Laughing Crow
New member
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2016
- Messages
- 1
Hey all,
I'm originally from Northern Virginia, right outside DC. I do not come from a household of hunters, let alone family members who owned or knew how to operate firearms. In my early 20s I purchased a firearm for home protection and another for concealed carry. Now in my late 20s, I have decided to combine my passion for the outdoors in hiking and camping with firearms and to pick up hunting. I've started acquiring the gear, listening to hunting podcasts, reading books, watching youtube videos, and researching the WMA areas of VA to see where I can hunt on public land.
With all that said (I'm not even sure this is the right place to put this) I don't know of anyone that hunts public land in VA or that is willing to open their private land to a newbie like myself. What would you all say is a good starting place to actually learn the necessary skills for hunting? Should I look into purchasing a guided hunt? Or is it realistic for me to actually DIY this and figure it out utilizing what I've read?
Thanks all for the welcome to the forum, the wealth of info here, and to Randy for his awesome podcast. I've learned an immense amount about conservation and the importance of the role of hunters in it. I only wish I had done more as a hiker/camper to help with those efforts but plan to definitely make up that lost time now.
I'm originally from Northern Virginia, right outside DC. I do not come from a household of hunters, let alone family members who owned or knew how to operate firearms. In my early 20s I purchased a firearm for home protection and another for concealed carry. Now in my late 20s, I have decided to combine my passion for the outdoors in hiking and camping with firearms and to pick up hunting. I've started acquiring the gear, listening to hunting podcasts, reading books, watching youtube videos, and researching the WMA areas of VA to see where I can hunt on public land.
With all that said (I'm not even sure this is the right place to put this) I don't know of anyone that hunts public land in VA or that is willing to open their private land to a newbie like myself. What would you all say is a good starting place to actually learn the necessary skills for hunting? Should I look into purchasing a guided hunt? Or is it realistic for me to actually DIY this and figure it out utilizing what I've read?
Thanks all for the welcome to the forum, the wealth of info here, and to Randy for his awesome podcast. I've learned an immense amount about conservation and the importance of the role of hunters in it. I only wish I had done more as a hiker/camper to help with those efforts but plan to definitely make up that lost time now.