[MrFox]

Hey, I am heading to my first hunt tonight. Lots of different feelings. Realization that so many things are missing or could be done better (as in shotgun sighting and practicing). What if and what to expect questions.
Wish me some luck. I will sure gain some new experience by the end of this weekend.

 

[wmi]

Out of respect for the animal as well as your fellow hunters DO NOT GO HUNTING without first sighting in your fire arm. Not doing this first is the biggest no, no of hunting. We as fellow outdoorsman do not condone this way of hunting in any shape or form.:shocking::no:

 

[hunt NH]

i agree 100% with wmi. you owe it to the animal to do everything to enshure a clean kill. the other hunters in your area to not put them in danger as well as to yourself, that you are not going to freez you butt off sitting in a stand, only to miss the deer you shot at. take the 10 min to go down to the range to make sure you can hit your target. you wont be soory that you did.

 

[MrFox]

Hey, I did sight it! What I am saying is that I haven't practiced it enough (and enough by my standards would make it about 1000 rounds or so) as well as I might need a few subtle adjustments to hit 4MOA at 50 yrds consistently (maybe I should raise my rear open sight 1 notch, that's it).

What I am trying to say, is that I did every reasonable preparations... Yet, there's a feeling of uncertainty and unpreparedness coming when you do something for the first time... I just wanted to share it with you, guys.

 

[hunt NH]

oh ok. just wanted to make shure. your first post left alot up to interpritation about what you ment. as long as your sighted in dont worry about it. enjoy your first hunt.

 

[deerless]

Look everybody has to start somewhere and being safe is the number one priority for every ethical hunter. If you do not feel confident with your gun what do you feel is the best thing to do? Personally if I was you on the days I could not hunt I would try to spend some time shooting at least a few rounds a day. It only takes a few minutes as Hunt Nh said and confidence certainlly helps because I can assure you the first deer you see in the woods will probably cause your heart to race uncontrolably anyway! Good luck!

 

[o1sick7]

man deerless is not kidding. i have been hunting all my life with friends and family. but this year was my own first hunt. and i seen alot of small bucks. and man even knowing there to young to shoot. get you going like you could not belife. i would say for my .02 if you think your not ready then dont go. but if you feel you are please be safe and good hunting. but for sure weigh the options. if i was being hunted i would not want to suffer because someone didnt take the time to be able to make a cleas shot.

 

[buckfever]

Good luck.. A little late for you though.. I am assuming you were talking about this evening.. I hope you at least seen some deer and got the shakes..

 

[Professor Nono]

Get ready for adrenaline. On my first hunt, I shot a 6 point buck at 100 yards out through a "V" in the treeline (McMinn County, Tenn.). I was thinking - "heck,if it aint go horns, I aint shooting." After about one and a half hours, I saw movement to my right about120 yards out. Heck - a deer - aint never seen one in the woods before so that was freakout factor number one. Then, WTH it has horns! Alright, shaking, "am I going to get a good look at this deer?" Probably not - trees everywhere. Keep looking - He's angling away from me and I might not have a shot period. No - there's a spot he should walk into- focus on that spot - brown shoulder - trigger pull - deer bounds away - "did I hit the buck?" Radio bro in law - "I THINK I shot a deer." He says hang on, keep an eye on which way he went and don't come out of the stand. See the bro in law looking around - he finds the deer and radios that it aint got any horns. Dang. Then, I walk up and see the horns. Cool. Typical bro in law. Adrenaline - High five - then let the gutting begin. Freakout factor number two. Only wretched a couple of times. Then off to the deer processing facility - a deer Aushchwitz. Interesting personnel - Freakout factor number three.

I get it now - so will you when you make your first kill. It is what it is - embrace it and understand that up until 100 years ago or less, man survived by hunting for thousands of years. You will wind up as a more well-rounded guy and, in my opinion, you will have advanced to a point closer to what you were designed to be.

 

[BruceBruce1959]

Congratulations Professor NoNo!!!

 

[ronn]

congrats....................

 

[Professor Nono]

I didn't mean to highjack the thread or anything - good luck!

 

[MrFox]

Well, gentlemen, you were right. I was lucky (and my mentor was a really experienced guy who knew the area better than his backyard) and a deer showed up. Actually, not 1 deer but 7 (2 bucks).

I missed. There's a huge difference between shooting a target and a moving deer. And it went very rapid. One moment you disbelieve you'd even see any deer. And then there's full-throttle motion and the deer is gone.

I guess, there's a lesson for me nonetheless. Would I spend more time sighting my shotgun and learning to snap-shoot it (by taking it to a sporting clay course maybe) and would I practice at least a little bit of a moving target shooting, I'd be eating venison roast instead of rice.

I guess I've got some time before the gun deer season opening day here in WI!