hunting?

Zebbie

Zebbie

Active Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2009
Location
Rock Hill SC
I am thinking about getting into hunting. The wife is reading a book about how cruel processed animals are treated and the hormones and antibiotics they are given. Damn books! She is turning into a vegetarian but I might be able to stop her if I hunt our own meat.

What are the minimum things I need to get started?
Do I need a huge freezer or will one deer or couple turkeys fit in regular kitchen freezer/fridge combo?
About how much does it cost to butcher and package the meat?
 
I see you are in SC, so the first thing to do is get a SC hunting license. next is to take a hunter safety course. Then to answer your question, it is always good to have a chest freezer for game, it helps so you don't fill up your kitchen freezer. As far as cost, you can do most of the butchering yourself, with the purchase of a few pieces of equipment. When I have taken a whole deer to the butcher it is always less than $50.
 
^^^agreed...and I'd also advise having someone teach you how to field dress and quarter a deer. I agree about getting a deep freeze, we had 6 deer this year, and it took up 75% of our upright deep freeze. As for processing...it really depends on what kinda cuts you want, or if you want all jerky, etc...when I bring whole deer in, it usually runs $75-90.


Edit...can't remember the exact rules right now, but I know NC had something change where you needed a hunter's safety certification to get a license (or a previous year's license)...dunno if that's voided if you're over 18 though.
 
UTfball68 said:
^^^agreed...and I'd also advise having someone teach you how to field dress and quarter a deer. I agree about getting a deep freeze, we had 6 deer this year, and it took up 75% of our upright deep freeze. As for processing...it really depends on what kinda cuts you want, or if you want all jerky, etc...when I bring whole deer in, it usually runs $75-90.
Edit...can't remember the exact rules right now, but I know NC had something change where you needed a hunter's safety certification to get a license (or a previous year's license)...dunno if that's voided if you're over 18 though.
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you have to take the hunter safety course to get a first time license, regardless of age in NC

edit* its a good thing to have regardless. in case you really get into the sport and want to hunt in other states you have to have a hunter safety card to get an out of state license. a few buddies of mine couldnt get kansas out of state licenses last year until they took the course. they have lifetime licenses their parents bought for them at birth here in NC and never had to take a hunter safety course.

ill third the recommendations to get a dedicated chest freezer and to have someone show you how to clean your first deer and to supervise you for your first couple. it was hell trying to clean a deer when i was 14 not knowing what to do, and having a father who has never hunted a day in his life trying to figure it out with me. ~75 deer later i can have on cleaned and in the cooler in just over 30mins, the first one took several hours :lol:
 
also, don't waste your time to start with trying to hunt turkeys. start with deer. they are much easier to hunt and provide much more meet per kill. ive been hunting since i was 14, im 21 now, and i still have yet to kill a turkey. you're liable to get frustrated and throw in the towel on the whole sport if you begin with hunting turkeys.
 
awesome! thank you for the great advise.. i will definitely take a safety course. i bet it will be a lot of great info about hunting i will need to know. isnt deer season in fall? so i guess i will have to wait until then anyway. what shotgun/rifle caliber to you hunt with? i currently have an old 12 gauge double barrel side by side. i dont think putting 100's of 12 guage shot into meat will be to good though.
 
Asking what is the best gun/ammo for deer hunting is just like asking which is better Toyota or Jeep...

Your side by side will be fine, I have hunt deer for many years with that same combo. There won't be hundreds of shot in the deer because you will use 00B ("double-ought buckshot"). Your 12ga probably is chambered for 2 3/4" shells so your average 00B will have 9 or 12 pellets. Biggest downfall of a shotgun is the distance it is lethal. At 50 yards plus you are stretching the limits of the 12 ga.

If you will be hunting in fields and taking shots consistently ~100 yards then I would recommend either a .30-06 ("thirty ought six") or a 7mm ("seven mag").
 
Get a gun and shoot all the coyotes you can all year long for practice, then move to deer in the fall :D


if you want big birds (turkey, etc.), then geese are super dump and annoying, so shoot them in the fall. Spring is turkey season, so if you run out of geese, turkey in the spring if you can get them close enough to shoot. good luck :D

Get a freezer for the garage. I put all my game in that so I don't freak out the wife. My wife hates me hunting and she doesn't like the processed animals, hormones, etc. from the store meat. She likes the free range animals. So, I got her liking me hunting because wild animals are as free range as it gets :D

Yep, go through hunter safety course if SC requires it, get a license, gun, and some decent gear. Hunting is like any other hobby, its NOT cheap or cost effective
 
rockcity said:
I put all my game in that so I don't freak out the wife. My wife hates me hunting and she doesn't like the processed animals, hormones, etc. from the store meat. She likes the free range animals. So, I got her liking me hunting because wild animals are as free range as it gets :D
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thats what I do, and youre right, as free range as it can get. my wife is buying in to that media crap (why cant people think for themselves???) - I love it, last year it was 'those poor country folk, they have to raise and slaughter their own food. they live such backwards lifestyles". this week its, free range-locally grown blah blah blah... HELLO!!!

I eat about 4 deer a year, and they last about 8 months. this year I shot, well alot more than that :rolleyes: butcher your own, its mo betta.
 
BigClay said:
Asking what is the best gun/ammo for deer hunting is just like asking which is better
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BigClay said:
Toyota or Jeep...
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haha,, i can c how that can be.

you answered what i was looking for that my 12 gauge will be ok. i did not know about the 8-12 shot. i guess because i always used cheap practice ammo.

I will probably use my 12 gauge this year then get a rifle next year.

time for me to search craigslist for a freezer and find out about classes and license.

damn hobbies have to always be expensive.
 
Chuckman said:
last year it was 'those poor country folk, they have to raise and slaughter their own food. they live such backwards lifestyles". this week its, free range-locally grown blah blah blah... HELLO!!!
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Wow, it makes me feel a little better i dont have the only wife who constantly changes her mind! So frustrating when she does that, because then she makes it out like it’s my fault im not listening!!

I guess we don’t want to turn this into a wife rant and u know how it is.
 
Obtain your hunter ed first an since you live in sc I start killin an grillin hogs first the come August. Id move to deer huntin but a word of advice huntin in sc I would not hunt without a therma cell do to state bird being the mesquito. An as a gun a 270 or308 would be wise.
 
Good luck with the shotgun, rifle will be easier, don't have to get as close. If you do go rifle get some in the 30 cal range (30-06, 300 win mag, 308) all really good rounds for a wide variety of game. Do you have land for it because if you do start a nutrition plan for the deer in your area and spot out good areas to hunt. Put up stands all that fun stuff.
 
If you got land just raise you own animals then you don't have to get up at the crack of dawn to go shoot one:lol: Cows and pigs are better than dear anyway.
 
silveryota said:
what shotgun/rifle caliber to you hunt with?
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Personally...I'm a fan of the .270 and .300 WinMag...anything you can see, you can kill (essentially) with the 300. I use the .270 as a combo gun for 'distance' and 'brush' (even though it's not the best brush or distance gun) and the .300 for when I'm hunting fields and am anticipating shots between 250-500 yards. Personally, I'm only comfortable going out passed 400yds, and my longest kill shot was 346yards. Most beginners probably shouldn't attempt a shot passed 200yds. My brand of choice is Browning...but I believe Savage offers a great intro level gun for the money. As far as scopes are concerned, I'm a fan of Leupold...but do have Simmons scopes on some of my cheaper/intro guns that seem to do well.


As mentioned, none of this really matters...because what feels good and works for you will more than likely be completely different the combos I prefer. But I hope it gave a little insight.
 
300 win mag= never have to chase one. its my weapon of choice.
 
All great info and yes don't start hunting turkey and thinking you are going to go out and slay them. I have been hunting for abuot 12 years and have yet to kill a turkey. Deer and much easier.
 
rockcity said:
Hunting is like any other hobby, its NOT cheap or cost effective
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ill disagree with you here, in part.

deer hunting can be cost effective if you have access to good land for cheap/free and arent the kind of person who has to have the newest gadgets every year. my yearly expenses for deer hunting are 2 boxes of bullets, a few packs of thermo cell pads and $100 for hunting club fees. ive had the same stands, guns, and four wheeler for years. my buddy on the other hand seems to buy a new scent lock suit, new climber, new gun every other season. i still shoot more deer than him :lol:

now duck hunting is a whole different story. i piss away more $$ during one duck season than i do in 5yrs of deer seasons :lol: and i dont even care to eat the damn things, i just eat them because i shot them :lol:
 
i agree hunting doesnt have to be expensive i killed the biggest buck of my life sitting on the ground wearing normal clothes the only money that needs to be spent is where it counts and thats a good quality gun and ammo and if your looking for a multi use gun i would go with a rossi or handi rifle you can buy differant barrels for them and price wise there pretty reasonable in price
 
04blackrubi said:
i agree hunting doesnt have to be expensive i killed the biggest buck of my life sitting on the ground wearing normal clothes the only money that needs to be spent is where it counts and thats a good quality gun and ammo and if your looking for a multi use gun i would go with a rossi or handi rifle you can buy differant barrels for them and price wise there pretty reasonable in price
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yup.

i killed my biggest deer in a similar fashion. shot him out of the tree house my dad built for me as a kid, in my yard. i was shooting a .243 single shot rossi my grandad won at a QU banquet with a $200 scope i put on it. i was wearing my school clothes one afternoon.
 
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