Hunting resources

[Mancub]

Guys,

I am new to this site and new to the sport and am looking for some resources other than this website. I have seen advertisments for books, ebooks, magazines regarding SECRETS and tactics and such. What would you recomend for a novice. 1)Are any of these guarantees worth it? 2) What are your favorite resources (ie... books, mags, etc)? 3) Where should I start?

[Everyday Hunter]

Mancub, welcome to the D&DH forums.

You should get lots of answers here. I'll start by saying that you should subscribe to the D&DH magazine. You won't be disappointed.

The next thing I'll say is that you should buy the new D&DH Whitetail behavior DVD. It's a bargain for all that it contains. I just got mine today, and I can tell you that knowing whitetail behavior is the name of the game. Also, buy Charles Alsheimer's book Strategies for Whitetails, and read it slowly. Treat it like a textbook.

One more comment, and I'll let others jump in. Be careful what you watch on TV. If you're not careful, you'll get the idea that big bucks are everywhere and killing them is easy. Don't get discouraged.

Best of luck to you.

Also, I like your screen name. Click here and tell us how you decided on that.

Steve

[Woods Walker]

Books, magazines (especially D&DH), and video are good learning aids, but NOTHING beats actual woods time.
 
Get in the woods as often as you can, all year around. Just because you can't SHOOT the deer doesn't mean that you can't hunt them. I scout pretty much all year. In fact, March (after the snow melts) is an excellent time to scout. Deer are still in their fall/winter patterns (which is what they are in the majority of the time you can legally shoot them), and cover that you will have in March is very simliar to what you will see in November. Rubs, scrapes, beds and trails are very obvious, and will give you a good head start on where to find them next fall, shy of a major habitat change in the area.
 
I combine my "off" season scouting trips with what I call "bowhikes". That's where I sling a quiver full of judo-tipped arrows over my shoulder, and grab my recurve for a scouting stroll where I also shoot at weeds, leaves, stumps, or whatever. I've gotten to the point where I enjoy this as much as the actual killing season. The other advantage of this, is that you get to shoot your bow under the actual conditions and maybe even the same locations where you will shoot at a deer that fall.
 
Ultimately, the woods is the best teacher you can ever have, as long as you are willing to be taught. I've been wandering in them for 50 of my 57 years, and I'm still learning!
 
My wish is that when the Creator puts his tag on me, that's where I'll be.

[DeanoZ]

Welcome to the forums Mancub.. There are some excellent resources and book reviews in the "Books" links towards the bottom of these forums. But don't discount these forums or some of the other resources Everday Hunter mentions and are available on this site. I can honestly say I've learned more in the year and a half I've been on these forums, digesting every bit of the experiences offered by many here, than in the years I've been hunting. You can't beat the many years and collective experience of those here. As for the "quick tips" and "special offers", like everything else if its too quick or good to be true it probably is.

[RubyCreekHunter]

Welcome Mancub,
 

I have seen advertisments for books, ebooks, magazines regarding SECRETS and tactics and such.

You could buy some books and magazines(i just did...Whitetail Wisdom, Mapping Trophy Bucks, and subscribed to Deer and Deer Hunting mag.) but, i doubt if you`ll find any "SECRETS" in these that you can`t find right here on the forum.

Where should I start?

I`ve been reading all the old posts...there`s tons of wisdom in them.
Good luck

[ranwin33]

Resources to do what; hunt deer, manage or improve your property for deer, improve conservation methods... all the above [:)]?  Everyone here has provided some good suggestions, I'd also like to recommend the QDMA website as a pretty good resource.

[Relentless]

Mancub, Woodsy is right.  The more time you spend in the woods, both in season and off season, will be your greatest tools.  You can read all the books and watch all the shows you want but, the fact of the matter is that there are many different factors to be considered depeding on your geographical location.  I will say that I have learned a GREAT deal from magazines, TV, and this website but, just be sure you are comparing apples to apples.  Good luck and welcome.

[scotman]

Alot of authors out there but I prefer Robert Wegner, Lennie Lee Rue III., John Ozoga to name a few. These authors tell alot of about the social habits, deer anatomy and alot of other great beginner stuff you need to know to be more successful. It will give you a sound foundation if you do alot of scouting and follow along with the who, what, where, why, and when of the whitetail deer.

Personally I would not recommend QDMA to start not because I don't like the Quality Deer Management Association but you should really get the basics of whitetail behavior down before you get more involved in the sometimes political end of deer hunting.

[ranwin33]

The QDMA website provides excellent resources regarding deer behavior.  Not quite sure how that can be equated to the political end of deer hunting.  Here is a link and it includes an article by John Ozoga as well as several other noted researchers into deer behavior.

http://www.qdma.com/articles/list_articles.asp?id=1

You can gain a lot of information from the website while still ignoring the theory behind QDM if you want.  And the forum there, much like this one, is filled with some very helpful people.  Especially for those who are interested in improving their properties.

I certianly would not steer anyone away from the website simply because there may be philosophical differences regarding QDM.

[scotman]

I have always looked at qdma as a personal choice. They should be given the chance to read about all forms of hunting than to get stuck into one form. QDMA also takes alot of work and money I would hate to discourage the OP by making him thinking that you have to have spare income and own land in order to hunt.