New Hunter - No experience!

[not on the rug]

The one and only RZA is here on NJW&W.  Welcome! You can have great success on WMAs. Some of them are better than others.  Do your homework and don't be afraid to ask questions here. There are plenty of folks in your area who can give you a hand if you need it.

[Mountain Goat]

All I hunt in NJ is public.  We are very successful but do a lot of scouting and go in deep. Good luck and have fun!! 

[Jcol6268]

The biggest piece of advice I can give ya is give it time. At first (and it can be a few years) you’ll make a lot of mistakes and it can be frustrating. Take your time, eventually you’ll learn from the mistakes, have an idea of what your actually doing in the woods and why and become successful on a consistent basis. Until then enjoy it for what it is and take it all in. If you ever need something I’m in Warren county and about the same age. 

[Rusty]

Welcome to the site Bobby.  There is a lot of good public land available, just take the time to check out a bunch of spots to avoid the crowds.

Most important, enjoy the experience and have fun.  You will make a lot of mistakes, learn from them and learn to laugh at your mistakes instead of getting frustrated.  We've all been there.  

[Buck154]

Welcome to the site. There are plenty of deer on public land. Just do the scouting before season and make sure you hunt the wind. Some times you can use the pressure of the others on public land to your advantage. I hunt both public and one private land. Have taking more good bucks off public land than my private. Good luck and and there are lots of good guys on here for help  

[Bonefreak]

Welcome aboard!  Spend as much time as possible in the woods, scouting, talking to other sportsmen and women out there, knock doors asking for permission to hunt properties and offer to do some work around the property and supply them with some of your bounty if u r successful, map out WMAs and learn them, research two, county, n state parks to see what hunting opportunities they offer,  and keep practicing at your skills with the tools of the trade!!  Good luck!!

[Bones]

Look at less popular wma’s ones that don’t have great big dirt roads that are heavily used.

bowhunting you will see way less people then during firearms season for deer.

and if you plan on hunting deer with a shotgun make sure it’s not on a wma that releases pheasant or quail.

 

[Woodsman416]

Welcome to NJWW!

 

Nobody hunts public land anymore. It's too crowded.

[Live to Hunt]

Welcome 

[JHbowhunter]

Welcome to NJWW. Good luck with your new hobby. It’s an addiction for some of us. We have a good post on here about shot selection that you would benefit from. I will see if I can revive it for you. Launching an arrow at an animal requires the utmost respect and responsibility. 

[Bill from NJ]

Welcome.

There is a slight learning curve which each species you want to pursue. 

Have fun, try not to be overly frustrated or hard on yourself.

In a short time you will be out there like a pro.

Geez, up there in North Jersey you actually have deer that are bigger than the Chihuahua's in Southern NJ.

 

[JHbowhunter]

Please read this top to bottom. 

 

[Silver Belly62]

Welcome to the site and good luck this season 

[A&N_Hunter]

Welcome, Bobby!

You'll quickly learn who on this site is extremely knowledgeable, so do not ever be afraid to pick someones brain (I've done it quite a few times myself!) As others have said, it will take time to build your skills and grow as a hunter. The best thing you can do is learn! Read through new topics as they post, you never know when a post may contain a piece of information that could be relevant to you and your particular set up. Read online! Research articles on whitetail, whitetail habitats, movements, etc. Try and educate yourself as much as possible and it will pay off with time.

Since it is your first season, do not expect to shoot a giant buck! Also, some guys have a really good year, followed by a few not so good years. It happens. But accept this mindset for a first season goal:

If you can manage in your first season to scout a piece of land, find sign of whitetail activity, manage to set your own stand, hunt that stand and even just lay eyes on a deer without being busted in your stand, then YOU HAVE HAD A TREMENDOUS AND HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL FIRST SEASON!

Remember that the hunt is way more than just the kill!

Best of luck brother!

Zone5 in Warren Cty if you ever need any help!

[Ms Grit]

Welcome to the site and congratulations on becoming a new hunter.  Practice, Practice and more Practice.  Don't beat yourself up when you make mistakes, we all do, but allow yourself to learn something from it.  I'm not familiar with WMA's, but did hunt some of NJ's Trust Lands in the past.  Many of them limit the number of hunters allowed, so your exposure to overcrowded spots becomes less and they do hold some good game.  Best of luck !!!