New Hunter Seeking Advice and Mentorship

Welcome from North Carolina

Texas will require hunter safety education to purchase a liscense. Check out TPWD (texas parks and wildlife department).

Yes texas does offer allot of options public and private land - it's also some of the most expensive private land hunting you will do. Everyone has a budget and I reside here and do my fair share. For whitetail hunting other states provide some awesome and at times more affordable options. Your avatar indicates your from new york. Plenty of hunting opportunities between those two states and all points in between.

Anyway welcome - like it's been mentioned hunter safety, there are also shooting schools you can do.

Danies said:

Hello everyone,

I'm new to the world of hunting and recently joined this forum to learn from experienced hunters like you. I'm eager to gain some hands-on experience and would appreciate any advice, tips, or resources you can share to help me get started.

I'm particularly interested in learning about the basics—everything from choosing the right gear to understanding tracking and safety practices. If anyone is willing to mentor or has recommendations for beginner-friendly hunts or courses, I'd love to hear about them.

Looking forward to connecting and learning from this community!

Thanks in advance!

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Welcome to LRH, and enjoy! As you noted above, online mentoring is not ideal for what you are seeking because you need actual hands-on experience. The best is mentoring from a friend, family member, co-worker, etc., who has the experience to show you the right way. Last year, I took a military member I supervised who had never hunted. His only firearms training was M-16 and 9MM qualifications training, which I consider insufficient.

Like most states, you must pass a hunter's safety course here in MT. So, that was the first thing he did. We spent hours of range sessions emphasizing firearms safety and the 10 commandments of hunter's safety. My buddy and I took him out gopher shooting for his first field experience, and he had a blast and did well.

When it was time for him to decide on a cartridge for his intended purpose, I recommended 6.5 CM, .270 Win, .308 Win, and .30-06 for his first-ever hunting rifle. Then, we went to the local gunshops and had him try different options. He had narrowed to a couple of choices based on his budget. Luckily, a friend offered him a brand new Savage 10 in .308 Win with a new scope at an excellent price he could not refuse.

I recommended a 150g Winchester Deer Season XP ($5 cheaper than other brands), and he was grouping them well under 1 MOA at 200Y; some are even touching. Unfortunately, he had an unsuccessful hunting season because he took leave for a month, and by the time he made it out, the deer was already skittish. Hopefully, this year, he will bag his first deer.

Similarly, ~15 years ago, I took another military member as a first-time hunter. We went through the same sessions. He was stationed here for 3 years and filled his tags for 2 years. A couple of years ago, I got an e-mail from him thanking me for showing him the ropes and allowing him to take his own son for his hunt. That made me feel good. Since my kids were out of the house (2010), a co-worker and I have been taking the military members out hunting and fishing (primarily first-timers) on our dime (unless they want their own). We find it rewarding as some will never be able to do so.

Good luck!

In my opinion, an experienced hunting companion is the quickest way to level out the "hunting learning curve". Talk to neighbors, friends, co-workers, etc. about your interest. Someone local would be best and most hunters are eager to help someone wanting to learn.
Best of luck and welcome to the hunting adventure.

I live in Texas and started hunting seriously here. I think waterfowl is the best public land opportunity in Texas. As others have said first step is to take the hunter safety course then I would pick up the APH permit and start looking at locations close to you. Go out and scout where you want to hunt before the season and look in spots where you have to walk further than most people are willing. I found there is a sweet spot between too far and just far enough. If you don't have a boat, you'll be competing against those who do and if you find a good spot you'll need to get there a few hours before daylight so if it's too far from the entry point, usually going to be a boat there when you get in. When I was doing this, I would only use 6-18 decoys that I could carry along with seat and gun in a backpack type decoy bag. Take a small saw and build a blind when you get to your spot. Get a shotgun and go shoot sporting clays as much as you can.

I applaud you for asking they way you did, mentoring is so very important but a poor mentor can be teach very bad habits and concepts. I was born and raised in Texas 70 years ago and I started hunting with my grandfather when I was about 11. He taught me to track, be quiet when moving (slowly) and make each shot count. He never had anything other than his Winchester 94 30-30 which he bought in 1900 when he was ten (he was born near Underwood MN in 1890) and he hunted deer, moose and bear with that rifle and fed families all along the Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin northern regions until WWI. All that to say that while good equipment is important, you don't have to spend a lot of money to become an effective hunter. My grandfather was the best hunter I've ever known, he never owned a piece of camouflage, had a range finder or even a scope but he knew how to find game, get close enough to be effective with his equipment and was very capable. Most hunting in Texas is done from a box stand where it's dark inside, a deer can see movement in the stand but camo is a waste of money. Clothes that are comfortable and appropriate for current weather is much more important. If you will be hunting for meat, don't buy the latest super magnum carbon fiber ultra anything rifle (unless you want to become one of the cool kids who are impressed by such things, and have several thousands of dollars to spend), super fast cartridges destroy a lot of meat as they frequently just blow right through the animal and often don't kill as cleanly or quickly as a slower, heavier bullet, placed in the right spot. If you find a mentor, you will likely adopt his philosophies, habits and biases about hunting practices and equipment. I would strongly encourage you to attend a good shooting school before you find a mentor or do much else in the early days of this process. You should learn the basic skills of shooting first, Barbour Creek is an excellent school for learning to shoot. It's focus is on long range shooting but the fundamental skills you will learn can be applied to any hunting environment and the instructors are some of the best anywhere. You don't need a rifle, they provide one for you during the class and as many have recommended I would stay at the facility for the two days you'll be there. Being inexperienced is a great place to start, be assured that many will want to convince that their pet rifle, cartridge, bullet, camo, etc is the only way to go, don't believe it, weigh everything carefully and beware of marketing hype. Welcome and enjoy!

Welcome from North Central Wyoming.

Use whatever firearm/cartridge that will offer good performance on any and all game that your likely to meet on your hunt. Also, choosing a "middle of the road" cartridge/bullet for that particular game is my suggestion.

Certainly, game can be cleanly taken with cartridges/calibers much smaller than your stereotypical cartridges used for that game and area hunted. But, I consider those to be more of a "specialty" cartridge, used by a hunter/shooter that is very capable and can afford ($) to overlook any failures of the shooter or cartridge. JMO. memtb

Welcome from Alberta Canada. YOU TUBE....good starting point for everything hunting...from head to toe....from your pocket knife and what kind of socks to wear ,to gun selection,optics, ....Most important.....try to shoot as many different calibers of guns as possible before you make your decision to buy one for YOU! Every single person has their own opinion on what's BEST...it's not about US...it's about YOU! Get a first gun that HURTS...you may stop before you get started....but whatever you do....don't start with a Semi-atuomatic anything! Too dangerous until you learn Safety and best handling practices!

Danies said:

Hello everyone,

I'm new to the world of hunting and recently joined this forum to learn from experienced hunters like you. I'm eager to gain some hands-on experience and would appreciate any advice, tips, or resources you can share to help me get started.

I'm particularly interested in learning about the basics—everything from choosing the right gear to understanding tracking and safety practices. If anyone is willing to mentor or has recommendations for beginner-friendly hunts or courses, I'd love to hear about them.

Looking forward to connecting and learning from this community!

Thanks in advance!

Click to expand...

Welcome from Allen Texas. Unless you're older than I assume you'll need a hunter safety class for a Texas hunting license. You can also consider a bow hunter education certification which along with proven archery proficiency will gain you access to applying to hunt places like Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge on Lake Texoma.

There are numerous other public hunting opportunities including lotteries for access of Texas parks and wildlife management areas. I used these extensively after college until I was able to afford private land access. You can find more on the Texas parks and wildlife public hunting web site. Many of the hunts offered for draw will occur on weekdays so you might need some vacation days to use that option.

Good luck!

I still remember my first kill. I saw a rabbit go into the hole and I sat and waited 20 minutes until it stuck its head up. It is still one of my fondest hunting memories, because I out smarted (or out waited) the game.

The less recoil, the easier it is to shoot well. The 6.5 Creedmoor is very popular for good reason, and ammo is inexpensive. It has very little recoil. It has plenty of power to kill deer out to 400 or 500 yards, and some people even kill elk with it. If you can afford it, consider a suppressor for whichever rifle you buy. I still remember my first time shooting a high power rifle. The noise and blowback was worse than the kick. A suppressor reduces all three.

NM has lots of hunting opportunities. Before Bidinflation, you could buy a ranch hunt for oryx for under $1,000. Some of the best game meat you'll ever eat.

Most of us love to have our egos stroked by helping someone new. It makes us feel really smart and useful.

Welcome from Illinois!!
You will find everything you need here!!!
Just ask!

welcome to the forum, may I ask what part of the US would you like you hunt?

mnoland30 said:

I still remember my first kill. I saw a rabbit go into the hole and I sat and waited 20 minutes until it stuck its head up. It is still one of my fondest hunting memories, because I out smarted (or out waited) the game.

The less recoil, the easier it is to shoot well. The 6.5 Creedmoor is very popular for good reason, and ammo is inexpensive. It has very little recoil. It has plenty of power to kill deer out to 400 or 500 yards, and some people even kill elk with it. If you can afford it, consider a suppressor for whichever rifle you buy. I still remember my first time shooting a high power rifle. The noise and blowback was worse than the kick. A suppressor reduces all three.

NM has lots of hunting opportunities. Before Bidinflation, you could buy a ranch hunt for oryx for under $1,000. Some of the best game meat you'll ever eat.

Most of us love to have our egos stroked by helping someone new. It makes us feel really smart and useful.

Click to expand...

thank you

"Go where the critters you're hunting are about to be, then shoot one when it gets there." And "never be hunting when you're hunting". Which is to say that big game like deer, elk, bear, etc. all pay attention to your movement patterns to determine if you're a threat. I've had deer walk up to me so often in the woods and it always astounds my buddies who see it. I tell them to "be the tree"- to minimize the energy you project by staying calm and not "hunting". You're just out in the woods sitting on a log or leaning up against a tree. Remind yourself of that when you tend to tense up or jerk around looking for deer. I realized this when I was running in a Metro Park and could run by deer browsing in the woods and they calmly looked up and watched me pass a few feet from them on every occasion I did over several runs. If I had tried sneaking up on them, they'd see me as a predator and run away. Don't waste money on tree stands, cover scents, or some huge magnum rifle. You don't need camo, either. Just a gun and ammo, a knife, a small flashlight or headlamp. Most deer are shot within 150 yards and a cartridge as small as a .223 will easily kill deer at that range. A .243 is a superb hunting caliber. Don't even need to whisper when you talk to your hunting buddies. Don't get hung up on picking a perfect spot. Just get out to wherever you're hunting, lean up against a tree for a few hours, preferably around sunrise or sunset when big game animals tend to move, and watch the movement patterns of the animals you're hunting. Then find a different vantage point, lean up against a tree and see what animals show up. Creeks are travel corridors and feeding locations for big game animals. Then go back and get where you have a shot at where you've seen them travel and wait for them to show up. If you're in the woods and you hear guys shooting in open farms around you, move to where you can see out into fields on your property. The deer are likely out there, rather than in the woods. Neighbor's dog is barking at something early or late in the day, it's probably deer. So go take a look from a spot where you'll be difficult to be seen. Etc, etc. Hopefully you get the idea.