New Hunter from Boston

[jquigley]

I was lucky enough to have my buddy Cody Lujan point me in the direction of this forum and figured I'd introduce myself.

I decided about nine months ago, at 30 years old, to give hunting a try and am now falling quickly down the rabbit hole! Thus far, I've had my first success on a pheasant hunt and my first time getting skunked after a couple of days chasing deer in the New Hampshire woods.

I have zero hunters in my family, we never even went camping as a kid. So for me, everything is new, like learning a new language. Right now I'm spending all my time just trying to build a community, opportunities for learning in the field and studying from home.

Just wanted to say hellp and apologize in advance for any stupid question I might ask.

Cheers!

Jeff Quigley

 

[nidahunter]

Welcome! You will learn alot on this sight, and if you havn't done so yet look into getting the On Your Own Adventures DVDs. If nothing else they are extremely entertaining and show the way hunting should be done. Keep at it, you will connect on a deer then you will be hooked for life!

 

[TheShootist.41]

Welcome to the forum. You can find a lot of answers and tips here. Just be very careful who you ask as there are certain members who will liberally apply insults to your questions, rather than answers. Just continue to browse for awhile and you will learn who they are.

 

[Gunner46]

Welcome. And you needn't worry about stupid questions. Hang around for a little while and the one's you ask will seem genious compared to others ! "I want a 300 lbs Mountain Lion, which is the best state to find one"? "I plan on hunting Kodiak's with a 22/250, what's the best bullet weight" ? "Is a 338 Win Mag adaquate for chipmunks, or should I step up to a 375 H&H" ?

 

[JohnCushman]

Welcome aboard!!

 

[Nameless Range]

Welcome! A finer source for DIY hunting doesn't exist.

 

[WestT]

Congratulations on taking the plunge! I'm sure you won't be disappointed in your decision. And of course good luck on your future hunts!!!

 

[MThuntr]

Welcome...I hear there is a Yeti roaming the streets of Bostonhttp://www.cbsnews.com/news/yeti-spotted-roaming-streets-of-boston/. Maybe you can hone your skills on him.

Just keep at it and ask lots of questions. Read lots of books, forums, and magazines to learn as much as you can and don't get discouraged if you don't kill anything. It is much more important that you enjoy yourself. Consider joining a conservation/hunting group like Rocky Mtn Elk, Pheasants Forever, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, etc as they can have some really good info also.

 

[pabearhunter]

Welcome aboard Jeff. Magazines- Deer and deer hunting, Eastman's hunting journal, Bowhunting and a lot of well I will never do that again. Learn from your mistakes.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

If someone acts like they have it all figured out, be skeptical. You can learn bits and pieces from lots of sources, but 1/1000 are truly great all around hunters and outdoorsmen--and I'm sure as heck not one of them. This goes just as much for paid hunting pros, if not more.
Enjoy the learning process and good luck.

 

[gwhunter]

Welcome! You can learn a lot about hunting through this forum by just sitting back and taking it all in. If someone is talking about something and you don't know what it is, ask and you will get all the help you could ever need. This is a real friendly bunch of people. Stick around long enough and some might even invite you to go hunting

 

[Sytes]

Welcome, Jeff! Look forward to pics and stories from your future outdoor adventures - a lifetime of incredible experiences!

 

[L. I. Yankee]

Welcome aboard Jeff....I to got a late start so your not alone.. .....not as late as you but late. Go through all the old forums and look for any question you might have. Read, read read. There is a TON of information on here from everything from gear to applying for tags and everything inbetween. Make a few friends and in time people will be willing to give you some help and point you in the wright direction. Good luck.......

 

[Bowhuntrben]

Welcome! You will have a lot of fun learning, and this is a great forum for meeting new people and learning new things. I look forward to hearing your success stories in the future!

 

[HSi-ESi]

Welcome to the site. Lots of great info around here. Hunting is a lifelong learning experience. If you get too cocky, an animal will certainly help you become more humble.

 

[LopeHunter]

Welcome. If you do not have much gear then would consider a Western hunt where are likely to see plenty of "shooters" if looking for a representative animal plus you need minimal gear (WY or NM pronghorn hunt). If your dream is deer or elk right out of the chute then would consider a guided/outfitted hunt where the tag is either OTC (over the counter so can buy without worrying about draw odds...NM landowner elk tag or CO landowner elk or deer tag) or a virtual guarantee (MT surplus elk/deer tag).

There are folks that drive from the East Coast to the West each autumn and are successful in their first hunt out West for elk or deer. Not many, though, are successful and the learning curve can be brutal as figure out the species and the terrain. Locals may be friendly or they may not. Big country out West so hunting alone carries some risks since on many hunts you can not just hike briskly an hour or two and cross a roadway if need help.

I usually suggest a pronghorn hunt. The cost is generally less than other big game animal tags/hunts. Beautiful animal. An average pronghorn's horns are not that much smaller than a state record (well, compared to if you did the same thing with two elk or deer side by side).

 

[Bokeh]

Welcome. You came to the right site. Hunt Talk is a terrific forum with good info.

I'm just up the road from you in NH. Getting skunked deer hunting in NH is the norm, not the exception. A deer here can walk past in the woods at 50 yards and you won't be able to see them. Buggers walk around my yard just about every night.

PM me if you want to chat some time.

 

[jryoung]

Welcome Jeff, Cody steered you right even if he is a bit of a shady character.

 

[nmelktrout]

Glad you finally pulled the trigger, Amigo! Don't be afraid to ask questions from these guys. There's a lot of great guys who are also great hunters on here. Glad you got to see a couple of big bucks while you were stuck here in Denver!
-Cody

 

[jquigley]

Thanks everyone for the very warm welcome! Cody was right, the people here already seem a little more eager to help. Even got the added benefit of discovering Fresh Tracks while I was here. Up until now, my hunting media diet consisted of rewatching MeatEater and Primos call tutorial/infomercial DVDs.