Advice and Direction for Relative Newbie

[Buckeye28]

I'm going out on a limb here, but I need some advice and direction.

I didn't grow up hunting. I moved to the south and quickly realized I love it! I've dabbled over the years, but haven't gotten serious about it, and want to.

My main hurdles are "where" and "how".

Where? I live in Southeast TN, Cleveland specifically. I live in the city so I don't have land of my own. I know there is quite a bit of public land in the area, but just not sure where to start. Any advice? I'm not asking anyone to give up their favorite green field. I just feel handicapped not having land of my own, or some to borrow and become familiar with.

How? As I said, I didn't grow up hunting. I've picked up the basics and know the safety regs, but I haven't had much success over the years and know I'm still probably making some rookie mistakes. Part of the thrill for me is the strategy behind hunting, and just feel behind the curve.

I would love for the upcoming season to be my best one yet, and the start of a lifetime of memories.

I've bared my "hunters soul" here, so be gentle.

I'm still new to the forum and hope I've come to the right place.

Any advice or direction would be GREATLY appreciated.


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[TNCharlie]

I promise you, if it's advice you want, you are in the right place. :smile: And my advice is probably worth exactly what you're paying for it.

I suggest that you hunt squirrels. There are many reasons for this. First of all, the squirrel season is long, affording you many days to be in the woods. Being in the woods for any reason is good experience.

Second, squirrel hunting mimics deer hunting, which I suppose is what you want to do. Being in the woods early, staying still and quiet, listening, observing - these are skills for many kinds of hunting.

Third, you get to shoot a lot. Limits are liberal and since you've hunted little, if any, you need the sweet success of bagging game.

Fourth, and maybe the best thing of all, there is a lot of public land with lots of squirrels. You won't have the competition that is present in deer season. Even if there are other hunters their presence will have little impact on what you do.

Certainly go deer hunting when the opportunity arises, but don't stress over it. Develop some skills and your day for bagging a deer will come.

 

[fairchaser]

It's hard to know where to start. Find a mentor who can hunt with you would be a great place to begin. Then just get after it and make mistakes. We all do and will continue to for a lifetime. The wild animals are well equipped to make constant fools of humans where our ONLY advantage is our brain. That's where the challenge is. Read everything you can, study internet maps, read books, ask old timers, but mostly just spend as much time as you can in the woods and be observant of nature. Leave behind the fast pace of everyday life and learn the slower pace of the wild places. Tune into nature and just have fun! The killing will come but it's the least important aspect of hunting.

 

[MickThompson]

Another vote for chasing bushytails. Get out there with a 22 or shotgun and spend a little time learning the areas you intend to hunt. Find where the timber changes, where the oaks are, where the thickets are, etc. Keep an eye out for deer sign and learn how deer are using your area. I'd spend my time on wmas near river systems, simply because there will be more deer there compared to mountain ground. You can be very successful on public ground in TN.

Also learn all you can about the species you intend to hunt. Once you learn what they need, you can weed out a lot of empty ground using aerial photos, then ground truth the best looking areas.

 

[Bgbuckhntr84]

All great advice and I would venture to say you will have plenty of other longtime and more wise members than I chime in so listen to everything they have to say...my two points of advice are never ever take hunting and all of the good times and bad times for granted..

Secondly spare no expense when it comes to the essentials such as boots, optics, clothing...I am few miles north of Cleveland so feel free to PM me on here and I'll do my best to help...Good luck you won't regret this"hobby"

 

[tree_ghost]

First of all welcome to the campfire! Secondly is that secondly becomes thirdly and then fourthly and eventually you still won't have it figured out lol! But the cool thing about it is neither will the rest of us! Hunting is an amazing thing. You will constantly make mistakes and hopefully learn from them. We all do. And even the most decorated seasoned hunter will do it. There is something you can learn new about wild game every time you step into the woods as long as your paying attention to it. Get involved in the forum and ask questions but more importantly log time in the timber. It will teach you more than anyone ever could. Then one day it will all come together and you will have an experience that will last a lifetime! The last thing I will say is just love every minute of it. There are times when frustration will seem overwhelming but just remember that your still out doing what you love and God created this awesome place for us to enjoy! Good luck friend!


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[edtcase]

First of all, you are in the right place to learn. I have worn these folks out about Turkey hunting asking question after question. All I can tell you is go. Wherever you can just go. The idea of squirrel hunting is a very good one.

 

[Mike Belt]

For what it's worth....
Squirrel hunting is probably the best initial deer hunting venture you can make. It teaches you much about how to move on an animal and the lay of the land. Aside from that and as far as deer hunting, if you can hook up with someone that is knowledgeable about it you'll have a jump start. If not, then read as much as you can and explore the woods as often as you can. Just remember in doing so that you're not going to retain everything at once and some of what you come across may not apply to you. Deer hunting is not rocket science. It is a link between common sense and wildlife behavior and experience is the best teacher. Deer have 2 directions; coming and going. Do your very best to decipher just where, what, and why they're doing so and what is the attraction to using the area in between for traveling. With the exception of the rut deer primarily have 2 goals; food and security. Those food sources are in a constant flux and changes often occur at a much faster rate going into Fall. Learn what they eat and where those food sources are and you don't have to sit up directly over a food source to kill a deer. Security can range from dense thick areas to wide open but undisturbed terrain. That word "undisturbed" is probably the most important word typed so far. Never underestimate a deer's nose or their uncanny ability to detect movement. Learn to walk without leaving a track and move without movement. Pay close attention to wind direction and thermals and how those directions are affected by the terrain.

There are bookoos of products out there designed for deer hunters. You don't have to have them all. You don't have to have the best. I would advise you to get the best clothing and footwear you can. With or without success that's what will enable you to stay out there in relative comfort. Know your weapon and your ability to use it. Everything will begin to fall into place with experience.

 

[Buzzard Breath]

I too will recommend starting with squirrels for the reasons stated above. In addition it will be much easier to to find a mentor or just someone to squirrel hunt with than someone to deer hunt with. I'll take anyone squirrel hunting to my favorite spots on public land and they can return as much as they want to hunt it themselves. My best deer spots are another story....

 

[AT Hiker]

In addition to squirrels hopefully someone will chime in for your area and take you on an addictive Spring turkey hunt. Both of these hunts will teach you basic woodsman ship skills that you will eventual apply to deer hunting.
Good luck!


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[Bone Collector]

I'll add a vote to starting with Squirrel hunting.

While there, look for deer sign. trails, scat, etc. you might find you a good deer spot.

Last you'll make mistakes, but that is ok. Always go over the mistake and try to figure out what you could have done different to succeed. Eventually you will figure it out and learn what works and what does not. I am pretty much self taught as well and it just takes time.

 

[Buckeye28]

Thank you ALL very much! This is great info!

I guess my next question should be...

Who has a good squirrel recipe!? :lol:

 

[Deer Assassin]

simple


scout ( squirrel hunt) or just scout

focus on food and cover

find sign or if you see deer while scouting hunt there

be in the woods every second you can in nov

you will kill a deer

 

[TheLBLman]

I suggest that you hunt squirrels.

This is really great advice.
Helps you become a better hunter, a better field shooter, helps you learn land you can later deer hunt, even helps you in scouting for those deer.

The only "unfortunate" aspect to squirrel hunting (to me) is having to clean those squirrels.
Personally, I prefer to field dress any deer than clean a single squirrel.

Opinions vary on squirrel as table fare, but I personally prefer it over rabbit.
To me, squirrel has a similar consistency and taste to a chicken thigh.
I prefer to either boil or pressure cook first, then fry the squirrel like frying chicken ---- that's my overall best way of preparing them, although other ways are good as well. Basically, anything is good fried. :D
But squirrel meat can be very tough if you don't boil it first before frying.

Also, some public land WMAs (which you can also deer hunt) will open squirrel season a week earlier than it opens on private property.

 

[poorhunter]

Don't buy gadgets to make yourself into a "hunter". Learn from books and friends and experience...especially experience. I also agree with the squirrel hunting as a teacher and learning to butcher all your own game. When buying equipment, my personal motto is to make sure whatever equipment I own is better than my skills, whether it's hunting working golfing or anything else.

 

[FLTENNHUNTER1]

I've hunted the South Cherokee WMA. Just remember this, if you kill a deer 2 miles in, you have to be able to get it out. Good luck, the mountains are steep around here!

 

[Simpleman.2]

Some very good information already stated.....I live just outside of Cleveland in Polk county. About five minutes from Cherokee WMA. As far as deer hunting goes I personally would recommend you to try and hunt other public land for deer before you try Cherokee. It's very steep and rugged terrain and can be very discouraging and overwhelming to a new hunter and even experienced ones. My suggestion would be to download the ArcGis app and hunt TVA land around the water. There's plenty of it around chickamauga and watts bar. You have a much higher odds of taking your first deer in these areas. Once you have got one or two under your belt then i would try to dissect the mountains. Deer are very few and far between but there's some GIANTS(I'm talking 160+) running those ridges. I've got the trail cam pics to prove it. If you have any questions about any of the WMA's in the area shoot me a pm. I've hunted them all and would be more than willing to help out in any way I can.

 

[MackPC]

The state does offer lots of public land that you can hunt. Check with your local TWRA agents and they will know the areas that are available. Hunting on public land will give you the opportunity to meet other hunters too and then you can form friendships that will open more doors and locations and knowledge about hunting.

 

[Grill-n-man]

Public land can be difficult and crowded. If you aint got the time to get out and walk around to check the place out then try goople maps. Great way to get a starting point to start looking with limited time. Dont know how the place is laid out but here is a few pieces of advise taken from my Ft. Campbell days on new areas - look at the tree line (tops of trees) for taller trees or lower trees that stand out. This can tell you of rises in the land to creek bottoms. If you can see several hardwood tree tops in the middle of a bunch of pines this could possibly be a feeding area in the middle of good cover. Or vise versa with pines in hardwoods. Look for places off the beaten path where most wouldnt go, but dont overlook the simple ones that many walk on by simply because it seems to simple and easy. My personal favorite is thickets. Killed alot of deer and still doing it in what most wouldnt even glance at. Biggest one I ever took from Ft. Campbell was in a bottom that was so thick getting to that I got cut up even with insulated overalls on. So if it was me, and its there, find a good thicket most wouldnt even think about and take a look. Remember you aint got to hunt a spot from a tree where you can shoot 200 yds. Many meet their end from one on the ground with a best case shooting range of 50-60 yds.

 

[Big SODDY]

One of the easiest ways iv learned to be successful killing deer is find some woods that you have permission to hunt either personal property or wma's pick a tree and climb it put ur phone on vibrate put it in ur pocket and sit and wait. I don't know if ur looking to kill trophy monsters or just kill a few to put in the freezer to eat. Im far from as professional as alot of guys on this site. im not to far from you im in soddy daisy if you can find a spot your interested in hunting i wouldn't have a problem meeting up with you on a Saturday morning and walking around looking for deer signs. (Older rubs. tracks.droppings and trails but the best advice i can give is have patience