How do I get started hunting?

[sdghsdgj]

I know a lot about it, but I've never gone (I'm 15 and have parents ) what do I need to get started? Like clothing, or of course a gun. I'd like to get one that can take the broadest range of game, would that be a shotgun? I know I can at least hunt deer and small game, if that helps. I'm on a limited budget, so please don't be afriad to list cheap items, and if you could the price range. Thanks for helping me get an idea of what to save for!

[kc0myy]

wow I am 16 and also just got into hunting this is what I did. Frist I got myself hunting clothes. Then I talked to one of my friends and browed me a gun. Then I went hunting. In the summer I got a shotgun I think a cheap shotgun is a benelli nova it is a 3.5 inche champer and I love it that costed me $345. this biggest problem for me was. letting my parents let me have a shotgun. also PLEASE USE A SLUG BARREL FOR DEER HUNTING. I got my slug barrel for $125. Umm clothes for duck hunting (if you go duck hunting)I got all waterproof clothes but you sweat alot in the waterproof cothles. it is loud but the ducks don't hear you. Deer hunting get something quite. I had a pair of waterproof bibs and they were loud get cotten. A jaket for deer hunting I just put a blaze orange vest over my jaket but it is also quite. well if you need anymore info just e-mail me at [email protected]. rember I am 16 I don;t know everything about hunting so if there is some old timers out there who know more about hunting please post your messenge. p.s. also to stay a little warmer get yourself a union suit. its a one pice long underwere. My boss told me to get a pair and they help a lot on keeping you warm. PLEASE EVERMIND THE SPELLING I KNOW I BAD.

[guy100]

Glad to see some youth getting involved in hunting. First it depends on what you want to hunt. And yes if I were you I would start by getting a shotgun (20 or 12 gauge) If your short on money I may be able to help you out by giving you a 12 gauge pump action. Nothing pretty but gets the job done. If your into duck hunting I could part with some decoys too and clothes as well. Let me know. Hope this helps.

[guy100]

Glad to see some youth getting involved in hunting. First it depends on what you want to hunt. And yes if I were you I would start by getting a shotgun (20 or 12 gauge) If your short on money I may be able to help you out by giving you a 12 gauge pump action. Nothing pretty but gets the job done. If your into duck hunting I could part with some decoys too and clothes as well. Let me know. Hope this helps. Good Luck

[mechanictim]

The very first thing you will need to get started hunting in Minnesota and many other states is a Hunter Safety Card. Check the MN DNR HSOforum for available classes. The informatoin available in these classes is invaluable. The other reason to attend the classes is to start networking with other hunters. Many of the other students in these classes will have family members who have been hunting for a long time. A lot of experienced hunters are quite willing to take a begginer out hunting and share their knowledge and experience with them. One of the reasons this forum exists is to help out newcomers such as you to get the most out of your outdoor experiences, all I and a lot of other users of this forum ask in return from a newcomer is that you respect the resource and your fellow hunters.

That being said, a 12 or 20 ga. shotgun will take any game in minnesota. Your next investment should be a good set of waterproof boots. Keeping your feet warm and dry can make any hunting trip a lot more enjoyable.

[DrKen]

By all means start with the basic hunter safety class and then with the advanced. The advanced course is more about hunting techniques than gun handling. Then the clothing, get the best boots you can afford they are all important. Next, haunt garage sales and similar. We hunters are always upgrading and the used stuff goes cheap. For 50 bucks or so you'll get all you need used. One other thing is socks. Invest in high quality wool and you'll love it. As far as guns, start with a shotgun, either 12 or 20 guage. The remington 870 express combo is a excellent gun for the money and comes with regular and slug barrels. Hopefully, you know someone who hunts and they'll be kind enuff to bring you along. You will find hunting is less the kill and more the cameraderie of you fellow hunters as you do more of it. Good luck and have fun.

[rubber duck]

The 870 is a great gun! But for your first gun look at a break open single shot, around $100 price tag. With the single shot you will learn to become a better shooter! Cuz you do not have that 2nd, 3rd, back up round.

[lawdog]

Welcome boys! Great to see youth getting involved!

I would choose the 870 over the single shot for a couple reasons. First, the single will be a very short term gun and you will just have to buy the 870 then anyway. Second, I don't really like the fact that the singles have no real safety on them. I'd never start a kid on one for that reason. I know others will say they are safe, but I wouldn't do it. If you are worried about it, just put one shell in that 870 the first year until they get used to the gun and the safety.

Agree with the other posters that the first step is the gun safety classes if you haven't taken them. You will start to meet people and you need it anyway.

Also, spend a lot of time reading hunting magazines and books and even watch Outdoor Channel. They aren't always real comparable to hunting in general but they do give lots of tips that you can use, and for a novice, you at least get some exposure to seeing what hunting is about and what people do. Also, these boards are full of guys who love to talk hunting and most of us would be more than happy to help you kids by sharing all the information we can.

Good luck to you!

[Eric Wettschreck]

Rock on fellas!!!! Good to see the younger ones getting involved in the great sport of hunting!!!!

I agree with Lawdog. I'd go 870, or another option that is a real good gun without a big price tag is a Winchester 1300. Just cuz you can put in 3 shells doesn't mean you HAVE to.

If you haven't taken gun safety, take it. Not only will you learn tons about firearms safety, but you will get a gibillion hunting tips.

When sitting in front of the tube, watch the outdoor channel. Just remember most hunts don't turn out like they do on TV. Read books, read magazines, if you have friends or family that hunt beg them to take you with.

The fellas on this web site are a wealth of info, more than willing to share.

Good luck.

[Maverick]

I think this is great. There are a lot of people out there who's parents were not involved in hunting and thus never took the initiative to get into it for themselves. It is a little intimidating at first with all the equipment out there but don't let that fool you, you don't need to invest a lot of money to get started. I agree with gun safety, I will not go out in the woods with anyone who hasn't taken it (whether they legally need it or not), you learn so much that stays with you every time you enter the woods.

As far as guns go I would recomend the 870 combo and don't worry about a scope for now, in the future you may decide to get one but you will become a better hunter if you start without one. I think people who start out with all the best equipment are really at a disadvantage, if something goes wrong with that equipment they don't know how to get by without it. I had a friend who learned to shoot only with a scope, she had no idea how to use iron sights, what if that scope breaks? I don't agree with a single shot, buy a gun that will last you a long time, so you are not limited when you want to try other forms of hunting or just want to go out and shoot clays. The 870 will last you forever if you take care of it. As far as cloths you can get by with getting one set of warm cloths for duck hunting and then putting on an orange vest and hat for deer hunting. You will have fun, and remember it really isn't about the kill it's about being in the woods and always learning.

[Eric Wettschreck]

I couldn't agree with Maverick more. My folks didn't hunt or fish much. I broke into it when I was about 16 and never looked back.

I started out with an 870 wingmaster that I saved up for a long time to get. As far as clothes go, if it was warm and dark colored it was good enough for me to go shoot ducks. Sure, you can spend thousands of dollars or you can get by with what ya got. A dark brown jacket and a couple cans of green and black spray paint, voila, camo coat!!!!

Like Maverick said, it's not about the kill, it's about the fun times I guarantee you will have in our great outdoors.

[Fisher Dave]

These guys all have some great tips, and have covered just about everything... except(unless I missed it)...

See how your parents feel about you hunting in general. You cant buy a firearm of any kind at 15 years old, you need an adult to make the purchase for you, no matter who is covering the bill... cant hunt without a gun. If your parents are behind you in hunting, buy a shotgun, I would highly recommend a 12 guage... an older gun that only handles 2 3/4" shells is fine, and the ammo is a bit more affordable. A person can usually buy an older 870 wingmaster from a used gun dealer for around $150... if this is what you do, try to find one with the modified barrel(chokes dont interchange on the older guns unless you buy a modern barrel), these are very good all around guns.

The next step(assuming you have taken firearms safety, or hunter safety) is to find someone you can go out shooting with and get comfortable shooting your gun... busting some clays is a great way to improve accuracy, and will also improve your safety skills while handling a firearm... safety is always 1st.

Hunting... by far the best option is to find another experienced, responsible person, or hunting party(deer hunting) that will allow you to tag along. This should be done as soon as you obtain permission to hunt from your parents... most often its the same people you will spend time at the shooting range with.. In this case, your parents arent going to let you go hunting with just anyone, nor would I with my son.. I would at least have to meet the person previously.

Clothes .. find some warm, weather resistant clothes and its a good start. Its usually not hard to find some hand downs.

[abens1078]

ON a lighter note, don't forget to break up with your girlfriend ahead of time. This new hobby will soon consume your every thought and minute from opening day to season end. Some girls just can't handle the competition and they become very jealous.

Start aquiring all the Extra Credit points you can in your classes as studying books will not be able to compete with studying bucks.

When you look for a hunting partner make sure his stuff is better than yours so you are the one doing the mooching. If you get nice stuff right away you attract moochers and then you are supporting two habbits rather than just your own.

While there is still some winter left sit outside in the dark and cold alone. Be sure not to move a muscle until you are certain you have attained frosbite and or hypothermia. Do this morning and evening for about 4 hours each time. Make sure you take at least 1 1/2 weeks and sit outside all day so you can train for the Rut season. The rut is when bucks start chasing the does, kinda like when you started chasing girls but the deer get it all in in about 2 weeks which makes them quite active at all hours of the day.

Start conditioning your poor mother by leaving smelly things all over the house and tromping in large amounts of mud.

Hang a tree stand in your front yard and sit in it. The neighbors love this as you will be able to look into their second story windows in the morning and evening while they are in less than their Sunday best. You will know your camoflage is good when you can sit up there and not have the cops called on you everytime. Stocking the neighbors is good practice and makes a fun game in the off season. Be careful if they are elderly though as you don't them keeling over if they detect you. We never realize how crazy we look to the non-hunting public but rest assured they are the ones in need of help.

Start fencing off the back yard now with a fence about the thickness of rail road ties as you will soon become interested in archery. The rail road tie fence will catch most stray arrows but the neighbors windows, siding and pets will catch the rest. Always be carefull when removing aluminum arrows from house siding because if you have hit a wire it can be quite shocking.

Finally, begin learning how to lie and cuss. You are at a disadvantage here because you have not learned from your father(Don't hold it against him it's hard to provide everything for your children). Cussing is not favorable in most social settings but becomes necessary to express your emotion when that big buck smells you and stays just out of range. Lieing must be practiced and practiced. You will need a good lie about the 'one that got away,' A lie about missing, and most importantly you will need a lie to convince yourself you haven't flipped your lid when you are sitting in a swaying tree at 5am with the wind and snow in your face while it's -10.

Oh yeah, buy an 870

abens1078

[half2fish]

I am 17 and love to hunt big and small game. if i were you i would start with small game and work your way up. for clothes get a good pair of hiking boots. for these even if you are on a tight budget you need a good pair. ALWAYS, I MEAN ALWAYS take care of your feet. if you dont you will regret it to the fullest extent. then you can wear just a old pair of jeans and a warm sweat shirt. orange hat. then try to get a gun. i like the 20 ga. that i have. works well for many different kinds of game. i have shot grouse,squrril, ducks. i got this gun used for $80 at prince gun and bait. just north of milica. with this you are set for small game. the gun will also shoot slugs for deer untill you can afford a deer rifle. now for big game. this is going to cost a little more money for you. here is what i did. first bought all of my clothes. high quality wool socks,good pair of hiking socks and a good pair of boots. like i said take care of your feet. i then bought a good pair of long underwear. with those i wear just a pair of jeans or camo pants, a t-shirt,sweat shirt,and my orange jacket. when i bought my orange i went to fleet farm. i got a pair of orange pants (if you are under a tight budget dont buy. just a little more to keep me warm) but make sure you have some wool pants or something like that. my little brother wears his regular snow pants with a pair of big sweat pants over them. works good and is quiet. the orange jacket i have is a good warm quiet one. called Hunters Hide. works great. my gun is a 30/06 semi auto with a clip. i also got that at prince bait and gun shop. my gun was $330 and very happy with it. i got a scope that came with it too. (both of the guns i bought there were used). that is about all. but dont forget that you need a hunter safety course and card. and here is a good pack. get a hunting backpack (any kind of pack, can find these really cheep at wallmart or fleet. got mine for $7) then get the most important thing in your pack, a COMPAS. dont forget it. a jar of trail mix. because it has tons of carbs and energy in it. a whistle,a lighter AND matches, buck knife,extra ammo,a extra pair of socks and a extra hat,dont forget the TP. i may have forgot a few things but i am listing everything off the top of my head. please email me for more information. [email protected] please dont hesitate. i would be more than happy to take you hunting this comming year and teach you some things. please take me up on my offer. i would love to spread my knowledge of this great sport that needs more people doing it. thank you for being intrested in this and lets keep the tradition going. remember to be same and have fun. also please disregard the speeling. i am a bad speeler and trying to write fast.

wyatt

[1lkstage]

abens, LMAO!!!! Thats good and true!!

You did forget to tell him to walk 25 miles a day, thru 4 foot of CRP grass in them new boots to break them in good. Don't ever forget the toilet paper either.

Oh yeah, get an 870.

[irvingdog]

Get. A. Dog.

Nothing is more powerful. Nothing fuels the desire to persue game more. A fiesty, fuzzy springer with it's nose to the ground. A lab that will bust brush all day long....

A gun and a license will soon follow. And you're done!

[sdghsdgj]

lol forgot to mention I have my permit, thats the worst part cause it took me 2 years for them to let me get it, and I even got a 100% on the test and they still won't let me hunt although once i get the money i probably can, but I'm guessing they won't help too much, by that I mean as far as hunting I'll be on my own to find guys to go out with, etc. but once I do I'm sure that they'll buy a satillite from the CIA to keep an eye on me lol

[wildirishrose]

abens, what a great post, brings back alot of memories of old girlfriends and current wives. Believe what he says about the girls, it will happen. By the way, got an 870 Wingmaster my Dad won at a MNDH association meeting when I was 11, the most reliable gun I've owned to date. The best advice Pa gave me and the best advice I can give you is "KNOW YOUR TARGET AND WHATS BEHIND IT" don't EVER drop the hammer unless you know for sure. By the way, when you've dropped a few hoppers with a gun, you WILL join the AAOA (addicted archers of america)

[dkhntr]

Alright, Do what everybody says, But dont be afraid to look at Mossburg. I know I will get flamed for this, but Mossburg is a good gun on a tight budget. When I started out I bought my Moss 500 for about $150 brand new. I see them on sale for $200-225 now. It shoots 2 3/4 and 3" shells. If you look around you can find one with a smooth bore barrel and a rifled barrel cheap. I ONLY thing wrong with a Mossburg is they are heavier than the Rem 870. Both are good guns, dont let anyone tell you differant. I am a little partial because I have the family, Mossburg 500, 835 and the new 935. But my 500 is 15 years old and still works great. My middle son will be using it maybe next year.

Back to shells. If you only have a smooth bore I would go with the sabot shells until you can afford a rifled bore. They do work pretty good, its that the rifleing (turns on a barrel which causes the bullet to spin) is on the bullet of the slug instead of the barrel.

[irvingdog]

I won't disagree with the Mossberg comment accept for one point:

The 935 is going down in the great hall of junk guns with the Remington 710 and the Carcano. I see more of these come back for issues with jamming than not. If you got a good one, you got lucky.

[sdghsdgj]

How's the kick on the 870 and the 935? I've shot .22s and the only shotgun I've fired, the shells were reused, and the guy accidentally overloaded, so the gun literally kicked me over on my butt, and gave me a bruise like you wouldn't believe! So now I've got a little phobia of recoil lol

[dkhntr]

The 935 is a semi-auto loader. It does have less recoil.

The 500 and 835 are pumps.

As with any pump shotgun you definatly want to keep it tight to your shoulder before you fire. Been there done that, I got so excited and fired when it was about an inch from my shoulder. The kick left a masive bruise on my shoulder and was tender for about a week. It is also dangerous. If you don't take the shotgun in the pocket of your shoulder, upon recoil the gun could slip and hit you in the head. I could not stress enough to make sure your gun is in your shoulder.

[DrKen]

Nothing wrong with the Mossberg 500 and I recommended the 870. All shotguns kick but you have to hold it tight and you really don't feel it. If you are relatively small, start with a 20 guage. You really can do everything with a 20 that you can with a larger gun. It's a little lighter to carry but remember magnum loads do not mean more range. Usually the velocity is about the same as a regular load just more shot. this may give you a slightly denser pattern but not necessarily so as the shot may string. You may have more hits at longer range due to this but also more wounded animals as the velocity is too low to cause lethal penetration. Shotgun shells come loaded in varying degrees of powder and shot. Using lighter game loads will reduce recoil. Heavier guns reduce recoil and recoil pads also help. Also, wearing ear plugs seems to reduce the recoil you feel. That loud bang is the major reason for flinching, not the kick. In any case, I recommend pump guns as they are very reliable and long lasting, easy to clear if they do jam or get dirty. When you do choose a gun, take the time to go a trap range and learn to shoot. Most of the other gunners are very happy to help teach a youngster to shoot. Be safe, have fun

[sdghsdgj]

thanks, whats the price range on these?

[DrKen]

The combo's on the Mossie and the remington with both smooth and slug barrels in 12 or 20 ga. will run mid 300's. Both are good guns and will last many years.