Getting started hunting is an incredibly steep learning curve, especially for the adult-onset hunter. My family did not have any serious hunters growing up, and learning how to hunt without a mentor was daunting. However, living in the digital age there are more online resources than ever to help the new hunter improve on their own. Looking back on the struggle of my first few years hunting, here five tips that I wish I knew before I went and learned them the hard way.
1. Recoil
First of all, the effects of recoil on the ability to accurately place a shot cannot be overstated. While this is true to a degree for all hunters, it is exaggerated with new hunters. For an inexperienced hunter it is easy to think you won’t feel the recoil, or that you are tough and can handle it. I myself thought this way; my first big game hunting rifle was a lightweight 30-06. What many people don’t realize is managing recoil is a manifestation of your sub-conscious more than your conscious brain.
Shooting that 30-06, the recoil was manageable on a calm range off of a bench. In contrast, early on I had several encounters with a buck in the scope and my caveman brain driving the bus where a reflexive flinch cost me the animal. The 30-06 Springfield is arguably the greatest all around hunting cartridge ever designed. However, putting the bullet in the right place with a 243 Winchester is infinitely more effective than a sub-optimal shot with a magnum. A new hunter should pick a rifle near the lower end of the acceptable horsepower for the game they intend to pursue, until they have had some time to build experience shooting in high stress situations.
2. Road Hunting
Next, depending on the area you hunt, cruising from the road and glassing can be a popular way to find game. While scoping out an area from a pickup has its time and place, minimize time in the truck while learning. This can be hard to do. If you are still learning to move quietly, play the wind, and find hotbeds of animals, oftentimes you will spot more game by cruising. However, resisting the temptation to drive is a smart play for a couple of reasons.
Primarily, when you are covering ground in/on a motorized vehicle, you aren’t developing your skills nearly as quickly. Learning how to move quietly through tough terrain and stay alert to the wind are key to being effective. The only way to improve these skills is through practice. Another reason to get out of the vehicle is to improve your ability to read sign. Being able to determine the size of the animal, the freshness of the track or droppings, and finding travel corridors are exceedingly difficult to do from a vehicle. Give up a few sightings in the short term and invest in the long term development of your hunting abilities.
3. Hunting Killable Animals
Also, it is important to target animals in places that they can be effectively hunted. Often, early on in my hunting career I would locate an area that had lots of sign, for example, bedding areas. I would get excited and try to sneak back into the area to hunt it at primetime. What I failed to realize is that most of the time the animals bed in an area because they are safe there. Without fail, I would make too much noise entering the area and the animals would bust before I got there.
Knowing where animals are spending their time is valuable information. This information tells you if the animals have a part of their routine that leaves them vulnerable. Some spots just plain cannot be hunted effectively, whether it be because of certain wind conditions, cover, or noisy terrain. Instead of trying to hunt these areas anyways, find new animals or pinpoint a need that game will leave the area for. Common needs are food, water, cover, or mating. Target game when it is exposed fulfilling one of these needs instead of wasting time forcing your way into a spot with a low probability of success.
4. Have Two Gears
Another key to effective hunting is having two gears. This means be hunting or be moving, not both. Focusing and covering ground is fine when you are trying to get to an area. However, once you are in an area that holds game, slow way down. Hunting the best spot in the world doesn’t matter if you are moving too quickly or aren’t glassing thoroughly enough. Trying to mix travelling and hunting leads to being ineffective at both. If you are going somewhere, then go. If not, move deliberately and maximize your chances of catching you quarry unawares.
5. Wind
Finally, and I cannot stress this enough, pay close and careful attention to the wind. Scent is the single most difficult sense of an animal to overcome. If an animal hears something, they may think it is something else and settle back down. If an animal sees movement but cannot figure out what you are, they might stick still long enough for a shot. However, if an animal smells you they know exactly what you are and will be gone no matter what. Managing the wind religiously has had the single biggest positive impact on my results in the field.
As a note, there is virtually always some degree of wind. Often it is imperceptible to humans, but rest assured it is still there. That is why a $4 wind checker is one of the most invaluable pieces of kit that comes with me on every single hunt. In years of big game hunting I can only think of two instances where there was actually ‘no wind’. If you need to pick up a wind checker, consider clicking the button below. At no increase in cost to you, Northern Rifle earns a small percentage on each purchase, and it helps keep the site running.
Closing Thoughts
In closing, hunting is an incredible complex, challenging, and difficult pursuit. In my estimation, this is what makes it so rewarding and fulfilling when you are successful. Hopefully these five tips help hunters learn from my mistakes, fill their freezers with quality meat, and their memories with great stories. Good luck, I’ll see you out there.