Getting tags where I live is a little hard since we are on a lottery system. Which sucks since you can go years before getting a tag of any kind. I also live in an area that is not huge on hunting. I live in a large city and just a short drive of about an hour or 2 is the nearest hunting grounds for Elk. So you can imagine when I get tags it is a big deal.
A friend of mine was telling me about the experience they had last season. They got their tags and drove up to the hunting grounds. They know the area since they put in for tags every year for the same place. They know the animal's routine, where they go, what they do, etc... All the things a hunter should know before they go out.
Well they went out in the morning before dawn to get to their spot they were going to wait. Someone was in a similar area, and must have been new to hunting. This new person was shining their flash light in the valley of where the elk were walking through. This was minutes before the sun was going to come up. This of course scattered the elk and drove them up on the side of the mountain that makes it hard to get to them. So of course they had a difficult time getting any meat this trip.
If you are new to hunting you should probably take someone out with you that knows what they are doing. Let them show you the ropes. If you don't have someone to show you here are some things you should not do:
1. Let every animal in a 1000 yard radius know you are there. If you are hunting just before dawn don't start flashing your flash light everywhere to see. Walk slow and pay attention to where you place your feet. Move like the animals you are hunting. If they move slow, you need to move slow. Be quiet and don't make your presence known. Once the animal knows you are there they will do one of two things either leave or attack. An Elk or Deer will leave the area or make it hard for you to see them. A Bear on the other hand might possibly charge, and you may never be heard from again. If you really feel the need to see in the dark get either a night vision scopes, night vision binoculars or thermal imaging. Any of these will let you see in the dark. CountryGearUSA is a great place to get gear you will need to hunting.
2. Think you will get an animal in the first 30 minutes of hunting. While this does happen, it is extremely rare. It takes time and a lot of patience. Sometimes you will sit for 2 or 3 hours and not see an animal. Be prepared for that. I know a guide that took some people out for a hunt, and he told one of the people to sit on a rock and wait a big Elk will come through. Well about an hour later the guy came back to camp and told the guide that he didn't see anything. A short time later the guide went back to the area and saw the big Elk he told the guy about was sitting on the rock he told the guy to sit on.
There have been times I have sat for 4 hours and not seen a animal other than a squirrel. I have sat in freezing temperatures waiting to see a deer but only hear it walking around me. This does happen, this is hunting. This is not a video game were the animals come to you and you have an easy shot.
3. Random Gun Fire. Yes people do this. If you are this bored that you have to randomly shoot your rifle, you should not be hunting. If you are not capable of handling a firearm responsible you should not be hunting. Just because you passed your hunter safety course doesn't mean you know how to handle a firearm. Learn to be bored, we all did it when we were kids.
Taking a hunter safety course is the only way to get a licenses, but you learn the theory and safety needed for hunting. Don't be the stupid person that is out messing up other peoples hunts. If you are not able to go with someone that knows what they are doing, be patient or responsible with your firearm stay at home. Don't put in for tags, because if you draw tags you are taking them away from someone responsible enough to go hunting. Hunting isn't just a sport it is a way to put food on the table for the year, or a way to help feed a community.
A friend of mine was telling me about the experience they had last season. They got their tags and drove up to the hunting grounds. They know the area since they put in for tags every year for the same place. They know the animal's routine, where they go, what they do, etc... All the things a hunter should know before they go out.
Well they went out in the morning before dawn to get to their spot they were going to wait. Someone was in a similar area, and must have been new to hunting. This new person was shining their flash light in the valley of where the elk were walking through. This was minutes before the sun was going to come up. This of course scattered the elk and drove them up on the side of the mountain that makes it hard to get to them. So of course they had a difficult time getting any meat this trip.
If you are new to hunting you should probably take someone out with you that knows what they are doing. Let them show you the ropes. If you don't have someone to show you here are some things you should not do:
1. Let every animal in a 1000 yard radius know you are there. If you are hunting just before dawn don't start flashing your flash light everywhere to see. Walk slow and pay attention to where you place your feet. Move like the animals you are hunting. If they move slow, you need to move slow. Be quiet and don't make your presence known. Once the animal knows you are there they will do one of two things either leave or attack. An Elk or Deer will leave the area or make it hard for you to see them. A Bear on the other hand might possibly charge, and you may never be heard from again. If you really feel the need to see in the dark get either a night vision scopes, night vision binoculars or thermal imaging. Any of these will let you see in the dark. CountryGearUSA is a great place to get gear you will need to hunting.
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2. Think you will get an animal in the first 30 minutes of hunting. While this does happen, it is extremely rare. It takes time and a lot of patience. Sometimes you will sit for 2 or 3 hours and not see an animal. Be prepared for that. I know a guide that took some people out for a hunt, and he told one of the people to sit on a rock and wait a big Elk will come through. Well about an hour later the guy came back to camp and told the guide that he didn't see anything. A short time later the guide went back to the area and saw the big Elk he told the guy about was sitting on the rock he told the guy to sit on.
There have been times I have sat for 4 hours and not seen a animal other than a squirrel. I have sat in freezing temperatures waiting to see a deer but only hear it walking around me. This does happen, this is hunting. This is not a video game were the animals come to you and you have an easy shot.
3. Random Gun Fire. Yes people do this. If you are this bored that you have to randomly shoot your rifle, you should not be hunting. If you are not capable of handling a firearm responsible you should not be hunting. Just because you passed your hunter safety course doesn't mean you know how to handle a firearm. Learn to be bored, we all did it when we were kids.
Taking a hunter safety course is the only way to get a licenses, but you learn the theory and safety needed for hunting. Don't be the stupid person that is out messing up other peoples hunts. If you are not able to go with someone that knows what they are doing, be patient or responsible with your firearm stay at home. Don't put in for tags, because if you draw tags you are taking them away from someone responsible enough to go hunting. Hunting isn't just a sport it is a way to put food on the table for the year, or a way to help feed a community.
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