Thread: Beginner Hunter - need advice

Spologies for typos !! 🤓

Hey mate,

I'm 39 and pretty much in the same boat. Started to get serious about hunting deer this year and the key has been talking to hunters and getting out with some experienced people.

Chasing goats was a good experience and I'd recommend that.

Armed tramping is also good. Buy a copy of a hunting guide like Red Deer in NZ by Roger Lentle, there are differing opinions on here about his work but the basics will help you. I take the book with me and it's helped me learn on the go in regards to learning about plants, footprints ect.

I've only shot one deer so far, but, last hunt I got 2 occasions where I was between 50 and 100 metres of a few deer.

It's tough getting into it if you didn't grow up amongst it, but it's very achievable. I never thought I'd love it as much as I do.

Overall, find a local bloke who shoots heaps of deer and talk out you learning and intentions and he'll explain where you're going wrong. Chances are he isn't interested in your hinds.

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Originally Posted by Rn-85

Hey mate,

I'm 39 and pretty much in the same boat. Started to get serious about hunting deer this year and the key has been talking to hunters and getting out with some experienced people.

Chasing goats was a good experience and I'd recommend that.

Armed tramping is also good. Buy a copy of a hunting guide like Red Deer in NZ by Roger Lentle, there are differing opinions on here about his work but the basics will help you. I take the book with me and it's helped me learn on the go in regards to learning about plants, footprints ect.

I've only shot one deer so far, but, last hunt I got 2 occasions where I was between 50 and 100 metres of a few deer.

It's tough getting into it if you didn't grow up amongst it, but it's very achievable. I never thought I'd love it as much as I do.

Overall, find a local bloke who shoots heaps of deer and talk out you learning and intentions and he'll explain where you're going wrong. Chances are he isn't interested in your hinds.

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good advice mate

Being able to confidently navigate in the bush is a prerequisite for bush hunting. Learn how to follow a bearing on a compass. Get into the bush as much as you can. It might take a year or two before you start getting consistent success but persistence will pay off.

Wow! That got me thinking as to how I got started and how I would train a newbie?
Contacting this Group was your first good move and I see you have gotten a lot of really great advice.
I'm going to add Small Bore Indoor Shooting Club. It teaches good safety and Firearms etiquette. Breathing, trigger pull, accuracy etc.
Small game hunting a definite must.
NZDA, Firearms safety, long range shooting in multiple positions. Also sometimes running boar. Hunting knowledge and trips.
My father used to say, "You can learn about anything from a good book!" I see @Rn-85 has already mentioned Roger Lentle, so here's a photo of a couple of good books.
As with all things these days, YouTube is your friend for gun cleaning and maintenance, there are heaps of excellent knife sharpening videos, and whole animal butchering.
I'll end with a quote from Lex Severenson, "You'll learn no ills from the hills!"

Thanks so much this is great I will seek out some of those books for sure!

6

Also I'm not sure if you are a new shooter but having a tikka means every gunsmith and gunship owner knows your gun inside and out and can problem solve most issues.

Also, having a forum like this means you can debunk the YouTube image of head shooting stags at 800. The reality of filling the freezer with hinds shot at 100m is achievable. In light of that you don't need some high end optic and binos. Mid range will get you started and sort you for a while.

For me, I've set myself up with vortex gear and I didn't need to remortgage the house.

The fashion show/pissing contest is the exception not the rule.




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Look in the library most of those books can be found there they are up here.

Talk to yr local doc guys,they will gladly point you in the right direction and give advice.

Originally Posted by Shippo

Kia Ora team,

I’m 36 years old and have never been hunting in my life but have just gotten my firearms licence and purchased a Tikka T3x so I’m keen to get out there and learn as much as possible and eventually fill the freezer. I’m in the Katikati region and just wondering if there’s any recommendations in terms of where I should start exploring? Any tracks or areas where as a beginner I should start my hunting journey.

Thanks a lot!

Hi Shippo,you brought a tikka,what caliba?

Originally Posted by Trout

Hi Shippo,you brought a tikka,what caliba?

Hey Trout!

Got the tikka T3x Lite in a .308 - was thinking about getting a 7mm-08 but after a chat to the guys at Hunting and fishing decided on the .308 to try and get more stopping power. Want to try and avoid putting any animals through any unnecessary pain.

Originally Posted by Shippo

Hey Trout!

Got the tikka T3x Lite in a .308 - was thinking about getting a 7mm-08 but after a chat to the guys at Hunting and fishing decided on the .308 to try and get more stopping power. Want to try and avoid putting any animals through any unnecessary pain.

well this snippet of advice will go against the grain of MOST shop sales folks...and the open country hunters...if you are bush hunting and expect to be less than hundred yards from deer...winchester make a simply awesome 180grn cup n core load..its usually reasonably priced and recoils LESS than the 150grn equivilents..and it kills deer like nothing else..simply awesome load.

Range days
Make sure it's zeroed
Then bush days
Only so much u can learn from advice
Time in bush trumps everything(after I did basics ' how to safely fire a rifle consistently)
Enjoy m8 u still have at least 40 yrs of huntng looking at some of my old m8s