Thread: What does a new hunter need?

Try not to walk 15ks into the hills and shoot a deer until you've carried one for 1or 2 ks and realise how heavy 30 to 40 kilos weighs on your back.
Study the area you intend to hunt on a map and know what direction will get you out even without a map or compass. Learn how to find direction using sun and time.

You need a Mercator knife, a sharpening stone and steel and a 35l ish pack and some basic on sale merino Macpac layers.

Forget about the super expensive and ridiculously heavy hunting coats. It’s not a fashion show. A lightweight plastic type raincoat will do what it’s supposed to do and will fold down nice and small so you’ll never need to question bringing it along or not.

All the best mate

Originally Posted by scotty

"what you need" has pretty well been covered over the last couple of pages ....just to add you need an old codger to be camp mother ,cook big feeds for you , show you how to sharpen your knife keep the campfire going and pass on his local knowledge around said campfire ...... alot of guys had their father to do that for them .....some of us didnt ....so dont be shy if an old grizzled hunter offers to take you bush ......take every opportunity you never go away without having learnt something

Nice one @scotty

Originally Posted by Madridista22

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

hi mate- firstly you will need, an overwhelming desire to do and learn whatever it takes to be successful finding deer/Tahr/Cham or whatever. Reason I'm saying this is, often there are posts here and elsewhere with guys starting out- asking for opinions on gear etc- but then sometimes/often find in real life- in practice, finding the animals and getting to them is a lot harder than they first thought it would be. You most likely will get this insight hopefully from your mates. Sounds like you are on the right track starting off slowish.If your mates get animals 50% of the time/trips outdoors- or better, then you are on the right track.
If so, then good luck to ya- plenty starter packages out there for firearms + scopes. Plenty of deals on here.

Do look after your feet first- with the best fitting- comfiest foot wear and socks you can get for your type of adventures- expect to spend $300 plus.

Do get a PLB- locator beacon.

Do get a good qual rain coat + mid insulation layer and baby them with your life.

Originally Posted by RUMPY

Try not to walk 15ks into the hills and shoot a deer until you've carried one for 1or 2 ks and realise how heavy 30 to 40 kilos weighs on your back.
Study the area you intend to hunt on a map and know what direction will get you out even without a map or compass. Learn how to find direction using sun and time.

I'd add to that spend a bit of time understanding the lie of the land from a topo map on your back to base/exit routes. Shitty bush on the way home just means you might get the torch out at some point. Steep bluffs or rock faces means something a bit more serious if you try and push on rather than double back.

Sent from my LM-G710 using Tapatalk

Here is a cooker and a pot that in my opinion is best matchup. Nice and lightweight and if you pair it with a 110g gas can you got a bloody reliable/lightweight cooking setup.

https://www.toaksoutdoor.com/collect...ucts/pot-550-l

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3277...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

Originally Posted by Madridista22

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.

In terms of a backpack, I started off with one of those ex NZ military packs, worked a treat. Depends on your budget too. If you have a bit of cash to play with I'd also look at the NZ Made cactus packs.

For clothing - a lot of guys wear shorts and longjohns(personally I wear light weight pants). I'd recommend wearing a merino baselayer top and then a synthetic style grid fleece. You can get these at a good price from Bivouac.

PM me if you want more info, backcountry gear is my passion and I enjoy helping people out with this sort of thing. A lot to discuss

Cheers