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AAOA: Become a kid again!! Have a burning desire to be out in the woods regardless of the weather. Look with wonder upon a sunrise, imagine the celebration that would be thrown if we only had one sunrise every decade. Be quiet in your endeavors, nothing sends a jarring note into the woods like a loud human voice. Let your heart go absolutely crazy when you see an animal you want to take. Don't be ashamed of being a hunter, be proud, you have thousands of years of DNA to guide you. Enjoy!!!

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5 pages already??

And no....

I’m disappointed in this campfire.



Hey FNG.....GFY


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Spidey sensing a bear trap......
Ot6, 8mm.......


LOL!!!!

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Originally Posted by AAAOA
Thanks for all the responses, definitely wasn't expecting so many so fast but I greatly appreciate it. Answering a few questions,

I have shot before, from .22lr to 12 gauge to 8mm Mauser, and while I am certainly not the best shot I am getting better. I also don't really know how to mount a scope, I've really only shot iron sights.

I have a little 10/22 at my dad's place and a little .177 pellet gun that I've popped a few house sparrows and chipmunks with off the back porch.

I hadn't really thought of squirrel hunting before, but it definitely makes a lot of sense. Squirrel season is until the end of February here, so that gives me time to knock the rest out.

I picked .30-06 because it seemed to be a good middle ground of a caliber. I'm halfway through college and have no idea where I'll end up next. 30-06 seems like it'll be able to work just as well on east coast white tails as it would west coast elk or Alaskan bear. Just wanted to have a versatile caliber.

It is "on the way" as in I am in the middle of an FFL transfer for the rifle and it should hopefully be in my hands within a couple more days.

The single shot over a bolt gun is a combination of becoming really interested in these weird european "kipplauf rifles" and most people saying that they almost always fire just one shot when hunting. At the least I'll be more inclined to pick a good shot.

Thanks so much for all the advice and the warm welcome. I really appreciate it and hopefully I've got something to show for it over the next year.

I suggest you practice loading a second round real quick after firing your first. Also don't "admire" the shot RELOAD QUICKLY!!!

Ask the FFL dealer on how to mount a scope.


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Best to find an experienced friend.

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My advice would be to secure a place to go first. Then go to a shooting range and practice safe gun handling and shooting.
If you have a place to go hunt you won't have any problem inviting an experienced hunter to go with you. Then ask questions and listen. Start reading, your state hunting regulations first, then anything about your hunting interests.

Good luck and enjoy your time in the woods.


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Go to the NRA Richmond event tomorrow and talk to other hunters.
Find a couple of gun clubs. Go to their new member meetings. Pick the one you like best and join it.
Go through their orientation programs for various activities (Pistol, rifle, shotgun, archery, indoor) talk to people.
Participate in an Apple Seed shoot, talk to people.

The club will probably have a stack of old magazines lying around. Try reading a few articles about hunting/shooting.

Attend the monthly club meetings.

Essentially talk to people in the know.
If you want to hunt you need to get access to places to hunt. For that you need to know some people who know people...

So get to know some people.


-OMotS



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keep in mind, in VA you need more than just permission to hunt private lands. You actually need written permission.
There are a lot of public lands (WMAs, and NF) that do not get much pressure after openers, and if you will walk over 1/4 mile from the parking lot. Enjoy, learn from others, get the VA Wildlife magazine, too.

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Originally Posted by AAAOA
Hey all,

I'm new here. Growing up I've spent a good bit of time outdoors between becoming an eagle scout, running cross country, helping my dad and step mom on their little farm, and generally just spending time in the woods. In fact, I've enjoyed it so much I am studying for a degree in wildlife biology.

Over the last year or so I've really gotten an itch to start hunting. I grew up shooting, but my parents never took me hunting, just a lot of fishing. It seems like a great way to spend more time in the outdoors and become more familiar with the food I eat, hoping back into the food chain if you will.

I'm really excited, but I have no idea where to start. I have a 30-06 single shot on the way, and I figure at some point I need to get a hunting license and attend a hunters safety course, but other than that I am a bit clueless. Should I hire a guide? Wander around until I figure it out on my own? My father hasn't hunted in a long time and he really only hunted birds, none of my friends are exactly hunters either being that I am in suburban northern Virginia.

How should I go about this? Thanks


Find a hunting buddy who can show you the ropes. Also, consider starting with a .22 rimfire rifle and a shotgun to go after small game, like squirrels and rabbits.

BTW, forget the .30-06. Go with either a .270 or a 6.5 Creedmoor. grin


"All that the South has ever desired was that the Union, as established by our forefathers, should be preserved, and that the government, as originally organized, should be administered in purity and truth." – Robert E. Lee
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Originally Posted by AAAOA
.

It is "on the way" as in I am in the middle of an FFL transfer for the rifle and it should hopefully be in my hands within a couple more days.

The single shot over a bolt gun is a combination of becoming really interested in these weird european "kipplauf rifles" and most people saying that they almost always fire just one shot when hunting. At the least I'll be more inclined to pick a good shot.

.


Interesting choice of rifle, mind posting a link or photo of your new rifle?

Why the hold up at the FFL?


Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Give a man a welfare check, a forty ounce malt liquor, a crack pipe, an Obama phone, free health insurance. and some Air Jordan's and he votes Democrat for a lifetime.
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Get a bird feeder, stock it with black oil sunflower seeds

Scoped pellet rifle, comfy chair, a bag of Fritos for yourself. Pick off the fat, lazy, mostly tame house sparrows that visit.

Set up 15 yards or less.



You’ll be GTG should you ever find yourself in Texas. grin

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I haven't hunted Northern VA for over 15 years now. But when my oldest son lived in the Leesburg area in the late 1990s and early 2000s he and I would go squirrel hunting in the Thompson Wildlife Management Area. I never saw so many squirrels in my life as I saw there. Had 17 go by me one day while deer hunting there in a 1/2 hour span if I remember correctly. A good place to start.
Deer hunting there was iffy. People riding horses and hikers on the Appalachian Trail making it rough. Did see deer though.
That 30-06 would be a good all-around gun for deer. Don't know if you really would need a scope on it. Saw a hunter with an M1 Garand out hunting deer there.


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If goose was the only meat, there would be a lot more vegetarians. - Lloyd Adams, waterfowl hunter
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Yes, youtube is a great place to learn how to hunt. Rule number one:

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Originally Posted by hanco
Best to find an experienced friend.

Best advice yet

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me too.

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If you are interested in spring turkey hunting, send me a PM.

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Good advice above. Library books on hunting are pretty cheap too, if they have them and you return them on time,.. smile

Most states have a separate archery season that can extend annual hunting experience. Archers tend to be more anal about EVERYTHING than us gun-only guys. It's a good way to learn faster and perhaps more thoroughly. So are camera trips or walkabouts and as much time as you can spend in the woods just observing. If you locate a hunting area, get familiar with it before season if you can - not just the terrain, observe the critters as well.

Decent binoculars are a must, valuable even in pretty dense cover.- not sure in your situation how valuable a spotting scope would be, as yet.

NEVER use your rifle scope to "glass" with - hence the binocs.

Never fully trust a safety. If shooting isn't imminent, or likely so, carry the rifle with chamber empty. There is lively discussion on this from time to time here......... but anything that can go wrong happens all the time. An empty chamber CANNOT "accidentally" discharge. This is in ADDITION, to all the usual safety rules about muzzle control, etc.

If hunting in wet, cold weather where things might freeze inside the bolt or trigger mechanisms, hunt it "dry"- without oil. Dry to touch "one-step" products such a Eezox or Corrosion X work very well for this, protecting against finger prints, rust, and provide enough lubrication, and do not gum up with dirt, thicken with cold or freeze.

Don't bring a cold gun into a warm place - condensation will form on it, inside and out. Leave it outside, or wrap it in a blanket or sleeping bag (cooled) to bring it in to warm gradually.

Never store a firearm in a case, unless it is lightweight and breathable. Especially a wet firearm....

Take dated notes/keep a journal. I wish I had - never did. Memory goes to hell a few years removed. And take pictures, with notation.

Nothing wrong with a single shot. As you said, it helps encourage selective shooting and placement.

My wife and I hunted with a .260 bolt repeating rifle that had a broken extractor last fall, making it a "single shot"- at least until the fired brass cooled enough to shrink and fall out of the chamber again, when tilted vertically. And yes, we did have a 30-06 bolt action repeater with us. Didn't need it.

The "single shot" took a decent bull caribou for each of us, on successive days.

I meant to replace that extractor last winter.....I'll get to it this winter, yet. I hope.

Good luck on your endeavors.

Last edited by las; 01/13/20.

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Originally Posted by hanco
Best to find an experienced friend.


Really good Kharma to find a guy old enough to be getting reluctant to go out on his own.
You do the heavy lifting, he imparts knowledge on you.

Hauling a carcass out is in a sense like shoveling snow. You can get in over your head and wind up in trouble if you don't take it slow, particularly if your ticker is not as flexible as it used to be.


-OMotS



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Originally Posted by OldmanoftheSea
Originally Posted by hanco
Best to find an experienced friend.


Really good Kharma to find a guy old enough to be getting reluctant to go out on his own.
You do the heavy lifting, he imparts knowledge on you.

Hauling a carcass out is in a sense like shoveling snow. You can get in over your head and wind up in trouble if you don't take it slow, particularly if your ticker is not as flexible as it used to be.


If the guy only has one leg, don’t ask him to show you the ropes.

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Originally Posted by mirage243
Since you're in Virginia you could start huntin' Democrats first, they should be easy to find. 🤣🤣🤣

Don't do it. By the time you get 'em skinned, and remove the nasty bits, there's nothing left.


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the only real difference between a good tracker and a bad tracker, is observation. all the same data is present for both. The rest, is understanding what you're seeing.

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