National Parks Service
Before I get started, I just want to say that these tips are for the people who haven’t gotten into hunting yet, but want to. These tips will seem excruciatingly basic and obvious to the pros, but people who do not know much about hunting might find them useful. That being said, let’s jump right into things.
Know What You Are Hunting
Whether it is deer, elk, moose, or even coyote or doves, you really need to know everything about your prey. Feeding habits, common territory, and even their physical advantages will greatly help your hunt. For example, say you are hunting an animal with a very strong sense of smell. If you knew this before you set out on your hunt, you could bring a scent eliminator and wash your hunting clothes with a scent masking detergent. However, say you didn’t do your research and went to hunt this particular animal. I bet my lucky rifle you wouldn’t see a single thing the whole trip. Also, is it better to hunt your particular animal with a blind, or openly? You need to know these things. Proper preparation can make or break your hunting trip, so it is very important you know your target animal inside and out.
Bring the Proper Equipment
I guess this can be true when adventuring outdoors in any setting. However, it is especially true for hunting. You need to make sure you have the proper weapon for what you are hunting. You can’t go deer hunting with a shotgun (well, you probably could, but you would be putting yourself at a disadvantage) and, likewise, you can’t go dove hunting with a bow and arrow. I know this seems silly, but it is very important you know what equipment to bring with you.
Proper camouflage clothing is also a must. You want to have any advantage you can get when hunting on the animal’s turf. Don’t wear a brown-coloured camo suit in the spring or a green suit in the winter. It all boils down to common sense, really. If it doesn’t make sense, don’t do it.
Also, always make sure you carry a hunting knife and a survival kit with you as well. You never know what can happen in the wild and it is always good to be prepared for the worst.
These are the two most basic tips for the hunting newbies. If you ever want to master the art of hunting, you need to know these two things inside and out and the only way to do that is by getting a little practice under your belt. Happy hunting!
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