Hunting help

[bwframe]

I didn't know this. I did my hunter's safety course in Ohio about 40 years ago. Indiana has never asked to see proof.

As stated above, you are old enough for it not to be required. I wasn't required either, but took a neighbor kid to the DNR hunter safety course 20 years ago. It was well worth the time and very informative. The class even opened my "seasoned hunter" eyes to some different perspectives on handling firearms safely.

I wasn't aware that the hunter safety classes can be taken online. I hope they have the same effect as the in person class we took? Numerous "opossum cops" and a range safety officer from Hoosier Hills rifle and pistol club conducted it.


.

 

[Max Volume]

Learn about the quarry you want to hunt and their habbits, foods and life cycle. Especially something like deer otherwise you
are just winging it. Even squirrels have different habits and foods at different times of year. Of course the times you are interested
are when they are in season.

Learn about appropriate and legal weapons be it firearms or bows and handling them in a safe manner. What calibers, public or private land, legal bow weight if that is your preferred method. If tree stands are used always wear a safety harness along with getting you and your weapon up and down without killing yourself.

Learn about bag and possession limits along with identifying the sex of an animal. You wouldn't want to kill a hen turkey and
there are no transgenders.

Do you get grossed out easily? I know people who wouldn't mind hunting but don't because the blood, gore and guts totally freaks them out because it doesn't come pre weighed in a styrofoam tray.

Here's a start for your deer adventures:

 

[roscott]

Copy paste from the last time a thread like this popped up, but I think it’s solid:

The barrier to entry may seem daunting, but you’ll later look back on the figuring-it-out phase as one of the best parts.

I’d recommend starting on something with a high lesson-per-hour ratio. For example: public land deer hunting where you might have one shot per season will be very tough to gain experience and understand what to do and what not to do. Squirrel hunting in a target rich environment could allow dozens of stalks/interactions in a single morning, and you’ll learn much faster what to do or not do.

Skinning, cleaning and cooking small game like squirrels and rabbits gives valuable experience with low risk. One spoiled squirrel is a lot easier to handle than 60 lbs of spoiled venison.


Additionally, if someone has offered to help teach you to hunt ANYTHING, take them up on it! A hunting mentor will expedite the learning curve so much faster than YouTube can ever match!

 

[patience0830]

Kudos to you patience…. You are one of an almost extinct group. These guys should thank their lucky stars you made a rare and valuable offer.

Awe shucks.


Squirrel season starts 15 August in Indiana and my usual days off are Tuesday and Wednesday. An accurate .22 rifle or .22 or .25 cal pellet rifle will be the preferred weapon. A decent scope is handy unless you've got eagle eyes. Lotta air around a squirrels head. If you bring a shotgun, it will give me a chance to show you why I don't use one.

 

[fullmetaljesus]

This is what you guys do.
Everyone in your hunting party should buy the following.

22lr rifle and scope
Small pack
Plenty of ammo.
A decent hunting knife.
Fire making gear.
Camping stove gear.
Cigars.

Spend the summer shooting the rifles and setting them dialed in.

In August get your small game license.
Take your gear to the woods, hunt squirrels. If you shoot some cook em and eat em then smoke the cigars. If you can't find any squirrels. Do some shooting for fun smoke the cigars around a small camp fire and enjoy each others company.

If you have fun, get some deer rifles and hunt deer. If you don't, well at least you tried.

 

[themrdo]

If born after July,1986 I believe. I've never had it. Both my kids did it online and I taught the rest by taking them out.

Drat! Only missed by a couple years. 1989

 

[themrdo]

Kudos to you patience…. You are one of an almost extinct group. These guys should thank their lucky stars you made a rare and valuable offer.

Get your hunter safety card and send me a PM. The class was worth taking when I took my boys. DNR officers will have a ton of entertaining stories. I'll volunteer to teach one at a time to hunt,clean, and eat squirrels. If you prove to be good humans, it may go further.

Sounds like a plan. I really appreciate the offer.

 

[Mij]

Man o man o man.

get a fishing license n go fishing, see if you can get through a fish dinner around a camp fire. Then take patience 0830 up on his offer.

eating, gutting, hunting, cleaning, cooking, wild game is each an individual world of learning. Most of today’s city folk are not up to the task. Not saying you are not capable, but the odds are not in your favor. I truly do wish you the best of luck. If by chance you ever do find your way, have Mr. 0830 pm me, I’ll put you on some deer. With a slug gun or BP only. GL

 

[themrdo]

Awe shucks.


Squirrel season starts 15 August in Indiana and my usual days off are Tuesday and Wednesday. An accurate .22 rifle or .22 or .25 cal pellet rifle will be the preferred weapon. A decent scope is handy unless you've got eagle eyes. Lotta air around a squirrels head. If you bring a shotgun, it will give me a chance to show you why I don't use one.

Any recommendations on make or model? We all work Sundays through Wednesday, but I know I'm willing to take a couple days off for experience XD.

 

[Mij]

Any recommendations on make or model? We all work Sundays through Wednesday, but I know I'm willing to take a couple days off for experience XD.

Yes, any 12 ga. W- bird shot.

But your first thought should be mosquito repellent and good camo. Expect to be in the woods before sunrise.

Don’t pee on the farmers electric fence in the dark. Ask me how I know.

ETA: BTW, my daughter was born Aug. 15 1974, I almost missed her birth because it was opening day.

 

[Max Volume]

Yes, bug spray for early season tree rats. I've worn a head net hunting squirrels by the Kankakee River and the skeeters were so thick I could hardly see out. That was a nasty day bow hunting them with a recurve and flu flu arrows.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Since Mr P suggested a .22, I’d recommend a Ruger 10/22. Solid rifles, and if you want to upgrade everybody and their brother makes aftermarket parts for them. But they are solid rifles out of the box.

If you aren’t in a hurry, put some feelers out in the ingo Proteq open house thread and you and your buddies show up with some ammo on June 3. If you ask, folks will bring guns for you to try. I can bring both tricked out/scoped and stock 10/22s. I’m sure others will have their preferred rifle that they will let you shoot.

Savage also makes nice rifles.

 

[cg21]

Getting into hunting when not brought up that way and no real exposure to it is difficult most “beginner” things are geared towards children if you can even find them for kids. I recommend YouTube. I’m the same age group started hunting on my own 7 years ago Have never gutted or shot a thing in my life. Now 7 years later I haven’t bought meat from a grocery store since (deer squirrel fish turkey rabbit frogs turtles not all wild meat since then but that’s another adventure on my journey, farm animals)

a few YouTube channels to check out some are more entertainment some more educational but if you pay attention they all have something to learn in them.

deermeatfordinner
blue gabe
the hunting public
growing deer tv
catman outdoors
hannah Barron
mulletman
the hunting beast

again some are filmed better than others etc etc some are easier to watch but they all have valuable stuff in them.

i would definitely start with squirrel. Teaches you the basics for all of them on a small scale.

goodluck

 

[patience0830]

Any recommendations on make or model? We all work Sundays through Wednesday, but I know I'm willing to take a couple days off for experience XD.

I like a bolt action myself. CZ457 if you have the funds is an excellent choice. Tikka T1x, old Mossberg, Remington, Savage. If you have the funds, a used Anschutz. The Ruger America has proven itself to me through a couple of friends. 10/22's can be hit or miss, though they can almost all be made to shoot acceptably with enough time and $. Whatever you choose, try several different ammos and look for best accuracy over the summer. Subsonic hollow point and std velocity seem to work well in most guns. 10/22 may not cycle subs reliably w/o modification. If your gun shoots mini-mags inside a nickel at 30 yds, it will do the job. Rimfire Central is a rabbit hole you may want to explore for ammo and weapon choices, as well as accuracy advice.

 

[planedriver]

Any recommendations on make or model? We all work Sundays through Wednesday, but I know I'm willing to take a couple days off for experience XD.

Just my dose of reality here. Everyone who is offering a suggestion about the brand and type of gun to use is right! Bar none, for real they are right.

That said, if the question was, “What did you start hunting squirrels with?”. I think the answers would be wildly different than the suggestions you have received. (Camera monkey is giving you a great suggestion with proteq. ) Since we have no idea what your tolerance is for the cash outlay to buy a .22. (I just bought one for $3,500.) it’s hard to point you in any direction.

Now for what I started hunting with…. A mossberg 22 bolt action that the old man kept the magazine to. That was just as well because I have not owned a gun that jambs more than that old mossberg. None the less, it took countless rabbits, squirrel, starlings, sparrows and about anything else including the occasional elephant destroying our corn field. My buddies had everything from single shot 410s and 20s to really nice browning shotguns and rifles.

The moral to my long winded reply is to say. Buy something moderately priced in a 22 and get some shooting practice in with it. I guarantee the cheapest 22 you can find will shoot better than you and your buddies can right now.

Before you go to the range ask on this forum if anyone would like to meet at the range to help you all get started and shoot with you. Offer to buy a burger and a beer for them. Volunteers will come out of the wood work. (If I’m mistaken, bring a 12 pack to the farm and I’ll help you guys out.)

One final thing….. shoot from the bench to get your gun sighted in, then shoot offhand to get some skills that you will use in the woods. Keep shooting until hunting season and you’ll be able to limit out if the tree rats cooperate.

Oh yeah if you take my advise on honing your skills. By the time you go to the woods you will have probably bought 2 or 3 more guns and will have contracted the same addition almost everyone here has..

 

[bwframe]

Any recommendations on make or model? ...

Shameless plug...

WTS: - Savage FV-SR .22LR ---- SOLD ---

SOLD Thanks! Well phooey, I have another shiney object in my sights. I was gonna keep this other Savage FV-SR, but I better offer it to you... This one came to me with a home done camo paint job. I was gonna strip it down, but decided the paint job was good enough to keep. There are a...

www.indianagunowners.com

.

 

[Onebad06vtx]

Do you have ground to hunt on?
If so we can work something out.

 

[bwframe]

Shameless plug...

WTS: - Savage FV-SR .22LR ---- SOLD ---

SOLD Thanks! Well phooey, I have another shiney object in my sights. I was gonna keep this other Savage FV-SR, but I better offer it to you... This one came to me with a home done camo paint job. I was gonna strip it down, but decided the paint job was good enough to keep. There are a...

www.indianagunowners.com

.

Edit - Squirrel rifle for sale updated to SOLD.

Thanks INGO!

 

[BiscuitsandGravy]

I went mushroom hunting once. Sat in my stand all day and didn't see a single one!

You too? I hate that.

 

[Cameramonkey]

And to build on PD's info, seek out Revere's Riders Rifle 125. They will teach you the fundamentals of marksmanship. I guarantee you will leave the range a better marksman than you arrived. (or start with intro if you feel you need that.) And its a great class to go as a group. So you AND your buddies should go.

https://www.reveresriders.org/shooting-sports/rifle-programs/

And if you buy a bolt action, they can probably supply you a loaner semi auto for the class. So dont let that stop you.