Thought a thread on this might be worthwhile.

I'm a relatively new guy. Only hunted one WT deer in Ontario so far; started a couple years ago.

Would like to build up big game hunting skills more than anything else and learn techniques from others who have being doing this a while. Like many who are starting I don't really have any hunting mentors. No dads or uncles before me to teach me what to do; mostly learning from google and forums.

I decided it was best for me to do guided or semi-guided hunts as I learned my way through.

Hunt #1 was semi guided for WT deer in WMU 47
Hunt #2 in a few weeks will be guided Pronghorn in Wyoming

What other big game hunts would you recommend for guys like me; won't break the bank to bad, good chance of getting game to stay interested, not completely grueling so I'd want to continue doing it year after year.

Ideally I'd like hunts that I can learn spot and stalk rather than in a blind over bait. I do hunt in a tree blind and ground blind on my own property for WT deer so I have that covered.

Where would I go for a spot and stalk western type hunt for deer for example - WT or mule without breaking the bank too much and having a good chance of success?

Hawaii is another location I am thinking of. Was just there on vacation and relatively inexpensive hunts can be had for Hawaiian black sheep and goats and even axis deer. Day or two day hunts mostly. Seems one could put together a very economical hunt there even after air fare is considered.

One of the other thoughts I've considered is going to Africa for a cull hunt of some sort.

P.S. Oh yeah. One of my criteria is that the game actually has to be edible and enjoyable. Once I was looking at an Aoudad hunt (does not meet the non grueling category though) and then learned that the meat was practically inedible. My personal ethics require that I consume the meat from an animal I hunt which means I must enjoy it.

pronghorn is prolly the best bet for a new person to learn....unlike mule deer and whitetail you generally see lots of animals over the course of a hunt and if you blow a stock not usually a big deal to find another herd and try again....not to mention chances of finding a good trophy is much higher than with deer....monsters are still few and far between but you will be able to look over enough animals that finding a decent shooter shouldnt be much of a problem....

That's a pretty tall order- to learn how to hunt without hunting partners and with guided hunts as your main learning tool. Most guides aren't going to hunt the same way you might if you hunted alone or with a hunting buddy or two.
On top of that, each game animal is going to require a different technique to hunt, different seasons in each area you hunt, and possibly different equipment for each hunt.

For instance, hunting Mule deer is going to be completely different from hunting White tails. White tails can be somewhat patterned to their travel routes and their local area, whereas mule deer really can't as they will travel huge distances and seldom bed and/or feed in the same area day after day.

Don't expect successful hunts each year and you will need to put in some grueling hunts if you are going to learn how to hunt some of these animals. If you want to avoid the grueling part, you will need to consign yourself to hunting in stands and probably over feeders- with or without guides. For this type of hunting, probably the best place to get involved is Texas. Lots of deer, lots of available ranches with hunts tailored to different levels of ability, and stand hunting with and without feeders and spot and stalk if you can find the right ranch.

The best areas are going to be fairly expensive for non resident tags and drawing tags will be a crap shoot for the first few years in the best areas.

Even if you learn how to hunt a species- say Mule deer for instance, each area you hunt their habits may be different and you get to learn it all over again. Desert Mule deer act different and are found in different terrain than mountain mule deer. Both can be difficult to hunt and require a certain amount of luck.

Best to pick an area that has a history of decent numbers and go pick a hunting spot in that area for several years until you learn the habits of the animals in that area. Once you start having success in that area on a regular basis, start to expand your search- a little at first, then slowly further out into the area you've chosen. Again, don't expect results overnight unless you have a guide who has done all of this for you before hand and saves you the time and trouble- that is what you pay a guide for.

Another route is to join a hunting club or group in your area and get to know a few guys. Eventually, you will get invited to hunt on areas that are good hunting with guys who know how to hunt. Pay attention, work hard at being a good hunting partner, pitch in in camp at whatever needs to be done, and you'll probably be invited back. Keep at it until you are one of the regulars and know what you're doing.

These are just a few suggestions- it's a life long journey, not something that will happen quickly. Take your time and pay attention to the little things and you'll learn to be successful in time. And learn when to tell when someone is saying something meaningful and when a guy is full of himself. That in itself will save you years of wasted time.

Bob

Not entirely true, 9 out of 10 times if you find a big buck, observe him from afar cuz you found his living room..If you dont bugger him, he'll stay there. You may go days on end without seeing him, but thats cuz they are pricks, not cuz they aint there. They arent so different than whitetail, the thing is that they have the OPTION to move miles and mountain drainage's when they get buggered, eastern whitetail often do not have that option, so they just hole up in the area.Rut and migration is a different story, and they might well be 20 miles from where you seen them in july/august..depends on the situation/area.

Muleys will hole up like that, or they may move long distances, more often than not they hole up and become nocturnal.

I guess this is another topic, but its been my experience with them.

In a elk hunt I have found out that you should not!! Follow your calls with a aye. Big grin. kawi

I'd recommend doing some coyote calling in the west.

Certainly won't break the bank. Hunting coyotes involves all of the same considerations of big game hunts, even to an �ber level. It's good practice for big game.

Wind, glassing, learning their habits and areas they like to inhabit, calling, etc.

I enjoy it more than big game hunting to be honest. It's often times more challenging

successful trappers/callers/hounders have a big leg up on most guys, imo.

Simply because they are out and observing year long, while their competition is home on the couch..

To the OP, sorry for going off topic. Your approach is solid. Without having a mentor, hiring a guide is a wise choice to put you on the fast track, imo.

Observe the little things, like how he picks up game from the landscape, area's he focuses on and why.ask questions but dont be a nuisance about it..Try to fill in the blanks yourself.

+1 with rosco 1 on that.

Canoe,

I was like you and started out with pronghorn in WY several years ago. It was a DIY hunt on public land with my brother, and was quite a challenge for us newbies, but we had success and learned a lot. I learned how to field dress by watching YouTube videos on the gutless method (it helped that my brother is an emergency vet and knew anatomy). lol. Before going I read as much as I could from the fire and other sites, and had some great tips and low down from members here. Last year we went back to WY, took more antelope and also got some deer hunting in (combo hunt). That was great and our learning factor grew. This year I did a hunt in Africa. The main thing is to keep at it, get out there and get some real world experience, and learn from others (here and while out there).

Have fun and good luck in WY! Pronghorn hunting is a blast!

Eric

I share a similar experience to yours as the only hunter from my family, as well as, my in laws. If you need help in anyway pm me, I'm happy to help! The "best" hunters that are successful are the ones who put in the most time hunting.

No such thing as a failed hunt. You should expect plenty of empty handed days. Just open your eyes to your surroundings and take it all in is my best advice. Save up your money and pick guided, semi guided and self hunts. Hunt with your buddies and enjoy the campfire banter; each one is different, challenging and fun.

I am not as experienced as some folks on this site, but I can say without a doubt that the best part of hunting is the learning experience - mostly because it is unending! Killing is just the bonus.

Best of luck!

Another fun hunt that I didn't see mentioned is caribou. You should be able to see lots of animals, possibly shoot two animals depending on where you hunt, and being from Canada it can be a reasonably short trip. Caribou is also super tasty.

Excellent thoughts. Please keep them coming.

Yes Caribou is a hunt Id like to do someday. Definitely not a cheap hunt though! At least I don't have to fly to Montreal where the Quebec based hunts start. But a good $7k. You do come back with two caribou if you're successful and that is quite a bit of good meat!

No comments yet on sheep and goat in Hawaii?

A fun hunt that fits your criteria is a pig hunt.

Go still hunt some Axis in Texas.

Yeah...if you are paying attention, you'll learn a ton about hunting.....

I'm sure everyone will have opinions from one extreme to another on this one so here goes my two pennies. I'm assuming where you live you have whitetail so, my suggestion is hunt where you live because time is the biggest factor in this day and age. Hunt near to home and hunt what you can. Whitetail can be worthy prey and can teach you a thing or two. Another suggestions is hunt with a bow as this will steepen the learning curve and lengthen your season. Also with a bow it can open areas that might not allow firearms. If you live in a populated area there may be areas open to archery hunting but not firearm for obvious safety reasons. My suggestion would be a #45 recurve of decent quality and learn how to shoot it well. You don't need a lot of gizmos and gadgetry on a bow to kill deer effectively and reliably. Biggest thing is get out in the woods and learn by keeping your eyes and ears open. You can't get anything hunting sitting in the house thinking about it.

Aught6, actually I do hunt in my 'back-yard' with a crossbow. We are lucky that cross bows are allowed here during bows only season.

Our bows only season is long - Oct through Dec, which really is why I got into the cross bow. We can only shotgun / muzzle loader hunt for one week of the season.

No rifle where I live.

Start hunting squirrels with a pistol, and you'll learn to move without being seen or heard.

If you can get close enough to a squirrel to kill it with a handgun, sneaking up on a deer will be easy

That answers your question then. Grab your gear and spend time in the woods. Pay attention to things and you'll learn more than you think. October can be a tricky time of year with WT as that seems to be a time of year for transition in behavior. They will switch up their feeding and movement patterns in general as the food sources change and the rut starts up. Of course that all hinges on how the season changes where you are. Southern Ontario is probably much like Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York and other northern border states. So October can be really good or really frustrating. Enjoy.

Eric -did you do the combo hunt DIY?

If you lived around here, I'd take you out hunting a bit to show you the ropes. I'm sure there are people where you live that would do the same to get you off on the right foot. Just ask around.

Sure did, on public and private land. A good member of the fire joined us. We had good luck with antelope on BLM land, but the early snowfall pushed many animals to lower elevation, which is why we ended up paying an access fee to get on private land in order to chase white tails. The rancher showed us where they pattern on his property. The local intel was invaluable.

Eric

Eric, the combo sounds exciting. My antelope hunt is a late hunt (Nov 8). We've been a tad worried about whether they will show up but I realized in the unit we are hunting (antelope 102) it coincidences with the WT hunt dates in that area.

Could be something we consider for next year as well.

This year we were late to the party as we were planning on hunting moose so never got into the Wyoming draw and had to concentrate on a unit with left over tags but little to no public land.

Will be on the ball for next year. If you have a suggestion of a unit with decent access for a combo hunt, and don't mind sharing it, drop me a PM.

To be a flexible hunter you will need to combine a number of skillsets. If you start hiking a lot you can teach yourself land navigation, tracking, practice survival skills, learn to observe all critters. Birds, squirrels, bears, learning their habits will translate to other places. To see animals you will train yourself to move quietly and efficiently and to discern patterns and movement.

As you progress you can expand your horizons to encompass all 4 seasons and determine what is important in selecting equipment. Never miss a chance to practice your shooting and embrace dryfire as an essential training tool.

The more time you spend in the outdoors the better you will be in skills and attitude. Ethics are important, never compromise yours. You are embarking on a great journey, enjoy the ride.

mike r

+1 on this.

Even with a rifle, if you have tree squirrels to hunt, they are about the finest practice for woods deer hunting that I know of.
You'll be out there learning how and when to move.
You'll be sharpening your game eye, and learn to see more.
You'll acquaint yourself on game shooting, and getting a shot on target in a timely manner.

and...

You'll have a ton of fun...

canoetrpr:

Start hunting on your own, do-it-yourself (DIY) style. Have fun. It doesn't really matter where or for what game species. Have fun. Make some mistakes and learn from them. Have some more fun. Keep your eyes open and keep your mind open. Get frustrated and get over it. Eventually you will figure it out and have some more fun. That's how the rest of us did it.

KC

Best advice so far.