would rather get my own meat that is organic and free of all the things farmed meat has in it. It serves a valuable purpose in terms of reducing the herd so there are less car deer crashes and it is part of my heritage to hunt. If I am going to eat meat anyway, the venison I hunt is a far better option than the meat I could purchase.

is it just a sport i.e gratification from killing something and making an animal suffer in the process?

ITs not at all about sport gratification and I completly discount your claim about suffering. The animals I dispatch dont suffer and die very quickly. Animals raised on factory farms suffer and live an undignified life.

if its about shooting practice go to a shooting range!

Its not at all about shooting practice. THe practice is done on targets to make sure the animal we shoot are killed as quickly, cleanly and humanly as possible because we are a proficient hunter.

Reading thru the post I was formulating my reply.....Then BLAM! There it was already. Many days I set the deer stand and watch deer, squirrel, coons, birds, and turkeys walk around. All without firing a shot. Its not about killing, it's about being in touch with nature. And yes I eat what I kill. I can tell ya the deer I shoot have had a much better life than the beef or chicken you buy in a grocery store. Ever seen a feed lot for cattle? Or a chicken house? Go check one out. Kinda eye opening.

thebowhunter

We can agree to disagree. A food plot can be 10's if not 100's of acres. A bait pile is 3' X 3'. Drastically different.

I dont know anybody that baits in a 3 x 3 area. Most broadcast it over a wide area to mimic mast crops. I do know that the food plots in the area are small (1/4 and 1/2 acre) That is the norm. If you use food to advantage you as a hunter in seeing and attracting game for harvest, you are a baiter. Size of the bait area means nothing sice the very act itself is baiting.

DetroitDarin

The only baiting I'd do is happen to have a back yard deer like to use for cover.

If deer walks through my yard, that's my hunt. If no deer, no harvest. Cant really stalk and hunt due to my knees. But - yeah, I'll do it, Need to learn the skill.


Much agreed re: Harvesting a deer vs buying beef from a slaughter house type operation. Much more humane to harvest wild vs some of places folks buy meat. Food, Inc. changed me.

trophywife24

I haven't read through the other posts and am only down half of a cup of coffee so forgive me for being unprofound but... your first kill is be your only "hard" kill. After you do it once, you'll see that your lack of courage is only in your head and the reward of a full freezer from one bullet far outweighs any doubts or guilt that you thought you would have. Good luck and happy hunting.

DetroitDarin

I haven't read through the other posts and am only down half of a cup of coffee so forgive me for being unprofound but... your first kill is be your only "hard" kill. After you do it once, you'll see that your lack of courage is only in your head and the reward of a full freezer from one bullet far outweighs any doubts or guilt that you thought you would have. Good luck and happy hunting.

absolutely. The only way to get courage is to do the thing that scares you.

trackercasey76

I haven't read through the other posts and am only down half of a cup of coffee so forgive me for being unprofound but... your first kill is be your only "hard" kill. After you do it once, you'll see that your lack of courage is only in your head and the reward of a full freezer from one bullet far outweighs any doubts or guilt that you thought you would have. Good luck and happy hunting.

Well said...

SmexAppeal

i'm sure that i'll get some flack for this. but what do you get out of hunting? do you need the meat for food?

is it just a sport i.e gratification from killing something and making an animal suffer in the process?

if its about shooting practice go to a shooting range!

All of your questions were answered in the original post. And unless you are vegan, any animal that makes it to your plate has to die before getting there, whether you do it yourself or not.

I am very happy with the responses he has gotten to his question. It is nice to see that killing does not come easily, and most of the time never does. I don't hunt myself, wish I could have the courage and guts to do so, but I don't. My dad brings the venison home to my family. It's a very lean meat and very good for you. Not to mention, in MI the deer population is out of control and as a recent poster commented, this will keep one from getting hit and potentially hurting/killing people in a car accident.
I agree with respecting the animal. You could even say a prayer over it Darin, thanking God for what he has provided, and the strength he gave you to bring it to your family. And someday you will be able to teach your son how to provide as well. Hang in there bud, you'll be able to do it!