Answering several of your questions, Matt, from my vantagepoint.
A5Mag12, I'm always worried when I go into the hunting store that I'll look like a total idiot. I guess those guys would be the ones to talk to about getting into hunting in this area though. I'll give it a shot next time I'm in there.
When I don't know something and want to learn from the experts, I "know nothing" with confidence. In other words, I tell the experts right up front that I am a novice and am learning. Then I ask specific questions (this is important. You need to ask a lot of questions - just make sure they are specific). Questions like "How do you scout for deer?" are probably too broad in a quick discussion, since there are so many things to do. But try to pick scouting apart and ask specific questions on each part. Here are good scouting-related specific questions: 1. "What are sheds?" 2. "What does a scrape look like?" 3. "Can you tell the difference between buck and doe tracks?" 4. "Do you have a favorite time in the year to do your scouting?" Just ask tons and tons of questions like these and in short order you will build up a lot of information. THE KEY will be to turn that info into real knowledge of the "in your bones" sort. The only way, I'm afraid, for you to do that is to rely on your two buddies "Pat and Ben." You gotta pat yer foot and ben yer knees, walkin' them woods and looking for the stuff you have been hearing about! Takes lots of work, but it is good for the mind and spirit.
What is a dear lease? Where in the paper would I look for hunting clubs? Classifieds? Outdoor section? Any tips on that would be great.
I don't do these things, so I have no firsthand experience with them. But I will say that if I am gonna drop bills for a hunting club, I am gonna be sure to check it out. I suspect all clubs aren't alike and some clubs will probably be down right ridiculous.
It's great to be in the club. So far I have loved learning about and actually trying to hunt, even though I've yet to even SEE a buck.
Well not seeing a buck for long stretches makes you an official member of the club. Somebody will make sure you get your plaque, but there is just one way to get that trophy - you gotta never give up - ever - and be sure to evaluate and re-evaluate what you are doing. I think things through after EVERY hunt and after a bit of hard trying, I will change things a bit. You ought not expect to get new results by holding to the same failed policies - a thing folks in Washington seem never to learn.
I have thought about going hunting alone, my only concern is what to do if I actually shoot one. I've read a little on feild dressing, but don't know if I could actually do it without some sort of actual guidance.
Have you ever gutted a squirrel? It is really a quite bit like that, except that you have a few extra "things" to take care of, especially if you down a buck. Hey, ultimately all you have to do is get the guts out of the carcass in a timely manner. Don't make it harder than it has to be. Read a few articles about field dressing and just go after it as best you can. It will make half-decent sense to you when the carcass is in front of you. You just have to be a bit fearless. Try not to angle your blade so much that you end up cutting the paunch and get mess everywhere. Depending upon how it was shot, I can dress a deer so cleanly that I scarcely even get blood on my hands. Everything just falls out in a nice clean pile. Look to make your job as clean as you can. But if it isn't clean, well, just git 'er done! You'll learn as time goes on. Its the only way - just git 'er done.
Is it OK to shoot a deer and not feild dress him till later that day when I get home when I could have a friend or the internet to help me?
Absolutely not. Once your monster is down in the field and you walk up to it, be ready to shoot it again if you have to. Tap it on its eyes to see if it winces. If not, well, you will be at your little personal Rubicon and you will just have to cross it - or else. Start dressing it right away. You want to get that carcass cooling down as fast as possible. Trust me on this - it makes a BIG difference in how the meat tastes. Some guys may disagree with me - but they are just wrong (
while duckin' and runnin'). Seriously, it is not that hard. Just get at it.
Your second point is the one I'm most worried about. The ethics and unspoken rules of hunting. I totally respect them, I just have no idea what they are. How does one go about learning the ethics and unspoken rules of hunting. I assume most of them are good ol' common sense.
Yeah. Most of the rules are unspoken because they are just good ol' fashioned common sense and decency. If you hear a shot and a deer runs near you nearly collapsing and you happen to put it down, well, what does honor tell you to do? Do you take the deer for yourself or do you give it to the hunter who really put it down. If you shoot an animal that happens to bolt away, do you track it and look for it for as long as possible, even though it means the rest of the day's hunting is over? Do you poach or break other game laws (part of hunting is doing it within the official rules. If you score outside of those rules, well, your score just doesn't count. You may get the trophy on the wall or eat the meat, but it is nothing special). Do you practice safe firearm handling AT ALL TIMES? And many more... (My personal rules): Are you quiet in the woods even when you are not hunting? Do you shoot only that which you will eat (my sons are all taught that if they shoot a snake for no reason, they are gonna eat it. I make exceptions here- yotes, crows, etc. But there are guys who just enjoy killing stuff and who seem to have little respect for nature. That just turns me right off.)
I too would love to shoot a whopper this year, but am not counting on it. So far I have really just enjoyed being out there.
Yup. Don't worry about scoring. Worry about all that other stuff, the woodsmanship and other skills. Scoring will just "show up" as you use your ever growing set of skills to increase your chances of getting lucky.