Thread: What does a new hunter need?

Hey guys, so I am completely new to all things hunting and am looking at getting into it for a hobby as well as to stock a freezer. I have never had any experience in hunting or shooting anything other than rabbits. I am planning on getting some basic tramping gear and going on some hunts with my cousins and friends to watch without shooting and get some experience and will buy more gear as I go along to be able to hunt by myself. I was wondering what sort of gear I will need and any recommendations on the types of gear or good brands that are good to have with you. I'm thinking of doing both day trips and multiday trips and mainly going after deer but really I'm just looking to start building up the basic gear to get started. If anybody can help it would be much appreciated.

Cheers

gun,ammo,SHARP knife....bag to carry lunch in and meat out....binos are good.....patience and perseverance

Avoid getting upsold by sales staff, ask a few older hunters what they use they will have sorted out a lot of the rubbish and use that as a guide.
Same goes for rifles get something in a common readily available cal like 308 and practice practice practice.

A Howa 308 or a 2nd hand Parker Hale - 308 cos it is common and hence the ammo is cheap but a 270/7mm 08/ 6.5 all will do what you need easily
Don't start on deer with a 223 or smaller - later on when you get more accurate they are ok
A scope that costs as much as the rifle if not more - 3-9 x 40 or similar
Good binos (try mates' ones to see what suits you)
Do the HUNTS course at your local Deerstalkers, you don't have to join if you don't want to but it usually comes with access to a range to practise your shooting (which is important)
The HUNTS manual is good as is Lentle and Saxon's book "Red deer hunting in NZ" which your library system down there is bound to have a copy of

Good boots

As above - good boots are essential.
And a Silva compass.

I am using mostly all the gear I have been using for tramping for years and will upgrade the things I need to when I can afford it, the only extra things I have bought are rifle, ammo and a knife.

You need to be able to navigate off track through the bush using a map and compass. It's just as important as having a rifle and knife.
Oh and you need a head torch.

Binoculars , Boots and raincoat , buy the best of each you can afford.
You can shoot animals with the cheapest rifle and ammo , you can process the animal with the cheapest knife
You will not shoot the animal if your wet and hypothermic , your feet hurt and and you can’t see them before they see you .

Also think about a small cooking unit of some sort. We use the type you screw on top of the small gas canisters (kovea brand) and a titanium 500 ml pot/mug that can be used to boil water for a cuppa (a real luxury out bush) or to add to a dehydrated meal such as backcountry. Small, light , cheap to buy and a real handy little setup that can be used anywhere. And believe me just having the ability to make a cuppa can really brighten your day at times

Dont get hung up on the latest plastic fantastic rifle, or the bestest model, most bloody expensive this or that. And dont get hung up on calibre, anything above a 243 should be good to start with. But good glass, both bino's and scope, good rain gear, comfortable pack, and bloody good boots, are probably the most important bits of gear. Spend heaps on glass, as much as you can possibly afford and then some. After you've got a basic set of gear and a rifle, I believe one of the most important things is trigger time, shoot lots, with mates, on your own. Shoot targets, shoot cans, shoot steel. Learn to judge distance and keep your shooting within your own limits, and then shoot some more. And a DA Hunts course is an excellent starting point.

its also good to see you are keen to just tag along without any expectation of shooting anything there's heaps to learn even before you get to that stage

For a cheap and sharp knife the wee Bahco knives in a plastic sheath are good. I used that before getting a folding knife, depending on the trip depends what one I'll take with me.

$11 from George Henry: https://www.georgehenry.co.nz/shop/C...n+Holster.html

You shoulda seen the stuff we started with in the late 60's as trampers. And hunting is really only armed tramping (sorta;-))

Get the skinny on surviving in the bush as a tramper, sorted, then add rifle and knife and binos. And patients. Lots of patients.

Thanks for all the quick replies, I'm learning a lot. How about clothing and backpacks? I'm not sure what types I would need e.g. fleeces, pants, base layers and waterproofs. Would it be better to get expensive stuff (hoping that it will last a long time) or just cheap out? I know to get a decent pair of boots but unsure about all other clothing.

Originally Posted by XR500

And patients. Lots of patients.

With all due respect @XR500 I think we need less patients. In fact the less patients we have the better for everyone's sake.

What the lad really needs is patience. Lots of patience.