New and a few questions

[JayEsBe]

well my dad was a hunter his whole life from hunting with hounds when he was younger up to turkey hunting and deer hunting gun and bow, bow was his favorite he says and me being 19 years old now i have suddenly sprung an interest in it. The past few days ive been just reading posts from everyone on here and now i just got a new job today and would like to get into the sport. I have always liked the outdoors and just the fact of being in the woods and as a kid i would go scounting with him and go help him put up his tree stands, and as a kid i mean 9,10,11 years old so i would get bored easily and not go on the actual hunt with him. He is getting old though and has a bad back from falling 2 stories off a ladder at his work when i was younger and it is now starting to pay its toll on him as he gets older 60 now. (61 nov 15th) so it is hard for him to get out into the woods now even though how much he loves the sport. I would ask him to take me out and show me and help me but its very hard for him so thats what i figured id ask you guys for. I live in upstate new york in the utica area, suburbs to be exact and i was wondering if anyone could give me any tips on anything at all, like areas around here to hunt or how to even start out hunting. I heard something about NRA card or something for a bow hunting but im sure if i needed my dad could fill me in on all that, however what gear or bow, or should i even start with gun or what, im totally confused on all that and how to know how to get started so any tips or anything would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the long post but thank you for any tips and pointers.

[NavyDeerHunter]

First off, welcome to the site. You'll find a lot of good folks here that are willing to help out and share all the advice that you can handle.
Second, sounds like you have a great relationship with your dad and that you shared some really great memories with him when you were younger. Be thankful for that (sounds like you are) because it is something that not everyone has.
As for your situation...I'm not from NY and know nothing about it, but many of the members here are so you'll get lots of good advice from them. That said, your best resource is probably still going to be your dad. If he is an outdoorsman, he'll have buddies that are outdoorsmen too and maybe he can set you up with one of them to go with or at least talk to. Trust your old man.
As for equipment I suggest that you find a good pro shop and let them set you up. There are a lot of great options out here for just about every budget and most will work hard to get you the right equipment at a price that you're willing to pay. Be careful because it is VERY easy to go over your budget in a hurry.
There are several good magazines that you could turn to and Deer and Deer Hunting is my personal favorite. Read carefully and you can gain a lot of valuable information from the stories written in them.
Lastly, practice, practice, practice.
Best of luck to you in your new adventure and remember, listen to pops.

P.S. Once you do head down this road be sure to take those stories back to your dad and share them with him. It will mean a great deal to him and probably make him feel like he is there with you.