>>2841081Watch a ton of videos about deer hunting. Some good channels that come to mind, or rather ones I watch are instinctive archery, the old leathery guy. The hunting public and another one I can't think of.
But educate yourself on deer behavior (or your target species if it's not deer)
Educate yourself on hunter safety and firearm/archery safety
Read your states hunting regulations over and over and over again. Not just the part about what you want to hunt, but everything, and the back of it where it goes over the legal definitions of terms and phrases and shit. You need to hunt within the state DNR regulations or you are gonna hurt the wildlife, and hurt yourself by landing yourself in jail or prison.
If you're going small game or waterfowl hunting start watching cooking videos and butchering videos. You need to be able to skin or pluck, clean, and cook your bag.
If youre going big game hunting for deer, elk, if youre absolutely nuts and want to hunt bear as youre first game animal. You should find a place to process the meat for you the first time. You will need to learn how to field dress the animal, pull out all the internal organs that accelerate decomposition, and you will need a plan to remove the animal from the field.
For small game I use a hunting vest with a game bag, for deer I keep a deer puller in my backpack. It's just some stretchy-ish thick rope, with a 2 foot section of garden hose on a big loop on one end, and a noose on the other. I put the noose over the deer's head after I've field dressed it, then I step into the loop and put the garden hose around my waist. Then I trudge forward and pull the deer behind me.
But the biggest tip is get out there and do it! You learn by doing. I promise you once you go out in the woods once with a bow and arrow or a shotgun, and you bag an animal with a valid hunting license. Take it home and cook it on the stove. It'll blow you away. You'll be over the moon and you'll be hooked for life.
