I know how to start shooting competitively, but what about...hunting?

[45dotACP]

HUNTING!

I've never been, I live in the more city-ish suburbs but I've been telling myself I'd go...so are there any good resources as to how to get started, a few tips/tricks about how to do it...I suspect a hunters ed class is in order. I have a compound bow and a couple good rifles...and wouldn't mind some venison/pork in the freezer...

I know for sure that hunting with a rifle is a no-go here in IL so it's bowhunting...or 20ga deer slugs...

Any thoughts?

[ranger]

You need to find someone you respect and trust who is an active hunter and ask to go hunting with them.

[Whirlwind06]

Look around for a rod and gun club, they should have hunting groups that you can join.
I just checked your state's DNR web page you can also hunt with revolvers.

[LittleLebowski]

The biggest problem for me is finding a place to hunt. How are you set for that?

[Chuck Haggard]

If I was starting out and had to choose between a slug gun and a bow I'd go with slugs. Bow hunting is next level more difficult and adds a layer of complexity that you'll have to deal with on top of being new to the game.

[Chuck Haggard]

The biggest problem for me is finding a place to hunt. How are you set for that?

I feel your pain. I have to hunt public land. My strategy is to walk so far in that the bubbas have given up, I almost always have the places I go to myself.

[Robinson]

You need to find someone you respect and trust who is an active hunter and ask to go hunting with them.

And I suggest you let that person know you are willing to get your hands dirty helping to gut/clean/butcher/pack out the animal in case someone manages to kill one. That stuff is good to learn about along with the hunting/killing part.

[peterb]

There's a "Gettting started" page at the Illinois DNR website that looks useful.

[ACP230]

You can learn some things from books.
The library might have some deer hunting books, or
could get some from interlibrary loan.
I have some classics by Larry Koller, Francis E. Sell and
Jack O'Connor. Deer have not changed much since their books
were written. The library might also have [I]Deer and Deer Hunting /I] magazine.


Some folks get really specialized with clothing, scents, calls etc.
I have found that just working into the wind and moving slowly, or
setting up and watching trails with the wind in your favor (on your face, basically)
can work well.

[Hambo]

To me hunting requires two things: knowledge and respect for the animal you're hunting, and ethics. So if you know zip about deer and hogs, I'd say to start learning. It doesn't need to be hunting season to get out in the woods and look for sign. Then figure out if you want to stand or still hunt. You can read up in all this, but the only TV show I'd recommend is MeatEater.

[23JAZ]

HUNTING!

I've never been, I live in the more city-ish suburbs but I've been telling myself I'd go...so are there any good resources as to how to get started, a few tips/tricks about how to do it...I suspect a hunters ed class is in order. I have a compound bow and a couple good rifles...and wouldn't mind some venison/pork in the freezer...

I know for sure that hunting with a rifle is a no-go here in IL so it's bowhunting...or 20ga deer slugs...

Any thoughts?

38 years old and have been hunting since I was old enough to participate in youth hunting weekend. I would suggest you start with the shotgun. Bow hunting is much harder than people think and will probably demotivate you. There is lots to learn about deer and their behavior before you get them close enough for a clean arrow kill.

As said before, go to your local rod and gun club and find an old timer. Pick their brain, hell if you can get out hunting with them even better.

Read up on deer anatomy and the gutting and dressing process.

Don't ever underestimate a deer's sense of smell.
Most importantly, have fun, be safe, be ethical, spend a lot of time in the woods, and respect the environment

[45dotACP]

The biggest problem for me is finding a place to hunt. How are you set for that?

It'd be mostly public land hunting for me...but there are quite a few public lands in IL and being able to hike them beforehand is nice because I like hiking...I'll just be doing it differently now...looking for "sign" and whatnot.

I kinda figured that bowhunting and handgun hunting would require an additional level of subtlety/sneakiness as opposed to a slug gun, which gives me a greater effective range. Thanks for the info gents. I'll be looking around for a rod and gun club.

[idahojess]

You might want to try something like waterfowl or upland hunting first, too. It might be a good way to figure out whether you like hunting, and it's a good introduction to the ethics. I remember how awful I would feel when I shot a mallard and couldn't find it because it had dove into a ditch. (This precipitated a Chesapeake Bay retriever acquisition).

Upland and waterfowl are different sports than deer hunting, but the seasons can be longer, and you might be able to get onto private land or a preserve easier. Upland is generally all I do, mostly because I like the dog aspect. My favorite part of waterfowl hunting was calling and watching my dog retrieve. The killing part is (should be in my opinion) low on the fun scale, but it is part of the nature of things.

[Matt O]

I second the advice from others to either join a rod & gun club or otherwise find a hunting mentor. This is invaluable in helping you understand all that is necessary to be a successful hunter, e.g.:

Before the Shot

How to read the land
Hunting methods
Knowing your quarry
Avoiding detection
Shot placement & effective ranges

After the Shot

Blood tracking
Local laws on tagging/moving carcasses
Field dressing & transportation
Processing the meat

Bowhunting is definitely orders of magnitude more difficult (or luck dependent?) than rifle/shotgun hunting, but it usually does give you access to a much longer hunting season and thus, more chances to learn about hunting. It's also the only way I've ever hunted though, so that admittedly colors my opinions.

[vaspence]

What Matt O. said above and find a hunting buddy. I'd say go for the bow if you want, just make sure you know your realistic max effective distance. And really understand shot placement with a bow before you go slinging arrows and tracking gutshot deer. After that, just go hunt. The deer will teach you. They will bust you in every way conceivable. They will also eat, poop, mate, spar, etc. 3 yards out of your max effective range for hours. When they finally move within range you'll suddenly see limbs, trees, etc. that you never noticed when you set up and wonder how a whole deer can disappear behind an 8" diameter tree with nothing but an ear and a tail showing. It'll be some of most exciting seconds in your life and hours of the most boring. You'll love it!

[BJXDS]

Access to safe areas to hunt is probably the your biggest hurdle. You may want to see if there are any reputable outfitters/guides in your area? I would not hunt in my area if public land was the only place I could hunt, to many idiots, could be different where you live but....

Also, assuming you have located a place to hunt, you could go out and mock hunt to get an idea of what it is like. Be careful this time of year, turkey season is 2 weeks away in VA. Hunters will be in full camo.

[LittleLebowski]

Access to safe areas to hunt is probably the your biggest hurdle. You may want to see if there are any reputable outfitters/guides in your area? I would not hunt in my area if public land was the only place I could hunt, to many idiots, could be different where you live but....

Also, assuming you have located a place to hunt, you could go out and mock hunt to get an idea of what it is like. Be careful this time of year, turkey season is 2 weeks away in VA. Hunters will be in full camo.

Just saw the turkeys in my back few acres :cool:

The OP is in IL, I believe.

[dbateman]

What would you like to hunt ?

[45dotACP]

I am an IL resident...my brother has relatives in MN with whom he goes deer hunting in rifle season, so I think that'll be option one with the eventual plan to be deer hunting in IL with a bow...and maybe later one of those hog hunts with nightvision optics and suppressed .300BLK rigs because that shit just looks cool...

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