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    Advice for a Novice

    Good afternoon GS--

    Please help me out, I am a novice at the Western hunts and applying for a tag in general. I've got a couple buddies that are new at it as well and looking to go on our first DIY hunt. From reading posts on here I've already learned that I need to become a member of GoHunt--Check. I've spent several hours picking through the website and by this point have an OK understanding of Arizona and NM.

    My Question--
    This will be my very first DIY hunt, I've grown up on land in East Texas and on and off having leases and ranches available to hunt for WT and Mule deer in Texas. What advice do you have for a newcomer that knows not the first step? What species, state, (maybe even unit) would you recommend to a newbie to go and get his feet wet to have a good experience--if nothing else, learn a lot in the process. I've spent the last couple of years acquiring good glass as I hunt a company owned ranch that is a little over 100k acres out in Pecos county, but what else?

    Any and all advice is greatly welcomed, thanks GS!

    #2
    I'm a newbie also, but my plan is to go after wild hogs. In texas it's a year round hunt with no limits or any restrictions. I'm also thinking about trying a turtle in the spring/summer to see if the meats any good. Best of luck to you.

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      #3
      Originally posted by Darrin View Post
      I'm a newbie also, but my plan is to go after wild hogs. In texas it's a year round hunt with no limits or any restrictions. I'm also thinking about trying a turtle in the spring/summer to see if the meats any good. Best of luck to you.
      There are many in Texas where you can do hog hunts. Many people here can refer you to some reputable outfitters.

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        #4
        2019 will be my third year going out west. I'm a research junkie and spend a lot of time on GoHunt as well. Normally I would recommend a Wyoming Antelope hunt for someone's first trip out west, which is what I did. Relatively easy to draw and not as much pressure as an elk hunt or a high country mule deer hunt and allows you an extra year to pick up gear/clothes that you will need. Seems like you already have some experience/gear required for Western style hunting though so I would say first you need to narrow down to what species you want to hunt first.

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          #5
          If you wanna DIY a hog hunt, check out the GRXH thread. :-)

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            #6
            The first step is deciding what animal you want to hunt. As far as game choice for a first... well that’s all up to you and what interests you. From there you can narrow down what state and then using your gohunt membership you can figure out what unit best fits what you’re wanting to do.

            As for a first DIY I wouldn’t set your sights to high, such as killing a big 6x6 elk or a booner mulie, but have goals like learning how to hunt your unit or chosen game. This will allow you to learn and not get overwhelmed and put off by it being to tough. It’s very different than Texas whitetail but man it is fun. If you’re like most people like myself, hunting out west has just about ruined hunting here for me.

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              #7
              If you get out west, camp for 7 days with no cell phone service, and don't leave early, consider that a huge success. IF you see elk (Or whatever you're chasing), count that as another win, and if you get an actual encounter, well you a years ahead of where you should be at that point.

              If you have gohunt, you are well on your way. As they release their "insiders guide" you will narrow down where you want to go. Factor in drive time, and when the actual season is. For example, Colorado first rifle is a Saturday through Wednesday, so you have to take off almost two weeks if you hunt the whole time. New Mexico is M-F, so only one week.

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                #8
                I'm too green to offer real advice, but will say I really liked having this little solar charger gizmo because the Colorado mountains/OnX maps drained my cell phone battery something fierce. Plugged my battery charger block into this every morning before heading out and it was fully charged when I got back each night.

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                  #9
                  Originally posted by WItoTX View Post
                  If you get out west, camp for 7 days with no cell phone service, and don't leave early, consider that a huge success. IF you see elk (Or whatever you're chasing), count that as another win, and if you get an actual encounter, well you a years ahead of where you should be at that point.



                  Truth!

                  Don't get too hung up on killing an animal, I still haven't killed anything "out west" but the experience is part of it and should be relished.

                  If you just wanna kill something gauranteed pony up some cash and pay to go shoot one of the petting zoo critters around here, I suspect you'll find the out west experience to be much more rewarding.

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                    #10
                    Yes certainly not interested in just killing something. I’ve got a place to go do that. Want to challenge myself and more or less just go hunting in that country.

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                      #11
                      Originally posted by Calebthelee View Post
                      Yes certainly not interested in just killing something. I’ve got a place to go do that. Want to challenge myself and more or less just go hunting in that country.
                      The most challenging hunt I have done was Laguna Atascosa, got lucky with a rifle draw. I have also done a lot of public land hog hunting and WY antelope (EASY by comparison).

                      Get boots on ground early when possible, talk to the locals, hit local forums and facebook groups, abuse google maps aerial view.

                      I have had the absolute greatest success while spot and stalk hunting, get good boots and a comfortable pack. Pack fresh socks and clean unscented trash bags to bag your meat before placing in pack. Invest in a good water bladder and clean/store it properly.

                      Find your entry points and then have two backups if the first is taken. Get to your spot early and start your spot/stalk. Go in as far as you think is necessary to get away from other hunters, then double it. Take a buddy and if you do not take a buddy, please make sure you tell people where you are at.

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                        #12
                        .

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                          #13
                          I would do Wyoming Antelope as a first. The first year you will have lots of "gear" to buy. Most of this will be a one time expense and can be used for future hunts. If you can get two buddies together and split accommodations and fuel it will will be less than $1000.00 with tags per person. If you hunt hard you can shoot a 65-70" antelope without much trouble. When looking at draw results online....if an area has 100% draw success...there will be limited access or no huntable herd. There are exceptions to this rule....if you just want to kill a nice representative animal and spend time out west. You can draw area 45 for antelope every year and if you can read a map there is quite a bit of public land. Makes for an affordable and exciting hunt. You WILL see animals and will have a shot opportunity. I would recommend the following items. Good comfortable pack, boots, onxy maps chip and GPS and best binos you can afford. I use cheap white pillow cases as meat bags.
                          Last edited by Jon B; 01-21-2019, 03:10 PM.

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                            #14
                            Originally posted by Odwraca View Post
                            The most challenging hunt I have done was Laguna Atascosa, got lucky with a rifle draw. I have also done a lot of public land hog hunting and WY antelope (EASY by comparison).
                            I hunted Laguna this past weekend. It was in some ways just as tough as my Colorado Elk hunt this year and probably one of the few opportunities in Texas you have to do a DIY, spot and stalk western style hunt (if you choose to hunt it that way). I was extremely fortunate to come out with a nice little 8 point whitetail, could not close the deal on a Nilgai.

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                              #15
                              Originally posted by Jon B View Post
                              I would do Wyoming Antelope as a first. The first year you will have lots of "gear" to buy. Most of this will be a one time expense and can be used for future hunts. If you can get two buddies together and split accommodations and fuel it will will be less than $1000.00 with tags per person. If you hunt hard you can shoot a 65-70" antelope without much trouble. When looking at draw results online....if an area has 100% draw success...there will be limited access or no huntable herd. There are exceptions to this rule....if you just want to kill a nice representative animal and spend time out west. You can draw area 45 for antelope every year and if you can read a map there is quite a bit of public land. Makes for an affordable and exciting hunt. You WILL see animals and will have a shot opportunity. I would recommend the following items. Good comfortable pack, boots, onxy maps chip and GPS and best binos you can afford. I use cheap white pillow cases as meat bags.
                              I think this has it covered !

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