Completely new to hunting. Decided I wanted to learn to bow hunt so I bought a Matthews (not sure what type). It is a compound bow with a fixed 3-pin sight and no stabilizer. I have no idea where to begin other than to practice with the bow. I've taken some hunter safety courses and I was able to get some harvest tags, but I don't know any hunters. I just don't know where to begin. Gear, location, method, etc. Complete noob here. So, when the time comes, how do I go about preparing and finding a spot to hunt (deer or turkey)? Thanks.
Welcome!!! First thing first look for ground that you can hunt. Either public or private with access. Knock on doors look at maps, mail out letters. Do whatever you can to find woods. While doing that get to know your rig. Shoot every chance you get. Bring us any questions you have and we are happy to help.
Welcome neighbor! Where in NC are ya? Wrt the bow, tuning, technique, etc, find a good local shop and/or league. For gamelands, call the GW for your zone (a nice rainy day he may have time to chat) or go walk a property and explore. Notice trails (people and non), browsed plants, dense cover, water... Especially at dawn or dusk you may see wildlife of your still and quiet... Observe. Or find a farmer, introduce yourself and ask if maybe you could help lend him a hand if he'll let you hunt (or lease) his property.
Thanks, I did some internet searches and found some public lands. When the season comes, I need nothing other than some gear and tags to hunt? I don't need any special permit, parking permit, or anything else? I can just go out into the public lands and pick a spot to hunt?
I have a lot of farmland where I live (Person County). But, they seem like big business farming. How would I find the owner of the land? Also, if its private property, do they still have to recognize hunting seasons? For example, hunting in mid june for deer on a farm or private area.
I recommend you find a hunter safety course that you can attend, because it sounds like you are really new to this. You need to have a good understanding of the game laws (no you cannot legally hunt deer out of season anywhere) and a deep understanding of ethical hunting. It is a blast to bow hunt and you have to really put in the time to learn and practice. Welcome to the forum. Sent from my SM-G960U using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
I'll leave the details to others on here as they change from state to state. I know you will NEED just a bow and some arrows. There is lots of stuff you can also have that might make it easier. I will advise you go walk those public lands now and find a few good spots and pin them on a app for future reference.
Finding the owner of the land, either use a subscriber application like OnX oe Basemap, or find your county gis/ tax assessor website where ownership info is usually free. You still need to follow the hunting seasons and regs, though a special depredation case may exist for landowners (with different rules). Check NCwildlife.org for season and reg details.
Used to drive through the Uwharrie NF. Saw bunches of campers along the road during hunting season. Regrettably, I never took time to join them.
I've taken all of the "Be a Safe Hunter" courses in NC. I've just never actually hunted before and I am looking to get started when the season comes around this year. I don't want to wait too long and lose interest so I'm making every effort I can. I talked with someone from ncwildlife.org. Super friendly and he helped out a lot. He gave me some good links to check out. The off-season hunting question was more of a curiosity.
Thanks. I got a hold of someone from ncwildlife.org. He gave me some good info about White-tailed Deer and beginner hunting seminars.
