A lot of people ask me 2 main questions. Below I will answer them both.

1. How did you start hunting?

2. What do I need to do to start hunting?

These are great questions. Lets start with the first one.

1. When I was a very young child my Mother bought my brother and I a pellet gun. I was young enough that I couldn't cock it at first and had to get my brother to do it for each shot. We went all over with that thing practicing our shots. Living in a farm community gave us lots of opportunities to rid farmers of their Pidgeon problems. I even supplied our high school biology class with specimens to dissect. Got paid a $1.00 a bird. This was my first fore into the hunting world and I still have that pellet gun.

When I was 15 a friend of mine said there was a hunting accreditation course running over 2 evenings and a weekend coming up at our local school. No one in my family had even hunted so it wasn't something I was privy to. I did however succumb to peer pressure and he talked me into it. We signed up and attended. At that time you had to be 16 to get your licence and as mentioned I was only 15 so you had to get a signed letter from your parents. I got that letter under some duress. We attended the class portion and then did the practical at a local wetland area. At the end of the day I think only 3 people received their hunting licence. A couple guys I knew of from high school as they were older and myself. Only because I had my letter from my parents. Looking back I am so glad that I was goaded into doing it. I am pretty sure to this day my friend who got me to sign up never did get his hunting licence. If he did I have never heard of him actually going, but I'm glad he got me there otherwise who knows!

Now that I had my hunting licence I needed a firearm to go hunting with. I made the decision to get a shotgun as it is the most universal tool and opens up a lot of options from upland bird hunting, small game, deer and waterfowl. This seemed like a good start. I did some research and looked at single shot vs pump and ended up buying a Mossberg 500 pump in 12 gauge. I took it out the day I bought it and the first shot almost knocked me on the ground. I immediately regretted my decision but only for a day until my shoulder healed. From then on I loved that gun and have hunted with it regularly since that day.

So this answers the first question. Now for the second question

2. The first thing I tell people that you need to go and get the proper licensing and certification. Do some research and find out in the area you live, what is required to be a legal hunter. Depending on where you live in the world be it in the U.S. or Canada there will be different legalities you need to meet. Most will be, you have to be a certain age and take a hunting and potentially a firearms related course. Don't wait, sign and up and get your licence today.

Now that you have your licence there may still be provisions you need to abide by depending on your age. Lots of areas are now offering hunter apprenticed which means if you are of a certain age you can go hunting but need to be with a legal hunting companion. You can only carry one gun between you. There are also archery only courses if that is the type of hunting you want to do so make your decisions wisely.

You are going to need some equipment for this to work and that starts with a firearm. As for firearms there is a lot of choices and decisions to be made here. I suggest all kids should start at a certain age with a pellet gun. This way you learn gun care and control so you don't shoot your eye out kid. Thanks Ralphie.

Once you get old enough and understand the proper use of a firearm then I would move on to a .22 There's nothing more fun than taking out your .22 and going plinking for the afternoon. Hone your skills and shooting options for when the big day comes to take aim on your quarry. There are tons of .22's out there, ammo is still reasonably priced but this depends on your budget really. There are single shots, bolt action and semi autos from many manufactures. The one thing I will stress though is buy the best quality and ease of parts and accessories you can first. Later on you will thank yourself for doing so. For this reason I suggest the Ruger 10/22. A semi auto, 10 shot magazine that is accurate and as indestructible as they come. Pricey but worth every cent.

A .22 is fun and very useful for certain types of hunting but the 12 gauge shotgun is your workhorse. This is a must for all hunters. It is a very versatile tool as mention previously and can be adapted to almost any type of hunting out there. Put on a rifled barrel and add slugs and now you have a gun capable of hunting deer etc. This opens up the world of large game also. Now the same thing applies to buying a shotgun as it did to the .22 Get the best bang for your buck. Go with a shotgun that not only is dependable, easy to shoot and adaptable but is affordably priced considering all these things. The two that top the list for me are the Remington 870 and the Mossberg 500. Both are great guns in 12 gauge but can also be found in 20 gauge for ease of shooting. They both have been around for years so there are lots of parts and accessories to add sights and barrels etc. depending on what you want to hunt.

So now you have got your license and bought a gun, now what do I do? This is where you need to take some time and do some research. If you come from a hunting family then there is always a person who can guide you through the next steps. Ask questions, follow them on their hunts, ask to assist with game recovery etc. Anything you can do to learn the skills necessary to become a safe and ethical hunter. If you are new to it like I was then this is where you have to study up. There is tons of good information online these days so figure out what you want to hunt and research everything you can on clothing, calls, bullets, best time of day, locations, wind and legalities. Once you have got a good sense of what you need to do then go put it into practice. It may take a while to perfect these skills but you might as well learn in the field at this point. If you have the ability to join a good group of people then by all means do so as the information they have gather over the years will be so helpful. I wish you all the success going forward.

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