PDA

View Full Version : I got bit!


jtully
04-15-2013, 03:41 PM
by the hunting bug... :thumps:

I've always been interested in hunting, but never really took that first step. Until last week that is... Went out to Tennessee to visit some of my girlfriend's family. While I was there, her dad showed me a bit about hunting turkey and we agreed to go out the next morning. He owns 20+ acres of woods and knows them extremely well. I was lucky enough to watch him bag a decent sized Jake with a 4" beard during my first hunting experience. He was a little over 20 lbs, and I was so pumped that her dad wanted to take me out the next day as well because he had a seen a big Tom in that area the week before. Well, on just my second day hunting, I tagged a huge Tom with an 11" beard and a monster fan! He was just under 30lbs. My first trophy!

I can't stop reliving those shots every time I close my eyes and can't wait to get started with the entire process out here. I know my first step is the hunter education course and getting my license, but I'm pretty clueless after that. The only piece of gear I own is an old .410 that I have never personally shot. Don't really care what type of game/bird I'm hunting, just looking to get my feet wet for now. Where do I start?

Other than the DFW website, what are some good online resources? Something similar to spearboard (minus the BS) would be great.

Anybody in the south bay area of socal that would be willing to spend some time reviewing some rules and/or gear over a few beers would be greatly appreciated.:toast:

thanks,
Josh

North Star
04-15-2013, 10:17 PM
Magnificent bird!

SpearoTastic
04-15-2013, 11:37 PM
11" beard, 30 lbs?!!! That is one HUGE bird!

I hate to say it, Josh, but it is going to be VERY hard to top that one!

I am no longer in California, but a great place to get connected would be your local mom & pop hunting/fishing store. If there are none in your area, try Turner's Outdoorsman.

Choosing a shotgun is a personal thing, very similar to choosing a speargun. Keep in mind that it is a tool for a specific use. Buy it based on what you intend to hunt 90% of the time.

For example, if you are going to hunt quail and rabbits and occasionally hunt turkeys, get a light 20 or 28 gauge upland game shotgun. You won't get tired from carrying it all day and a few boxes of shells will weigh a lot less than the same number of 12 gauge shells.

If you do the opposite, you will find that lugging around a 8+ lb turkey gun while quail hunting is a pain in the royal arse, just like it would be if you were to lug a 65" bluewater cannon to hunt calicos when a 90cm to 110 cm euro would be the ticket.

Best of luck and welcome to a new adventure.

'o Cino
04-16-2013, 12:43 AM
Congrats, 30+, that's a Hulk Hogan of a bird. Lucky he didn't go all William Wallace on you like in the South Park episode ;)

Was this shotgun? If you haven't tried bow, it really ups the game, and is super fun, although the success rate is usually much lower.

maguimaraes
04-16-2013, 06:26 PM
by the hunting bug... :thumps:

I've always been interested in hunting, but never really took that first step. Until last week that is... Went out to Tennessee to visit some of my girlfriend's family. While I was there, her dad showed me a bit about hunting turkey and we agreed to go out the next morning. He owns 20+ acres of woods and knows them extremely well. I was lucky enough to watch him bag a decent sized Jake with a 4" beard during my first hunting experience. He was a little over 20 lbs, and I was so pumped that her dad wanted to take me out the next day as well because he had a seen a big Tom in that area the week before. Well, on just my second day hunting, I tagged a huge Tom with an 11" beard and a monster fan! He was just under 30lbs. My first trophy!

I can't stop reliving those shots every time I close my eyes and can't wait to get started with the entire process out here. I know my first step is the hunter education course and getting my license, but I'm pretty clueless after that. The only piece of gear I own is an old .410 that I have never personally shot. Don't really care what type of game/bird I'm hunting, just looking to get my feet wet for now. Where do I start?

Other than the DFW website, what are some good online resources? Something similar to spearboard (minus the BS) would be great.

Anybody in the south bay area of socal that would be willing to spend some time reviewing some rules and/or gear over a few beers would be greatly appreciated.:toast:

thanks,
Josh

Josh, Good job! I am in kind of the same situation (interested but haven't done it yet) I do lurk on a site called "southern california hunting" there seems to be a good flow of info there.

Good luck !

jtully
04-16-2013, 07:57 PM
Thanks guys! The way it all unfolded was awesome. First a few hens came over the top of the hill, followed by a few more. The next thing I know there's a dozen hens coming over the hill. Then I'm told to keep my eyes open because the Tom should be close behind. We were a little bummed to find it was just 3 Jakes following the hens. But then a few minutes later this guy came down the hill in full strut gobbling his a** off. What a sight!

Mike, that South Park episode actually ran through my head as I was walking up to the bird. I saw he had about a 1" spur and knew I didn't want any part of that. I made sure he was a goner before I went to grab for him... I took him with a 12 guage, but I have always wanted to learn how to use a bow. Never tried it before. Not sure what the learning curve is on one of those, but would love to find a range close by that will let me test one out.

I'm signing up for the hunter safety course at the Redondo Rod and Gun club because it's so close to my house. Anybody have any feedback on them?

Marcelo, I'll definitely do some lurking on that site, thanks for the tip.

standish
04-18-2013, 10:30 AM
I would recommend upland game hunting at first. Quail/cotton tail hunting is very involved with lots of hiking. It lets you get out there and learn the land you're trying to hunt and helps to let you scout for signs of the other types of game while still letting you hunt. They are relatively easy to hunt and not as affected by pressure, so it is much less discouraging when hunting on public land.