Fill my brain with hunting knowledge!

[genericname]

...and never went into the woods without a COMPASS...LEARN HOW TO READ ONE...

Not a problem there. One of the perks of growing up in the North is that they try and prepare you for things like that. We were taught map reading and compass navigation in, oh, probably 3rd grade. Brought the compass with me on my honeymoon in Japan, and the wife thought I was nuts. Saved our asses a few times, and now she can't stop singing its praises.

Identifying things like poison oak and ivy was taught early as well, along with hints about water sources. Back home, the popular term for common illnesses you could get from drinking from stagnant sources was "beaver fever". No kidding.

you didnt "caught" a duck you "killed & dressed it."

I stand corrected. Certainly not my intention to make light by using less harsh language.

I like the cut of your jib! I may not be old, but I was born old, and we may not see eye to eye on other issues, but I can certainly empathise with your stance on a lot of what you said.

 

[ucmj22]

i hunted & fished in ARROSTOOK COUNTY, northern maine and never went into the woods without a COMPASS...LEARN HOW TO READ ONE.......may mean life or death.

AHHHHhhhhhhh land nav. I'll never forget the unbridled fear of following a Luitenant with a compass in to the woods....

 

[rjssigns]

If it's brown it's down. DOH!!!
If it flies, it dies.
(used to hunt with some weird ducks)

 

[Heis3335]

The .22 rifle is a must have for any beginner. I understand that you would like to bow hunt, but starting out with small game and a .22 or air rifle even, is the best and cheapest way to learn. While small game animals don't have the nose that large game animals do, most have very god hearing and sight. Hunting them will teach you basics, and most of all patience. There is no right way to hunt, but there are endless ways to hunt wrong. Don't set you sights too high at first, everyone has to learn in their own way, but starting out bow hunting large game could lead to frustration very quickly. Before I started bow hunting I spent a couple of evenings in a stand with my .22 just sitting still,watching,listening and learning. The more you are out in the fields the more you will learn, and the better the chances you will have at success. Always keep in mind that you will fail at hunting way more often than you will succeed, but always take something away from a hunt to learn from.

There are countless books written on the subject of hunting, so no reply on a forum will give you 1% of all the information you will need to be successful in the woods, but hopefully these replies will get you started in the right direction and offer you endless hours of enjoyment in the woods and fields. I guide pheasant hunters in South Dakota every fall, and it still amazes me how a bird with a brain the size of a walnut can still make me look like a total idiot (it is a very humbling experience).

Happy hunting