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Looking for some rookie advice

H

HotPickle

New Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2018
Messages
16
Hey guys! This is my first year hunting. I've been trying to learn as much as I can, and actually caught wind of saddle hunting in a Steve Rinella book... I've been creeping this forum a bit and absolutely love the idea. I want to buy one of the Eberhart books, but I'm having trouble figuring out which one. Can anyone recommend which one would be best for a beginner if I had to choose one? I plan on buying his videos as well (probably in the new year), but want to get started with a book.

Also, any other recommendations on where else I can find some learning material? I'm saving up for a saddle and some portable lightweight steps, I wanna have a wicked mobile setup for next year (and be able to practice all summer). I've kind of accepted that I should probably be putting my time and effort into next season, all I have right now is a bow, some camo, ****ty scent control (no scentlok yet), and I got my license in September so there was no scouting done and I have limited access to land. Dont know enough about the public land nearby at this point and I dont wanna go crashing through and ruin everyone's hunts.

I'm located in SW Ontario if there's any Canadians here!
 
LiverEatingJoe said:
Whitetail Access: How to Hunt Top Whitetail States Cheaply
by Chris Eberhart (Author)

https://www.amazon.com/Whitetail-Access-States-Cheaply-Effectively/dp/0896898342

Reads like a dairy or travelogue but full of great tips and best practices. Not a "how to" book exactly but Rinella even mentions it as a great resource. I enjoyed all the little details of his day-to-day routine.
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I have read more than once, guys saying "Bowhunting Pressured Whitetails" had an immediate and significant impact on their hunting.... is this book you linked similar in that respect?
 
First, welcome to the hunting world. You don't need scentloc to practice good scent control techniques. I would say if your hunting from the ground, get your self a good pair of light weight binos go stalk some terrain with the wind in your face and your eyes open to EVERYTHING. It's Nov. now go stalk a south facing slope with your binos. Books are great but if you have no idea what their talking about it's not going to help you. Go out into the woods and make some mistakes. Go find a deer. Go find deer sign. Go SEE the woods. Go have a cup of coffee on a sunny slope tucked out of the wind, don't forget a sandwich, and a piece of chocolate. LISTEN :) Thats hunting. You'll kill a ton of deer if you stick with it.
 
I killed my first deer from the ground when I was 16. I killed my first 2 deer with a bow from the ground the first year I started bow hunting. I'm 55 now and I've killed a lot of deer. It's more important to have a good hunt.
 
Kurt said:
First, welcome to the hunting world. You don't need scentloc to practice good scent control techniques. I would say if your hunting from the ground, get your self a good pair of light weight binos go stalk some terrain with the wind in your face and your eyes open to EVERYTHING. It's Nov. now go stalk a south facing slope with your binos. Books are great but if you have no idea what their talking about it's not going to help you. Go out into the woods and make some mistakes. Go find a deer. Go find deer sign. Go SEE the woods. Go have a cup of coffee on a sunny slope tucked out of the wind, don't forget a sandwich, and a piece of chocolate. LISTEN :) Thats hunting. You'll kill a ton of deer if you stick with it.
Click to expand...

That's all absolutely true but it doesn't hurt to also read a few books when you're not in the woods. Podcasts are also great while commuting to work. I've read a few of John's books and found that I also heard a LOT of that same information from listening to him on various podcasts. Same with Dan Infalt. Those guys share a ton of information for free that's included in their books/DVDs. I'd still get the books (probably start with Bowhunting Pressured WTs) but definitely hit some podcasts too. Kurt is right though, time in the woods is the best teacher and should be the priority. Hit the books in bed at night and podcasts in the truck. If you're into scent control, John is your guy. If you don't worry about scent control and instead play the wind, Dan is the man. I recommend listening to both of them and employing what makes sense to you. Or develop your own combination of their methods... of course only time in the woods will teach you if that system works for you. I'd also recommend learning to read and use topo maps... learn to identify saddles, ridges, fingers, hollers, funnels, drainages, etc... You gotta know the terminology to understand what everyone is talking about in books, podcasts, forums, etc. Download the OnX app on your phone and go for a walk in the woods with it set to topo. Make note of where you are and what the area looks like on the ground compared to the topo map. That alone will help a lot.
 
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