• If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership  The benefits pay for the membership many times over.

I want to go hunting, but I don't know where to start.

schnips

schnips

NES Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2010
Messages
2,360
Likes
408
Location
Kingston, MA
Feedback: 11 / 0 / 0
I've never been hunting, but it's something I've always wanted to do. Nobody in my family hunts, and I don't have any close friends who hunt around here, so I have never really had the opportunity.

I imagine that I would have to start with a hunter safety course, but after that I don't know what I want to hunt. I should probably try my hand at a bunch of different game to figure out which one I prefer.

Anyway, any help you guys could offer would be much appreciated
 
ask around. if they do a breakfast on the weekend hit it up. make some friends. I'm sure you won;t have a problem finding someone to show you the ropes at that point..

the other option is you just pick a game, watch some youtube videos on dressing it and have at it. worse that can happen is you go out in the woods, make a bunch of noise, don't bag shit, and just spend a really peaceful day out in the woods observing nature.
 
New Hampshire just started a program where you can try hunting for a year without having to take the course. You still pay for a special license and you have be accompanied by a hunter that has had the safety course.
 
fivepak said:
New Hampshire just started a program where you can try hunting for a year without having to take the course. You still pay for a special license and you have be accompanied by a hunter that has had the safety course.
Click to expand...

+1

This is a great opportunity to get out with someone you know who can teach you the ropes before committing to a hunter safety course.
 
Sign up for the hunter safety course now, they fill up fast and take forever. Wait too long and you won't have it when the season opens for [insert your chosen critter here]. Also, hard to go wrong with a 12 gauge for hunting in Mass.
 
I'm in the same situation as you. I've never hunted game before and want to give it a try. Talked to a few folk and all of them said first step is to take the course. I'm taking my hunters safety course in March at Southborough R&G. Here's a link to the wildlife site, class schedules are here as well. MassWildlife - Hunter Education Course Descriptions
 
chopper_man said:
I'm in the same situation as you. I've never hunted game before and want to give it a try. Talked to a few folk and all of them said first step is to take the course. I'm taking my hunters safety course in March at Southborough R&G. Here's a link to the wildlife site, class schedules are here as well. MassWildlife - Hunter Education Course Descriptions
Click to expand...

Excellent choice, I'm a member there. Let me reiterate: for all you guys thinking about it, sign up now. Every time the subject of hunter safety classes comes up at a club meeting it's in the context of how quickly the class filled up and how long it is until the next one.
 
I'll have to check my club to see if/when they are offering a hunter safety course. Mrjones mentioned getting a 12 gauge. Should I look for an 870 w/removable chokes? Or would an old SxS like a Fox Model B be adequate (I just think they look cool, but if an 870 would be better then I should probably go with that).
 
I hooked up with the guys in maintenence at the place where I worked. I was friendly with a few and found out several of them took a week off to hunt every year. They knew I had experience with firearms already and that was a concern, safety, so a plus for me, but still I had never hunted before. They paired me with the oldest, experienced guy in the group and he pretty much gave up that years hunt guiding me, showing me the ropes. I hunted with that group for 20 yrs. So just one way to get going. Honestly, and sad to say, if you wander into a club looking for a hunting partner and wanting to tag along, I'm not sure you'd get many offers. I wish I still went out, I'd help but those programs that get you going sound good.
 
Putting in the time is the key to getting started and succeeding in hunting, i taught myself a lot by just going out into the woods over the yrs. i also went out w a buddy who got me started turkey hunting, and i talk to a lot of guys about deer hunting and learn from guys who have been doing this for a while. hunters arent afraid to share what they know, just dont be the goofball who as soon as you meet someone, asks them where they hunt. If they do take you with them to a spot, dont assume that place is now YOUR place to hunt. (the biggest mistake is to hunt in a buddy's spot when hes not around) Talk to people, get out into the woods, and eventually guys will ask you to go to one of their spots, or tell you about a spot or a WMA where they arent hunting but is a good spot and open to you. once you get to know a little about hunting, you might even go knock on a few landowners' doors, and ask for permission to hunt. if you know what you are talking about and sound safe to them, they might just say yes and open up a great hunting spot to you!! dont be mad if the landowner says no, because you ar e a stranger after all. networking is the key to getting your foot in the door at hunting spots. Respecting other hunters and their spots is also key, because if you burn a hunter friend's spot by sneaking in there or somehow pissing off the landowner, that hunter wont forget about it anytime soon, and we all talk and ask each other if we "know so and so, and is he safe to hunt with or safe to show a spot to?"
Good luck
 
About the Hunter Ed courses:

Clubs host them, but do not "Run" them - they're part of MassWildlife, and the Instructors, while they may be members of the host club are actually working for the state while it's going.

Sign up NOW. If your preferred venue is full, contact them, and see if you can be a walk-in. Some places, it's cool, as there is always a percentage of people that don't show.



The next one at my club (Southborough) was full in a week.

Best of luck.

As for what gun - depends what you want. For birds, a S x S is fine; most people would say that it's not ideal for deer, but if it's what you have, it can work.

Take the course, talk to club people, and see what they have - they may let you try it.
 
Last edited:
So I found the list of the Basic Hunter Education Course and most of them are full. The few that aren't are in towns I have never heard of. I'm going to contact one of the clubs near me and see if I can show up in case of a no-show.

I may go ahead and buy an SxS that I have my eye on.

As for finding a place to hunt, I remember hearing that club members of HSC can hunt on club land, but that was back when I signed up a couple years ago, so I could be mistaken. Can anyone confirm this?
 
Woods?

Take the Hunter Safety course to get started. The internet is your friend when it comes to learning a few tricks. Lots of solitude.

-tapatalk and Devin McCourty blow chunks-
 
Definitely take the hunters ed course, it teaches basic safety while in the woods and some common sense rules regarding hunting. I would highly recommend a 12 guage pump or semi-auto, it will cover just about everything you can hunt in Mass. I would not get the SxS unless you plan to only upland bird hunt. That being said, upland bird hunting is probably the easiest way to get into hunting. All you need are some good boots, orange hat and vest and you're good to go. WMA areas are stocked good and you can almost always kick a bird up. I would say the next best thing to hunt are turkey. They are abundant, fun to hunt and require some scouting but nothing crazy. Again, the pump gun is used, you can use a pop up blind or just sit in some cover under a tree. Very little pratice is needed with todays turkey calls to call in a gobbler. Mount a scope on your pump gun and you have a deer slug gun. A lot more scouting, patience and skill involved here. Many factors come into play to score a deer. Once you get one on the ground the challenge of field dressing and dragging can be a little overwhelming, so an experience friend/hunter is good to have with a phone call. Duck hunting....again with the good old pump gun, see the pattern? Duck hunting by far requires the most equipment and gear, not to mention a boat or a dog to get the downed ducks. Decoy set up, calling and fast shooting is the allure and the challenge of the sport. Beyond all that, you need know town by-laws for firearm discharge and hunting regulations. Have fun and be safe!
 
Lots of people start with 870's, and they work well. I prefer an autoloader like the 1100 or 1187, but to each his own. They're cheap and there's a wide variety of barrels out there for them.
 
I just went out back with my favorite rifle and shot the first thing that moved. Neighbor's wife was pissed.

[wink]
 
In Mass. You need a previous hunting or sporting license to get a new one. Otherwise you have to take the hunter safety course.

Another thing that I enjoyed very much was the map, compass, and survival program. They used to run it at their field HQ in Westboro.

-tapatalk and Devin McCourty blow chunks-
 
Hey schnips, I am looking to get my basic hunting course out of the way too, but they dont offer it in my area EVER its pretty frustrating actually. Of my friends who made it into a class they said it was a joke, and all they did was tell stories.

I have been hunting before, in VT, but it was on my own land, don't think I needed a license to do that at that time...maybe I did... Didnt get anything anyway.

Anyone know if any of the out of state, online hunters courses qualify so that I can checkoff the box on masshuntfish?
 
Vin100 said:
Hey I am in the same boat - what is required in VT for Licensing?
Click to expand...

The Vermont Statutes Online

The Vermont Statutes Online
Title 10: Conservation and Development
Chapter 105: LICENSES
10 V.S.A. § 4254. Fishing and hunting licenses; eligibility, design, distribution, sale, and issue




§ 4254. Fishing and hunting licenses; eligibility, design, distribution, sale, and issue

(a) Fishing licenses. A fishing license may be issued to any person aged 15 or older.

(b) Hunting licenses. A resident or nonresident hunting license, combination fishing and hunting license, or archery license may be issued to any person, provided that the applicant prior to issue first presents:

(1) a certificate of satisfactory completion of a Vermont hunter safety course, bow hunter education course as applicable, or an equivalent approved by the commissioner; or

(2) a certificate of satisfactory completion of a hunter safety course, or bow hunter education course as applicable, in another state or a province of Canada which is approved by the commissioner; or

(3) a hunting license, a combination hunting and fishing license, or archery license, if applicable, issued for this state or any other state or a province of Canada and valid for any license year; or

(4) other satisfactory proof that the applicant has previously held a hunting, or combination hunting and fishing license or archery license, if applicable. A hunting license or archery license may be issued to a person aged 15 or under only with the written consent of the applicant's parent or legal guardian given in the presence of the agent issuing the license.

- - - Updated - - -

VT courses:

http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/HE_Courses.cfm
 
Take a class and once that's done do this-

Knock on doors of people who own a lot of land. You'd be surprised how many will give you permission.

Spend time in the woods. Try to take pictures of animals in the off season this will make you a better hunter. Learn to track. Track everything beavers, deer, birds, whatever you can just learn to read tracks. Spend time just sitting quitly up in a tree stand don't move just sit there.

I know these seem basic but nothing beats time in the woods. You'll learn something every time you go out. Also don't rely on someone else to teach you. Get out there and just do it. Hunting is a solo sport anyway.
 

Similar threads

Hunting from a ground blind.
Replies
20
Views
257
wjsmall97
W
Chair for hunting blind
Replies
0
Views
66
wjsmall97
W
Caribou hunting
Replies
4
Views
404
Mark from MA
M
rabbit hunting
Replies
3
Views
287
whacko
whacko
Muzzleloading Hunting: Pop up blinds tips/help
Replies
7
Views
424
kerryman71
kerryman71
Back
Top Bottom