hey guys, im new to hunting so to speak. hunted as a kid but never was taught the ins and outs of how to scout, where they like to bed, general tendencies,when to hunt a spot and why, etc,etc,etc. went rifle hunting with my father-in-law this year,first time since i was a kid, and absolutely fell back in love! i didnt get a buck, but i got a good sized doe to put some meat on the table. anyway, i got 15 acres where i grew up at my moms which im going to use for bowhunting deer and try for some turkeys this year. the land is in a rural area in west-central missouri, and virtually undisturbed in 20 years since i was a kid roaming around the woods shooting stuff! for a small plot it has a huge amount of deer traffic. put a camera up for a week and a feeder with corn and so far the is heard of 5 that hit the feeder 3 times a day! no bucks unless they shed already. im getting off track, sorry. so what im wondering is what gear would you guys say is a must have item to hunt deer and turkey effectively? what calls work for a beginner for turkey hunting, and any tips is greatly appreciated. im reading and trying to learn as much as i can, just thought i could get some tips from y'all. thanks in advance.
If you are going to bow hunt turkeys get a blind if you don't have one. You can get away with a lot more movement in them than being out in the open and turkeys generally pay them no mind. They make a lot of really good sounding push button calls like the Knight and Hale Tom Coffin and the Primos Bombshell. They are not perfect but are much easier to pick up and just use. You can use a slate call or a diaphram call but sometimes that takes a little practice. For deer I would just watch them through the summer. If you can afford it invest in a trail cam or two and them put them near trails that you see deer entering the fields on. Move them further down the trail if you are getting pictures. This si aggressive an could bump some deer but if you do it early they should recover. If you don't have any cameras just watch from a far using binoculars. Early seasons can be good for success as you can setup on established food sources and will more than likely see deer. Deer are not as forgiving on the ground blind and will have to get used to it. Keep reading and watching youtube videos and most importantly have fun with it. Good luck and remember when you whack that box buck or tom to post us a pic.
i agree with everything copperhead said. i will take his word on the turkey calls since i am not much of one myself. but as far as the deer. i had to learn quite a bit on my own myself when i started and through much trial and error i have seen most everything that can happen. if you have trail cameras. defiantely use them. they are a big help and give you a lot of confidence just knowing there are deer there. my main rule as far as bowhunting is you have to spend a lot of time in the stand/blind if you want to kill something. you cant just go out a couple times and say forget it. ALWAYS hunt on the right wind, put your stand downwind of where you think the deer will show up. they will bust you in a heartbeat. practice with your bow a lot. final rule never get discouraged. everyone that has ever bowhunted has missed. the first one is always the hardest. have fun. oh and if you have does and no bucks dont worry. come november if theres a doe. there will be a buck. goodluck.
surround yourself with great bowhunters and watch what they are doing then modify it to your liking. from there on out it is trial and error. do a lot of reading and watching videos as well.
I would add the same thing as above. If possible more important than anything IMO is a good mentor. The knowledge of a seasoned outdoorsmen/hunter is an invaluable asset if one could be at your disposal.
You don't have to start out with the nicest stuff. But don't get stuff you are going to want to replace in a month or so.
Gear: 1) Thermacell if it's warm. Bugs suck (literally). 2) Good boots, nothing ruins a hunt like cold wet feet. 3) For turkey, using a blind is much easier for a beginner. Tips: 1) Common sense...you don't need everything you see the folks on hunting shows use. 2) A good, don't quit attitude. Success will also not come as easily as you see on TV. But if you learn to enjoy your time afield without thinking you NEED to fill a tag every time, your hunts will be a success right off. Filling tags is awesome, but you will have many more hunts that you don't fill them, so don't get discouraged. Sounds like you are having fun already that's the most important part in my opinion. Good luck!
A lot of patients!! Welcome to the sport, listen to what the experienced guys are telling you, you cant go wrong!
Trial and error, an experienced hunting buddy, time, practice, and the willingness to come back empty handed. I did not shoot a bird last season, nor did I kill a deer. In fact, I missed the only buck I was after. Have fun, enjoy nature, sit still, and be quiet. Don't play with your phone. Observe the actions of all animals and you will eventually learn how to read them. Cameras are nice, but not necessary. Blinds are nice, but nature grows it's own cover. I have been known to sit on a bucket with a boat floatation cushion behind bushes and weeds. Decoys can make a difference, but curious birds will still come and visit your simple box call. Turkeys can see everything. Deer can smell everything. Both are well hidden by natural camouflage. Both will sneak up on you without you hearing a thing. Most importantly, just relax and have fun. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
IMO..A beginner needs patience, experience in the field and lots of pre season scouting in the field, trail cams and with topo maps. Equipment is the easy part. Learning to hunt and not letting the deer know you are hunting them is the hard part. One day at a time. Keep a note pad and pencil with you at all times..Take notes..What worked, what didn't worked. Read, listen, watch and learn as much as you can and build from it year by year. Good Luck and most of all have fun out there..Thats what it's all about. Don't pressure yourself to the point of making needless mistakes.
You sir, welcome...I found I was distracted by your location in Cass County. I myself am located in Johnson County. I guess we are neighbors in a sense.
Read, watch, listen, ask, and get after it. If you don't learn something every time out then you won't grow as a hunter. Best of luck and ENJOY every moment because none of us are guaranteed tomorrow.
First, welcome to bow hunting. Sounds like your father-in-law is a hunter. Talk more to him about hunting. Talk to other hunters and weed out those who are not ethical or law abiding. Connect with those who have a passion for hunting more than killing. Second, learn as much as you can about shot placement and what are ethical shots and what are not. Taking the right shot is crucial and something you should know very well. Every year folks post reports on here about shots they took and lost animals and often the shots were poor shots to take in the first place. Learn what constitutes a good shot and commit to only taking those shots. Better to have story of an animal (huge or not) that was in range that didn't give you a shot than a story of the one you lost because of a poor shot choice. Nothing feels worse than that to a bow hunter. Know the anatomy of your game and make your shot accordingly. Turkeys have an extremely small kill zone and I highly recommend using mechanical broadheads to maximize your chances of getting into the kill area. Third, read this... http://forums.bowhunting.com/bowhunting-talk/52643-official-what-do-after-shot-please-read.html Read it again and again and again. Fourth, practice every possible shot you think you might take. Uphill, downhill, seated, standing, out of a blind, from a tree stand. You will find that shooting out of a blind will be different than shooting off a seat. You have to make sure your arrow clears the blind and that you don't change your form to make that happen. You can't practice enough and you'll never say, "I wish I hadn't practiced so much". :D Hope this helps and good luck to you.
