# Advice for starting out



## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

I'm just getting started hunting and don't really have anyone to learn from, so I'm doing what I can to figure it out. This sunday, I'm taking the hunter education course, and the study materials have been helpful, but are pretty basic. 

Right now, I only have a Ruger 10/22 rifle, so that basically limits me to squirrel, and rabbit after the first of the year (on state park land). I've thought about getting either a slug gun or bow to go after a deer, but I think it might be wise to wait until next year to take on that challenge, especially since I'll be going it alone. I think I'd prefer bowhunting, but it seems substantially more difficult, and likely more expensive.

In any case, what is the one piece of advice that you'd give a hunter just starting out? What do you wish you'd have known when you started?


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## T-180 (Oct 18, 2005)

Treat every gun like it's loaded at all times & be aware of where that bullet is going after your intended target.
What part of the state are you from ....... maybe someone here can help you or know of a club that mentors beginning hunters.
Welcome aboard & glad to have a new hunter !!


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

Thanks T-180! I'm in southwest Ohio, and I expect to be hunting at East Fork mostly, maybe with a trip or two to Cowan or Stonelick.


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## davycrockett (Apr 9, 2005)

Best advice is DON'T START! Unless you want to be hooked for life and spend every dollar and minute you can afford to feed the habit! All joking aside, I was self taught on the outdoors(hunting,fishing,trapping). My dad never had an interest in any of them so I had to learn on my own. I read every magazine and book I could get my hands on - this was before the Internet. I urge you to do the same and include outstanding web sights such as this one and absorb all you can. Take it slow. Start out with the small game and work your way up. Experience in the field is the best teacher. Don't get frustrated and keep learning cause the rewards are well worth it! Dont be affraid toPm me with any ?s Good luck!


Golf is a good walk spoiled - Mark Twain


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

Coonskin cap, maybe? 

I'm going to hit the library today, which I've found to be a good resource for this kind of stuff, and less of an investment.


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## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

Just enjoy yourself.
Being in SW Ohio, you are in a bow-hunters paradise. Lot's of archery clubs around. Join a club, meet some people and you'll be on your way. Food for thought; you can hunt with a bow during gun season but you can't hunt with a gun during bow season.
I'm self taught also. I love to fish and hunt. The closest to the outdoors my family makes it is maybe to the porch or patio. 
If you have any questions, pm me. I'll be glad to help.


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

I'm leaning more an more toward getting a bow, especially since I'm guessing that public lands during gun season are crowded and potentially dangerous.

Thanks for the info crappiedude, and I might hit you up for more info down the road!


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## FISH DINNER (Jul 23, 2010)

Welcome to the lifestyle! We are in the same neck of the woods, so that's pretty cool. I tell ya what, you find a prime piece of deer hunting land for us and I will teach you how to hunt it! This sport is all about what you make of it. You can get by spending only a minimal amount of money, or you can go all out buying all the newest gadgets and gear to play with. You are actually in a good position to prepare for bowhunting for next season. If you have the funds you could either pick up a crossbow, or a compound and have plenty of time to learn how to properly shoot it throughout the course of the winter, spring, and summer. You can usually always find someone selling a used bow. As a matter of fact I have a good friend in the Milford area with his own archery shop that always has a small amount of used compounds for sale. PM me for more details. I'm partial to the compound myself, but the crossbow is generally easier to learn and less of a challenge to use in the field. Compounds however can open a whole 'nother door into the world of 3D shooting which is also easily addicting! Let me know if you have any other questions and once again, welcome to the dark side!


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

Thanks all for the info. I ended up buying a 12 gauge Mossberg 500 with slug and smooth barrels. Last weekend, I hit east fork looking for rabbits. Basically walked the margins of the fields, tromping on brush. I flushed one pretty good and got a reasonable, but missed, shot on him. I like the physicality of hunting this way, but it's pretty tiring. Things learned:

- steel toed boots. Don't even consider hunting rabbits in them.

- rabbits are hard to find. I sort of knew this, but didn't really understand.

I think I'm gonna wait for the bow season to be over to buy a bow. I did end up buying some nice hunting boots too. Hunting is more expensive than fishing...


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## fshnteachr (Jun 9, 2007)

nitsud said:


> I did end up buying some nice hunting boots too. Hunting is more expensive than fishing...



Funny you mentioned that...when you originally asked for advice, the first thing that popped in my head was get good boots. lol


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

nitsud said:


> Right now, I only have a Ruger 10/22 rifle, so that basically limits me to squirrel, and rabbit after the first of the year (on state park land). In any case, what is the one piece of advice that you'd give a hunter just starting out?


I'd say first double check the regulations! Could be wrong but I don't think you're allowed to use any kind of centerfire or rimfire "rifle" on any State lands for safety reasons. You'd be much better off using a shotgun(a cheap single shot would be great as a starter gun) for bunnies and treerats, plus you might even stumble into a leftover pheasant. You could also use it with rifled slugs for deer during the gun season, or for turkey if there are any in your area. The fact you only have one shot, makes you as a new hunter, a little safer overall, and also requires that you acquire a degree of skill since you have to make that one shot count! I'd be willing to bet, 90% of us on this site started with that type of gun. Once you get proficient, there is a variety of other types of guns you might migrate to if you so desire, and still want to pursue hunting as a passtime.


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## fshnteachr (Jun 9, 2007)

c. j. stone said:


> I'd be willing to bet, 90% of us on this site started with that type of gun. Once you get proficient, there is a variety of other types of guns you might migrate to .



I have been hunting for awhile now and still love to simply use my single shot shotgun. For one thing, it is lighter to carry around! lol


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

fshnteachr said:


> I have been hunting for awhile now and still love to simply use my single shot shotgun. For one thing, it is lighter to carry around! lol


I stopped using my repeating slug gun in favor of my ML since I was developing a tendancy to "flock shoot" at deer, sometimes emptying the gun with no hits. Knowing you only have one shot, makes you more patient and ends up with more clean kills. Also, you move less which helps from alerting the animals-call it 'stealth'. I remember my first single shot twenty gauge shotgun in infinite detail. I often wish I still had it or one exactly like it. I shot many meals with that gun.


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

Hadn't considered the weight issue, but I got the Mossberg 500 for cheap, and it works great for rabbits (not that I've killed one...) and deer (same). I like the H&R stuff, and wouldn't mind getting a 20 ga single slug gun down the road, both for weight and recoil. Took the 500 out today with the rifled barrel on some public land after sighting it in at the range.

This was my first deer hunt, and I don't have (or really want, right now) a treestand, so I sat at the base of trees and tried not to stink. I found a nice spot above a small hollow at around 8 am, and had two deer approach me from behind my tree. My heart thumping, I tried to turn to get a shot, but one of them spotted me, and then, all I could see was deer ass, bouncing through the woods, mocking me. Pretty exciting, in any case...

Is there any central, online source for state park hunting regulations? I can find bits and pieces, but no clear definition. I got the idea that wildlife lands allow hunting of rabbits with a .22 from:

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/Hun.../rabbithuntingbasics/tabid/22337/Default.aspx

Anyway, not what I wanted most from my first deer hunt, but I'll consider seeing a couple and not dying of a heart attack from adrenaline a success.


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

One other thing, I've sort of come around to the idea of hunting on public land. I only directly saw two hunters, and that was moving around a number of times during the day. Gunshots were somewhat common, especially in the morning, but I never felt unsafe. Things might be different saturday and sunday.


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## bdawg (Apr 14, 2009)

It's really a different story on public land on the first day and weekends. Get a lot of rookies out on those days. Sometimes though, they will walk around too much and chase the deer towards you. I like the single shot guns too for beginners. Teaches them to be more accurate on the first shot. It's the most important one anyways. 

One trick I use for deer hunting is to clear a space in the leaves down to the dirt to stand on so that if you have to shift your feet to shoot at a deer behind you, you can without making any noise. I helped me on Monday, but a little grape vine got in the way! Grape vines don't cook up as well as deer. 

For rabbits, wait for a fresh snowfall. Then you can track them and don't have to beat on every bush in the area. And they tend to sit tighter instead of running ahead of you. 

P.S. - you're cheating with that scope on. More of a challenge without one!


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

Hell yeah I'm cheating! I'm hungry!

That's a good idea, clearing out an area to prepare and get in a better position. One question I have is if it's better to set up to see across a hollow, or with your back to it. I could see either being good. Looking across gives a wide field off view, but the hollow might also funnel animals to some extent.

You just need to marinade that vine a little longer.


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

Went out to some other public land for one last morning. Last night, I found a neck point where the forest is bordered by a field on one side and a lake on the other. Everything was looking good until it started raining, then kept raining. Nothing spotted.

I still have a tag, though, so I'm gonna do what I can to fill it! Anybody got a decent bow for sale?


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

nitsud said:


> Went out to some other public land for one last morning. Last night, I found a neck point where the forest is bordered by a field on one side and a lake on the other. Everything was looking good until it started raining, then kept raining. Nothing spotted.
> 
> I still have a tag, though, so I'm gonna do what I can to fill it! Anybody got a decent bow for sale?


You still have a shotgun weekend to try to fill the tag. Public land can be ok if you set up in a likely, but somewhat out of the way spot near thick cover and let the "public" move them to you. Don't move around too much since that's what you'll be doing for others! I wouldn't personnaly choose a spot where water is one side of a "funnel ". They will swim for it but only when there is no other option.I do know of a guy who shot a nice buck just before it jumped into Salt Fork lake then expired..He had to stripbdown to his skivvies and wade out to drag it tobshore


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

Well, deer hunting season is long gone by now, and it's ended without me filling my tag. After purchasing a Parker Tomahawk crossbow in the middle of December, I went out probably 8 times or so, unsuccessfully. A coworker of mine let me hunt his small parcel of land (5 acres of wood, adjoining a much larger woods, and a cornfield). I spent many hours sitting at the base of a tree.










Sitting completely still for hours is not easy, and what you thought was just a slightly protruding piece of bark when you sat down becomes the full focus of your hatred after 4 hours of it poking you in the back. Still, it can be very meditative, and there were a few times when I blended completely into the woods, but still maintained an extremely high level of awareness of my surroundings. It's somewhat shocking to have a cardinal land on your boot. More so when you have the control to not immediately react and scare it off.

In any case, I'm gonna try to whack some bunnies, cause that's about all that's left to do. I pretty quickly left them and treerats behind in the hope of getting a real quantity of meat for my family. Luckily, I primarily fish on the fly, so I'm familiar with failure. I wouldn't say we are good friends, but we certainly are acquainted. 

Only about 230 days until next deer season... Time to hit the books. And start walking the woods, this time without my crossbow.


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## davycrockett (Apr 9, 2005)

Sounds like you've got the itch bad! When I was younger just starting out I got frustrated when I didn't see or harvest anything. Age and experience have taught me that just being out there is a success. Every outing is a learning experience for me. Don't get me wrong I have days in the field when I swear to give it all up. Trust me with all the lows the highs quickly make you forget about the bad experiences. When you harvest that first deer you'll see what I mean. Don't be too hard on yourself. Ohio whitetails are the some of the toughest to hunt in the nation due to the high hunter #'s per square mile. Hang in there and get out there this spring and do some post season scouting.


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

It has been a great, frustrating, and finally triumphant year for me and hunting. I had intended to go out after working in the morning, but was pulled into a meeting, as sometimes happens. I pried myself away at around 3:30 and made my way to some public land. This area is flatter than I'm used to, but has a number of fields and brushy areas, interspersed with woods and some ponds. I tromped through brush, crossed a couple of creeks, stalked the edges of fields, but didn't see any bunnies until darkness began setting and I was on my way back to the car. The first I saw was 60 yards away at the edge of a field when he heard me and took off into the woods. I stalked him for a while, and saw him again, but he was wise to me, and I continued on my way. I was ready to accept defeat, but took one last path through some brush. The rabbit jumped, and I shot, and was sure I missed. I decided to follow it in the hope of getting another shot, and found her lying dead about 5 yards from where I'd seen her. As the light faded on the last day of the last winter season, I cleaned my first kill.












Thanks to all who gave advice, and I'll do my best to pay it forward.


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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

Congrats, that's a good way to wrap it up for sure.


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## bdawg (Apr 14, 2009)

Congrats. You got me beat this year. I was out 3 times for bunnies and got nothing. Got skunked on the deer too. Good thing my dad shared his deer with me. I got just one squirrel all year!


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

Thanks for the congrats, I was pretty amazed that I actually hit something. On inspection, I must have just barely hit it, because all the meat was intact. I found a couple of holes in the side of the belly and left shoulder, so that must have done it.

After getting the bunny cleaned outside with the hose, I soaked it in saltwater for a day or two in the refrigerator. My wife was a little grossed out by the headless rodent, but my 5 year old son, who has watched me clean various fish, seemed indifferent. I really wanted my family to eat some rabbit and enjoy it, and none of us have had much game other than an occasional piece of venison at family gatherings. I knew that I'd have a pretty good chance of getting them to eat mexican, so I made some mexican pulled rabbit.










Ole! The whole purpose of this thread was to post that picture. Anyway, after soaking for about a day and a half, I took the rabbit apart and got a pretty good pile of meat with bone in, then briefly seared it in nearly smoking hot oil. After that, a bottle of taco sauce, tomatoes, peppers, onion, cilantro, lime juice all go in the pan. Everything cooks down for at least an hour, then the meat comes out and gets pulled off of the bone. Shredded meat back in to further reduce and dry, then you have a really good meat filling for whatever mexican food you like. My wife had two tacos, and my son, daughter and I had bowls with rice.










Everybody but my little girl ate and enjoyed, but she doesn't eat hot dogs reliably. No gamey or foul taste whatsoever. The meat did have some flavor to it, even through the seasoning. I wouldn't say it's like chicken, more comparable to lamb. My wife did her best not to think of the rodent that it came from, and went back for seconds.

As far as things I'll do differently next time, I think that I'll try to have the animal in a more meatlike state before bringing it into the kitchen. As I said, my wife didn't grow up in a hunting household, and she's a little squeamish about the process. Also, next time, I want to actually taste the meat a little better, so I'm going to do a simpler recipe, maybe a classic stew.

With hunting over, I've started gearing up and prepping for next year, and will probably keep posting here as much for my own record as anything.


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## bubbster (Jun 2, 2013)

Inspiring listening to a young guy learning,just starting out! You've already found out that sitting and observing will teach you a lot. In the off season , observing the area you want to hunt is also a good idea . Let other people moving about work for you.


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## bubbster (Jun 2, 2013)

Rabbit meat has a sweet flavor. Some liquid smoke works very well with it !


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## Oh-ducky (Jan 17, 2007)

Congrats on the rabbit

If you have not already do so, I would suggest taking up trap shooting. It's a fun way to get some really good off season practice. Some of the state parks have public shooting ranges, and the best part is that the shotgun ranges are free. If you are by yourself, get a foot trap thrower, or get a buddy and a hand thrower.

If you really want to go off the deep end, take up duck hunting.


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

Thanks for the kind words. I'm starting to gear back up for hunting and scout my spots, etc. Although I wanted to take my first deer from the ground, I'm probably going to get a climber and get proficient with it (and shooting from an elevated position). 

Surprisingly, it is only 96 days until deer season starts. I need to get my spit together!


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## Northern Reb (Jan 3, 2012)

I was in your shoes not too many yrs ago and the best advice I can give you is to practice and dial in ALL your crossbow bolts with a broadhead on and not the practice field tips. I found out the hard way they don't all shoot the same even if they are the same brand from the same box  I missed a buck at 20 yards. It was a clean shot and I knew for certain it wasn't user error. I went straight home and shot every bolt I had and was shocked at the difference. I ended up with four bolts out of 15 that were dead on every time...and three of them were different brands...but they were accurate and that is all that matters.

You may also want to help or watch someone else gut one if you haven't done so already. I thankfully had a good friend with me when I shot my first one and he walked me through it.

Good Luck to you this season!


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## VitalShot (Feb 10, 2012)

Sounds like a good time. I remember those days and that why all these yrs later I am still loving it. Keep going and learning and enjoying as you go. I remember going out as a young kid like 10 and probably younger and climbing up in tress just to watch deer. I wasn't allowed to carry anything at the time but just loved being there. Now I do more tracking wounded deer with my dog for people than I do sitting in trees and its just as fun for me. 


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

Huh, so this is a thing that can happen outside of movies:










I bought a prehistoric PSE compound bow for $40 a while ago and have been doing some target practice, sometimes in my basement. My wife is thrilled with my new hobby: patching drywall.

78 days left.


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## bobk (Apr 30, 2004)

lol, that's the first thing I thought when I saw the picture. Dang he's gutsy shooting in the house. I still do the same thing when it's crappy out but I am in the basement with concrete walls. Congrats on the robin hood.


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## OutdoorKen (Jul 18, 2013)

I've got a little bit of land if anybody ever wants to come over and shoot and meet some new people. I love bow shooting so if you are new to it, I might be able to help you by tuning you in and passing on some of the tips that where passed to me. I'm an avid bow hunter and my farm is just north of seven mile, which is half way between Oxford and Trenton.


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

I've been going back and reading the books I read when I decided I wanted to hunt, and the first, and probably most relevant book that I read:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Guide-Hunting-To-Storey/dp/1603427287"]Amazon.com: The Beginner&#39;s Guide to Hunting Deer for Food (Beginner&#39;s Guide To... (Storey)) (9781603427289): Jackson Landers: [email protected]@[email protected]@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/[email protected]@[email protected]@51qjzXb6bZL[/ame]

So all of the hunting books I've read have some kind of blend of three primary ingredients. The simplest ingredient is the how of hunting, although it's not simple at all. The second most complicated ingredient is the why of hunting, and that's even less simple. The third, and maybe most important and certainly most complex, is the personal story of hunting. In a good book, all three are whipped together in a seamless way that makes the reading fast, pleasurable, and informative. Of the all of the stories that hunters tell, the story of the first kill holds a special place. It's an important milestone for any hunter. The story of Jackson Landers' first kill is almost unbelievable,and just amazing enough to be possible. True or not, it's the best hunting story I've heard or read.

From there, the information is valuable and practical. Chapters 1 through 3 present information about the behavior and habits of deer in a scientific way, with fairly little fluff. Chapter 3, which deals with the evolution of deer, may not be of direct interest to those who don't have a curious bent, but I enjoyed it. Chapters 4-6 deal with the act of killing deer. Weapon selection, hunting tactics, and shot placement. This is what you need to know to kill cleanly, and the presentation in the book is straightforward. The later chapters (7-11) give some rough guidelines on gutting, cooking, and some general advice on where to hunt. It is interesting to note that the author is an advocate of hunting deep in public land, and quartering and packing out the deer.

In general, the book is very informative, and I think that much of the information that I've internalized over the past couple of years has been influenced by this book. There are not all that many books on killing deer for for food, as opposed to the multitude of books dedicated to killing deer with huge antlers. I get that too, but just starting out, I'm not really interested in whacking a 16 pointer. The basic information about the life cycle and biology of deer is very interesting, and potentially useful, to a hunter just starting out.

As far as complaints go, I'd generally say that bowhunting is given very little space in this book, mainly because deer hunting with a rifle is legal in the authors home state. Archery is discounted, because of the relatively short effective range. In a state like Ohio, though, archery is basically the only way to hunt through the season, and this fact is largely ignored by the author. In addition, some people may get antsy about the personal story and views of the author. The story is that he was raised vegetarian, but ended up eating meat, and wanted to eat local meat with a minimum of impact to the environment. When said in that fashion, it seems entirely reasonable and sensible, but I suspect there are significant factions that would take exception to the idea of an environmentalist hunter, even with a long American history of conservation and hunting.

In the end, it's a pretty damn good book. It's dense with practical info, has a simply fantastic first kill story, and does exactly what it purports to: teach people how to (try to  ) kill deer. If you're like me, and just want some venison to feed the family, I think you'll be interested.


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## OutdoorKen (Jul 18, 2013)

Bow hunting won't produce the numbers of kills like a rifle or firearm but you'll see more action and its more fullfilling


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## jmpmstr1998 (Jun 19, 2009)

You Still new to hunting drop me a PM maybe we could hook up for dove season.

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## jmpmstr1998 (Jun 19, 2009)

Also. If you want to give pheasant a try l will let you shoot over my dog sometime.
Let me know.

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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

The doe came crashing through the forest, having abandoned the usual skittish, cautious demeanor of the whitetail deer.

I'd only been in the stand for a short while. I wasn't sure that I'd be hunting at all this year. A couple of months ago, I'd taken a job in Alabama with a government contractor. Unfortunately, the government shutdown and silly 3 month extension of federal funding pushed the risk past the benefit for my family, and I ended up leaving the job shortly after starting.

So there I was, back in Ohio, sitting in a ladder stand that I'd found on my friends land, watching a doe with tail up, running at full speed out of range of my crossbow. The buck was about 50 yards behind her. He paused on the edge of my comfortable range, but was quartering away too steeply for me to get a clean shot. I made a noise. Something like a grunt, but whatever it sounded like, it was enough to get his attention. He lifted his head and turned toward me, just enough. The crosshairs were on the spot, and I was ready. The arrow flew, and hit its mark.

I'm not sure if it's possible at the short distance I was shooting, but I swear I heard the sound of the arrow hitting solidly. I knew that this deer would die, and quickly. He bounded off. I waited. Within a couple of minutes, a second, larger buck appeared within 10 yards of my stand. He likely heard the commotion and smelled the doe. I remained quiet, watching a huge, majestic animal within yards of me. After he moved on, I started down from the stand.

I found the buck about 60 yards from where he had been hit. After a few minutes of amazement, I got to work. From gutting to cutting to cooking, I did it all.










Cleaned him up, and took the tenderloins out first. Pepper, garlic, a little salt, some extremely hot oil, and just a couple of minutes. Fantastic.










That night, we ate venison together. The rest of the tenderloins, crusted with rosemary and garlic, then seared on the Foreman grill. First venison meal for my little ones; they loved it.










From part of one of the backstraps, I made a classic roast with potatoes, carrots, and onions. Treated the venison exactly like I would have treated beef, and it was very tasty. The meat has some unidentifiable flavor that I've never experienced before, but "gamey" isn't the right word at all.










Also made some Chinese deer.










Ni hao!! Alright, that picture was the real reason I started hunting. Really, made some venison lo mein that was pretty good.










In addition, I've made jerky, some breakfast sausage, and a giant pile of ground venison. I ground some with pork belly in about a 3 parts venison to 1 part pork ratio and made some burgers out of that. Learned a ton, and if anyone wants recipes, send a PM and I'll share what I've had good luck with.

I'm currently trying to get a second one to fill up the freezer. I end with a question. Today, it cooled off substantially, and it looks like the cold is here to stay for a while. I was out yesterday, saw a few deer, and took a shot with the slug gun and missed one (shot was through brush, and I was not as patient as I should have been). Today, I didn't see anything. I'm trying to figure out if the missed shot has them spooked, or if the cold weather has them bedding down. I might be able to make it out tomorrow, but if they're spooked, I'll head somewhere else. If it's expected they're bedded down due to the cold, I might try to do some still hunting. Gun season is running out, which I'm not too upset about. I won't have to worry about spooking deer for days when shooting the crossbow.


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## hang_loose (Apr 2, 2008)

Dustin, err nitsud...... Congrats on your 1st rabbit and deer!!! Your cooking skills are going to compliment your growing hunting skills awesomely (sp). Never had Chinese deer but:Banane35: here's to you for washing it down!


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## ML1187 (Mar 13, 2012)

Congrats and awesome first harvest!!! Is that a Parker Thunderhawk I see in the bed of your truck next to that trophy? 


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

Thanks for the kind words.

ml1187, yep, the thing is crazy accurate and I like it a lot. The center serving wears a bit fast, but once it's dialed in, it'll Robin Hood arrows all day long. Actually, I think mine might be labeled a Tomahawk, but it's the same bow.

Went out today with the slugger and got in the stand for a while, but it was coated with ice, so I decided I'd not risk it, and carefully climbed back down. As I was climbing down, I saw two deer in a nearby thicket. I tried to stalk one of them, but after not seeing any movement for a while, I thought she had taken off and I lost concentration for just a minute. Took another step, and tail up, she snorted and ran off, along with the other. I'm glad to have seen them at all. Did some still hunting, but ice coated vegetation makes crazy amounts of noise, and while I'm getting better at quiet walking, it's tough in icy conditions.


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## ML1187 (Mar 13, 2012)

Yes it sure is! I have the same bow and love it. I've got the redhot illuminated scope mine. Have you tried the redhot brand of bolts and broad heads? The things are amazing and will tighten your groups even further than regular bolts. It's a fantastic setup and you can't beat Parker's lifetime warranty!

Congrats again on your success sir! You have earned it!


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

I've had a good experience with it. I've not shot the Redhots, but for only $10 more than the standards, I'll give them a shot next time I buy arrows. The lifetime warranty is nice for sure. I've found that calling them gets fast results, any other method of contact is hit or miss. Had to replace a fraying cable and quiver mount. It's a powerfully and highly stressed machine, and I've probably put over 400 shots through it, so I'm surprised at how well it's survived. As far as broadheads, I've been using the G5 T3 mechanicals. They seem to fly similarly to field points in my very limited experience.

I much prefer hunting with the crossbow to the shotgun. 12 gauge slug recoil is brutal and bruising, and makes it hard to sight in effectively. $3-4 a pop for sabot slugs makes it expensive too. I like sighting in my 10/22 or crossbow, but the slug gun is no fun at all. I've been looking at a Limbsaver Recoil Pad but I might just sell the 500 and get a muzzleloader, but there are waterfowl to consider... decisions decisions decisions.


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

Good luck to all the deer hunters, and stay safe! I'm not hunting yet because I'm preparing for a fishing trip, but I'll be out there in a week. Hope to hear good reports.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

fshnteachr said:


> Funny you mentioned that...when you originally asked for advice, the first thing that popped in my head was get good boots. lol


Wow, can I second that emotion! I'd been bow hunting a couple of years with an el cheapo starter bow (which I killed some deer with) and a lot of attitudinal and physical stamina (which I did not kill any deer with) that doesn't really belong to older hunters. We seem to replace that, over the years, with some smarts! 

Then, in my third year of bow hunting, we had an honest to God, real Winter! Well, my uninsulated, not waterproof leather boots left something to be desired. At that time (keep in mind that I'm 62), "snowmobile boots" in Minnesota Vikings purple were all the rage! And I could get a pair at Woolco ( a store I'm sure you've never heard of) at $9.99! So, I bought a pair. I might as well have wiped my butt with a ten dollar bill and flushed it down the toilet! They were basically a boot shaped rubber bag with a felt pac stuffed inside. No footbed, no arch support, no nothing! I was in agony by the time I walked to my stand and it only got worse! 

I went to a local sporting goods store and wound up buying a pair of Canadian Sorel felt pacs for $70. Back in that day $70 was a rock pile of money to spend on footwear! But you know what? It saved my season, it saved my feet, and I still have those boots today over 40 years later! This reminds me of something I read from one of my favorite authors. He moved from Ohio out to Colorado and made friends with a guy who was at home in the western wilderness. As he put it, "This guy paid as much attention to his footwear as he did to any other piece of equipment he owned. That is the sign of a true outdoorsman!" Long story short, TAKE CARE OF YOUR FEET!!


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## T-180 (Oct 18, 2005)

Great advice buckeye on the footwear !!! I started on the cheap for a few years until I pulled the trigger on a pair of Rockys in the early to mid 80's. Still have that pair & 2 more and they are as important to me as anything else. Have a lightwight pair of Rocky Cornstalkers that have been re-soled twice & love those things.
Hadn't heard a "Woolco /Woolworth" reference in years !!! Great place to buy the "as seen on tv" items.


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