Any hunters on BAUT?

[Fazor]

I figure there are . . . I think every hobby possible is covered by at least one BAUT member.

Anyway, I'm interested in taking up hunting. It's always been something I thought I'd enjoy, but I don't know how to harvest the animals and have no particular desire to kill for the sake of killing.

But my girlfriend's brother-in-law hunts, and has expressed interest in taking his sons hunting. I figure that my involvement could serve dual purposes; I'd get to hunt and have any animals taken actually go to good use, and he could probably use help keeping an eye on his three boys.

Anyway, I was looking for information on deer hunting, and bow hunting for white-tails in particular. I found a lot of sites that had random blog-style articles, and lots of sites that said "there's a wealth of information on bowhunting available online!" . . . yet this supposed information was no where to be found.

Anyone have some tips, or know of any good resources?

[matthewota]

Last time I hunted was way back in 1979. To me it was not much fun. Not my cup of tea.

[uncommonsense]

Need a license in OH, then you enter a lottery to get assigned an area. At least thats how it was when I lived in Toledo.

[sohh_fly]

well if you like going deep into the bushes,then its great.
but as you try to get dinner for a month or two,you will be dinner to certain types of flies and mosquitos that will seem like a lifetime.
its not much fun for the less experienced , but its lots of fun,also the adrenalin gets pumped after a kill.

ALSO becareful you don't become the hunted.

[Fazor]

Need a license in OH, then you enter a lottery to get assigned an area. At least thats how it was when I lived in Toledo.

The license is (obviously) still a requirement; the lottery doesn't appear to be anymore. I've grown up in the "country" (around farmers and hunters and such) and from what I seem to recall overhearing, the deer population has become such a problem that they don't worry about too many hunters. You are still limited to how many deer you can kill, though.

[Fazor]

well if you like going deep into the bushes,then its great.
but as you try to get dinner for a month or two,you will be dinner to certain types of flies and mosquitos that will seem like a lifetime.

I've spent entire days crawling around in the woods before, hunting people! (Was an avid paintball player). Grew up on property with woods and a pond aswell, so I'm very familiar with all the flying vampiric creatures out there. Fortunately by late Nov, when Whitetail are in season, they're not as much of a problem.

[PetersCreek]

I don't currently hunt due to some physical limitations but hope to do so again at some point. I'm still a hunter at heart, though.

First I'd like to offer my opinion about this statement:

I don't know how to harvest the animals and have no particular desire to kill for the sake of killing.

That's a darn good start right there. To me, that shows concern for the game and the sport. Gotta respect that.

To begin with, if you aren't already proficient with your hunting weapon of choice, invest the time to do so before setting foot one in the field with it. This brings up a potential source of information...your local gun and/or archery ranges. That's where hunters often go to sight in and tune up their skills in the off season. Ask around the club house.

Your state fish and wildlife department is probably a good place to start your search for information on hunting. I'm betting their website has game guides in addition to the hunting regulations. If they offer a hunting safety course, I'd suggest taking that right off, even if it isn't mandatory to get your license.

You can also check with your local sportsmen's shops for information. They might be able to hook you up with a hunt club or even an individual who's willing to guide or mentor you. I'd start with the small but well-equipped shops rather than the big box stores. You know, the kind of places where the guys go to hang out and tell lies stories over bad coffee.

Best of luck to you!

[sarongsong]

...lots of sites that said "there's a wealth of information on bowhunting available online!"...yet this supposed information was no where to be found.
Anyone have some tips, or know of any good resources?

Howard Hill's "Hunting the Hard Way" might prove enlightening and entertaining. (He also played Captain of Archers and technical advisor in the 1938 "Adventures of Robin Hood.)

[publius]

The license is (obviously) still a requirement; the lottery doesn't appear to be anymore. I've grown up in the "country" (around farmers and hunters and such) and from what I seem to recall overhearing, the deer population has become such a problem that they don't worry about too many hunters. You are still limited to how many deer you can kill, though.

Deer are getting out of hand around here. The last "census" had the local population in the 40 per square mile range, nearly triple what it was about 10 years ago.

While I'm a gun nut and love shooting, I've never been to big on hunting, especially some classes of hunter. But don't tell anyone I said that, because that would put me on the outs with some of the shotgun-rifle-and-four-wheel-drive circles around here.

I grew up on a farm, and still live out here in the country. Trouble was, during hunting season, you'd have idiots that wouldn't ask for permission come on your property, trample crops, etc. Years ago, one time we got so mad, we confiscated ourselves a vehicle and made the owner pay $200 to get it back. The idiots drove a pickup right in a soybean field, trampling good beans. Made my father so mad I though his head was going to explode.

So that's what I've had to deal with with hunters over the years. Not all are like that like I must say, just a minority of idiots.

However, the deer have become much worse than even those idiots. However, there's another problem, which I'll get to. Soybeans, especially young ones just shooting up out of the ground, are like a chocolate fudge sundae to deer and they will strip a field clean around the edges and come on into the center as they get bolder.

My father is getting old and doesn't plant much any more, but he did manage to plant about 30 acres of beans around his house this year, and the deer came. So he got after me to do something about it. So I thought I'd get some hunters to come in (as it was out of season, one needs a "predation permit" to be completely legal). However, I had no takers. They want a large population for more pickins for them come deer season. :sigh:

It turned out they even helped get the population increased around here. A wildlife official admitted they'd moved in deer from down state up here as part of a program to increase the population at the behest of the hunters. It went beyond their wildest dreams.

We'd been scaring them off with shotguns and .22s, but I got finally got serious with a .30-06. I've got a that in a Remington autoloader. Later one afternoon, about 5 deer snuck up out the woods and started grazing the beans. I went out, and from a distance over 400 yards, fired a couple shots at the group.

I wasn't even trying. I didn't try to estimate range or elevation -- can't even remember what I had the scope zeroed on. Anyway, they scattered and never came back that evening. Next morning, I noticed a bunch of buzzards flying around and on the ground. Well, well.

I went down there and sure enough, I'd killed one. It was funny. I wasn't even trying, and I'd scored a nearly perfect shoulder shot. It was just plain FMJ bullets, and rolling it over, there was a nice exit wound. In and out, and dropped it where it stood just about.

As it was out of season, and I had no predation permit, I quickly got the front-end loader and buried it. However, after some inquiries, it turned out I was in the clear. It was close enough to the house to be legal. I forget what that distance was exactly, but it's legal to kill a wild animal doing damage like that within a certain radius of a homestead/house and I was within the limit.


Again, I had to laugh as I wasn't really trying. I fired over the group of deer, and just by pure luck happened to get the elevation just right for the distance and dropped one clean.

-Richard

[Tinaa]

My brother always bow hunts. Says it is more of a challenge. He usually bags a his limit. We have several butchers in this area that process the meat. He gives a bunch of it to families that really need the help. We have so many deer here they actually starve. It is a real mess.

[DrRocket]

I figure there are . . . I think every hobby possible is covered by at least one BAUT member.

Anyway, I'm interested in taking up hunting. It's always been something I thought I'd enjoy, but I don't know how to harvest the animals and have no particular desire to kill for the sake of killing.

But my girlfriend's brother-in-law hunts, and has expressed interest in taking his sons hunting. I figure that my involvement could serve dual purposes; I'd get to hunt and have any animals taken actually go to good use, and he could probably use help keeping an eye on his three boys.

Anyway, I was looking for information on deer hunting, and bow hunting for white-tails in particular. I found a lot of sites that had random blog-style articles, and lots of sites that said "there's a wealth of information on bowhunting available online!" . . . yet this supposed information was no where to be found.

Anyone have some tips, or know of any good resources?

I am a certified Hunter Education Instructor in my state. As is the case in most states, all instructors are volunteers. Also as is the case, new hunters, unless old enough to be "grandfathered" (here that is born before 1969) must pass a Hunter Education class and receive certification before they purchase or apply for a hunting license of any kind.

So, if you are interested I suggest that the first step would be to contact your Department of Wildlife Resources (or similar title) and determine how to enroll in a class.

Here is the web site for the department in Ohio.
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Default.a...oh.us/wildlife

And here is their Hunter Education page

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/Hunt...6/Default.aspx

[Fazor]

So, if you are interested I suggest that the first step would be to contact your Department of Wildlife Resources (or similar title) and determine how to enroll in a class.

Yep. In Ohio, the actual class is only required for youth hunters. I just have to take and pass the test. The gun / bow store here in town offers the tests, and then you can get your license from them right there as soon as you pass.

I looked through the material, but it's all gun safety stuff. I've been certified for concealed carry, law enforcement, and private security seperately, so I'm not worried about the class itself.

[DrRocket]

Yep. In Ohio, the actual class is only required for youth hunters. I just have to take and pass the test. The gun / bow store here in town offers the tests, and then you can get your license from them right there as soon as you pass.

I looked through the material, but it's all gun safety stuff. I've been certified for concealed carry, law enforcement, and private security seperately, so I'm not worried about the class itself.

That sounds like a rather abbreviated class.

Our classes include gun safety, principles of operation of guns and ammunition, hunting ethics, wildlife management, marksmanship, survival, and special topics. The class runs a minimum of 12 hours, and 16-18 is more common, plus range time and a marksmanship test.

The cost to students is $10 and on completion they get a small game license. The $10 is less than the normal cost of the license.

I see on the web site that Ohio offers instructor-led classes as well as just the proficiency test for those over 18. If you have not hunted before you might consider taking the full class. I have had people as old as 60 take my class, even though they are not required to have certification.

Or you might just find some trustworthy people who are hunters and are willing to take a newbie with them.

What do you intend to hunt ?

[DrRocket]

Here is a web site with a Hunter Education Course that is used by some programs. In my state it is used for the "internet option". The students must take and pass all of the quizzes with a 100% grade and then take a hands-one class that lasts about 6 hours and includes a written test and a marksmanship test.

http://homestudy.ihea.com/

[Moose]

Anyway, I'm interested in taking up hunting. It's always been something I thought I'd enjoy, but I don't know how to harvest the animals and have no particular desire to kill for the sake of killing.

Who says you have to shoot at anything? Go in with a camera and a telephoto lens. Pretty much the same skills, techniques, and experience involved. Only there's no bag limit, and no cleanup afterward (except for what you drag in.)

If you like the shooting, no bag limit on paper targets at your local range.

[hhEb09'1]

Who says you have to shoot at anything?

The OP, if I'm not mistaken.

I hunted for most my life, and I haven't hunted in nearly thirty years. There is no activity, like photography or riflery, that compares. Sometimes, getting messy is a necessary, though inconsequential, part.

[SolusLupus]

Yes, I'm a voracious hunter of cardboard targets.

[tdvance]

Not a hunter--have only shot dirtpiles and haystacks (well, rabbits with a bb gun) though never the broad side of a barn since I doubt I could hit it. But dad is--has been to both Wyoming and Colorado (getting the rectangular states checked off) in search of---Elk I think? rather than Moose. Didn't see any though--but his hunting club of about 10 people put their money together and bought a retired schoolbus for the trips and had a good time.

[tdvance]

I almost forgot, dad went with Chuck Yeager on one of those trips! Of course, no known relation with the famous one....

[Argos]

Back in the day [1940´s trough early 70´s], my grandfather and father used to hunt in the northwestern savannas and forests of Brazil. I myself used be a bird hunter [mostly ducks] in my late teens. However, hunt regulations have become increasingly tight [if not outright forbidden], and it´s generally ostracized down here, on account of new environmental attitudes. By my turn I have also developed a bleeding heart that stops me from doing it. So no, not a hunter anymore. But it used to be fun.

[Fazor]

What do you intend to hunt ?

White-tail is what I'm most interested in. Plenty of good meat, so I think it'd be very worth-while game. I could also see hunting rabbit, as I'd be interested in both the meat and could use the pelts for tying flies to fish with.

At first I was most interested in hunting during gun season, as I'm already proficient with the weapons. The more I talk to hunters, and the more I read about it, the more I think I'd enjoy bow-hunting.

I had just started looking at compound bows, but my car died on Tuesday, and needs a new fuel pump, so it may be a while before I can start to gear up and get licensed.

[DrRocket]

White-tail is what I'm most interested in. Plenty of good meat, so I think it'd be very worth-while game. I could also see hunting rabbit, as I'd be interested in both the meat and could use the pelts for tying flies to fish with.

At first I was most interested in hunting during gun season, as I'm already proficient with the weapons. The more I talk to hunters, and the more I read about it, the more I think I'd enjoy bow-hunting.

I had just started looking at compound bows, but my car died on Tuesday, and needs a new fuel pump, so it may be a while before I can start to gear up and get licensed.

If you are going to bow hunt and if you are new to the sport, then I suggest that you find a good bow hunter education class. They are often different from the ordinary hunter education classes, and are required in some states for archery hunters. In any case they cover quite a bit of specialized information unique to hunting with a bow. You will learn that only certain shots should be taken with a bow -- you will pass up angle that are fine for a rifle but could easily result in wounded game with an arrow. You will also learn more refined tracking skills. After you shoot an arrow, the hunt is just beginning.

One item of critical importance, if you hunt from a tree stand (I don't but it is common in the East) is proper use and safety of tree stands and safety harnesses. Both can kill you if not well designed and properly used.

You might also take a look at traditional bows -- long bows and recurves. They are not as efficient as compounds, but are a lot more fun to carry since they are pounds lighter.

[Fazor]

If you are going to bow hunt and if you are new to the sport, then I suggest that you find a good bow hunter education class. They are often different from the ordinary hunter education classes, and are required in some states for archery hunters. In any case they cover quite a bit of specialized information unique to hunting with a bow. You will learn that only certain shots should be taken with a bow -- you will pass up angle that are fine for a rifle but could easily result in wounded game with an arrow. You will also learn more refined tracking skills. After you shoot an arrow, the hunt is just beginning.

Ah, see that's the exact type of information I was looking for online. What are the good, clean kill shots, and what shots should be avoided (nothing worse than an injury that will kill a deer days or weeks later). I'd imagine small game wouldn't be as difficult to get a kill, or a hit that allows the animal to be captured and put down. (Though on the flip side, obviously the smaller target is harder to hit).

One item of critical importance, if you hunt from a tree stand (I don't but it is common in the East) is proper use and safety of tree stands and safety harnesses. Both can kill you if not well designed and properly used.

Yes, those are very common around here, and without looking at statistics, I can garuntee they're either the first or second most common cause of death and injury (up there with heart attack).

I do not plan to use them; if I want to hunt prey by sitting and waiting, I'll grab my fishing pole. Even then I don't like the passive (live bait) sit and wait approach. I'm a lure guy.

You might also take a look at traditional bows -- long bows and recurves. They are not as efficient as compounds, but are a lot more fun to carry since they are pounds lighter.

The only concern I have for a long bow or recurve bow is that I'm short, and wonder if they'd be too awkward for me to handle. I'd prefer them, as on top of the thrill of hunting, I'd have the additional geek-thrill of feeling like an old-timey huntsman. Once I recover from my auto repair bills, I'll start to seriously check out my options and go to the store to get a feel for 'em.

[HenrikOlsen]

Another advantage with the long and recurve bows is that you can make a hobby out of making them yourself.
I have a 6' ash stave that's been drying for 2 years waiting for me to get the time to continue working on it

[eric_marsh]

I don't care to kill animals but am prepared to do so when necessary. I live on a ranch and have lost several cats, most likely to coyotes. Wild pigs are a problem here too. Consequently I keep an AK by the back door and shoot at them when the opportunity presents itself.

[SolusLupus]

An AK? I assume it's civilian issue and not capable of automatic fire.

[Fazor]

An AK? I assume it's civilian issue and not capable of automatic fire.

There's plenty of those. I had one up until last month, though it ended up being comindeered by a family member in order to be sold to help another family member (it was a 'hand-me-down' that landed in my possession after a death, so it wasn't really "mine").

[DrRocket]

The only concern I have for a long bow or recurve bow is that I'm short, and wonder if they'd be too awkward for me to handle. I'd prefer them, as on top of the thrill of hunting, I'd have the additional geek-thrill of feeling like an old-timey huntsman. Once I recover from my auto repair bills, I'll start to seriously check out my options and go to the store to get a feel for 'em.

Unless you are in the midget category you ought to be able to find a recurve that you can handle easily. It is pretty easy to find a recurve with an overall length of less than 5 ft, so if it is 2 1/2 ft or so from your hand to the ground when you hold your arm straight out there should be no problem. Martin archery makes some good traditional bows at reasonable prices. If you can find a Bear bow they also were good traditional bows and can sometimes be found rather inexpensively as used items.

[Fazor]

Unless you are in the midget category you ought to be able to find a recurve that you can handle easily. It is pretty easy to find a recurve with an overall length of less than 5 ft, so if it is 2 1/2 ft or so from your hand to the ground when you hold your arm straight out there should be no problem. Martin archery makes some good traditional bows at reasonable prices. If you can find a Bear bow they also were good traditional bows and can sometimes be found rather inexpensively as used items.

I saw some Bear Bows in Cabella's, and probably some Martins though I don't recall them as easilly.

And I went to one of the links you gave me . . . or a page found through one of the links you gave me (I had a hard time finding the original link I followed). Basically, made my way to Ohio's online bow-hunter's ed course. Great stuff, and I've already read through the material once. Eager to get home and read through it again.

[DrRocket]

I saw some Bear Bows in Cabella's, and probably some Martins though I don't recall them as easilly.

And I went to one of the links you gave me . . . or a page found through one of the links you gave me (I had a hard time finding the original link I followed). Basically, made my way to Ohio's online bow-hunter's ed course. Great stuff, and I've already read through the material once. Eager to get home and read through it again.

Here is a site for Blackwidow bows. They make semi-custom recurves and longbows, and the prices on the bows are a bit steep. The bows are probably worth it to aficianados. However, they sell arrow and othre accessories at more modest prices and these items can be difficult to find at traditional sporting goods stores. They are one source for gold tip arrows and weight systems (lots of places have the arrows but few the weights) so that you can tune the stiffness, mass and balance to your particular bow, draw length and pull weight.

http://www.blackwidowbows.com/