>>2120521I learned how to hunt on my own basically just by reading up online, I hunt small game like grouse and rabbit plus waterfowl in CO and previously MN. I haven't done any limited tag hunting like deer or turkey so I can't speak for them, but small game hunting honestly is a lot like fishing. Enjoying a nice off-trail hike in the woods, plus a great dinner if I get anything. It doesn't require anything other than hiking gear, a gun and blaze orange, and it doesn't take a lot of commitment either. There is still a lot of skill to it most of the time, but a rank beginner still gets some action. Waterfowl is a step up with decoys, gear, and skills like understanding duck habits and camouflaging being more important, but jump shooting by just sneaking up on water can be done with little gear. Plentiful public land is huge though, I probably wouldn't go if I was bumping into other small game hunters every time I went.
I know what you mean with not getting the "insight". It confused me at first, but if you make sure what you are doing is legal and safe you figure it out. Between forum posts, articles, and state resources, there's plenty out there to get you started. Hunter safety classes, at least in CO, are pretty good and worth taking seriously.
Assuming you are going solo, yeah, basic outdoor safety is a concern. Set up a contact who will call for S&R if you do not check in with them by a certain time and knows where you are going and have basic gear and backcountry knowledge. That varies based on terrain, of course. A mile hike in a flat area covered with trails just isn't really dangerous, a 10 mile hike straight back into a wilderness in mountains is seriously hazardous and needs some real preparation. No matter how much you prepare, though, you can realistically just get unlucky and be seriously injured or die. That's just a fact of life, though, just driving to work comes with risk. Hell, even fishing can kill you.
