Hello all - I'm probably a bit of a paradox, so some of this may seem strange but bear with me. My name is SeraphG, and I am a hunting newbie. (lights a lighter and stands up)
I'm 34 and while I have owned guns, and do now, I have never really had a chance to get into shooting as much as I would liked. I have a little 10/22 for plinking, and I have a Maverick 88 12guage for home defense (bird shot only, so we don't over penetrate and harm the neighbors) and a vintage 1943 Lee Enfield No. 4 Mk 1 .303 British - she was a gift from my father-in-law.
Also, as a kid, I read old copies of Guns&Ammo and had a number of other gun subscriptions, and I would basically obsess over the guns and dream of owning them, shooting them and just having all of that be a part of my life.
Not to jerk tears, but I never really had a shooting mentor (dad's not into it, no brothers or uncles that were) so I was sort of adrift and so I never really knew where to start. I had bb guns and practiced shooting with them and got extremely accurate with them (as much as you can with a 790fps .177 pellet lol). And I finally got to go to a range and shot a fellas single shot .22 - and put 5 shots under a dime with iron sites at 25 yards!! (kept that target for a long time hehe). I even tried to get involved with the position shooting team here in the area, but we were dirt poor and I couldn't get out there regularly. And my shining achievement - a cousin took me to get my hunters safety and took me on a turkey hunt! It was great, even though the only shot I took was on some surly-looking coke cans at the end of the day. But ultimately he lives far away and we just never got to do it again.
So, flash forward and here I am - 34 and finally deciding its time to be an outdoorsman and hunter. I'm basically still in the same boat - not too many people that I know shoot (though I have a brother in law I'm going to ask to help me go whitetail hunting this next season) and while I know all of the ins and outs of gun safety and shooting (I go to the range and shoot the .22 and slugs through the Maverick several times a month), I'm totally green to actually hauling my can out to the woods and shooting wildlife.
I'm here to learn what I can, get advice and get some insite on whatever else I need to read up, learn or experience. I live in Western Md (Hagerstown, Md) and I've put alot of thought into what gun I want to get for hunting. True, the 88 would work, and even the No 4 would do the trick (I haven't shot it, I've cleaned it up, but I want a gunsmith to 'bless' it before I take it out to the range---- I like my face and want to keep it lol), but I wanted to get a gun that would be truly versatile and that I can take on any number of large game hunts (I really want to bag some large stuff down the road - moose, elk, buffalo, bear, hogs, etc)
So I've chosen one of two 45-70 guns and I'd love input - either a Marlin 1895 cowboy (
http://www.marlinfirearms.com/Firear...895Cowboy.aspx ) or the new Marlin 1895 XLR (
http://www.marlinfirearms.com/firearms/xlr/1895XLR.aspx ). If anyone has ANY insite and exthol the virtures of either gun (or better yet compare them) it would be really helpful.
I'm also looking for advice on glass for the gun - the 45-70 loaded for deer is going to kick but not immensely (hello Mr add-on recoil pad ) but higher end game loads are gonna punch and I've heard some scopes cant handle all that rock'n'roll.
Also, I'm looking for insight as to what is the 'beginner' way to hunt whitetail in my area. I have "The Ultimate Guide to Deer Hunting - Tips and Tactics for Every Situation" by David Richey, and I am running through that - but it would be helpful to know what the common methods are in this area or if there is a common 'first method' to harvesting whitetail for beginners - I hear alot about treestands, but I imagine there's alot else going on out there, but being a beginner, I don't want to get in over my head hehe.
What length of shots am I looking at in MD and Pa? Lots of woods here, but I could imagine some long shots in there as well...
Phew -that was way too much post - but I feel better now - its funny - as we get older and try to pick up new skills, how foolish one can feel. Its silly, but that's how it feels - it'll be good to get this stuff under my belt so I don't feel so green.
Thanks all,
SeraphG