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Virtue Signaling

Nutterbuster said:
Sigh...

I'm probably going to end up taking my baby sister's fiance out this year. He's a good kid, but still... He's also roughly the size of a tanker truck. 6'8" and far from a beanpole. Not sure how I'm gonna fit him in the canoe, much less the windwalker! ;)

Maybe the deer will mistake him for a small hill?
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Sounds like a ground Hunt is in order.
 
NDH said:
I agree with @Guff Dawg. As a thirty something who decided to chase whitetails for the first time last season, having a mentor from the start would have been incredible. Lot's of great info here, the Beast, books and DVDs but nothing beats first hand knowledge. On my own in MA, I managed to see two does total on about ten sits, so I know I'm doing something wrong! Continuing to learn all I can to make each season a little better than the last. Despite my lack of success, I'm hooked and can't wait for October!
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You are where I was 4 years ago. Gradually you start seeing more and more game and more and more sign that may have always been there but you never noticed. As you refine your techniques you will get closer and closer. Last year I brought my brother out for his first white tail hunts. Im not an expert but you would be amazed at the things you have learned when you start passing it on. He's hooked and getting his boys into it. So in 4 years perhaps you will be mentoring someone.
 
A hint to some of you on here considering yourself new hunters, don’t be afraid to ask. Ask a seasoned hunter to join you. Look up where folks are from on the forums you’re on. Most are happy to help out and at least talk with you through a season. I think some of the guys with limited hunting experience would be surprised at how much time most of us spend going over scenarios and conditions with our close friends.
Don’t count on a guy taking you to “his spots” but the knowledge gained by talking throughout the season will advance your learning curve tremendously
 
Im thirty something and have tried to talk my friends into going, but they always point out the "negatives".... get up early, sit in the cold, not be able to move and MAYBE see something. Id like to take my nephews out when they get a little older since my brother in law has zero interest in hunting. At least give them the option if its something they want to try.

Job well done to everyone who takes out a noob, coming from someone who had no mentor and is self taught...I can imagine how a mentor would shorten the learning curve quite a bit and make it much easier to enjoy the journey with someone.
 
I have taken several kids over the years. Honestly I would rather take adults that haven’t hunted before. Usually when I take a kid I have to teach them how to shoot and gun safety. Without being around the kids enough to teach ethics, morals, and how valuable every life is I always feel wrong teaching them how to take one. I also usually take them hunting without really teaching them the how and why of what we are doing. A young adult on the other hand is welcome with me any time. That includes scouting and prepping. Most kids just want you to put them in front of a deer. That can be important for getting them into hunting but most of them will not continue when they get older and have to do all the work themselves.
 
I have offered to take several people hunting and fishing throughout the years. Out of probably a dozen or more I think I have had one person take me up on it (that was for ice fishing).

Hunting is a little more challenging to just get out and go as it requires someone to have taken hunters safety course to purchase a license. That's about all the barrier most people need to say forget it.

Fishing is easier, but I don't have a boat and most people don't want to experience the brutal cold of ice fishing. The guy I took out was, ironically, an italian immigrant over here on a work visa (now a close friend of mine). We had fun that day.

Honestly, and this is going to sound bad, but I just don't care if more people hunt or fish. I live in a state where hunter densities are very high and selfishly I could care less if more people get into hunting. To be perfectly honest I think we could use a lot less hunters in the woods every year. Yeah, sure, that has fiscal implications for our in-state natural resource agencies but I think the system needs to be shaken up a little. Too long has the DNR relied on volume license sales to line their budgets without truly improving the experience (i'd say it's mostly on life support these days).

/rant over
 
Guided 4 guys on their first turkey in the last few years and 2 guys on their first deer. We will get Ben a deer this fall, and I already have a guy lined up for next spring for his first turkey. One of the guys went out this year and called in his own turkey, so it's awesome to see I got him hooked.

I think the hardest part is finding someone who will put in the time. I start off by asking how much work they really want to put into it. I've had a ton of guys say they want to, but when it comes down to it only a couple will show up.

I'm starting to tell these new guys that if I bring you out to get a turkey or deer, you have to bring someone else out next year. I don't care if it's your kid, your wife, or a buddy, just pass it on.

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Nutterbuster said:
Sigh...

I'm probably going to end up taking my baby sister's fiance out this year. He's a good kid, but still... He's also roughly the size of a tanker truck. 6'8" and far from a beanpole. Not sure how I'm gonna fit him in the canoe, much less the windwalker! ;)

Maybe the deer will mistake him for a small hill?
Click to expand...
Sounds like he will make a good dragger! lol
 
I have taken some of my adult buddies along and it seems to make a huge difference when they kill a deer or at least have some action. I have some spots I would never target if solo that I consider go-to's for rifle hunting with newbies. If they jusyt put one doe on the ground and walk up to her, it should be mission accomplished and, in my opinion, you will know from then on if they are going to be self motivated and interested or not. Some dive deeper, some just move on with a positive experience and understanding of hunting when they are going through life and voting on hunting issues etc.
 
Nutterbuster said:
Just agreed to take a coworker who's never deer hunted before up to "my" WMA this season. Got his number, texted him the link to the DCNR website so he could buy his licenses, and arranged a time to swing by the range to "site in" the gun he's borrowing from me.

I havent taken as many guys as I probably should have over the years (hate babysitting), but I have taken at least one new guy every year since I was still in college. Some of them just mark it off the bucket list and move on, and a couple have gone whole hog.

YouTube videos, books, and forums help if you're new, but it's hard to get that first hint or two under your belt without a mentor.

Take a "kid" hunting this year.
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I have never hunted before...... you can take me. :sunglasses:
 
I have mentored two adult hunters separately over the last ten years neither of them have ever hunted deer before trying to teach them how to scout and stand placement and safety it takes patience trying not to over load them with information and keep it on an enjoyable level both wanted to bow hunt only that made it much harder for me but I throughly enjoyed the experience and was able to guide both of them to their first deer to see the joy of their first deer ever and with a bow made it all worthwhile i am sure that they will never forget the experience
 
After a recent post in another thread, I wanted to bring this back up. If any of you get the chance to mentor a young hunter please do. Here is my story.

I grew up in a hunting/fishing family. My dad took me out of school every opening day of rifle hunting since I was in kindergarten to join him for opening day sits (even though I was too young to actually hunt) and on weekends we joined his buddies for deer drives where I acted as one of the hound dogs. Needless to say I caught the bug early in life. Well unfortunately my dad passed away when I was 12 as the result of a motorcycle accident.

That year I met and made a lifelong friend in the transfer to middle school. His dad, upon hearing of my situation, invited me to join them on their weekend bowhunting trips. I had never bowhunted before and he took the time to teach me the ropes and how to patiently wait for the right opportunity as well as some important woodmanship skills. He would drive us out to the woods in the morning, let us go our own way and hunt until around 10. Then we would get back together and spend the midday cutting firewood (they heated with wood) until around 3 when we would again split up for the evening hunt. It was a good match for both of us as I got hunting time and tutelage and he got some extra labor lugging logs back to the truck. :)

Regardless, I owe this man more than I could ever repay. He is still hunting today at 81 and his boys and I (and our kids now) are all lifelong hunting buddies. Without his kindness and mentorship there's no telling what direction my life may have taken. By him keeping my interest focused on the outdoors he may well have kept a young man, angry with world over the loss of his father from heading a wrong direction.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, although it may seem to you a like an insignificant offer to take a youngster hunting, you could really end up have a profoundly positive effect on someone else's life.
 
I have taken many kids over the yrs. and got to see several kill their first deer. Awesome experience.I also have spots where deer are plentiful and the only requirement is ,, wait. I almost enjoy seeing someone new take their first than shoot one myself. You never know what a difference you may make in a kids lifes future.
 
I’m the first hunter in my family since my grandpa shot a deer while on shore leave during WWII. He was not really a hunter, but he’s the only other person in my family to have hunted. I often wish I could have had some real mentorship in the deer woods, but Im looking forward to taking my oldest daughter out in a year or two. She is 3 now and loves to watch Steve Rinella, The Hunting Public, and Randy Newberg. I didn’t actively engage her in my hunting obsession, she just peeked in the window to my crazy mind and thought she’d keep peeking I guess. Whenever she sees my bow she says, “can I go hunting too?” or, “Daddy’s gonna try to shoot a deer for dinner!” It’s important to me that she sees the forest for more than just the trees. I’m already sizing her for a recurve for Xmas. Even if she doesn’t become a hunter herself, she will live knowing that her dad, and she, is a public land owner. She is already a hiker, so we’re on the right path.
I’ve not been fortunate enough to take “a kid” hunting yet, but I took my teenage brother a few years back. He loved it enough to take Hunter Ed online, but hasn’t been able to join me again or take his field day for Hunter Ed due to college. I still have my treestand for him just in case though...
 
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DelaWhere_Arrow said:
I’m the first hunter in my family since my grandpa shot a deer while on shore leave during WWII. He was not really a hunter, but he’s the only other person in my family to have hunted. I often wish I could have had some real mentorship in the deer woods, but Im looking forward to taking my oldest daughter out in a year or two. She is 3 now and loves to watch Steve Rinella, The Hunting Public, and Randy Newberg. I didn’t actively engage her in my hunting obsession, she just peeked in the window to my crazy mind and thought she’d keep peeking I guess. Whenever she sees my bow she says, “can I go hunting too?” or, “Daddy’s gonna try to shoot a deer for dinner!” It’s important to me that she sees the forest for more than just the trees. I’m already sizing her for a recurve for Xmas. Even if she doesn’t become a hunter herself, she will live knowing that her dad, and she, is a public land owner. She is already a hiker, so we’re on the right path.
I’ve not been fortunate enough to take “a kid” hunting yet, but I took my teenage brother a few years back. He loved it enough to take Hunter Ed online, but hasn’t been able to join me again or take his field day for Hunter Ed due to college. I still have my treestand for him just in case though...
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My daughter is 10 months and we watch meateater whenever she is up at 2 am cuz she's sick or whatever. Haha, can't wait to get her a bow and bring her hunting!

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BCHunter said:
My daughter is 10 months and we watch meateater whenever she is up at 2 am cuz she's sick or whatever. Haha, can't wait to get her a bow and bring her hunting!

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My daughter has been deer hunting with me since she was 14. She's 25 now with a daughter of her own and still loves it.
 
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