The Risk of Taking a Newb Hunting
 

I was a newb two years ago (and still consider myself a newb!), but I really wanted to learn how to hunt. Thankfully I had a friend take me, and I had the best time, and was HOOKED from that moment onward. Since then, I have taken my sister hunting with me twice (once last year, once this year) and my dad once (last year). All three times were pretty crappy (as far as hunting goes, though it was good to be able to spend time with them in the woods), and it makes me not want to offer to take anyone hunting again. Neither of them have any concept of what the term “sitting still” means, even though I explained a handful of times that you will likely NOT see a deer immediately when it is within line of sight of you, and that if you move before you see it, it will see YOU move and flee.

When they scan, they both turn their heads like they are checking traffic in a busy intersection. Nose itches? No problem! They’ll just reach up and scratch it like they normally would. My sister is a smoker and when the weather gets colder, she hacks. All the time. Not the best condition to have when you’re trying to be stealthy! When I have been with them, they both spooked multiple deer that they never even saw, although I did.

Again, I’m struggling with wanting to make the most out of the little time that I do have to hunt verses being selfish. I am grateful to my friend for taking the time with me my first time out and letting me have a shot at a doe that he could have easily taken first. Regardless, I was going hunting that season whether or not I had someone to take me. I was determined just to go and do it.

But what’s strange is that it’s in my nature to offer to take people hunting. If the subject comes up and someone shows interest, I just throw it out there without thinking about it, LOL. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take the person, instruct them carefully, but not sit RIGHT with them. Maybe 100 yards away or something, as long as we have a way to communicate.

What positive and negative experiences have you had in taking someone hunting for the first time?

I know what you mean. I took my sister one year and we only were in the stand for 30 min and we had to go. But I helped my bestfriend get into hunting. If you have a box stand or a two man ladder that is the best way to go about it. I like to go were I know there are alot of doe so that if they spoke something its not a big buck or something. I also like to go early in the year when its not rut. I took my friend hunting the first year and did not let him hunt by himself all year and i did not let him take his first deer till his next year. But keep taking friends if you can because we need more hunting brothers or sisters.

True. I just don't want to take someone just to do it, though. I feel like there needs to be some sort of litmus test or something...something where I can tell they are serious about doing it. Like, I brought in some venison to work the other day for a potluck, and this one guy says that he wants to go with me some time, and he seems serious, but he comments like we'd just tramp in the woods like Elmer Fudd and "kill us a deer," LOL! People have no clue how much preparation and discipline goes into hunting!

A box blind would be REALLY nice, but I'm nuts and bolts basic now and only hunt from the ground. Someday I'll be able to invest in some nice treestands!

I try not to took newb out hunting right away.
I do take them scouting. And hiking pointing out droppings and scrapes, and what I can tell from the area. Such as food source, shelter, water, trails they use.
Many times I can even just be at someones house, walk in the backyard and point things out that they weren't aware of.

Also when scouting I will point out how quite the woods are when walking.
That's because they know we're here,
Then have them sit quiet for 10-20 minutes, and you start to hear the creatures of the woods as they get comfortable with your presence.
Many people expect instant gratification when first time out.
Takes many hours/days in the woods to be effective

I really, really like that approach. And I'm not fool enough to think that I know it all, myself. I still have a ton to learn, and each time I'm out there, I feel like I've picked something up that will help me the next time.

My attitude: It's just hunting
 

I never, ever tried to really convince anyone, that hunting was for a particular individual. I even had a few who were convinced they wanted to hunt, but really didn't want to hunt.
There were things I use to do, that I have no interest in now. I don't expect to bowl, play tennis or golf any longer, and have no problems with anyone interested in what I'm no longer interested. I knew some who hunted, while the old gang was together, but gave it up after moving away, friends moved away; friends move on after marrying.

With all the modern distractions, I wonder how you teach someone to sit quietly in a tree stand, for hours, after they spent a young life with computer games, computers, cell phones, etc. Some of these people, you might as well introduce yoga. I've been using a Japanese archery method for decades. But I don't expect anyone on most modern archery/hunting sites, to know what you're talking about.

Once you get to sixty, you realize a lot of people, just do and did it their way.

I plan to take my youngest sone with me Thanksgiving morning. Don't care if he makes too much noise or not. I know he will be trying to be quiet. If we even see a deer it will be a success. Actually that will be a bonus. If he enjoys himself and asks me to go back out it will be a success.

Take newbie ever chance I get....... Great tradition that needs new blood. Here is my nine year old newbie (09 season). She was playing with a caterpillar when this guy came in....... She did well then and continued to hunt in 10. She is hooked!!!

Even though I haven't taken a youngster/newb hunting I can remember the first couple trips the ol' man brought me on. I can remember being that little boy just squirming around haha. He never got upset, anything. I give him a lot of credit now that I know exactly what it takes to harvest a deer.

I made it my personal goal this year to get 2 guys a deer on the ground this year, a first for both. One of the guys did quite a bit of scouting with me; although we use trail cameras for the most part, and got pretty good at picking up on deer sign. I try to get them both as involved as possible, by asking "Where would you put a stand?". Based on the deer sign we were seeing and such and the camera times, both became decent at picking an area to hang a stand.

For the longest time this season, I thought I was never gonna get a deer on the ground with one of these guys, the big bucks were just hanging around the wrong stands every time we hit the woods. It was tough to get them to pass on some of the 2 y/o we have on the farm, but between passing on those deer and waiting on a mature doe, it seemed as if the season was gonna pass without either getting a deer for the 2nd year in a row.

This past week, I went and hung a new stand on a newly acquired section. Bound to get a deer on the ground, I scout/hunted the stand the night prior and had a nice 130 class come in and decided that was the one for him. Long read a little shorter. No buck showed up, but a nice doe showed up and finally got a deer on the ground!

The time I spent in the woods with my best friend was awesome and I can't wait to get him back in the stands during late ML.