My girlfriend and I are interested in hunting. We're both major foodies and she is training to become a chef. We would be interested in becoming more connected to our food and understanding where it comes from; what it takes to get meat onto your plate. We also both think that hunting wild game is more "humane" (funny choice of word) than penning up an animal to raise it and kill it. Granted she's done that before when she was living on a farm.

Our main interest is wild duck, pheasant, quail, squab, etc. Is there anybody here in the forums that is an active hunter? Would you recommend it? How would you recommend us getting involved? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Finally, I understand that hunting can be a thorny issue for some people, so lets try and keep it civil. I actually believe hunting and conservation go hand in hand, and that you can't be a hunter without be a conservationist.

I hunt in Texas, and sometimes in New Hampshire and Maine. I hunt dove, and occasionally wild pigs in TX, and deer in NH and ME. I would like to try moose hunting in Alaska someday. Hunting is actually more humain than not hunting. As wild game populations fluxuate, it sometimes gets harder for them to find enough food to for them survive. Hunting "culls" the herd, so to speak, making more food available for those that get away.

First you must decide on which method you want to use to hunt, guns, rifles, or shotguns, or bow and arrow. Then take lessons on how to safely use these weapons. Most importantly, know what you are shooting at, you don't want to hurt or kill another hunter. Wearing some camo is fine, but also wear something that provides high visibility to other hunters.

Buy or use only quality weapons and ammo, or a quality bow and arrows. Get lessons on how to aim, clean and use your weapons. The best method is to train yourself for one shot, one kill, just like a military sniper. Go to shooting rangers to practice.

I always carry a .44 Mag S&W revolver (9" barrel), I like hunting with the Winchester Model 70 in .308, and I like the Remington 700 in .30-06, too. For shotguns I only go with Mossberg 500 series, in 12 gauge. I have never been "bow hunting" as I am not very accrate with a bow and arrow.

Decide on what game you are going after. Pig hunting is very dangerous if you don't kill the hog with your rifle, have a fully loaded hand gun avalable, the bigger caliber the better. I carry a S&W .44 Magnum as my side arm. If you wound or miss the pig, it may well charge at you, and these hogs will kill you. Do not shoot at long ranges, beyond about 100 yards for ducks, deer, and birds, 150-200 yards for pigs. Remember you have to drag your kill out of the woods or field. Learn to proper way to dress out your kill if you want to do that yourself. Hanging an bleeding out a deer can be messy.

There are several places near hunting areas that will dress, cut, freeze, and ship your kills for you, if you want them to. But that costs extra money.

Do not hunt bears until you get several years of experience with your weapons and comfortable with your abilities.

Get a hunting license from your state and any other state you want to hunt in. Remember everywhere in the US you need a federal duck stamp to hunt ducks. Licenses can be gotten at places like Wal-Mart (in many states, not all), sporting goods stores, etc. Most also sell the federal duck stamp, but if they are out of them, you can also get one at most Post Offices.

Never "bag" more than your limit for that state and season.

You have to get up early and most places make you wait for daylight, hunting at night is forbidden. Try to bring a tent or camper to near where you plan to hunt, it is well worth it. Ask the local hunters and sporting good stores where the good to best places to hunt are. If you hunt of private property, get permission from the property owner to do that.

I am not a fan of "bait" hunting deer. That is when you spread corn around yourself, or mechanically, to attract deer and other game. I see no "sport" in doing that, the game has no chance. I see using duck decoys as the same thing, if used with duck calls. I would use one or the other, but not both together.

But, that is just me and in many places using these types of baiting systems are legal.

There are two basic methods of hunting, using a stand or cover and wait for the game to come to you (this works well with duck and some bird hunters), or trudging through the woods or snow, sometimes tracking the game. This works best for guail and deer

Always remember, KNOW WHAT YOU ARE SHOOTING AT, IF NOT 100% SURE, DON'T SHOOT!!!!!!! Also, if you wound any game, kill it at the first oppertunity, this is more humain then letting the animal get away only to suffer later.

Quoting tbar220 (Thread starter): How would you recommend us getting involved? Any help would be greatly appreciated! Finally, I understand that hunting can be a thorny issue for some people, so lets try and keep it civil. I actually believe hunting and conservation go hand in hand, and that you can't be a hunter without be a conservationist.

I'm not a hunter, but come from an extended family of hunters and know quite a bit about it. That's a lot to take on with no experience. There's a lot to learn depending on what you're hunting. A lot of the PETA and anti-hunting types think its just a bunch of hicks out walking aimlessly around the woods, looking for something to kill so they can feel like a man, but there's a lot more to it than that. Luck plays some role in hunting, but skill and understanding the animal and it's environment that you're hunting plays a bigger role. There's a lot more to hunting than just shooting the animal. Knowing where to find them, tracking them, tricking them, sneaking up on them and than tracking them down after they've been shot takes a lot more time than the second it takes to aim and fire. It's the challenge of the hunt that hunters do it for, not the actual kill. It's a skill and an art that's only really learned through experience. Game animals are smart, and survival is their game. Out smarting them can be tough.

If you're new, I'd recommend reading all the hunting magazines you can get your hands on. Watching a lot of hunting DVD's/television shows, and perhaps even hiring a guide if you really don;' know what you're doing, or if you don't have a lot of knowledge of layout of the land you're hunting?


And I agree, hunting is a lot more humane than commercial farms, and ultimately the slaughterhouse. When you kill a wild animal, one minute it is free living it's life in the wild and feeding on natural foods without antibiotics and chemicals, and not crammed in a stall or pen shoulder to shoulder with other animals. Then, the next minute it's dead. If you're a good shot, you can drop it instantly, without the animal ever suffering or realizing anything has happened. That's a lot more humane to me than months spent in a crowded, dirty, commercial farm where the animal barley even has room to move.

If you're new to firearms, I'd also recommend spending a lot of time at the range getting proficient at placing your shot on target. You don't want to spend hours out on the prowl, only to finally find your pray and miss, or worse yet, hit it in a non-vital area, causing it to run away and die a slow, agonizing death in the woods!

If you're thinking about bird hunting, depending on the type of bird, often having a trained hunting dog is going to be the difference between success and failure.

A lot of states also require you to take a hunters safety course before you can buy a license.

I used to hunt dove, ducks and deer. MS has probably the largest white tail deer population in the US. There are some major hunting clubs all the way down the MS River, that a lot of celebrities are members of.
I don't hunt anymore though. Between being in the medical field trying to save lives, and going to Iraq, it is just not my thing anymore. I do have some friends that are hard core hunters though. One of my LEO buddies bagged a 320 lb 14 point a few years back, that looked like a small elk.
One of my busiest weekends on the helo, was opening day of deer season in LA. I flew 4 Pts from hunting accidents that weekend, that were pretty impressive;
1. Guy shot himself in the groin with a 280, climbing off a stand. I really didn't think he was going to make it, but he did?
2. Son shoots father with a 300 Win through both legs, when a deer ran between them 100 yds apart.
3. Guy fall out of 20 foot tree stand and breaks back and layed there from morning until 2100 hrs when someone came looking for him.
4, And the most impressive, a guy is sighting in his 270 and does not have the bolt all the way down, and the bolt flies back and impales him in his right eye. I wish I still had the pics of that one.
Stay Safe!

Quoting KC135TopBoom (Reply 1): Pig hunting is very dangerous if you don't kill the hog with your rifle, have a fully loaded hand gun avalable, the bigger caliber the better. I carry a S&W .44 Magnum as my side arm. If you wound or miss the pig, it may well charge at you, and these hogs will kill you.

You big woose, my uncle and cousin go pig hunting with a dog, a spear and a big knife, they only use a rifle if things get nasty.

We often hear hunters where I live, there are a couple of stands close to deer trails, I think sitting in a stand isn't really hunting, it's like going to a game reserve and shooting deer in a paddock, no skill involved.

Quoting Mudboy (Reply 3): I used to hunt dove, ducks and deer. MS has probably the largest white tail deer population in the US. There are some major hunting clubs all the way down the MS River,

Kind of off topic, but curious... Working in the medical field down there, how often do you see snake bites? Especially the serious encounters with Eastern Diamondbacks, or even Canebrakes?

I'm in Maine, we have no venomous snakes. But I've spent my time tromping around cottonmouth invested creeks while fishing, and pre-season scouting in some pretty rattlesnake friendly areas of my relatives hunting camp in Rankin County, MS. I've almost stepped on cottonmouths several times in the creek bottoms down there. Sometimes I see so many snakes, I wonder how people can spend a lifetime hunting without getting bitten.

Quoting PWM2TXLHopper (Reply 5): Kind of off topic, but curious... Working in the medical field down there, how often do you see snake bites? Especially the serious encounters with Eastern Diamondbacks, or even Canebrakes?

In the MS Delta, you don't see many Rattlesnakes, it is more Cottonmouths and Copperheads. I had one friend get bit pretty good by a Copperhead, while hunting and he was in the hospital for 2 weeks. Those damn things are hard to see, as they blend in very well. I got bit by a cottenmouth when I was younger, and never went to the Doc, it just made me sick the next day.

You are right about the Cottonmouths sitting on the bottom of creeks, which is when you always walk upstream and not downstream, or you get scared to death by that sucker. I HATE stepping on a snake! LOL Snakes usually run from you, but there is nothing like being in a boat, and one falling in it from a tree above 

Quoting Mudboy (Reply 6): You are right about the Cottonmouths sitting on the bottom of creeks, which is when you always walk upstream and not downstream, or you get scared to death by that sucker. I HATE stepping on a snake! LOL Snakes usually run from you, but there is nothing like being in a boat, and one falling in it from a tree above

Maybe it was just the Dumbfuckinstien redneck in me, but when I was about 8, my father taught me how to shoot by taking me to the bridge over the creek with the .22 and popping off turtles and Cottonmouths below. It was great fun. And I don't think the population was affected very much because that creek is just as invested these days as it was 20 years ago.

I've never seen a rattlesnake in Mississippi. Gone looking, but no luck.

Quoting KiwiRob (Reply 4): Quoting KC135TopBoom (Reply 1): Pig hunting is very dangerous if you don't kill the hog with your rifle, have a fully loaded hand gun avalable, the bigger caliber the better. I carry a S&W .44 Magnum as my side arm. If you wound or miss the pig, it may well charge at you, and these hogs will kill you. You big woose, my uncle and cousin go pig hunting with a dog, a spear and a big knife, they only use a rifle if things get nasty.

Well good for your uncle and cousin. I don't know for sure, but maybe the pigs in Texas are more violent, and bigger, then the pigs in New Zealand? Pigs in TX can weigh up to 200 kg (440 lbs), but most are around 40-50 kg (about 88 to 110 lbs) that I have encountered.

I don't go after pigs with a knife, or spear. That is just asking for trouble. I use a rifle, that usually kills him with one shot. Nor do I climb a tree if one charges me. The .44 Magnum has great "stopping" power and will kill the pig with just one shot, you usually only get time for one shot as the pigs are very fast. I'll wait until he is less than 25 yards before I fire the revolver. I have only had to use my S&W twice in about 30 pig kills over the years.

Quoting KC135TopBoom (Reply 8): Well good for your uncle and cousin. I don't know for sure, but maybe the pigs in Texas are more violent, and bigger, then the pigs in New Zealand? Pigs in TX can weigh up to 200 kg (440 lbs), but most are around 40-50 kg (about 88 to 110 lbs) that I have encountered.

Captain Cookers or Tuskers can weight 150kg or so for a big old boy with 4-6 inch tusks, they are nasty as hell, my uncle has been through several pig dogs over the years. It's test of manhood in NZ to go pig hunting with a pig stick and a dog, besides you aren't allowed to own a pistol in NZ, so you've got to have guts and brass balls to hunt pig or you could just shoot it with a rifle, but that's not much fun is it.

Another guy a worked with hunted with a crossbow, no license required for them in NZ.

I've been hunting since I could hold a gun. My grandpa started me off shooting doves with a .410 shotgun, then I moved up to squirrel, deer, javelina, elk, turkey, etc.

I just took my dad hunting for the first time on Saturday for deer down by Nogales, AZ. My uncle shot a buck. I'm planning on taking my dad elk hunting next month by Flagstaff. Also going squirrel shooting with some buddies this Thursday since we have the day off from school. I like to use a .308 Winchester for deer, elk, and javelina...excellent round. I enjoy using a 20ga Browning for shooting doves at a dairy ranch.

Practically all the men on my mom's side of the family hunt. I still go hunting with my grandpa and he's 81 years old...he just can't get enough.

I enjoy hunting ... . I especially enjoy small game ... quail , rabbit , dove, pheasant , duck etc. I usually hunt deer and Javelina ( pig) once a year as well. Big game hunting is done mainly to teach my son and to get some camp time in . I love to hunt ...but I will be honest the killing of big game has lost a little appeal . I try to carry my 35mm along now ..and would prefer a picture over the blood and guts of the post kill event...been there done that.

There is just something instinctual about hunting for me ... I love being in the wild ...searching and planning setting up shots and thinking like a animal so to speak. I don't like trophy hunters ... and I don't like sitting in a blind for hours and hours in front of a food plot of feeder. Everyone has there own reasons for hunting ...

Quoting PWM2TXLHopper (Reply 7): I've never seen a rattlesnake in Mississippi. Gone looking, but no luck.

Well Hopper ... if you ever want to get up close to a rattler .. Texas or Arizona is perfect.

Here is one I saw earlier this summer ... It is fairly common to see the standard brown and black diamond back here . But this was the first time I had ever see this species. I was riding my dirt bike up a trail when I saw this honey laying across the tracks in front of me. It was a very vibrant green color ... I thought it was a piece of garden hose or something. This one was about 3 ft long .... beautiful marked black and green coloring.

Quoting KC135TopBoom (Reply 1): Always remember, KNOW WHAT YOU ARE SHOOTING AT, IF NOT 100% SURE, DON'T SHOOT!!!!!!!

  


You'll be fine as long as you're not going out hunting with the former vice-president.

Quoting AGM100 (Reply 11): Well Hopper ... if you ever want to get up close to a rattler .. Texas or Arizona is perfect.

Yeah, I've seen them out west. I've kind of got an amateur interest in herping venomous snakes, and am particularly interested in the Canebrake and Eastern Diamondbacks in the southeast , where I've done a lot of fishing. I've done a lot of research on those subspecies of rattlesnake. Those two are getting increasingly rare down south, at least in Mississippi where I go, so I haven't had any luck finding them. Heck, my father lived in rural Mississippi for 30 years on a ranch, and even he never saw any Canebrakes. Good deer, turkey, and hog hunting down there, however! The family down there lives for that stuff.

If I didn't live in Maine, and lived in a warmer climate during hunting season, I'd probably get into it as well? It's just so damn cold up here when hunting season starts in November that I can't enjoy being outside long. I do enjoy salmon and trout fishing during spring and summer around here, though.

I caught this small Western Diamondback out in the desert near Palm Springs last December.



[Edited 2010-11-08 20:47:49]

Quoting PWM2TXLHopper (Reply 13): Those two are getting increasingly rare down south, at least in Mississippi where I go, so I haven't had any luck finding them

The best way to find a rattle snake is too be looking for something else..... they have a way of finding you !

Quoting PWM2TXLHopper (Reply 13): just so damn cold up here when hunting season starts in November that I can't enjoy being outside long.

Cant blame ya ... I Elk hunted and camped in the snow for a week a few years ago . No thanks ... too damn cold .

I also hunt all over Texas and primarily bird hunt (dove, quail, turkey, etc). Only hunt what you intend to eat is what Grandad taught us growing up. Big game (deer, hogs, etc) are once a year or so. I shot a squirrel with open sites 20 years ago and just wounded it and had to listen to it yelp in a tree so I gave up the practice of 'sport hunting'. Hope this helps. I use a Remington 870 16g, and Remington 1100 12g for birds. I use a Marlin 336c 30.30 and a Weatherby 30.06 to hunt big game.

My good friend growing up ended up moving to her grandpa's farm at age 13. On the farm he taught her how to shoot his gun and took her hunting with him. They would hunt birds and always bring them back to eat them. They would never kill anything without the intention of eating it.

The way I view it, it makes you more a part of nature. If you actually have to play the predator, you start to respect the animal and the sacrifice it made to sustain and feed you.

Quoting KiwiRob (Reply 9): Quoting KC135TopBoom (Reply 8): Well good for your uncle and cousin. I don't know for sure, but maybe the pigs in Texas are more violent, and bigger, then the pigs in New Zealand? Pigs in TX can weigh up to 200 kg (440 lbs), but most are around 40-50 kg (about 88 to 110 lbs) that I have encountered. Captain Cookers or Tuskers can weight 150kg or so for a big old boy with 4-6 inch tusks, they are nasty as hell,

Quoting tbar220 (Reply 16): The way I view it, it makes you more a part of nature.

Those are some big pigs.

Quoting tbar220 (Reply 16): The way I view it, it makes you more a part of nature.

Correct, in nature, many animals are preditors on other animals just to eat them.

Quoting tbar220 (Reply 16): The way I view it, it makes you more a part of nature. If you actually have to play the predator, you start to respect the animal and the sacrifice it made to sustain and feed you.

The exception to my rule about killing only what you intend to eat was armadillos. Grandad paid us $5 per armadillo shot. I've heard they carry leprosy, but we did it because he lost too many cows with broken legs to the varmints.

Quoting KC135TopBoom (Reply 17): Those are some big pigs

Dennis Kruger had the Texas state record for largest hog killed and got him on my Grandad's place in Hamilton, Texas years a go. Still a lot of them up there. My cousins bow hunt them on our place.

I guess I really should be starting with gun ownership before even thinking about and talking about hunting. Any tips on where to start with that? Thanks.

Quoting tbar220 (Reply 19): Any tips on where to start with that? Thanks.

I guess you could just buy a rifle and join a club.

Yes, there is a Hunter on a.net - I believe the name is MCOflyer.

Quoting tbar220 (Reply 19): I guess I really should be starting with gun ownership before even thinking about and talking about hunting. Any tips on where to start with that? Thanks.

That's kind of broad. For starters, what kind of game do you want to hunt? If you want to hunt small game and birds, that's a completely different gun than for big game. You're going to have a hard time hitting flying ducks with hunting rifle, and you'll have an equally hard time taking down a deer with a shotgun made for hunting pheasants. (Unless you're using slugs or buckshot)

All I will say, is it takes practise to be a good shot. And the only way to gain a lot of practise is to shoot a lot. However, ammunition has gotten really expensive in recent years. One box of 25 rounds for a hunting rifle can cost anywhere from $12-50 dollars depending on caliber, brand, quality. When you're just out at the range practising, that adds up fast!

[Edited 2010-11-12 19:36:21]

Quoting PWM2TXLHopper (Reply 22): Quoting tbar220 (Reply 19): I guess I really should be starting with gun ownership before even thinking about and talking about hunting. Any tips on where to start with that? Thanks. That's kind of broad. For starters, what kind of game do you want to hunt? If you want to hunt small game and birds, that's a completely different gun than for big game. You're going to have a hard time hitting flying ducks with hunting rifle, and you'll have an equally hard time taking down a deer with a shotgun made for hunting pheasants.

Quoting tbar220 (Thread starter): Our main interest is wild duck, pheasant, quail, squab, etc. Is there anybody here in the forums that is an active hunter? Would you recommend it? How would you recommend us getting involved? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

It sounds like he will be shotgun hunting for birds. Take a gun safety class, there are lots of places and ranges that provide that service. Talk to local hunters and gun clubs for their recommendations on guns and training, as well as ammo. Most birds can be gotten with #7 bird shot, which is cheaper than most other ammo. A box of Winchester #7 lead bird shot can be bought at Wal-Mart for less than $5, it is good to practice on. The effective range is only about 50-75 yards or so. Steel shot is more expensive, as are magnum loads. Try borrowing someones shotgun to see if you like it as a shotgun recoil will kick into your shoulder and some people don't like that. Many places will only let you load three shells into a shotgun for hunting. Also learn how to clean your gun properly, many people don't like the smell of the cleaning chemicals.