Never Hunted Before

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runboxrun

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Howdy! I've been reading a lot here and finally made an account to join the community.

I am 29 years old and have never been hunting in my life. As a boy I would go to the range with my dad, but haven't fired a gun as an adult. Over the last few months I've gained an interest in hunting as a means to bring some meat home for my family. I have a wife and three kids with another on the way!

I live in Illinois and have been doing a lot of research about local laws and public hunting land. I have several large areas very close to me I can utilize. They all have slightly different policies, but it looks like centerfire rifles are pretty much banned unless you're furbear trapping which I'm not interested in. Weapons allowed are bows, shotguns, and muzzleloaders.

I would like to start with squirrels and rabbits because they're plentiful and the season is long and then maybe deer next season. I've pretty much decided to buy a muzzeloading rifle as my first gun, and pretty sure that weapon will be a CVA Wolf with optional Blackhorn 209 breechplug for loose powder. I decided this because it will allow me to control the shot load more and am hopeful I can make loads that won't obliterate squirrels now and still have the ability for more powerful shots for deer later.

Shotguns would probably make squirrels easier to kill and I'd like to get one eventually, but for my first season I'm trying to stick with a budget and feel the muzzleloader is the most verastile option.

I wanted to share my thoughts so far and get opinions on my thought process and any tips would be appreciated. Looking forward to being a part of the community and hopefully I can help some others in some small way.

Thanks!
 
Welcome to the forum.

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Welcome from a fellow Illinoisan. If you are looking to get a muzzleloader, a CVA wolf would only be useful for deer hunting. A squirrel muzzleloader would need to be a much smaller caliber. If you are also interested is the spring turkey season, a shotgun (muzzleloader or regular) or a bow are the weapons that are allowed.

You will also want to check the specific locations that you are looking to hunt for weapon requirements. Some of the public ground by me will only let you use shotguns to hunt small game. If private land is also an option, a .22 rifle would be a good option as well. This message board is full of people with a ton on knowledge and are always willing to share it.


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Welcome to the forum!....it’s never to late to get into hunting,wish you luck...as you know good people on this site :D
 
Welcome to the group.


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Congrats on taking up hunting, it's a great hobby.

Recommend you take the IL hunter safety class as soon as you can. The instructors should also have info on classes to learn more about how to hunt.

https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/safety/pag ... afety.aspx

I'd lend a hand in person, which helps, but I live over in VA. Having someone point out key things in the woods can speed up the learning process. Of course, some guys think they're experts but aren't, so don't take everything some guys say as gospel truth.

The key things are to stay safe, have fun, and create memories. Everything else will gradually fall in place.
 
Congrats to you and your wife on the new addition to the family!

If it's legal in your state to hunt small game with a muzzleloader, and If you want to use a sabot, I would use a .40 cal bullet in a .40x.50 cal sabot, I believe that's the smallest bullet/sabot combo available. You could also try a roundball with a reduced load, many have done that and I'm sure someone could post up some load info for it.

I would keep it simple while getting started and don't get caught up in all the 'You gotta have this and use that' hype on TV.
 
treepotato said:
Congrats on taking up hunting, it's a great hobby.

Recommend you take the IL hunter safety class as soon as you can. The instructors should also have info on classes to learn more about how to hunt.

https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/safety/pag ... afety.aspx

I'd lend a hand in person, which helps, but I live over in VA. Having someone point out key things in the woods can speed up the learning process. Of course, some guys think they're experts but aren't, so don't take everything some guys say as gospel truth.

The key things are to stay safe, have fun, and create memories. Everything else will gradually fall in place.
Excellent advise!! I have been hunting since I was 14 (52 years now) an just when you think you know it all...they (deer) will completely fool you. Guess that's why its called hunting instead of shooting! Its a great sport, just enjoy mother nature and learn from your mistakes.
 
Re: RE: Re: Never Hunted Before

toytruck said:
... Guess that's why its called hunting instead of shooting! ...

Yep, I've proven that saying 3 or 4 times this year already. Fortunately there's venison in the freezer despite my oopses!
 
I'd recommend a single shot 20ga shotgun for the small game, you should be able to find a used one for under $100, and a more dedicated Muzzleloader for deer. Perhaps there's a local member nearby who can meet and give you more tips.
 
Since you are in Illinois, don’t forget to get your FOID card.

For squirrel hunting, you might look into a .22 rimfire. Not only is it good practice for big game hunting, but it also avoids pellets in the squirrel meat.

A shotgun would be the most versatile, because you could use it for any of the game you mentioned. I would recommend a pump action over a single shot. I recently took my daughter through CPW’s novice hunter program and they do not even allow single shots in the program. The reasoning behind this is the hammer on many break action single shots. Trying to lower the hammer without discharging the shotgun can be quite a challenge with cold hands - adults and children alike. I remember beginning at age 9 with a single shot, and I remember the fear of that hammer slipping under my thumb.
 

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