So my wife gave me a Marlin 336 for deer hunting...now what?

[GPossenti]

I've never hunted before. I've taken the hunter's safety course, and I've got my camo, etc.. I need some hunter orange and a good knife.

How does one learn to hunt? I've read books about deer rubs and scrapes, masking your scent, deer anatomy for targeting, etc.. I don't have any family or friends that hunt, so I'm kinda on my own.

What do I do with the deer once I shoot it? I read a story on TFL about a hunter who came upon another noob hunter who was trying to drag a deer that wasn't field-dressed, so I figure minimizing the amount of weight to carry is a good idea. I'm just not sure how.

Any pointers, advice, ideas?

[johnwilliamson062]

Struggling through the process right now. If you don't have family that hunts it is very difficult. I have read up a bit on all the stuff and feel that was relatively useless outside of helping me know what questions to ask.

You really have two options:

1.Get to a range where some hunters shoot. Follow all the safety rules. Show that you aren't dangerous in a controlled environment. If you are talking to anyone mention your wife bought you the rifle to hunt with and you are just getting started and are lost. It has taken me over a year with this approach but it is starting to pay great dividends. If you have a hunting/fishing club in your area try to join it. If you can go on one of their trips that will accelerate the process I imagine.

2.I am in the market for an Marlin 336, although I am leaning toward the Browning BLR. Is yours the stainless 30/30?

[Pahoo]

On Field Dressing:
You will find that every hunter has his or her own special way. I guess I have not seen a truly bad way, just not my way. Try not to get any feces on the meat. The important point here, is to open the deer up as soon as possible and get the hot guts out of there. Then Prop the cavity open. Got to start cooling the deer down as soon as possible. The decay process is already starting to set in. I was called out to open up a deer that had been hit 1/2 hour earlier and it was already starting to bloat. Remember that this is a learing curve and just be patient with yourself.


Be Safe !!!

[Tuckahoe]

There is not enough space here to give all the details. Have you thought about going on a paid hunt? There are likely several places in your area that allow you to hunt with a guide on private land. This would cost you but you will learn more than reading all the books on the subject.

[davlandrum]

Mod - maybe move the the hunting forum? Might get more responses.

GP - Go to the hunting thread and use the search tool. There are several threads that asked this very thing and got a ton of excellent input.

Dave

[Tuckahoe]

Pahoo, How hot was the weather that day? I have never seen any deer bloat that fast. The guys here who take a nice buck will ride em around all day in the bed of a truck. I just don't see a deer swelling up that quick. NC is not known for real cold weather.
It is a fact that the quicker you chill a deer the better the quality of the meat. Guts and hide hold lots of heat.

[GPossenti]

johnw, it's not the stainless, it's the blued steel.

[wpcexpert]

As far as field dressing...it's not as necessary to do it immediately as some say. In WV, my family has done it where the deer fell. But the guts are eaten by the next day and/or frozen. But down south (South Carolina/Arkansas), I and everyone I've hunted,have waited until we got out of the woods. Have waited as much as 4 hours before the guts were removed, if the situation deemed it so. Never had any problem with ruined meat.

For example, you shoot a deer and you don't have a very good blood trail. It may take 1-2 hours to finally find the deer. Now, the deer has been dead for at least 90% of that time if not sooner. Do you leave the deer because the meat is bad, NO. Would I go ahead and field dress it there, yes. Because it is now out of my immediate hunting area and poses no threat to ruin my spot. That is the reason for waiting until you either get to a cleaning station or back to your house to clean it. I don't want those rotting guts to destroy my spot for weeks.

The meat will last a lot longer than some folks think.

[Pahoo]

Tuckahoe: Pahoo, How hot was the weather that day?

It was late August and not sure of the temp but it was far from cold. With my first cut into the cavity, you could hear the gasses venting. I have to ask why you would drive around all day without gutting the deer? The only advantage I see, is that you don't want to get the truck bed, bloody. It's their deer but I just recommend cooling down the deer as soon as possible. Now, I have seen blow flies, on fresh meat but never seen meet go bad on a gutted deer when processed in a timely manner, regarless of the temp. On another occasion, helped a buddy track down an arrow shot deer, in very cold weather and sadly, the land owner found it on the third day, no more than 50 yds. from where it was hit and yes, we kept tracking it that long till we lost the trail. The meat was bad !!!

You know, another question that might be asked, is: "how do you know when the meat has gone bad?"

Be Safe !!

[scottycoyote]

there are a ton of great books on deer hunting, as well as monthly magazines. Id read a couple of those so you can get the basics such as scouting, bedding and feeding areas, deer behavior, etc. You can find plenty of articles with step by step and pictures on how to field dress a deer. Make yourself a gut kit (gloves, drag rope, guthook/knife, liver bag), put it all in a big ziploc bag along with your field dressing directions you printed out, and you got it all right there. have fun

[Buzzcook]

Most hunting is sitting on your butt, either in a tree or a blind, and waiting for bambi to wander by close enough to put a hole in him.

Finding the right place to put your butt is the hard part.

[MacGille]

I carry a small set of pulleys and some parachute cord in my backpack. As soon as I get to the deer I hang it from the nearest tree and gut it. Then I cut off the legs at the knee, skin the carcass but leave the head on. (necessary for the game warden) Then I pull a deer bag over the carcass and carry (never drag) the carcass out. When gutting, tie a string around the urethra and another around the anus before removing the guts. This keeps waste from the meat (never tastes good). Hang the carcass in the bag to keep flies off and prop the cavity open to help cool it.

I am constantly amazed at the treatment some hunters give their kill. If you shot a cow in the guts, let it die in the sun, dragged it behind a truck for a mile, then gutted it and let it lay in the dirt for a day, you would not pass FDA inspection and you would probably swear off beef. I've known a number of wives that won't eat venison because of the gamey taste. Its not gamey hon, its spoiled.

If you don't know how to do these things, get some instruction. There are usually meat butchers in most rural ares that can help you to preserve your kill. Ask 'em.

[ronto]

Install and sight in a receiver peep sight...Find an experienced hunter to go with...Then aim for the brown.

[Wildebees]

Hear ye, hear ye, all wives! Take note! Take time and read about guns! Take some money from your skin care budget and save it! Buy your husband a gun for his birthday, each birthday!

[ringworm]

does that mean your proud she bought him a rifle or that your not enthusiastic about the choice?

[Tuckahoe]

A gut shot deer will stink (sometimes beyond belief) on dressing. I cut the hams shoulders and backstrap from a gut shot deer and throw the rest away.

[Kreyzhorse]

Just a suggestion, but have you called your local game warden to see if he has any suggestions? Perhaps he could hook you up with someone for hands on lesson with someone. Perhaps even a hunters ed class would help.

A gut shot deer will stink (sometimes beyond belief) on dressing.

A gut shot deer is bad. A gut shot antelope is really bad.

[Wildebees]

Good for him on any count!

[Kawabuggy]

As was mentioned above, finding a PLACE to hunt will be the hardest part-everything after that is easy.

If you already have a place that you can hunt, I would start by scouting the area. When you are out scouting, think about how you would get a deer out of the woods if you shot it. Is the terrain rocky? Is it hilly? Is it a lot of mud? Can you use an ATV to get in to where you hunt, and to carry a deer out?

You can find videos on you-tube as to how to clean one once you have it on the ground.

Have you had any firearms exposure before? Know how to safely handle a fire-arm? What type of rifle & ammo, or hand-gun will you be using? Are you accurate with that weapon out to 100 yards? If not, better start by spending some time at the range practicing! You better be able to bring that gun up to your shoulder without taking your eyes off the deer, and then be able to put that bullet exactly where it needs to go.

Post any specific questions you have, and I'm sure someone will be able to help you out.

[screenerglenn]

i too am very new to the hunting sport. i've been shooting at a local range and have shown my fellow shooters that i can be very safe and careful. as a result, when talking about hunting i recieved several offers to join in hunts with these experienced hunters. the post earlier that suggested this is right on the mark. good luck

[rixret]

The wife's a keeper. Does she have a sister?

[guntotin_fool]

Make a new post here about hunting in louisiana.... ask for some help from the locals.


Gutting a deer is more or less like gutting a fish, only bigger and heavier,
There are a few very good videos out there about the way to do it....

This is a youtube link to one way to do it......http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKm42ql7NSw as you can see, there are several others on there. Its a bit awe creating at first, but its really pretty easy.


I really dispute those who say that you can let them lay around all day and clean it when you get home, If you want prime good tasting venison, you want to make sure you get it dressed as soon as you can, get the cavity opened up and cleaned out with really salty water, and get it cooled off fast. WE use a pump up garden sprayer to wash the cavity out as soon as we get the deer hung up, we fill the garden sprayer one hand full of salt to 2 gallons of water, this helps get the meat clean and helps neutralize any body fluids left behind. (note: this garden sprayer is purpose bought for water and saline and never ever has chemicals in it. we like our kids with one head, so we try to keep the poisons out of our wash water._)

Practicing shooting is a good thing. As far as a good knife, you do not need a big blade, a 2 inch blade will do all your work except cutting the chest open, for that I use a small safety saw.

[jhgreasemonkey]

Lol. Thats what I was going to say. I think of it like gutting a big fish.

[flyboy14]

Start asking around, talking about hunting, I bet you will be surprised how many people hunt. Most people who are into shooting and hunting love to talk about it. Ask lots of questions, and look as mentioned above get a hold of your local gamewarden. When trying to find somewhere to hunt ask first about helping landowners thin out doe herds, and management deer. It's easier to get on a place when you aren't trying to shoot the trophy bucks. I don't know how much public land there is where you live, but thats your best bet to start. Most hunters understand that we need to help start new hunters if we want our sport to grow. good luck, flyboy

[45Marlin carbine]

take that 30-30 out and practice with it until you can hit a saucer size target offhand at 50 yards every shot - and a plate at 100.
before going into the woods wipe off all oil from your rifle, deer can smell that a mile away.
have a sharp folding knife and some cord along with you to field dress with. and a heavy zip bag for the heart and liver, they are good eating. lay deer near a bush/sapling and tie legs on side up in the air to access the abdomen to open up. talk to another hunter about dressing.