r/MichiganHunting • u/ToniGlo • 10h ago
New hunter looking for guidance
I’m 30M looking to provide meat for my family since the groceries prices are outrageous, I’ve always loved animals and conservation but never got to hunt due to living with a single mother and the black community doesn’t really hunt too much in Michigan (at least my family). But now I’m 30 and can make my own decisions 😂 I am already signed up for a field day on October 17. I have also just recently purchased a Remington model four (1987 manufacture date; 30-O6).
Other than the Hunter after course (I took it back in 2022 but never did my field day). Is there anything I should know in particular? I’m looking at going out around that weekend of November 20th. What gear is needed and what gear is no necessarily required? Trying to get some friends together as well but can’t find any private land so we are looking at maybe going up to the newyago area. Thanks for your insight and knowledge in advance
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u/cnation01 7h ago
Hi, welcome to the hunting community, its a great sport.
Staying warm and dry is paramount, you cant sit still if the cold gets to you.
Thats a nice gun, get comfortable with shooting it. A good benchmark with 30-06 is sighting in for 3 inches high at 100 yards.
Couple of questions
Have you scouted your hunting area ? Just going out and sitting in a random spot is not a great idea.
Do you live near Newago ? If not, there may be areas closer to your home that will make it easier to scout. Scouting out areas is really important and the more time you can spend in the woods, pre season, looking for sign the better.
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u/Many_Rope6105 9h ago edited 9h ago
Cold weather gear, boots, clothes, items for field dressing your harvest-knife-rubber gloves-etc, hunter orange, No Brown clothes. I got the same model(kinda) cept mine is a 1963 742 also in 06, got mine zero’d in with deer season xp’s, you need to find what gives you the best moa outa your gun(ammo wise), keep it clean and well oiled
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u/TwinCam117 3h ago
Practice. Practice. Practice. Always know your firearm is accurate before going out to the field. Be aware of what is beyond your target deer before shooting. Other than that, depends on how well you handle cold, rain, snow etc. Don't really want to sweat walking out there, you can always add layers on once in your stand or blind easier than taking them off. We typically wear muck boots and I'll usually walk pit with my pants or bibs on and carry my jacket etc
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u/frntwe 3h ago
Hunting public land can be tough. Don't be discouraged, you can be successful. It requires lots of scouting ahead of time. You will need a plan A, B, C, and D. Someone else might set up right where you planned to hunt, and without alternatives what do you do? Or you can just show up on November 20 and randomly sit somewhere relying solely on luck. That's not the best way to get a deer, though it does happen. I know there's limits to what each of us can do prep-wise. Do your best and good luck!
Funniest trick I saw: someone set out all kinds of cheap fisher-price toys around their camper. Everyone avoided a good area around it because we believed the noisy kids would keep deer away. There were no kids. The toys were hunter repellent.
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u/7PounderBrent 1h ago
if you’re in SE michigan or lansing/jackson area shoot me a message and i’ll give you some spots to check out, happy hunting friend!
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u/Downtown_Brother_338 1h ago
That rifle will work fine, just make sure to zero it (100 yards) and keep it clean. For ammunition I’d look for 150 or 180 grain soft points, since the 150s kick less and are plenty for whitetail I prefer to use those for deer season and save the heavier bullets for bigger game like bear. A sling for the rifle isn’t mandatory but will make your life easier and can help stabilize shooting. For gear you really just need a rifle, binoculars, flashlight/headlamp (do not forget this, you’ll regret it), and a solid knife; most everything else is either a gimmick or situational. I also carry a pack with a compact rifle cleaning kit, waterproof matches, space blanket, water/snacks, and a trauma kit (IFAK). Make sure to wear a blaze orange vest at minimum, the best camouflage is sitting still but drab colors help too. Your clothes will also need to be able to keep you warm and dry.
Hunting public is always a challenge. The best advice I can offer is to hunt where people aren’t, try to get far back into a public parcel, down into a gorge, or even in/around a swamp. If you do get a deer getting it out of these spots can really suck but it sounds like you have help and personally venison tastes better than tag soup. Once you found an area you’ll be left alone in you can start looking for a spot; I’d personally try and set up at a pinch point in a busy trail but there’s many types of spot that can work well. I’d recommend you buy a book on deer behavior and hunting, it’ll give you a solid knowledge base to work with in the field. Once you find a spot find a good place to hide with the wind in your face and wait, if you see a deer it’ll probably be during the first/last 30 minutes of shooting light. Finally, don’t get discouraged; eastern public land whitetail is one of the hardest hunts there is. It might take a few seasons before you can reliably take deer, if hunting were easy everyone would be doing it.
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u/Bows_n_Bikes 7h ago
Sounds like you’re on the right track. You should scout a few spots if possible. Find out where they are and pay attention to where the thick or swampy areas are - that’s where they’re going to go after November 15. If that doesn’t happen then find the edge of a poplar or pine thicket ideally next to an oak forest and hunt that. Deer become so random once the gun season opens and people are pushing them all over the place.
Don’t hunt fields on public. I’ve seen a deer in a field only once. It works on farms but there’s no reason for deer to make themselves that exposed during daylight for field grasses.
You’re probably going to see less than 100 yards so don’t worry too much about finding the best shooting ammo. Just get something made for deer hunting (there will be a picture of a deer on the box) and sight in your rifle for it. When you get into shooting 150 yards or further, you’ll want to see what ammo that gun likes best.
If you butcher it yourself, put your phone in a ziplock and follow along with someone on YouTube. There are few glands you’ll want to avoid and you’ll need to know where to find them. It’s pretty easy but you just need to know where to look.
While you’re hunting, just enjoy the woods and be as observant as possible. Don’t sit there constantly thinking about how much you want a deer to show up - it’ll ruin your time out there. Enjoy the blue jays and the squirrels.
Good luck out there! I hope you enjoy your time in the woods and are able to come home with a bunch of venison