I've always wanted to learn how to hunt, and the wife and I love wild game for cooking, especially rabbit, deer, and wild boar. But growing up in a non-hunting home, and never going hunting in my early years (I did do some solo squirrel hunting when I was in my mid 30s) I am pretty woefully uneducated in where to go, what to do, how to do it, etc.

I'd like to find someone in the area (I live near the coast outside of Tampa) to go hunting with, maybe develop a friendship with, and learn from. If anyone wouldn't mind taking a fellow member under their wing and teaching him how, I'd love to hear from you.

My dream is within 2 years to be hunting plains game in Africa - hopefully with a new friend.

I have Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays off every week, am a professional, and I am courteous and respectful, and have the means to buy whatever equipment I need and drive to where I need to get to.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

erickelly1@verizon.net

You and I share a non-hunting backround. It's not easy to learn the ropes alone, but that's what I did in the beginning. I started by reading quite a bit, and more importantly, trying to figure out my quarry in the field. I started small, with waterfowl, and spent maybe 3 years busting my arse, making every mistake possible. The benefit of those years largely was learning what *not* to do, and it was at times, extremely frustrating. That said, it ignited a fire in me that burns hot today. After getting the hang of small game (rabbit, squirrel, etc.) and bird hunting, I moved up and on. I met some folks who suffered me my ignorance, and started chasing big game. In the past five years I've hunted deer, bear, moose, alligator, javelina, antelope, all manner of birds and many other critters, and I just can't get enough. My advice to you is to read as much as you can about what game you intend to hunt, and get out there (this assumes that you know your way around a firearm/bow, and are proficent and consistent with it--if you don't, that's priority one). Perhaps you might consider a few guided hunts. Explain to the guide that you are green, and need some help. I have a friend in FL who hunts some public land for deer, birds and boar, and does pretty well. FL isn't exactly a big game mecca, but there's enough out there to get you started. Start contacting your local F&G people, and consider joining a local gun/hunt club. To become a proficient hunter, I believe you must study and understand the game you pursue. The beauty of it is that it's a constant leanring process.

I've got less than a decade in the game (ha, ha), and still feel like I'm playing catch-up, but I love every minute of my hunting, and am damned glad I made the decision to battle through those tough years (and made it out essentially in one piece) to be where I am today in my hunting. It's my driving passion, and feel it has become much of who I am today.

I'm glad to see your interest, and wish you success. It's not easy, but then, not much in life worth doing is, is it?

Cheers, and good luck.

KG

you can learn a lot right here on the forums, ask any question you want, someone will answer it. There is no substitute for good hunting buds, however.

Just having internet discussions or reading several posts by many of the members on AR, I can tell I'd love to arrange a hunt together with many of them. Who knows, maybe some day it will happen.

You are on the right track though.

Off the top of my head, there are a few Florida members. I think Jorge is from Florida, maybe he'll chime in. He's a wealth of information.

Good luck!

quote:

You'll find most outdoorsmen and women are the most kind hearted people in the world.

Very true, but, you will also find a few who will take advantage! Go slow, be cautious, and do not be to trusting.

I'm in Fl and would be willing to help. But, I'm in Pensacola which is petty far from Tampa. Feel free to PM me and I'll give a phone #.

If you want to find someone in your area, I'd et on the North American Hunting Club forum. They have evrything broke down by individual states. I check that board fairly often and there are several regular posters from down that way. They could probably give you good info/advice.

By the way, I'll be hunting whitetails and hogs this coming weekend with a muzzleloader. The rifle deer season starts next month and you can hunt deer until late Feb with a yearly bag limit of between 4 to 6 depending on where you are. Hogs are considered pests if they are on private property and you can chase them year round without a bag limit.

Cheers

Mac

quote:

I'm in Fl and would be willing to help. But, I'm in Pensacola which is petty far from Tampa. Feel free to PM me and I'll give a phone #.

Mac!

quote:

hopefully with a new friend.

John you are among friends here, some opinionated more than others some not. So when you have a question ask away, you can do it via PM or right here. Remember there is no such thing as a dumb question!

John
As Kamo Gari said, one option is a hunting club. These can be hard to find and expensive, but for the past 5 years I have gone to Paradise Valley Hunt Club in South Carolina. It isn't next door to Tampa, but you have to be closer than pennsylvania, where I drive from. It isn't the high end crystal and bone china type of places, but they have the rights to hunt on about 5000 acres. I've taken deer every year save this one, but we aren't talking fences. The prices are reasonable, foods good, and the people are nice. The like rookies. Check them out at: Paradisevalleyhuntclub.com.
By the way, I have no stake in the club, i've just a satisified customer. If you call them tell Bang that Terry said Hi.

TerryR

Thanks, guys. I went ahead and ponied up the $$ and joined Safari Club International, and the local chapter here looks to have a great bunch of people in it. I'm hoping to link up with some who will help me out. I'm also going to just go ahead, get up off my butt, and take my .22 out and go squirrel hunting. Probably one of the best ways to get back into the flow of things, and it is fun!

LOL - I was BORN in Pensacola, lived there on and off for years when Dad got stationed there (he's a Marine), and he retired there. Still have mom, dad, and my kid sister living there. I went to UWF and that's where I met my wife as well. Her whole family lives there. So who knows, you just may see me up there some day!

quote:

Originally posted by MAC:
I'm in Fl and would be willing to help. But, I'm in Pensacola which is petty far from Tampa. Feel free to PM me and I'll give a phone #.

If you want to find someone in your area, I'd et on the North American Hunting Club forum. They have evrything broke down by individual states. I check that board fairly often and there are several regular posters from down that way. They could probably give you good info/advice.

By the way, I'll be hunting whitetails and hogs this coming weekend with a muzzleloader. The rifle deer season starts next month and you can hunt deer until late Feb with a yearly bag limit of between 4 to 6 depending on where you are. Hogs are considered pests if they are on private property and you can chase them year round without a bag limit.

Cheers

Mac

You should've come up. I had a pretty nice 5 point whitetail on the ground less than 10 minutes after sunrise this morning. He's on ice in a cooler and I'll cut and wrap him tomorrow.

First fresh backstrap of the season!

Cheers

Mac

John -- I'll shoot you an e-mail. I'm too new to the Tampa area to be of much help locally, but we could certainly get together over coffee and talk guns and hunting.

I'm planning a Fall '08 hunt in either Wyoming (Pronghorn) or Alaska (black bear) and can talk you through what's involved in those two relatively easy to plan hunts.

Oh yeah, even be happy to donate a wild boar hindquarter to you and the missus' larder. Went ot yesterday to a pay-as-you-go place near Lake Okeechobee with my son and a coworker.

Sounds like a plan, BM - the wife LOVES wild hog, and I'd love to take on - get me better prepared for Africa in 2009 for Warthogs (though I won't eat those!)

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I went shooting yesterday at a local range which normally is very safe, but there was one guy who obviously needs his hearing checked and who I would NOT ever want to hunt with. He SWORE he heard the guy with the microphone say "Hot Line" - unfortunately there was someone halfway down the range going out to adjust a target - a loud BOOM from a rifle and one scared-poopless target adjuster later, we had quite the show.

quote:

Originally posted by Badger Matt:
John -- I'll shoot you an e-mail. I'm too new to the Tampa area to be of much help locally, but we could certainly get together over coffee and talk guns and hunting.

I'm planning a Fall '08 hunt in either Wyoming (Pronghorn) or Alaska (black bear) and can talk you through what's involved in those two relatively easy to plan hunts.

Oh yeah, even be happy to donate a wild boar hindquarter to you and the missus' larder. Went ot yesterday to a pay-as-you-go place near Lake Okeechobee with my son and a coworker.