I guess a bit of background info is needed here. I have never hunted. It was not something my family participated in. Truth be told, I don't even know if any of my relatives have ever hunted, and I come from a huge family. For some reason though, I want to shoot for blood. I can't explain it, other than I find the prospect incredibly exciting and think it'll be an adventure to remember.
Because I have never hunted, I do not want to travel far. I want to stay within driving distance because there is always the chance that hunting is not for me. After all, what's the point of going to the trouble and expense of safari if you don't have the makings of a hunter.
In my state we can hunt duck, deer, wild pig, elk, antelope, bighorn sheep, and bobcat. I've ruled out bobcat because I don't know if you can eat bobcat, and I don't want to hunt just to kill something. I've also ruled out elk, antelope, and bighorn sheep because the tags are pretty expensive and more than I want to spend as a first time hunter. In addition, you also have to enter a drawing for the tags. That leaves duck, dear, and wild pig. I guess I can rule out duck and deer as well because I don't like the taste of the meat. That leaves the wild pig. Everybody likes bacon, ham, and baby back ribs right? There are guided wild pig hunts on private ranches nearby, and I think that'll be a good introduction to the sport.
My biggest problem is that at this point I don't have any gear (i.e., I don't have a hunting rifle). I have a couple of ARs, but most of what I read indicates that 5.56 does not have adequate power to maximize your chances of a quick, clean kill. The first order of business then is for me to choose a rifle and kit it out. I've settled on a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in .30-06 (it's gorgeous). At 6 lb. 12 oz. this gun should be a good weight for carrying. I'm choosing the .30-06 because my research indicates that it's a versatile caliber that will take down any animal in North America. I'm going to top it off with a fixed Leupold FX-11 4x33 scope. While I want the versatility of the .30-06, I want simplicity and ruggedness for my optic.
I know that there's more to hunting than getting a gun and hunting license. My Rod & Gun club offers Hunter's Education classes and I'm going to sign up for one. I'm also going to sign up for Appleseed so as to improve my marksmanship skills. I'm giving myself a couple of years to do all this, I want to do my first hunt by 2014 at the latest. You might be wondering why I'm giving myself a firm date, it's because I think it'll make me less likely to put it off.
I've been thinking of this for a while, but I'd appreciate it if you guys could share your thoughts. What do you think about my choice of rifle? What about going after wild pig for my first animal? What other things do I need to consider?
Thanks for the input.
Because I have never hunted, I do not want to travel far. I want to stay within driving distance because there is always the chance that hunting is not for me. After all, what's the point of going to the trouble and expense of safari if you don't have the makings of a hunter.
In my state we can hunt duck, deer, wild pig, elk, antelope, bighorn sheep, and bobcat. I've ruled out bobcat because I don't know if you can eat bobcat, and I don't want to hunt just to kill something. I've also ruled out elk, antelope, and bighorn sheep because the tags are pretty expensive and more than I want to spend as a first time hunter. In addition, you also have to enter a drawing for the tags. That leaves duck, dear, and wild pig. I guess I can rule out duck and deer as well because I don't like the taste of the meat. That leaves the wild pig. Everybody likes bacon, ham, and baby back ribs right? There are guided wild pig hunts on private ranches nearby, and I think that'll be a good introduction to the sport.
My biggest problem is that at this point I don't have any gear (i.e., I don't have a hunting rifle). I have a couple of ARs, but most of what I read indicates that 5.56 does not have adequate power to maximize your chances of a quick, clean kill. The first order of business then is for me to choose a rifle and kit it out. I've settled on a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight in .30-06 (it's gorgeous). At 6 lb. 12 oz. this gun should be a good weight for carrying. I'm choosing the .30-06 because my research indicates that it's a versatile caliber that will take down any animal in North America. I'm going to top it off with a fixed Leupold FX-11 4x33 scope. While I want the versatility of the .30-06, I want simplicity and ruggedness for my optic.
I know that there's more to hunting than getting a gun and hunting license. My Rod & Gun club offers Hunter's Education classes and I'm going to sign up for one. I'm also going to sign up for Appleseed so as to improve my marksmanship skills. I'm giving myself a couple of years to do all this, I want to do my first hunt by 2014 at the latest. You might be wondering why I'm giving myself a firm date, it's because I think it'll make me less likely to put it off.
I've been thinking of this for a while, but I'd appreciate it if you guys could share your thoughts. What do you think about my choice of rifle? What about going after wild pig for my first animal? What other things do I need to consider?
Thanks for the input.