Tips for a New Hunter

[Rusty]

I'm going to focus on purchasing a bow and Ms Grit lives not far from me; will probably take her up on target practice but might also need some help tuning it.

 

Good move, Ms Grit knows her stuff. 

[Oneday121o]

Turkey with a bow starting out...good luck! Deer are a lot easier to pursue with a compound. But you definitely need to get out there and try so you can learn, It is the only way. You have any good spots, or are you just hunting public?

[Haskell_Hunter]

A 20GA shotgun will get the job done.  I have both 12GA and 20GA guns, both with rifled and smoothbore barrels.  So you have options.

 

Also, turkey hunting with a bow is a lot of fun but also its own kind of challenge.  I learned a hard lesson this past fall.  "Shoot 'um high, watch 'um die.  Shoot 'um low, watch 'um go."  I shot a turkey like a deer and watched it fly away.  Aiming higher and taking a back/spine shot is a better shot.  That's one lesson that's etched in the mind now.

 

I shoot archery in my back yard.  I have some kids in town show up, and I will more than likely be mentoring another young hunter this summer.  Nothing more fun that lobbing a few arrows at a target until your shoulders hurt.  Once you get the hang of it, it doesn't take much to get on target with practice.

[rgw]

 

As for Rusty, we've never yet met. He was the first to offer me a really warm welcome here @ NJW&W and to introduce me to others. He got the conversation started, and pointed me in the direction of member Ms Grit who has been also wonderful in guiding me. YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST! 

 

I have to call bs lol lol:)

[Rusty]

I have to call bs lol lol:)

 

 

[stlkmjn]

Haha- JUST went to edit my post. RGW gets props on that one. And thank you also RGW!!! My bad; sorry! Haha Y'all rock. 

Edited April 24, 2017 by stlkmjn

[rgw]

thats better. I mean rusty is nice and all for a log splitting bald guy, lol lo

[Tarhunt]

Always bring toilet paper no matter what.

[rgw]

Always bring toilet paper no matter what.

winner winner chicken dinner

[stlkmjn]

Turkey with a bow starting out...good luck! Deer are a lot easier to pursue with a compound. But you definitely need to get out there and try so you can learn, It is the only way. You have any good spots, or are you just hunting public?

Excellent. Nope. I was thinking of public land to start. My coworker's boyfriend has some large property out near Phillipsburg, but he strikes me as super territorial about it. I'm going to inquire regardless in the near-future. Which do you usually hunt on, and is public land actually prolific at all? I noticed NJSFFC offers big$ insurance w/ membership. Is that actually a useful thing to have when asking folks if you can hunt on their private property? 

 

A 20GA shotgun will get the job done.  I have both 12GA and 20GA guns, both with rifled and smoothbore barrels.  So you have options.

 

Also, turkey hunting with a bow is a lot of fun but also its own kind of challenge.  I learned a hard lesson this past fall.  "Shoot 'um high, watch 'um die.  Shoot 'um low, watch 'um go."  I shot a turkey like a deer and watched it fly away.  Aiming higher and taking a back/spine shot is a better shot.  That's one lesson that's etched in the mind now.

 

I shoot archery in my back yard.  I have some kids in town show up, and I will more than likely be mentoring another young hunter this summer.  Nothing more fun that lobbing a few arrows at a target until your shoulders hurt.  Once you get the hang of it, it doesn't take much to get on target with practice.

 

Excellent. Solid advice on the turkeys. Any idea why that is? I've read that deer that are at all anticipatory can crouch before an arrow is loose, changing the shot's placement.  Is that the reason? I'd assume turkey don't do this.

 

Also, for some reason this response gets me thinking about a somewhat off-topic and probably a painful noob question. I've harvested many chickens before, but never dressed a turkey.  Anybody know if there are any real differences (besides the size)? 

 

Finally, your username suggests you might be from Haskell. If that's right, I'm surprised that you'd have enough space in your back yard to shoot as my limited familiarity of the town seems like most lots are pretty cozy. Have you ever had neighbors give you grief for backyard target practice, or are you lucky enough to more elbow-room than I'm assuming? I'm going to be moving to Wanaque in a few months and curious how the area handles that. 

[Zipper]

Always bring toilet paper no matter what.

If do now, after using poison ivy just once....... My tip learn what poison ivy, poison oak, and sumac look like !

[Rusty]

thats better. I mean rusty is nice and all for a log splitting bald guy,

 

HEY, I never claimed to be nice.  

[Haskell_Hunter]

Excellent. Solid advice on the turkeys. Any idea why that is? I've read that deer that are at all anticipatory can crouch before an arrow is loose, changing the shot's placement.  Is that the reason? I'd assume turkey don't do this.

 

Also, for some reason this response gets me thinking about a somewhat off-topic and probably a painful noob question. I've harvested many chickens before, but never dressed a turkey.  Anybody know if there are any real differences (besides the size)? 

 

Finally, your username suggests you might be from Haskell. If that's right, I'm surprised that you'd have enough space in your back yard to shoot as my limited familiarity of the town seems like most lots are pretty cozy. Have you ever had neighbors give you grief for backyard target practice, or are you lucky enough to more elbow-room than I'm assuming? I'm going to be moving to Wanaque in a few months and curious how the area handles that. 

 

 

Regarding the turkey question:  anatomy.  A body shot on a turkey is very difficult because of the way they are made and all those damn feathers.  With a shotgun, a turkey shot is a head shot.  There are broad heads specifically made for turkey hunting that are for head shots, but in my case I was both turkey and deer hunting at the same time (seasons overlap in the fall).  So I had a standard/traditional/deer broadhead on my arrow, so I shot lower, at a larger target.  I should have waited for the turkey to turn around, show me its arse, and then shoot at its back where the neck meets the body, but slightly low.  Hunting is a life-long learning lesson.

 

Regarding dressing a turkey:  It's the same.  You can pluck or skin, but dressing is the same.

 

And finally, regarding Wanaque.  Welcome to the neighborhood!  What most folks don't realize is that Haskell/Wanaque is surrounded by about 15,000 acres of protected forests.  About 10K of those acres are huntable land.  A few minutes drive up 23 and you have the Newark Watershed to hunt and Wawayanda State Park is about 30 minutes northwest.  The town has a no-discharge ordinance, but no one has given me any grief over shooting arrows in my back yard (we back up to forest, so there are no neighbors behind us).  I've been doing it for about 20 years now.  I can practice to up to 25-30 yards.

[stlkmjn]

If do now, after using poison ivy just once....... My tip learn what poison ivy, poison oak, and sumac look like !

Ha! solid advice. Fortunately, after growing up in MN and doing a lot of deep-woods backpacking in the BWCA, I at least have that one covered! Unfortunately, sometimes we must learn the hard way, no? 

[Ms Grit]

Jump into it full force and don't ever look back !!!

Learn from every mistake you make !!!

Take a lesson out of every hunt, no matter what happens !!!

Practice, Practice and MORE Practice !!!

Edited April 24, 2017 by Ms Grit