I imagine I'm not the only one who has been in this same scenario at some point but I wanted to seek the advice of a few other members. I just started shooting archery this past January; 3D, weekly league, etc; a few weeks shy of my 30th birthday with the intention of filling a freezer. Obviously not last season but for this season. Due to work obligations, I've not had the chance to scout or seek out a hunting mentor as proactively as I would've liked. I have made contact with some other hunters in my area but nothing face to face just yet. So here it is, less than 30 minutes away from NC's archery season opener, and I'm stuck. (And I've not had the chance to get on BH.com like I would've liked either. :-( ) I grew up in a typical conservative southern home but NONE of my family hunted. We rarely went fishing so I'm taking this journey completely on my own and feel unprepared. I know I'm probably more prepared than I feel but I still have a lot of learning to do. I know the NC regulations, and some basics but still feel rather clueless as to where to go from here. Long story short, for those who may have started hunting later in life, besides finding a mentor, what other tricks/tips helped you get out there and get it done? How many went about it completely alone? Thanks!
Go to the bow shops and be around where other hunters are and ask questions about hunting. You need to get some friends that hunt. And don't ask where to go because no real hunter will tell you a good place to go they won't want you in the same woods as them.
Read, read, read and do research on the net. Did I mention read. I grew up in a hunting family with ground to hunt, but I still read everything I can and I feel this has helped me a bunch in becoming a better hunter with more sucess.
Find a good local archery shop and spend a lot of time there. Don't be afraid to ask questions at the shop or on here. Watch a variety of informative websites on the internet religiously.
Yeah i was 40 when i started. My son talked me into it. He helped alot but i also watched a lot of videos and read magazines on bow hunting and thats how i learned.
I agree with the idea of hanging at the local shops. If you do long enough, you'll eventually and probably sooner than later meet some nice folks who offer to hunt with you, and will probably gain some new areas to hunt also. To go at it fully alone, like others said, read a lot. I suggest learning to make good use of topo maps and aerial photos. It's amazing how you can put yourself in some serious hot spots just by knowing what to look for on topographic maps and aerial photos. Finding the natural and man made funnels is a sure bet to find deer even with little knowledge of the vegetation types or food plots in the area (although the more you know about them, the better you'll hunt that area). I'm sure you'll do ok at that, it just might take some getting used to. Look for low spots in ridges and through fields. Look for steep drainages that might funnel deer around them. Fence rows, field edges and inside corners, trails coming out of thickets, etc. With little or no physical scouting, learning to spot places that might funnel deer through a smaller area than they normally might travel is a skill that will serve you wherever you may hunt. Maps showing contours and photos showing fields, roads and woods are invaluable. Just think of if you were moving through an area, and you want as easy walk as possible on your route, whilst also staying in as much cover as possible so as to stay hidden. Deer think in that same way for the most part. Most likely its after the shot where you'll want the most help tho. Learning to track a thin blood trail can be an art form in itself and an experienced hunter can help a lot in that respect. For a beginner with no help, I'd just say never give up. Think about the lay of the land and find your creek bottoms if one is nearby and you lost the blood trail -circle and circle more. Field dressing isnt so bad after you've done it a few times. There are some really good youtube videos on that.
Just let archery become you enjoy being at the shops. Go in the woods with the intent to enjoy the outdoors forget about the clocks. Start studying the deer an their habits you will connect this year or the next couple years. Go hunting, good luck this year.
