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Old 04-17-2020, 03:26 AM
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Oldtimr
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Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: south eastern PA
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Originally Posted by Kneller
I'm not sure how I would do this without a mentor, though. While I'm an experienced hiker, woodsmanship is a whole other level. I wouldn't trust myself to stray much from the trails, and wouldn't really know what to look for other than rubs. Really, I'd just be some dummy aimlessly wandering around the woods.

I do have a fair amount of firearms experience, but I'm not even worried about that yet. Since the shops are closed, I couldn't even buy a rifle to take the the range and start brushing up. However, my impression is that there are tons of skills to learn aside from shooting a gun when it comes to this, so I figure I could learn these skills in the meantime.

Instead of standing around thinking of reasons why you cannot do something, you would be better served thinking of ways that you can do it. With your thought process, you will fail before you ever start. Get a map and a compass, or even easier, download a GPS on your smart phone if you are worried about getting lost. You can get out now and scout, look for places to hunt and look for sign so when you go you will at least know where there are deer. The gun shops are not closed in my state and many other states so you can probably buy a rifle or bow or crossbow. Check around and find a sportsman's club that has what you will need. You can google them, most have a contact phone number and they may have a way to get you an application and vote on you even if they are not holding physical meetings. My club has held some conference call meeting for the officers and board members. Some states have their hunter education course online so you do not have to go to a brick and mortar classroom, perfect for these times. One thing is for sure, it is easier to sit on your butt and think of reason why you cannot do something than putting on you big boy pants and take the first step, however, the second and third steps etc are easier once you get some momentum going. Hunting takes effort to learn and be good at it. If you aren't willing to put in the effort you should probably not do it. Every journey starts with the first step. You can get off the porch and run with the big dogs, or sit on the swing and watch.
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