New to hunting and looking for some good reading/listening material. Has anyone heard some good hunting podcasts, or read any good books lately?

Welcome. Is there a certain theme or region or type of hunting knowledge you're looking to gain, or is it more hunting adventure stories thst you're looking for?

Don't believe any of the lying bastards here. Including me....

Welcome.

Read everything you can about the animals you are interested in - or clones. Much of what I learned about hunting moose I gained from reading about white-tail deer hunting. Similar habitats and habits. Somewhat different forage and ranges.

Spend as much time as you can out in the beyond off season, just observing.

As for the "ancients"- read Capstick, Bell, Raurk, O'Conner, Jobson, et al. Keep in mind everyone has opinions which color their writings. Any number of how-to books out there.

Good for basic background, but never let that get in front of personal experience, when you gain it.

Keep in mind that what you have observed/ learned , does not necessarily negate theirs.

mad beaver....... hope you're not on the rag.lots of info here.

Two authors I would add to las ‘s list are Sell and Keith.. The others relied heavily on guides.. Sell was a great still hunter in the northwest, and Elmer was a guide himself for many years..

My error, Bell was his own guide.. But a poacher..

http://www.safaripress.com

Safari Press has a selection of books covering hunting around the world.

Check out this website by Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

https://elknetwork.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvbePxe_h1QIVUYJ-Ch3hpwRiEAAYASAAEgKQk_D_BwE

Meat Eater.

Randy Newburg has both a great YouTube channel, as well as an excellent podcast. The vast majority of Randy’s shows deal with hunting public land out West. He has also had two TV programs: On Your Own Adventures, and Fresh Tracks.... I believe most of the episodes are available on his YouTube channel.

All he needs is a 6.5 Creedmoor, it knows all. Sees all!!!

It might help if you could give a little more info about yourself. Where are you from?

What kind of hunting are you interested in?

Eastern whitetails?

Rocky mountains?

Alaska?

All locations are different and there's a lot more.

I sent you an article on elk hunting in Colorado.

Never let yourself be caught in the company of a 270. They're gay

Thanks guys for all the info- Im hunting in the western foothills and rockies, mostly for mule deer and elk. I watched some of Randy Newberg's video's and they are excellent. Also read Steve Rennella's book called ultimate guide to hunting and found it very informative. Keep it coming, if there are more things you guys enjoy watching please let me know. Tracks- i had to laugh at the 270 comment. I don't have a 270....but bought a 280 Rem.

I can't add much in books or authors, but I would suggest learning to read animal signs. (Prints, behaviors, needs, routines at dawn and dusk, anatomy of the animals you have interest in, Ect.) Knowing just where to hit what on each animal. What THEY can see, smell, detect, where thier weaknesses lie. How to tell the diffrence between male and female bedding, trails, and behaviors.
The better you understand the animal, the more successful the hunt. If I can be of assistance, simply ask. Most folks here are friendly, helpful , and Knowledgeable. Some few just like to argue. (You'll know them soon enough. )

Stay and be welcome.

Read The Big Book of Big Game Hunting. The author John Barsness is a very active member of this forum and is very helpful. It's an informative and entertaining read.

http://riflesandrecipes.com/product/big-book-big-game-hunting/

One thing I've never seen mentioned anywhere regarding Elk that you may be able to work to your advantage.
This is from a lot of observation.
If an Elk has it in mind to go to a place, he or she is damned well going to go there. It may require a detour or some major rerouting, but it's going to go there.
The trick is to work out what it's thinking and put yourself in the way.

x2, keep waiting for Netflix to add another season. Only hunting show Ive ever enjoyed.

Skip the stupid automatic feeder blind hunts and go straight to the mountains where the real hunting takes place.

I've enjoyed many local authors that produce small paperback books specific to their area and game. My favorite is blacktail deer so I look for anything I can find on hunting them. There's a difference between 99% of the people that hunt any given animal and the 1% that are really good at it. Find the 1% and dog them mercilessly until you take what you can glean from them and develop your own hunting style from there.

It sounds cliche, but hunt how and what you like the most, when and where you want to spend your time the most, and you will love being there so much that the success will follow you like yellow jackets in summer.

One thing I've done now that I've got a few decades under my belt, is I ask myself when out hunting, "What are the odds this will work? Has it worked before and how often?" I put a percentage on it, and then I try to stick to the highest percentage hunts. I'm not just looking to kill game, but to enjoy my time the most, so I take my satisfaction with time spent into account, not just game killed. If I like hunting blue grouse in September in the high country but I never get one, I go anyway.

The way I always look at hunting is, you can't win if you don't play, and you might as well go if you have a tag, gas, and time off.

I'm sure if you figure out what you love and keep doing it, game will fall for you. Good luck!

On TV (Netflix has 2 seasons). Meat Eater by Steven Rinella
To read: the Ted Trueblood Hunting Treasury
Jack O'Connor stuff
As hokey as it sounds, The Deer Hunters Bible, The small Game and Varmint Hunters Bible, etc are all pretty well written, cover all the basics, and are usually written by known authors. I have no idea about the new ones or even if they are in print, but the old ones are a great place to start without being overwhelmed.

I was talking about the book but the TV series is good too.

I like Randy Newburg and meateater. If I were giving advise to a new hunter in general I would say hunt and spend time in the woods.
Own one rifle and own it. Shoot it as much as you can afford to. Stay in good physical condition and you will enjoy the effort even more. I feel I was fortunate to have a woods to hunt when I was a kid but when I took it up again as an adult I was fortunate to have a place and a long season. Maybe even more fortunate not to have too much information so I learned in the woods. Being older and fatter I do enjoy being an armchair hunter. But not as much as the real deal.

Never new there was a book, going to have to check that out.

Good advice from Fireball2 concerning hunting how and what YOU want. Took me years to realize I was out there for me, my satisfaction, my self approval, my feeling of satisfaction regardless if successful or not. You will never achieve these things unless true to yourself. There was a professor from Wisconsin that noted the Sportsman has no audience as other sporting events do. You only have yourself to either approve of or disapprove of your actions.

Gues you could add Mr Aldo Leopold to the readings list. My favorite being Essays from Round River.

Thanks for all the advice guys, checked out a Meateater episode and really enjoyed it. Also checked out the HIGHLANDER HUNTING PODCAST and found they had some great advice on tactics and gear for the mountain/foothill hiking style of hunting i plan on doing more next season.

We're even then, I never knew Aldo Leopold was from Wisconsin.

This is great advice right here.

Any time spent away from development even if not in your hunting area... is valuable. I like to take my kids backpacking and use my hunting equipment so I’m familiar with it. Also practicing the art of being fully present in the moment just sitting and watching with a clear mind and focus, devices put away, watching wild animals is huge. I like to go birdwatching with my kids because it gives me time to practice this (and teach them).

That brings me to another point. I don’t know how old you are, but if you’re going to be successful in the field only use devices when you have to. I’m a huge fan of OnXMaps and use it a lot, but I also go out of my way to put my device away and observe landmarks and where I am which is more important than data Lite images. When sitting I keep it stashed too, because I can’t count the number of times I’ve caught the slightest, briefest glimpse of an animal that I coulda missed completely if I’d have even glanced down at a text. The other thing related to this is be sure to leave the GPS (smart phone) put away and learn to use a map & compass which should always be on you when afield. Reliance on batteries can get you in trouble quickly!

Best of luck you’ve found a wealth of knowledge here I’ve learned a ton from these guys here.

IIRC, he hailed from Iowa. But he was indeed a professor @ the UW.

You can learn a ton from all of Randy Newberg's content. he posts here from time to time as Big Fin. He is a great guy as well!

Watch Keith Warren. He will show you everything you need to know. EYE ROLL! Lots of good info found all through this forum. I read here everyday for years before i finally joined.

Plenty of good info thus far. By far my favorite reference is 24hourcampfire.com. I see books as a way to understand how things used to be done. When I want to talk to the real experts, I come to the 'fire. You'll be able to pick out BS artists pretty quickly, but most people here really know what they're talking about and you can have an actual conversation with them rather than trying to figure out what somebody left out of a book.


Okie John

You made my day when I read this.

Best,

GWB

Thanks geed, glad I could make the day of a gentlemen such as yourself. I give all the credit to the flu/cold medicine 🤕

I have been telling my daughter much the same. It is good life advice for sure.

That pretty much spells out life... hunting is "just" the epitome of it. In a simpler format.

Thanks for the advice guys, and if you have more,please keep it coming. Figure while the snow is on the ground, it's a good time to read books/ watch videos/ listen to Podcasts while I'm driving. If any other newer hunters are out there I've found "Highlander Hunting Podcast " really helpful. Their podcast caters to the new guy getting into the game. Lots of talk about where to start/ gear to consider. Audio didn't start out great, but got much better several episodes in. If anyone is starting from scratch, here is their website:
https://highlanderhunting.wordpress.com

*Another thought. All this long range hunting that is so prevalent nowadays is serious business. With excitement levels high for new hunters, and experience levels low, avoid long shots. When you see game practice your stalking, even if it's not a "shooter". Every time you successfully"kill" (even when not pulling the trigger) after a good stalk, you'll become calmer and more confident. This is the essence of a great hunter. patience, skill, confidence. Anyone can bang away at 600 yards and say, "Did I hit it? Do you see where it went?" Don't be that guy.

Hunting coyotes in the “off-season,” is the best way I know of to quickly develop most of the skills necessary to be a good big game hunter.

You may only get a week or two every year to hunt deer/elk.... but you can hunt coyotes for most of the year. Coyotes do many of the same things that game animals do, they live in the same places as deer/elk, and often hunt them too. You can call them, spot and stalk them, ambush them from a hide on known travel route, spot one running across the road and Chinese Fire Drill it off the hood of the truck, etc. They’re small, they move pretty quick.... and they’re aweful tough to hit if you don’t have your wits about you, or can’t adjust shooting positions on the fly.

All that stuff translates to big game hunting. I can’t think of a shot I’ve taken at a big game animal, that I haven’t taken several times at a coyote.... including the CFD off the hood of the truck.

PS..... learn how to not use a bi-pod.

Being able to post good pictures is a must.

Off topic- but what kind of cameras is everyone using in the field?

Iphone6S+

Wife is a professional photographer, gave me her old old camera, then when I got this phone said leave the camera home and use the phone it’s just as good and you’ll take more photos.

Works nicely...

My current kit I carry when afield!





Canon 7D MK2
CANON EF 24-70mm 1;2.8 L II USM lens
Tamron SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 lens
Olympus Tough TG-4
I-Phone

and on occasion, GoPro Hero3

Started chasing rabbits with my fice circa 1957. Been hunting ever since. Did not start posting pix until +/- 2001.

ya!

GWB

That looks like a serious set up geedubya! I just bought a Cannon Rebel T6I, and will be taking photography courses next month so I will know enough to be dangerous!

Two of my favorite podcasts joined tonight- Randy Newberg and the Highlander Hunting Crew, I found this very informative- can be found here:

https://highlanderhunting.wordpress.com/

Just like time behind the trigger is a good thng,



time behind the shutter is a good thing!



Become a professional small boy!



Let your imaginagtion soar!




Take pix of anything and everything



and take pleasure in the Moment



as there is no time like the present to make a memory and the palest pix lasts longer than the best memory!


ya!

GWB