The first step in learning how to hunt is the desire. Unlike other hobbies, hunting requires a deep passion for the craft. And having in mind that you are here reading this piece, it seems like you have already taken the first step. We are happy that in the modern world of provided comfort there are still enthusiasts who want to take on nature the way our predecessor did. Exploring new territories, getting out of your comfort zone, tracking down your prey and looking at nature the way you never did before, are just some of the perks of the craft of hunting. And if you experience nervous bursts of joy just reading these lines, then you’ve found your right place to learn and embrace hunting the way you never did before.

Learning How to Hunt

Learning to hunt is an experience in which you gain knowledge as much as you enhance your cognitive thinking and tackle philosophical dilemmas. In the process of being taught the basics of hunting, you will be required to achieve a greater sense of yourself and your morals. At first, when holding a small pocket knife in my hand, I couldn’t imagine myself stabbing an innocent living animal with it. However, going on my first hunting trip, this is what I ended up doing. To this day, I encounter moral dilemmas and continue to evolve my opinion on philosophical matters when hunting, and that’s a thing I love about this hobby. On some hunting trips I embrace my inner predecessors who survived doing what I now do for fun, while other times I ponder about what’s our place in nature as species. For you, the love of hunting may come from a completely different place. One of my closest hunting buddies, for example, loves establishing his dominance. Another hunter I know is enthusiastic about this hobby, because of the craft itself. He loves the precision in his aim, tracking down his prey and being able to read the nature around him, like no one else.

If you are yet undecided on why exactly you love hunting, don’t tense. Your passion will unravel itself in the process of learning how to hunt itself. To help you familiarize yourself with the art of hunting, let’s start with the very basics of the craft.

The Basics of hunting

The inner driving hunting force in you may be eager to get a gun or a bow and go in the woods to start hunting. However, as you are most probably aware, things are not that easy. Depending on where you are located, you may be required to get a hunting licence. Furthermore, you must familiarize yourself with the hunting seasons, the animals you can hunt and learn more about guns and gun safety. While all of these topics are worth a blog post on their own, let’s get you familiar with the basics.

Do I need a hunting license?

If you are living in North America, then you will most probably be required to get some type of hunting licence. In fact, this is also true for most developed countries. Furthermore, in order to get your licence you will most probably be required to first take a course of education on hunting. However, while becoming a hunter takes a lot of learning, these courses usually take only a few days. You can read more about hunting licenses and different hunting laws in our hunting license guide.

What’s the deal with ‘hunting seasons’ and ‘tags’?

This is one of the most difficult questions to answer, as hunting seasons and tags differ from state to state and country to country. In most basic of terms, hunting seasons are the time periods in which you are lawfully allowed to hunt in a designated area. Tags usually refer to the additional permits you are required to take, on top of your hunting licence, that will allow you to hunt the so-called ‘big game’ animals. As you continue your endeavour on hunting, you will also encounter phrases such as “I just punched a tag.” With one tag corresponding to one animal, it’s easy to see that hunters mean that they’ve just successfully killed a big game animal.

Further Tips on Hunting

All about the guns

When first taking a gun into your hands, especially if you haven’t held a weapon before, you might feel intimidated. However, when handled with care and with the proper knowledge guns are relatively safe to use. Usually, one of the first decisions you’ll make as a hunter is which gun to purchase. While this depends a lot on your personality and ability to handle guns, options such as rimfire rifles should be a good starting point.

Finding a good spot to hunt

To find a good spot to hunt, you should first be familiar with the imposed regulations by your local government. In most cases, the spots and areas where hunting is permitted have a wide array of animals you can hunt. Furthermore, with the help of the Internet, hunters are able to share and check information on animal habitation quickly and easily.

Bows and bowhunting

Depending on your hunter personality, you might be highly attracted to bows and bow hunting. However, there are many factors to consider when choosing whether or not you should start out with a bow instead of a gun. Most notably, you should gain knowledge on what animals are best to hunt with a bow and whether or not bows and bowhunting will fit your preference personally.

Finding the Best Hunting Gear

The topic of hunting gear is a vast one and greatly depends on both your personality and the animals you want to hunt as well. For example, depending whether or not you like to embrace technology in your hunting endeavors, you might want to buy a hunting GPS. Furthermore, in most cases you will need camouflage in order to better blend in with the environment and binoculars or a rifle scope in order to better track your prey. Hunting boots are also a must, because you will be tackling harsh terrain. A knife is also a tool most hunters use, because it will help you in different ways. Another thing to consider is that due to the stellar senses of smell animals have, you will most probably be required to have some sort of scent control. However, these questions you will have to tackle more once you learn more about hunting. Furthermore, the more you get into hunting, the more you will learn about different equipment and what you will need.

Embrace the Hunting Life

Hunting is not only an experience, but also a way of life. For me, my first hunting trips were the times I felt most alive. Now, I’m becoming more passionate about hunting with each and every accomplishment. I hope that hunting will be as rewarding to you as it is for me. Good luck on your hunting endeavours and make sure you stay tuned to edgehunting.com for our further posts!