Adult Novice Hunter w/ Hunting License - Looking for a mentor/guidance

Lukedog84 · Oct 11, 2019

Hey everyone, I found this forum while searching for mentors in the Maryland area after my application to the First Shot Mentored Deer Hunt fell through. I see there is another post that's similar, but I didn't want to steal his/her thunder, so I hope you all don't mind another.

I'm a 35 year old who has passed all Hunter Safety certification, and have my full license for the 2020 season. Going on my first waterfowl hunt with a friend on Monday, but I'm looking for others that might be willing to help out moving into deer season and beyond. I'm from Howard County but currently live in Baltimore. No experience hunting outdoors as I have no family that hunts, but a decent trap shooter, and love the outdoors.

If you have any interest or guidance, it would be appreciated.

mdunphyjr · Oct 11, 2019

Bow hunting or just gun?

axshon · Oct 11, 2019

Welcome aboard! Lots of folks around here hunt and are happy to help. I just got into it again last year after decades away and took one doe with a bow. I was also able to take one this year so far but my work schedule has kept me out of the woods since then.

I suggest that if you work with or are friends with anyone who hunts that you ask for help and see if you can tag along. I had a good friend take me out last year to make sure I knew how to effectively field dress a deer and then back to his place to quarter and process it. It was an invaluable experience that I was and am very grateful for.

There are quite a few areas around on public land to hunt but each area has rules and limitations so you have to do some in-person research. Private land that you don't own is often managed by a hunting club which can be pricey. There are various areas in Patapsco where hunting is allowed. If you're from HoCo and like outdoors you probably already have some ideas about areas that might be good to have a ground blind or climbing stand. Nothing permanent allowed and cameras are often stolen, from what I hear. I've also heard of tree huggers spotting hunters and making a big loud stink about it but never personally experienced it.

Best of luck and don't lose heart. It might take some work to get involved but if you're determined you'll get there! Once you find some locations it's easier. Once you toast up your first backstrap steak you'll be hooked. I tenderize mine before I vac bag and freeze it.

Lukedog84 · Oct 11, 2019

mdunphyjr said:
Bow hunting or just gun?

I don't own a bow, and have very limited experience with them. That being said, I'm open to anything really, I guess the positive side of the bows are the season lasts a lot longer. I consider myself a pretty quick learn. I would need to purchase anything beyond the Mossberg 500 I own.

onedash · Oct 11, 2019

Lukedog84 said:
I don't own a bow, and have very limited experience with them. That being said, I'm open to anything really, I guess the positive side of the bows are the season lasts a lot longer. I consider myself a pretty quick learn. I would need to purchase anything beyond the Mossberg 500 I own.

I was never a much of a fan of archery hunting (tried as a teenager and never saw any deer),but bought a tenpoint turbo GT 4 seasons ago and love it. And yes, with a nearly 5 month hunting season it's the way to go.

mdunphyjr · Oct 11, 2019

I dont really have access to any gun hunting areas, but if you ever get into archery I'd be glad to teach what others have taught me! Good luck to ya!!!

Blackstar65 · Oct 11, 2019

I am in the same boat. I didn't win the raffle either. I am hoping a co-worker can take me out. Good luck in your search man.

possumman · Oct 11, 2019

Buy a $300 crossbow--good enough to start with and your season lasts til January.

axshon · Oct 11, 2019

possumman said:
Buy a $300 crossbow--good enough to start with and your season lasts til January.

This

I had a decent but older compound bow and, while I tried pretty hard, I was embarrassingly bad at it. I passed it on to a friend and purchased a used crossbow from a member here for <$300 and both shots I've taken have been through-and-through and the deer went 50 yards the first time and dropped in its tracks the second.

Hard to go wrong with a crossbow as long as you zero it for your bolt/broadhead combination.

Lukedog84 · Oct 11, 2019

axshon said:
This

I had a decent but older compound bow and, while I tried pretty hard, I was embarrassingly bad at it. I passed it on to a friend and purchased a used crossbow from a member here for <$300 and both shots I've taken have been through-and-through and the deer went 50 yards the first time and dropped in its tracks the second.

Hard to go wrong with a crossbow as long as you zero it for your bolt/broadhead combination.

Contemplating doing that to be honest. What's the difference between a $300 and a $800 crossbow?

axshon · Oct 11, 2019

Lukedog84 said:
Contemplating doing that to be honest. What's the difference between a $300 and a $800 crossbow?

About $500.

I was over at Bass Pro at lunch today looking at the new ones. Higher speed will likely get you more accuracy. Better glass is nice but personally I wouldn't take a shot outside of 40 yards. More adjustments, more pretty patterns, easier cocking. I think it's like anything else. You get what you pay for but the return on the last $100 gets you a lot more detail and a lot less functional improvement than the first $100.

Note that I purchased mine for less than $300 and it was at least 5 years old. When it was new it was over $800 and it was well taken care of. I feel that I got a very good deal.

Speed3 · Oct 11, 2019

Lukedog84 said:
Contemplating doing that to be honest. What's the difference between a $300 and a $800 crossbow?

I have an Excalibur Xbow ~$1k and my stepson purchased a $600k wicked ridge combo pack. His shoots just as well as mine and the trigger is better. If I had to do it again, I'd but the wicked ridge.

axshon · Oct 11, 2019

Things I learned after getting back into hunting:

1. Keep yer booger hook off the bang switch is still appropriate advice even if its an arrow.
2. Quiet and still wins the day. Watched a deer (from inside a ground blind) hear me from 75 yards away. I hadn't really moved, just bumped my chair leaning forward. It was amazing how on edge it was after that.
3. Sharp knives, unzipper tool and butt-out are invaluable and will save you some work and some unfortunate smells.
4. +100 lbs of deer seems like not so much when you start dragging it. 100 yards later it may as well be a battleship. Be prepared to get it out of wherever it drops.
5. Safety first. If you climb, strap in. Expect you'll doze off.
6. Patience is good and the most peaceful morning is watching the sun rise from a tree stand as long as your feet are warm.
7. Yes Virginia, you can get a deer home in a minivan with enough preparation. *sigh*

Dave MP · Oct 11, 2019

Wow, another one. Seems to be a trend.

delaware_export · Oct 11, 2019

Even if you can’t hunt, as in have a place this year, there are things you can do to get the feel and some experience scouting. No weapon involved, maybe a camera. At least to get some experience on how to locate animals.

Sometimes finding a mentor is difficult.

Scouting and camera hunts can be done on public land, off season, just check regs for access times and rules. An old friend had property adjoining a WMA. It was always fun to scout the area even if not actively hunting.

See when you can access, get there early, before sunup if allowed, and see about finding deer. Setup early as you can, and watch the area. Fields, or maybe edges until sun comes up. You can move into the woods, Move slowly. Look for sign, trails, rubs, scrapes, tracks, browsing areas. Trails can sometimes be spotted easily.

Food sources in the area, crops, fruit, mast, and other animal edibles. Cover. Dense briars and such where they bed. All this can be practiced and enlightening, even if you can’t actually go with a weapon

Google maps or similar, before visiting can help find trails on fields and in marshes. Depending on the season the pictures were taken.

You can find some books and read about those things. Then head out to the areas, off season with a camera and see how things work out.

At the very least, you’ll get some time outside and enjoying nature and maybe learn a thing or two. If you get some good pictures with a regular, short lense, that’s about the same as a rifle, shotgun or sometimes even bow shot.

Granted, it’s a lot mo fun to actually be able to bring something home for dinner....

Lukedog84 · Oct 11, 2019

Dave MP said:
Wow, another one. Seems to be a trend.

I think for those of us who didn’t have family members or close friends who hunt, not having a guide or mentor is the #1 barrier to the sport. Don’t want to speak for others, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve found that I need to be more proactive in getting involved in things I’m interested in.

Besides making some connections locally, I figured it couldn’t hurt reaching out to people locally online. I’ve got a friend taking me out on Monday for ducks. Hoping just to soak in some knowledge and make some connections over time in order to get me where I need to be to be more self-sufficient. Definitely appreciate people’s input and guidance regardless if they can help out or not.

teratos · Oct 11, 2019

Lukedog84 said:
I think for those of us who didn’t have family members or close friends who hunt, not having a guide or mentor is the #1 barrier to the sport. Don’t want to speak for others, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve found that I need to be more proactive in getting involved in things I’m interested in.

Besides making some connections locally, I figured it couldn’t hurt reaching out to people locally online. I’ve got a friend taking me out on Monday for ducks. Hoping just to soak in some knowledge and make some connections over time in order to get me where I need to be to be more self-sufficient. Definitely appreciate people’s input and guidance regardless if they can help out or not.

Stick around a while. Let people get to know you. Attend some MDS events. I may be paranoid, but these are strange times. Going off into the woods with armed strangers is not something I feel comfortable with. That said, welcome to the forum.

bigmanindc · Oct 12, 2019

Lukedog84 said:
Hey everyone, I found this forum while searching for mentors in the Maryland area after my application to the First Shot Mentored Deer Hunt fell through. I see there is another post that's similar, but I didn't want to steal his/her thunder, so I hope you all don't mind another.

I'm a 35 year old who has passed all Hunter Safety certification, and have my full license for the 2020 season. Going on my first waterfowl hunt with a friend on Monday, but I'm looking for others that might be willing to help out moving into deer season and beyond. I'm from Howard County but currently live in Baltimore. No experience hunting outdoors as I have no family that hunts, but a decent trap shooter, and love the outdoors.

If you have any interest or guidance, it would be appreciated.

Have you ever shot at a moving target?

Lukedog84 · Oct 12, 2019

bigmanindc said:
Have you ever shot at a moving target?

Squirrels and groundhogs when I was younger, reasonably decent shooting sporting clays which I do from time to time. I’m going out on Monday to shoot ducks with a buddy, so I guess we’ll see how that goes, if anything pops up that is.

lazarus · Oct 12, 2019

Lukedog84 said:
I think for those of us who didn’t have family members or close friends who hunt, not having a guide or mentor is the #1 barrier to the sport. Don’t want to speak for others, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve found that I need to be more proactive in getting involved in things I’m interested in.

Besides making some connections locally, I figured it couldn’t hurt reaching out to people locally online. I’ve got a friend taking me out on Monday for ducks. Hoping just to soak in some knowledge and make some connections over time in order to get me where I need to be to be more self-sufficient. Definitely appreciate people’s input and guidance regardless if they can help out or not.

Reading stuff online helps. If doing deer, watch a few YouTube videos on how to field dress them. Download a video of how to do it to your phone. Make sure to have at least two pairs of latex gloves. Decent chance you’ll rip on doing something stupid at some point, like brushing the stem of some brambles away from you.

Go Slow. Deer have awesome hearing. You can absolutely hunt them from the ground and I recommend waiting at least a season to do any stand hunting.

Heck so far I’ve killed two deer from a stand. One from a buddy’s stand. Another with an xbow from my own stand. Every other one has been from the ground. One from my garage window and one from a real ground blind. That leaves 6 or so still hunting or just sitting real still.

Will be doing more stand hunting next week during early ML, but just as possible I’ll whack one from the ground.

It’s intimidating, but it isn’t rocket science. It sure has hell takes skill to be really good at it, but you learn and get better.

Adult Novice Hunter w/ Hunting License - Looking for a mentor/guidance

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