How does an adult learn to hunt?

[TMC50]

Short answer, find someone experienced to go hunting with... start with weekend trips to KJO and other ranches, you don't have to do the big packages do an Axis doe & pig package...

X2 and see if you can tag along with one of the big groups that goes....

It's all about exposure! I'm sure someone near you will offer up to invite you out.... We never had the money for a lease but our loaded cousin would let us hunt their places... Now we have our own land and it's a blast....

If the whole family is involved, it's better.... My parents, sister, bil, and niece and I are all normally there every weekend and my niece is 3 and loves to "shoot the bambi's"

[skiwdme]

I just started hunting in Texas, originally from California and having lived there all my life, the hunting is very different. When I got here last year, I started to realize that starting all over again was at my doorstep. I did this, I called a couple outfitters and asked them if I could volunteer to fill feeders and help out as a camp grunt for free on a few of thier hunts. I let them know that I was new and wanted to learn how to set things up and why they were set up like that.
I ended purchasing a hunt with an outfitter out of Houston called Global Adventure outfitters. Fantastic outfitter!!!!
Greg Rodriquez is the owner ( he also writes for numerous magazines and is now filming a new hunting series). We have a mutual friend and have since then becomes good friends.
Back to it, I spent several days working with his staff out on thier lease setting up feeders, stands, etc. They answered all my questions and gave me a ton of great tips.
I can honestly say that I learned enough on those couple of weekends to be successful on the first year of hunting here in Texas.
I spend a lot of time reading whitetail hunting books that explained a ton about habits and how to hunt them.
If I can help you out at all, please do not hesitate to ask, as many people have done it for me.

[bucksnducks]

As others have said... ask questions and don't be afraid of sounding stupid. All of us here learned what you're trying to learn at some point and have asked every dumb question you could think of. But more important than asking questions is getting out and experiencing the mistakes and the successes. That is where you learn the most... and also remember there is no one formula that works for any specific game. The west Texas boys would be stunned at some of the way us east Texas boys take deer, and visa versa. The most satisfying thing is learning for yourself from your own success and failure.

My father always took us hunting whenever we got the itch. Sometimes he'd take us when we didn't want to go, but he never sat and explained things to us. He watched, made sure we were safe and let us make mistakes. After a little while, he said, "What did you do wrong?"... he wanted us to make the mistakes and learn from them, because he believed that was a better way of learning than being told.

I'm a duck hunter more than anything else, he never once told me how to set up dekes or train my dogs. He'd let me make the mistakes and change the setups until I learned to get it right. I've trained many many labs for others and myself using a system that I developed myself through my mistakes. My decoy spreads are unconventional, but many a time I have come off the lake with my limit and passed many guys who couldn't get the ducks to stool over their spreads.

It's all about your own successes and your own mistakes...that's where you learn.

Note:
You learn to hunt game by watching game... I learned to blow a duck call by listening to ducks on the water and coming in to stool, and trying to answer them back. That was much more valuable than any Primos video or CD ever was. If you want to sound like the animal listen to the animal. You want to sneak up on the animal, watch the animals mannerisms. And there are very very few hunting shows on TV that aren't staged, so that really isn't the best place to pick up advice.

[bucksnducks]

If you ever want to head out on a duck hunt shoot me a PM, I hunt Granger fairly regularly. That ain't too far from you.

[KIDD]

stick to this site and you'll learn alot, one thing i've done is watched different techniquest from youtube. There are the ways that dad taught me and the way i was raised but i've found that there are many ways to skin a cat and some of the new ways i've found on youtube.

But like alot of people have said on here get out there do it enjoy it and live it. I too am very attached to my wife and my 2 little ones, fortunately we have some land in the family so they get out there and try it out and im teaching my son early on. But get them involved as well, you'd be amazed how much they enjoy it. I admire you for being honest and wanting to know more. No one on here knows it all, but when you put the powers together of the braintrust of the GS, the GS wont fail you. Best of luck to you, you wont regret anything you learn about hunting from here on out. Take care brotha

[PSD Ryan]

Hunting is always a learning process. It's like an evolution. My parents didn't hunt, own guns, etc. I spent a lot of time outdoors, on family farms, hiking, camping, etc. I knew my way around the woods, but had never hunted. I didn't even start fishing until I was in my teens when my uncle introduced me to it. Loved fishing more than anything. When I was 16 I got my first rifle. Never told my parents about it and kept it hidden in my closet. I'd go to the rifle range with friends all the time. Joined the military and still hadn't hunted. Stationed in CA, there weren't many hunting opportunities. I was a tack driver with my AR, and a friend asked if I wanted to go coyote hunting. Got instantly hooked. Then I went on my first deer hunt when I was 19, not knowing at all what I was doing. I had seen deer in the woods before, and figured I'd just do the same thing only quieter, and with a gun. Snuck through some woods I knew pretty well, and took a doe. I had the bug hard after that. I learned most of what I know from self taught experience, and some from the internet. Last year I went from gun to bow looking for a greater challenge. I continue to change as a hunter every year. You can teach yourself. I never hunted with my dad. My wife's family are all big into hunting, and I fit right in and have plenty of hunting buddies now.

[Eric Pence]

Their Is a couple of Books I Highly Recommend its "Hunting Trophy Whitetails " by John Wooters it and "Producing Quality Whitetails " By Al Brothers..Both go into Depth on the Whitetail Deer

[aaronm]

Sounds like you're already halfway there with a good partner, your wife. There are tons of people on this site that started out just like you. Absorb all you can on the site and just get out there and learn. You learn from every mistake. Go make some mistakes and have fun doing so.

Very well said.

[medic151]

I grew up hunting with my dad and we were fortunate enough to have land that dad bought in the early 70's. Not much killing, but alot of time in the woods. I tagged along with others to learn duck hunting, since my dad never did that. With the guys that I work with, there are lots of opportunities to go hunting on others places, so that helps alot. Just ask questions and keep after it.

[VorTexan]

I would suggest hooking up with some TBH'ers and making some hunting friends.

Learning on your own reading mags and such would take forever and much may not apply (sorry professional hunters at said ranch).

[Farm Boy]

Hunting! If it was so easy, it would be called Killing. It’s similar to being a doctor. You can know the basics, but no one knows everything. So in a way, it should be called a “Practice”. The best way to learn is to try, try, & try again. There are some good public lands in Texas, and there are some really good day hunt’s available. Like someone said earlier, this is a great place to get started. There’s a lot of good people on here.

[SOLID EAGLE]

If your wife is open to it you could book a hunt at one of the many hunting ranches in Texas to doe or hog hunt. Both of you could go. Doe's and hogs are cheap. I'd look into a long time, well known ranch. Tell them your experience level and ask if they offer guided hunts and if they can help with the cleaning of the animal.

Nothing like being outside with the ones you love!!

[TX_Phil]

33 you say? You beat me. I didn't start hunting until the 2009-2010 season at 46 years old. I grew up fishing every once in a while with my dad but never really took a shine to it and while a few uncles did hunt it was up in Oklahoma and we were never there during hunting season.

Fast forward a few decades and now my son is in college and I'm at home with the wife and two girls. My best friends son was about to leave for college and Kevin tells me we've got to start doing something together and so he starts trying to talk me into bow hunting. I pretty much blow it off but he keeps bringing it up so finally I tell him that if he finds me a good used bow I'll buy it and give it a try. A week later I'm meeting Chew in the parking lot and buying his xTec. I'd never shot a bow before so I didn't know what to expect but after shooting that thing the first time I knew I was going to be hooked. Kevin and I shot pretty much every evening and within a week or so I as shooting 1" groups at 20yrds and deer season was about to start. Keven took me along as a guest on almost every trip that season and while I didn't kill a deer I did have a couple of chances.

Next thing I know I'm buying my own spot on a lease and learning about picking blind locations, building pens and studying game cam pics. My son now has a bow as do both of my daughters. I was lucky enough to take my first deer ever this past season, a nice 10pt at about 13 yards and my son took a cull 6pt. My oldest daughter went to stand with me several times but we weren't able to get her a shot at anything but she's itching for this season to start.

I would say the best way to learn is from a friend, somone who you can spend time with and pick their brain. There's so much to learn I would say that a good hunter never stops learning.

As for the family, don't exclude them but rather find a way to include them. My wife isn't really interested but all of my kids are. We went from no bow shooters \ hunters to 4 and while that's good its not the best part. The best part is spending time with the kids in the field, hunting, filling feeders and spending time around the camp fire.

[Leonhogboy]

Nothing like OJT, see you next weekend?

[stan]

I went on my first deer hunt at age 62. I started out just to learn archery, but the more I learned, the more I wanted the challenge of the hunt. Just wish I had started at age
33. Read, talk to hunters, watch any old VHS or DVD about the topic, and include your family as much as possible. My wife loves to hunt as much as I.