New Hunter: Advice Needed!

Have fun! Be patient and be ready to learn. The animals will teach you so much!

Welcome to GoWild. I would suggest joining your local NWTF, RMEF, etc. and get to know the members. The learning curve is a lot slower if you go it alone.

Boots on the ground, scout till you drop, trust your gut, pay attention to wind direction, be patient, but persevere. It will all come to make sense.

The key is being in the woods as much as possible. The more you are the faster everything will make sense and you’ll be on target to getting your first deer. Other things to do: keep your eyes and ears peeled and the nose as well. If you’re close enough or wind is right you will smell a hot doe or a rutted up buck.

Never. Ever. Under any circumstances. Ever. Squirrel pouch moonshine.

You really can’t teach patience or read how to be patient. It’s learned through experience, so stay in the woods as much as you can. Also, be quiet walking in and out of the woods. You have to focus on how much noise you are making while walking and try to consciously minimize it. I hope this helps.

Patience’s , Persistence & wind direction .

Patient love nature

Be confident in yourself. Find a mentor. Learn from your mistakes. Welcome to GoWild also.

Get in the woods as often as possible even if you’re not hunting. Sit under a good tree and listen to your surroundings look at the ground while walking in and out watch for tracks and watch for game signs. Be patient and persistence most of all have fun and enjoy. Welcome to the Go Wild family

What do you plan on hunting?

@Paul starting with deer. I'd love to hunt turkey and pheasant.

Here’s a great starting point....

My best advice is to buy a wind checker, it sprays dust in the air to check wind direction. Your chances of getting close to a deer that is down wind of you is slim to none. I didn’t believe it until I saw it with almost no detectable breeze.

Wash all your clothes with and use scent free soap, deodorant, toothpaste.

Having read all the previous comments, I agree with most of it. The fact that you have taken all the courses should mean you know quite a few people you can lean on to get started. If you go at it alone it will be discouraging but not impossible. You have some advantages though, being a women I would guarantee you are more likely to get an offer to go hunting. I don’t want to seem like I wouldn’t help out a guy but I probably wouldn’t just take some dude from the gun club out if they asked, point them in the right direction yes let them come with me no. The main reason for that is women listen and are teachable, past about 15 us guys think we know everything (here I am writing a novel). Maybe don’t ask about deer right away, think spring turkey or small game.

Get up this way next year get it done

@T thanks, I will. What part of TN are you in? I own property and hope to live in 10 years, in Chuckey.

@Brooke Nys

@Brooke I’m in the western part of the state. Not familiar with Chuckey. What area is it in?

@T it's East, near Gatlinburg. Greene is the next town over. Chuckey is really small, like tiny 😂

@Brooke that is beautiful country up there. On the original subject I would also suggest a deep dive into the biology of the animal you are pursuing. One thing I enjoy is studying the life cycle of my prey. Remember the old Indian’s advice, if you want to know the owl you must first understand the mouse.

Hey lady! Welcome aboard! I didnt grow up around shooting or hunting! One of the most valuable things you can do is try to connect with others that can offer valuable insights! Find a buddy or mentor you can rely on and learn from. There are great men AND women that love to share their knowledge and help novice hunters. In TN there are some great ladies! Look for groups such as Women of the Outdoors, NWTF, WildHerness, Sisterhood of the Outdoors and many more. Pm me anytime! I agree with many of the suggestions here. Also check with your state DNR. Many have novice hunts with mentors. Missouri has several private land owners that open their land for such programs.