Brand new hunter recommendations

[bauerr3]

I want to hunt deer next season, but have an absolute clean slate. No equipment, nothing to hunt with, and nobody I know to guide me along. I have an old friend who has 400 acres of private property that he said I could hunt on, but other than that I've got nothing.

If you had to start over from scratch, and be ready for this upcoming season, what would you get?

Firearm (if so what caliber)
Bow (either recurve, compound, even crossbow)
Muzzleloader (I know nothing about these, just that they're fairly popular)

I don't want to spend a ton, probably around $400-500. I have hunted squirrel and I loved the challenge, but my most important goal is to put meat in the freezer.

Any suggestions or tips to help me out would be much appreciated!

 

[midget]

Either buy a used bow (longest possible hunting season) or a muzzle loader (second longest amount of time).
If you are going to buy a bow, I highly recommend finding a local pro shop that can properly size and teacher you to shoot.
Personally, I have a bow for bow season, a lever action for firearms, and a muzzle loader for ML season... But at any point, I would rather grab my bow and go.
You are going to have to set aside some money for clothing that you only use for hunting.
You will also want to spend some preseason in the woods to scout and look for signs where deer may reside as well as wind patterns/layout.

 

[AGarbers]

A bow gives you the ability to hunt the longest season from October through Jamuary, but requires the most practice and has the shortest range. A muzzloader can be used for three of the seasons: Firearm, muzzleloader, and antlerless. While I like having the ability of multiple shots, I rarely get a second shot. I hunted with a muzzleloader in firearms season for years. Others on this board do as well. If you do decide to get a standard firearm, it's hard to beat the Savage bolt-action slug gun. It's accurate to 200 yards and hold three rounds. I paired mine with a Hawke Optics Deer PASS scope.

 

[UNCLE HARLEY]

Bows will give you the longest season, Oct thru Dec. You'll get lots of arguments on which kind. I prefer crossbow & have a Parker. Whatever you get, get one with a good warranty, they can break. Then you'll need arrows & broadheads too.
Gun/muzzleloader season is mid Nov thru Dec. Muzzy's only give you one shot, while shotguns are multiple shots. I have both, Remington 870 & Traditions Vortek. Shotguns are usually less money & easier to use. I use the muzzy for tree stand & Remmy for field hunting. You can use the shotgun for turkey hunting too.
Does the property you are going to hunt on have a woodlot? You may want to consider a tree stand or ground blind. And don't forget camo clothing, for both warm & cold weather. Then there's boots, hats & gloves. And don't forget ammo.
I know I've blown you budget, it is what it is.

 

[singlesix]

OP if you want to see what a M/L is all about PM me, well when the weather gets warm and MCFG range work is completed, I'll show you the ropes on M/Ls, I have a few you can try out.

 

[bauerr3]

I knew that the bow season was the longest, but I also have read that bow hunting is significantly more difficult since its a 30yd shot versus a 50-150 yd with firearm...is the difficulty balanced out by the long season, meaning a higher chance of seeing something?

 

[midget]

Difficult is not the correct word to describe it.
Bow hunting requires you to be closer to your game, which heightens the need for proper preparation. Depending on where you hunt, this may actually not matter. For me, in the woods I can only see 60 yards any one direction, so my firearm reach is barely over my archery.
Shooting a bow accurately is more difficult than shooting a gun. You will not be able to pick up a bow and go hunting a week later. You will have to practice. But for me, this added level of skill only adds to the gratification felt when you take a deer.

 

[bauerr3]

Difficult is not the correct word to describe it.
Bow hunting requires you to be closer to your game, which heightens the need for proper preparation. Depending on where you hunt, this may actually not matter. For me, in the woods I can only see 60 yards any one direction, so my firearm reach is barely over my archery.
Shooting a bow accurately is more difficult than shooting a gun. You will not be able to pick up a bow and go hunting a week later. You will have to practice. But for me, this added level of skill only adds to the gratification felt when you take a deer.

I don't have a problem with putting in the time, and I don't expect to go out in a week.

I will have some time this weekend to better explore the acreage and get an idea of where I want to hunt, and will have a better idea of range limitations

 

[MRP2003]

If it was me and I had 400-500 to spend total for all equipment needed, I would suggest a muzzle loader or shot gun. Buying one used would help save some money. You could spend $150-$400 on either. May want to consider using a scope as well.
You also have to think about hunting clothes which can add up quickly. I do not think you need name brand or even camouflage but you will need either a blaze orange hat or vest/jacket. I would suggest warm boots if you do not already have them.
May want to think about a tree stand as well. This brings more expense as a safety harness should also be bought.

You have a great start in that you have 400 acres to hunt. Today that is a rare thing without having to buy or lease the land.
I would suggest finding someone to hunt with for two reasons. The first is for safety. Accidents do happen and typically when you are least expecting it or least prepared. Also you will be able to learn from the other person even if they have just a little bit of experience. I am sure that there are some guys here that are nearby that would be more than willing to hunt with you. Just watch the guys who respond to your thread and pay attention to their location. you can PM them to see if they are interested. Just make sure that you have set the ground rules if you bring them to your friends property nd your friend gives you permission to bring someone with you. make sure that they understand that the permission to hunt that land is for you and they are only allowed when accompanying you.

 

[mulsas]

You may not have the experience, but you have access to land, which is the most important part! I still consider myself in the novice ranks for hunting, and you have gotten a lot of good advice already. For me, it started with my son wanting to hunt, so I was buying for two, one of which is outgrowing clothes like crazy. I went with a crossbow for the same reason, longest season, but it would have taken alot longer to get him accurate with a vertical bow. Military surplus on ebay is a good source for affordable hunting clothes. Not as good as the fancy stuff, but it gets the job done. I was surprised how affordable some of the more basic muzzleloaders are. One question is how experienced are you in terms of shooting? My son and I took some Appleseed/Revere's Riders marksmanship classes with 22's, they were fantastic (and 22s are cheap for doing lots of practice). Lastly, I would think you would want to set aside a few dollars for game cams. Between looking at a map and scouting the property, with help you should be able to find some locations to focus on. Then the camera will let you see how much traffic is passing through there.

It won't be cheap, but you can at least try to build your supplies in stages, and just work with what you got and learn along the way.

 

[AGarbers]

I knew that the bow season was the longest, but I also have read that bow hunting is significantly more difficult since its a 30yd shot versus a 50-150 yd with firearm...is the difficulty balanced out by the long season, meaning a higher chance of seeing something?

Let's put it this way: Bow season is first, so you have the woods all to yourself, before and during peak rut, before the deer get spooked by an army of florescent orange hunters that suddenly appear in mid-November. So yes, it has its advantages. Not to mention, if you miss, the deer may not even know.

 

[Dirty Steve]

If I were in your shoes, I'd go the muzzle loader route. You can be into a good gun and decent scope with all necessary equipment within your budget. A muzzle loader forces you to be confident in your shooting ability and shot placement. Inlines are fairly simple and pretty accurate with the right load combination. A muzzle loader gives you a longer season with the same gun.

You don't need camo clothing or a tree stand. Decent boots are probably a little higher on the priority list, but as long as you are sitting still and paying attention to the wind, deer won't care if you are wearing camo, blue jeans, old brown corduroys or even notice. Hunt for a few years, learn and most of all see if you enjoy it before you drop a ton of coin on other accessories that some deem necessary.

If you find you enjoy it, a bow would be the next option.

Dirty Steve

 

[Leadeye]

You have the most important thing, private land and a lot of it. A used in line muzzle loader with a scope should give you the best bang for your buck.

 

[PistolBob]

400 Acres is a lot of hunting ground. It would benefit you to collect some topo maps of the property, or at least the sections you want to hunt. Another thing you might want to check out is how many other hunter will be on the property when you are hunting? Has your friend given this permission to hunt to others?

Bow hunting deer is so much fun I can't begin to describe it, but you have to put in the practice time at the range. You want that bow to be a natural extension of your body by hunting season.

Good luck!

 

[bauerr3]

400 Acres is a lot of hunting ground. It would benefit you to collect some topo maps of the property, or at least the sections you want to hunt. Another thing you might want to check out is how many other hunter will be on the property when you are hunting? Has your friend given this permission to hunt to others?

Bow hunting deer is so much fun I can't begin to describe it, but you have to put in the practice time at the range. You want that bow to be a natural extension of your body by hunting season.

Good luck!

I know the area pretty well, I grew up riding four wheelers and dirtbikes there, but will definitely look at a topo.
There are two others and they are the only two that hunt it.

 

[Zoub]

Shotgun, binoculars, compass, topo maps, day pack.

Spend as much time on the property as you can all year. Hunt squirrel in August and anything else as seasons open. Spend time early and late quietly observing areas with bongos (or binocs) and moving through the woods.

Read, read, read and go walk the woods. This is exactly how I did it at age 14. I had access, knew firearms, knew how to survive in the woods but I had to hunt alone. I learned on rabbits and squirrels and by November I knew the general movement patterns of the deer. Then the real learning started.

If you can, borrow a shotgun and spend money on other stuff first. A shotgun puts you in the woods long before deer season starts and you need that.

I would not focus on meat in the freezer. You may be disappointed.

 

[Hookeye]

I would not be blasting squirrels at my deer spot.
Prefer to stay out of the woods and let things remain mellow.
Sneaky, in bow season and gun season.
The less the animals see, smell and hear, the better.

 

[jbell_64]

If I were starting over again from scratch, I'd go buy a ladder stand and a muzzle loader. The learning curve on becoming proficient with the ML is much faster than compared to the bow yet you get a longer season than just a shotgun/rifle. You can also get into a decent ML more cheaply than you can get a decent bow or shotgun/rifle. I'd spend at least one season just getting the hang of hunting before I attempted to get into archery.

Things NOT to spend money on: grunt calls, bleat calls, rattling antlers, 72 different scents, and anything else you see advertised on the Outdoor Channel.

 

[midget]

I would not be blasting squirrels at my deer spot.
Prefer to stay out of the woods and let things remain mellow.
Sneaky, in bow season and gun season.
The less the animals see, smell and hear, the better.

For once we agree

Bow season also has the added perk of relaxation. It is nice to be out in the quiet woods. As soon as firearm season starts, it sounds like a freaking war zone....

 

[Zoub]

I would not be blasting squirrels at my deer spot.
Prefer to stay out of the woods and let things remain mellow.
Sneaky, in bow season and gun season.
The less the animals see, smell and hear, the better.

While this is true, 100% of nothing is nothing and that is what he has now. I had 100 acres and it was plenty to learn on. He won't learn it by not doing it.

I can relate simply because I literally had to teach myself to hunt. I was exposed young through bird hunting. Then a couple moves, less access and issues unknown to me stopped it. Then I gained the access I wanted to the outdoors and lots of time in the woods and on the water but still no hunting.

Then I landed in Indiana with access to a unique piece of land. I insisted on hunting, just before I turned 14. So now shot placement mattered, finishing off cripples, cleaning game and of course finding it. Very few people truly learn to hunt alone. It's not ideal and if you are not driven to hunt, you will give up.

One thing OP could do is get permission, and advice on where, to clear some simple paths in the woods. Time well spent in the woods.

How I first learned deer in some simple terms. I observed rabbit behavior in Indiana. It reminded me of deer behavior in North Dakota prairie. I started to connect the dots between the two. Walking the woods August through October with a .22 gave me a foundation through observations of behavior.