bankedout/dg discussion moved here

[sd]

Congratulations on your purchase DG! And your decision to get involved in hunting.
I know nothing at all about rifles, (or guns generally) but that looks like a nice one- Are you going for a bear? Deer? How will you be hunting them in NH? Stand, stalking, blind? Some avid hunters here have some very comfortable fixed stands- tree houses for adults.....
Here in NC, Deer are so numerous, and need to be thinned out, for years they now allow hunters to "bait" deer with corn feeders. You're allowed 1 bear here, but it can't be baited-
One of the instructors in the class i took this weekend joked that a bear taken in Tenesee automatically comes with a honey-bun in his mouth.
Regardless of whether the time spent hunting results in no shot, and no harvested animal, the entire experience in itself is gratifying - each time I venture out, I come back home with a sense of a good end to the day- , and look forward to the next opportunity. I hope you will find it similar.
Have you got a friend to accompany you? That would be a plus in my opinion.


Have Fun! SD

[sd]

On Hunting safety:
Had a good Saturday -went with the future son-in-law to an advanced archery class to get 'certified' . It was a free 8 hour class and had about 15 attendees, rainy weather discouraged a few. It turned out the temp was mid 40's and the rain was intermittent drizzle- no big deal.
What quickly became evident was the passion for the sport-both archery, and hunting, the instructors had- One being the Eastern District game warden ; another his wife. She shoots a compound, he a recurve, and one other attendee shot a long bow- the rest were compounds.
We covered the specified educational format-in a few hours, and spent time shooting arrows , but not in a rigorous _you're being tested now - situation. The instructors shot some, the traditional archers demonstrated,(son in law) (they're purists) and then the compound advocates- the majority , got their time in.
We all thought our time spent shooting was a practice up preamble to an archery proficiency test to come later, but that practice time was the test, we were being evaluated as we were practicing- Instructors explained later that people 'choke' in test situations, and they were able to evaluate our shooting without us being in stressed out mode. Worked for me!
I t also inspired me to consider learning traditional shooting this coming year-
I enjoyed the class, but felt it was lacking in one key element-perhaps due to time- There was discussion - but no actual demonstration and shooting from an elevated position, tree stand- ladder or self-climber. I could see where giving individual instruction and allowing each attendee to give a climber a try would make an 8 hour class a weekend long seminar, but at least a ladder stand should have been demonstrated - A climber was demonstrated in the hunting ed class I took in the fall, but I think about those that had no prior experience/demonstration. Falls from these stands are the source of most hunting fatalities, not gun shot wounds.
My future-son-in-law went hunting last weekend and used a friend's climber -for his first time- and went up 20' without wearing a safety harness- They didn't have one- Fortunately, there was no malfunction- I since provided him with a spare harness I had that came with my tree stand, and tried to stress the importance of using it any time one goes up a tree- whether in a climber or a ladder stand.
One of the surprising statistics that stands out from construction safety is that 50% of falls over 12' end up as fatalities- If not a fatality, -injury- broken bones etc would be likely.
I bet the hunting statistics are similar- Most fixed stands are 12' or higher- Caution and proper technique needs to be used.
In both stands I have purchased, they came with a harness and a DVD safety video-
For anyone hunting and going up in a stand- fixed or climber- a safety harness is a must, along with a separate 6' looped end nylon strap-carried in one's pocket- that can be used if one falls out of the stand and hangs suspended, and is unable to climb back into the stand. This will prevent "suspension death"- Loop it around the tree, and place a foot in the loop, and stand, taking the constriction off the main artery in the legs that being suspended will cause. A cell phone and a whistle are also smart items to carry. Just in case....
This is one of the practical-safety- sides of hunting- Realizing that the unexpected can happen and being prepared for it , will keep one from becoming a statistic.
SD

[dg]

sd:

Finding a hunting friend will be my next task (along with searching the internet for hunting information concerning new hampshire). I'll probably spend the rest of this year lubricating my guns and touchy-feely acquainting myself with the newest member. (plus playing with the new laser rangefinder)

[bankedout]

dg,

I hope you enjoy your new gun. Everyone should get at least one thing they want for the holidays!