Hunting Forum

So I didn't grow up hunting at all but I've always wanted too and so my dad recently bought me a PSE stinger 3G. I've been going to the range and getting pretty good with it and so I'm excited about actually going on a hunt. But now my task is figure how the hell to plan a hunt! There is lots to learn and I'm reading everything I can on the dept. of fish and game website and going to blogs but I figured I'd ask if anyone has some advice or suggest resources to plan my first hunt. Understanding seasons and tags and everything else has got my head spinning a bit. Perhaps it's just me but having not grown up hunting (and literally not knowing anyone who hunts), it's challenging stepping into it for the first time. I'm really excited about this though so any help would be great. I live in Southern California so if anyone has insight on hunting in that area I would greatly appreciate it too.
Thanks!
Rebecca

Have you taken a hunter safety course and gotten your Hunter Safety Certificate? If not ,that is the next step you need to take. I don't know anything about S. Cal You might have to apply ahead to get permit to hunt different zones. Go to your local fish and game office and ask questions or ask at your local archery shop.

Pre scout area you want to hunt and look for tracks and trails. And the list goes on. How do you plan to hunt? Build a natural ground blind, from a pop up ground blind, or a tree stand.

When you shoot a deer you need to pay close attention to where it was hit, the direction it was going, was its tail up or down, (a hurt deer will usually have its tail down when running off, a tail up may indicate a miss), Knowing where it was going will help in finding a blood trail you might only find tiny drops of blood and have to look close. Then comes field dressing and dragging it out.

No friends at the range that will mentor you? Welcome Rebecca!

Great suggestions bpierce. Try to find someone to go with, a mentor. If your going at it alone, look for private property you can hunt on. A little door knocking can really pay off. You will have the luxury of game that is not pressured by other hunters and your odds for a good shot go up from there. I hunted public land for a few years until I learned to hunt on private land. The summer is a great time to scout and get permission. One tip, carry a carbon copy permission slip. Most states have them. It releases the property owner from any liability and is a great reference for the following years. Good luck. Fortune favors the prepared.

Welcome Rebecca first off . Archery is a great but challenging sport so be patient as the moment may not come right away and when you see them out of range focus on them , and get used to their body movements . If you do have one up close and personal , don't look into their eyes as some seem to get that feeling (same as we do) I look at their front feet and my peripheral vision sees the rest . Scout the area as already mentioned is a must , and don't shoot on a range that is set at a specific yardage and that's it or that's what you're stuck with on the hunt . Vary yardage every shoot , and when your max is good move back a little more . Doesn't mean you're going to shoot at a deer that far , but it teaches you the subtle things of the draw, anchor, grip and pin float . Then go to original distance and it's easy and tighter on the group . Not instantly , but that will work .

Thank you for the reply! I still need to take hunters ed. I know I'm still far off from this first hunt as i need a lot more range practice, but I've been trying to find resources on field dressing. Do you have any suggestions on where to start in learning that?
Thanks again for the advice!

When hunting public land versus private. How do I found out where boundaries between them are. I've looked at the DFaG website and e maps showing e trends of where previous season the most game has been taken. Is this where I start when it comes to scouting?

Scroll down to white tail deer hunting , TLC has a video pinned on gutting a deer . It's not the only way , but it is a good way to do it . We use the mentor system for the first kill , then they do the second one themselves . It's actually that easy once you see it done once .
For me at least scouting is done the old school way , get in the woods and look for sign of deer ( trails , rubs , droppings and tracks ) that's scouting . This one can get intricate so just start on those and then you know deer pass there . Remember you are bow hunting and 5 or 10 yards might mean no shot for you if you don't post at "the tree" . I hunt several areas from flood plains to mountain ridges but they all have one thing in common ; I always hook my climber stand on the tree , meaning on average 20 something yds. from the trail being used .

Rebecca, there are several archery clubs in So. Cal area that have 3d shoots throughtout the year. Search out the ones closest to you and maybe go to one of their shoots, there are always people there to help you and they will see to it that you get with a group if you're alone and tell them. Maybe think about joining one of the clubs, i'm sure some of the members will also be hunters and most are happy to help another archer get into the sport. As a kid our family belonged to South Bay Archery Club, they used to have a range in the Portugese Bend area of Palos Verdes, if in the So. Bay area, give them a look. Like I said, there quite a few clubs. Look on a site called Archery Talk also, I believe they list clubs by state. If I were still in Calif. i'd be happy to help you get started, but that's a long way from Missouri. Good luck with your venture, keep us posted.
Steve Albers
Hunter and Bow Hunter Ed. Instructor, L.M. NAHC, NRA,Patriot

Rebecca were in southern CA do you live .I am north of SAC. Find you a mammal and fur bears manual from the DfW .It will give a lot of info and you can look it up on the website .And while you are there look up hunters digest mag from them It has some good info in it .If possible go to any DFW office and pick up a copy of the map that shows all the different zones on it .Like was said check out and find a club near you and go to some of the shoots .I know that people there will do all they can to help you out .We use to belong to Nor Cal Archery and shot all over N.CAL .

Everyone, thank you for great help. I'm in Orange County area in SoCal. At first I thought there were few resources here to get into bow hunting but I'm starting to find them. I'm sure ill have more questions soon.