theobromine wrote:I’m curious what people’s thoughts are for somebody who’d be new to hunting. You hear stories of people spending days without seeing any target species. I’m wondering where a good entry point would be for a new hunter who hasn’t bought any firearms. Thanks.
Yep, you don't always find what you're chasing when you go out, so it helps if you simply love being in the bush anyway.
Ideally I'd be looking for a private property with rabbits for somebody just getting into shooting. They're usually plentiful when they're around (none around me though), relatively easy to get close to, and to kill (.22LR is sufficient), small enough to require some degree of marksmanship, very quick and easy to clean, and bloody good eating. And farmland is a lot easier to get around in than the bush. Anywhere with rabbits is also likely to have foxes, which are a bit more challenging and require some hunting skill, but at close-ranges can also be taken with .22LR. Both of these species you can often wander out for an hour and see what's around, so they're pretty easy. Other things, like deer, goats, pigs you might be looking at spending most of a day, or even better, several days in the bush looking for them.
In the bush I haven't seen many rabbits or foxes, but they are certainly in there. Get quietly into some forest on the upwind side, find a spot with a decent view with the wind coming into your face, and just sit still and quiet for an hour and see and hear what's around. In the hot weather a lot of animals don't move around much so early morning is best I think.
You could try hooking up with a local volunteer group, like Landcare as they're out in the bush (and private properties) fairly regularly. You'll learn lots while familiarising yourself with the outdoors. If there are parks, reserves or forests around they might have a "friends of" group as well that you could join.