by TalkHunting Member Russell “Jaeger” Kassner

It seems to me that my first full-length introductory article for the Campfire News should be an article explaining how people can be introduced into hunting.  This article is directed primarily to those of you who do not come from families with hunting backgrounds or who live in urban and suburban areas where hunting is not a commonplace way of life.  For example, you may be a young person who lives in an urban or suburban area and whose only exposure to hunting comes through reading magazines.  You may be a lady who wishes to get into hunting in order to enjoy the outdoors and has no real idea where to get started.  Further, you may be an older person in need of direction as to how to get into hunting for yourself or another.  In this article I will attempt to provide ways in which you can be introduced to hunting on your own.  I am primarily a self taught hunter and will present to you how I obtained the information and skills necessary to enjoy the outdoors through hunting.

Before we go any further, I would like to make one cautionary point.  Unlike fishing, there is no catch and release in hunting.  As you go through the steps to acquire a hunting knowledge, equipment and a place to hunt it will at some point become necessary for you to deal with the fact that hunting involves taking the life of an animal.  This article is not intended to address the moral implications of hunting but rather allow you to contemplate whether this type of outdoor activity is acceptable to you.  If it is not, there are many other ways you can enjoy the outdoors, such as, for example, hiking, outdoor photography, etc. Whether to become a hunter and engage in all that hunting entails is a decision only you can make.

Young or old, the first place to start is by garnering information about hunting in general.  Periodicals are an excellent way to get an overall picture of the various aspects of hunting.  Magazines, books, etc. should be the first place you look and read everything you can get your hands on.  Additionally, in this modern day and age, much information is available through various Internet web sites.  There is none better than TalkHunting.com.  It is a family friendly site where you can post basic questions and get various answers and opinions from experienced hunters across the country.  Libraries are also an excellent place to get general information on various types of hunting.

If you are too young to drive or obtain a hunting license it helps to have the support of parents or others who will take you to libraries, magazine stores, gun and archery shops etc.  In my case, even though my parents did not know much about hunting, they supported my interest in hunting and took me to those places where I could get general information.

Once you are old enough to qualify for a hunting license, the various safety courses provided by the state game agencies will provide excellent instruction in beginning hunting and other outdoor activities.  Often these agencies offer such courses as general hunting, bow hunting, trapping, waterfowl identification, among other things.  Indeed, successful completion of a basic hunter safety course is almost universally required before you can obtain a hunting license.  Further, many state game agencies, including New York State, offer safety courses and or self-study courses online to assist the student in preparation for the actual live safety course.

Notably, in New York State, the state game agency also runs a series of programs called Women Outdoors which provides many courses in outdoor activities and is an excellent place for women looking to get into the outdoors to meet with other like-minded women.  Check with your own state game agency to see if it offers similar programs.

Once you are convinced that hunting is for you and have investigated through reading and taking various safety and informational courses, the next step is to get hands-on experience with hunting implements.  Again, in this area, the youth have an advantage in the multitude of programs available to them.

School or local summer field archery programs provide the young person with an opportunity to experience the thrill of sending an arrow from your bow to a target down range.  In order to get hands-on experience with firearms, the youth divisions of local gun clubs are an excellent place to start.  It is often much easier to get into a gun club as a young person than it is as an adult.  Often spaces in gun clubs are limited or have waiting lists for adults but will readily except junior or youth members.  In my particular case, I was enrolled in the summer field archery program at a very young age and allowed to continue daily practice in the small range set up outside in the backyard of my house.  When I became old enough to handle a firearm, yet not old enough to obtain hunting license, my parents assisted in enrolling me in the junior division of a local gun club where I learned to shoot four position .22 caliber target series.

If you are an adult, this is the point at which it becomes slightly more difficult to get hands-on experience with actual bows or firearms in preparation for your career as a hunter.  I would recommend that you make friends while taking your hunter safety courses in order to find those who may have grown up with hunting as a family activity.  This may get you invited to experience shooting bows and rifles and or shotguns in a target setting prior to venturing afield.  If you cannot find these opportunities, rely on your experience obtained from reading periodicals to purchase a first bow or firearm and start seeking shooting instruction.  Many well-established shooting ranges have instructors who will provide proper instruction in archery, rifle or shotgun shooting.  hunt and head out afield.Once you're proficient with your chosen weapon, you are now ready to look for places to

Now comes the fun part, where do I go to hunt?  The first source to turn to in looking for an area to hunt is through your local state game agencies.  If you already have a hunting license, often your regulations guide will have a list of the more popular public hunting areas.  In order to dig deeper and get more specific, contact the various regional offices of your state game agencies near the areas you wish to visit.  They will be able to provide you with all the information necessary to hunt the nearby public areas including the need for any required seasonal or daily access permits.  In addition, many agencies also provide maps showing exactly where the public hunting areas are and where parking and other public access is permitted.  

Another excellent way of obtaining information on places to hunts is to visit local gun or sporting goods shops in the areas immediately near the public hunting areas.  Talking with sales clerks at these local stores will often reveal other more isolated hunting areas or hunting access points not normally utilized by the majority of hunters.  As a side note, never leave the gun shop without buying at least one small item in order to thank the clerk for giving you information or directions.  I often will not leave a gun shop without buying a small, few dollar pocket knife.  After several decades I probably have at least two pocket knives stashed in almost every piece of hunting equipment I own.  It is money well spent and helps ensure that the next time you visit the same hunting shop the clerk may reveal even more information.  Besides, it is always a good thing to reward those who help you by revealing information not otherwise readily available.

You are now in a position to head out afield and enjoy hunting.  Initially, many people prefer to go out in groups of two or three in order to assist each other and enjoy the outdoors together.  In my case, most of my initial hunting forays were conducted solo in the local marshes and Pine Barrens of Eastern Long Island.  By studying local maps provided by the state game agencies I was able to identify those smaller and under hunted areas often overlooked by more experienced hunters.  Later, while attending college in the Midwest, I made friends with local boys who also enjoyed hunting and would often take me to their home on the weekends in order to go hunting and generally get away from classes and enjoy time in the woods.  Upon returning to New York, I again found myself in a position of doing most of my hunting solo.  While hunting with one or two others is an enjoyable and pleasant way to spend the day, many of us who have learned to hunt solo enjoy the peace and solitude of being in the outdoors alone away from distractions of work and other matters.

By the way, I’ll let you in on a little secret.  National Hunting and Fishing Day is always in September.  That is the day many sportsman’s clubs and state game agencies have events to show the public what hunting is all about.  Check your local agencies and see what will be provided. For more information on your local events, contact The National Hunting and Fishing Organization:

NHF Day Coordinator
500 W. Sunshine St.
Springfield, Mo 65807
Phone: 417890-9453
On the Web at:  http://www.nhfday.org/Default.aspx
   
In summary, to get started in hunting, garner as much information as you possibly can through reading and visiting gun shops, get hands-on experience with your choice of bows, rifles or shotguns by joining various clubs or visiting local shooting ranges that provide instruction and then seek out those special places to hunt by contacting your state game agencies and local sporting goods shops.