New hunter looking for a mentor

[DeepJeep]

They are coming... been busy but will post a story soon.. probably tomorrow.

[Jovesque]

Hi Wooderson604,

Being a new hunter myself I couldn't resist sharing my experience. I got my hunting license and PAL beginning of this year. Got my guns sorted out just before the hunting season... and just got my first deer 10 days ago. I will post a story here shortly about that but here are my leanings:

- You did the right thing by asking. Like you I have posted here and asked for helped and I did a get decent amount of help. I met some great local people from this site by doing that. Its great to ask questions via PMs as well if someone offers. If you dont ask, you wont get it.
- Get equipped. Get proper gear, knives, gloves, waterproof pants, tarp, zip ties, latex gloves, range finder, binos, back pack. Doesn't have to be expensive. I ordered everything from cabelas. You need 90% of the above items because you cant do much without them. Once you have that, its easy to ask for help and you look prepared. I didn't have much with me but I was lucky enough for someone to take me the first time and I was hooked after. Also, go to the range to practice. Get comfortable with the gun. The first time I practiced at the range, i fiddled quite a bit. So its best to get over that at the range.
- Get a good enough vehicle to take you up logging roads. I ended up buying a beater pickup for $1500 (just an example). Its far from perfect but gets me places.
- Go out as much as you can without the intention of hunting. I have gone out every weekend since the middle of September and didnt see much at all. Actually nothing except the one I shot. I know getting out of lower mainland is hard but go to manning park area, princeton, kelowna area... The first time you hike into a cut block alone, you will feel intimidated (or atleast i did). It will be better there on. Start recognizing tracks, poop, rubs etc. Once you start seeing them you will feel good. You know some animal has been there. And the first time you see any animal, you will feel good because you saw something without it knowing you were there (they always know though!)...
- Join a range and talk to some there who seems to be reasonable.
- Google and Youtube things. How to field dress, etc. Watch people's hunting vidoes, see how they dress, what pointers they give, where they were when they shot the animal, basically watching anything info-video related to hunting.
- Know the butcher you are going to take you animal to so you dont have to scramble last minute.
- It is time consuming, so dont try to make it your life. I know you want a deer bad but relax and slowly keep plugging away. I still have to tell myself to back off because I would like to go hunting every day if I could. Gotta balance.

I am a new hunter and the above is what I did and with the help of some good folks, I was able to get one this year ( I was lucky). Hopefully you will too.

DJ

Nice post! Sounds a lot like me this year only I didn't buy a new vehicle to get out to my spots, I gingerly drive a small car what distance I can and put the rest of the miles on foot.

Wooderson604 how's the quest going? Have you gone out yourself yet?

[TreeStandMan]

Haha vehicle wont do me any favours, currently driving a little car.

On Sunday I drove back from Kamloops with a dressed mulie in the back of my Mazda 3 sedan. My wife needed the SUV and I needed to go hunting, and where I come from your boots are more important than your vehicle.

[BStrachan]

That would have been entertaining to see a deer in the back of a Mazda. Gives me hope that I can use my car for hunting.

[scotty30-06]

Have ya found a mentor yet?

[604Stalker]

K sorry for the thread jack but nobody chimed in treestandman pics or it never happend lol.