tl;dr I'm new to archery, hunting in general, and bowhunting. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and am looking for resources to help me learn. Ideally, I would like to find a local mentor. --- Hey all, As the title says, I am completely new to bowhunting. By "completely new", I mean that I am new to bowhunting, archery, and hunting in general. I have been doing a lot of reading lately, and still feel a bit lost. I am able to find lots of information about archery, but the hunting aspect has me feeling a bit overwhelmed. I obviously know that the first thing I need to do is take the hunter safety course. I am living in SouthEastern Mississippi (Coastal, around the Gulfport area). I am hoping to feel informed and practiced enough by the beginning of the 2018-2019 deer season to at least be comfortable making an attempt. I plan on attempting to hunt whitetail and wild hogs. Unfortunately, I am also new to MS and do not know anybody down here that hunts (or anybody at all who hunts). I have quite a few questions, which might be very basic but at this point I kinda feel like I need an idiot's guide to the whole process: Are there any good resources that discuss how to find a spot on public land to hunt? I know how to find public land, but am I supposed to just wander around aimlessly in the backwoods looking for signs of deer (keeping in mind that I am inexperienced in scouting)? Or is there a good way to narrow down the search prior to stepping foot in the woods? I've seen a few youtube videos discussing what to look for while scouting, but they don't seem to be in depth enough for me to totally understand. Are there any go-to resources that you would suggest for me to learn how to be adept at scouting? Like, what should I look for while scouting (hopefully with lots of visual examples)? Lets assume that I find and shoot a deer or wild hog. I have read about waiting before trailing the animal, and blood trailing. But once I find the animal, what do I do? I've read that you need to get the blood / guts out ASAP, but I've only been able to find videos detailing how to process squirrel and rabbits. Is it basically the same? Do I need to contact a processor prior to bringing the animal to the processor? Or can I just show up with the animal? (Or does it vary?) Are there any good ways to find a local mentor? I know some states have state-run "Learn to hunt" programs that match newbies with experienced hunters (mentors), but that does not appear to be available in MS. I am currently making a board bow (will be my first ever bow). I plan to purchase a longbow for hunting purposes, but that likely won't happen for 6 months. Would the practice I put in with the board bow carry over to a new bow? Or would I mostly be wasting my time? I think I would prefer to hunt walking (spot and stalk?) instead of in a tree stand. Is that a realistically viable option? Is there a good resource that describes what to look for when hunting wild hog? Thanks ahead of time, and sorry for the long first post begging for help :P Matt
Ok First, welcome You have taken the correct first step by coming here. There is lots of great people on here. I think the best thing you can do is to watch hunting shows and find a local bow shop and hang out there. But whenever possible review all the posts on here. Almost everything has been addressed and debated. Feel free to post a question ( hard to respond to as many) just remember no one on here knows everything
Make sure to check out the hunting beast website for some of the best information on hunting on the web. Also, loads available on youtube. See DYI sportsman, huntingbeast, G2 outdoors and many more. T
