New hunter

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.

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

Cheers to that. Also, a good burger tastes a lot better than guilt.

trophywife24

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!

'Making an animal suffer' is not part of being a skilled hunter. The skill of hunting is a swift, quick kill in exchange for nourishment for your family. Do you eat meat? A deer in the woods suffers a much, much more humane, dignified fate than a cow or pig in a slaughter house.

Pedal_Pusher

ha ha..........dude there has to be some type of hunting website around where you'll get much better answers.

bottleOdom

Recite the prayer my son does?

Good food, good eats, thank you God, for the meats.

Circle of life buddy - compassion is great, but suck it up.

digitalbill

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.

OK.. a bit more on the serious side.
Like you, I am an Army veteran.
I am also a combat veteran.
With all that said, I do have the opinion that shooting an animal is WAY different then shooting a human.
While I have never hunted (the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak), I am not opposed to people who do hunt.
Food is food.
Naturally, a clean shot is the most humane way to bring any kind of animal down. Nobody wants to see an animal suffer.
And I agree, approching a deer that is bleeding out and cutting the throat is going to be so very difficult. Not from an "I am afraid" standpoint but rather, "something is about to die because of me" thought.
It would probably be way different if the deer was actually attacking you and you had no choice but to defend yourself.
It makes it easier.
But, like you, I am confident that sometime in my lifetime, I will have no choice but to hunt in order to feed my family and, when that day comes, I need to know how to harvest the animal to the fullest.

Nanadena

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!

Your darn right! We live on the meat because of choice. It is hard enough to fill your tag. The animal has the home field advantage. I was 46 when I took my first big game animal. And yes, it is our heritage and right!

DetroitDarin

ha ha..........dude there has to be some type of hunting website around where you'll get much better answers.

ha ha.......dude i asked this forum because I wanted the opinion of this forum. Asking a hunting forum about how awesome hunting is would be like asking a Mustang forum how awsome mustangs are or are not.

digitalbill

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!

Hello Skinny,
That is a fair question and I asked the same thing myself.
There are some hunters out there who do hunt for bragging rights. Who can shoot the most snimals or who can kill the biggest "whatever".
I personally don't agree with that kind of hunting.
There are others who will hunt and use/eat as much of the animal as they can.
This really is no different then a farm that raises chickens, pigs, or cows.
There is more to it.
I can only speak of Florida right now but, in the late 70s and 80's, there was a ban on hunting alligators. They were considered endangered.
Today, they are no longer endangered and in fact, there is an over population. We do have alligator season with strict bag limits. There are only a ceran number of licenses given out every season along with the bag limitations per hunter. This helps to control the population while not endangering the species as a whole.
Controling the population allows for the entire ecosystem to remain healthy.
I do hope this answers your question somewhat.

BeeElMarvin

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.

If you plant it specifically for attracting game - I agree.

dsmease7

Congrats to the OP for trying out hunting. You'll find it to be a very rewarding experience. Enjoy your time outdoors as some of your best days afield might even be days you didn't harvest an animal! You got the respect for the animal thing down so now go out & find someone in your area who has experience & that could help you learn the finer points of dealing with the animal properly after you make the kill.

I would also recommend spending some money on butchering equipment & process the deer yourself. In the long run you'll save a lot of money & it is pretty cool to know you've did everything yourself:)

As to critics of hunting, most fail to realize that hunting is at the core of conservation! Here in Pa hundreds of thousands of dollars from hunters have been used to purchase land with prime habitat for animals so they have a place to thrive in the wild. This is also true thru out the USA as hunters spend much time & money to help preserve & control the animal population.

To all my fellow hunters, stay safe & shoot straight:)

karynspeace

Congrats to the OP for trying out hunting. You'll find it to be a very rewarding experience. Enjoy your time outdoors as some of your best days afield might even be days you didn't harvest an animal! You got the respect for the animal thing down so now go out & find someone in your area who has experience & that could help you learn the finer points of dealing with the animal properly after you make the kill.

I would also recommend spending some money on butchering equipment & process the deer yourself. In the long run you'll save a lot of money & it is pretty cool to know you've did everything yourself:)

As to critics of hunting, most fail to realize that hunting is at the core of conservation! Here in Pa hundreds of thousands of dollars from hunters have been used to purchase land with prime habitat for animals so they have a place to thrive in the wild. This is also true thru out the USA as hunters spend much time & money to help preserve & control the animal population.

To all my fellow hunters, stay safe & shoot straight:)

Agreed! We have an overpopulation in our region and there have been deer dying from wasting diseases. So far our farm is looking good but a friend had a lot of dead ones at his river/spring - due to some fly disease. Sad to see such a waste.

DetroitDarin

Should I invest in a rifled barrel for my Model 1100, or just buy a rifled-barrel 20ga for about the same price? Am leaning towards the other barrel. I've seen them with rails so my eotech can mount up okay...

GorillaNJ

Should I invest in a rifled barrel for my Model 1100, or just buy a rifled-barrel 20ga for about the same price? Am leaning towards the other barrel. I've seen them with rails so my eotech can mount up okay...

My buddy has the slug barrel for his 1100 and it is a great shooting gun.

Ruger2506

Either way will make you happy. Of course you already have the 1100 so that my be the way to go. Modern slugs with modern rifled barrels are an accurate weapon. Easily a 150 yards set up. Pair it with a decent scope and off you go.

Check out my post on IDOhunting regarding shot placement. http://www.idohunting.com/forum/showflat.php/Number/638335/fpart/1/270-wsm-ammo-blood-trail-issue

I illustrate the location and talk about the effects (about 4 posts down).

Ruger2506

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.

Guess it depends on the part of the country. Up here bait is dumped out from buckets.

Food Plots are put in to feed deer throughout the winter and promote excellent antler growth (many many acres). Of course a food plot also attracts and concentrates deer.

buckmeatball

The first advice I can offer is to have fun! The second would be to learn to butcher your own game. To me, that's just as much a part of the hunt as anything(not saying anything about guys that have it butchered, I just think it "extends" the experience). The third piece of advice is hunt smart. Quantity doesn't equal quality. Hunt the wind properly and you should see continued success. Welcome to the lifestyle!

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.

drmerc

You need to reach in your pants and search for your balls

Then grab them and man up

DetroitDarin

You need to reach in your pants and search for your balls

Then grab them and man up

Is that your advice for me?