By: Mark Kayser
Do you remember starting out as a young, new hunter? Did you hunger for the great gear that seasoned hunters used in hunting magazines and on TV? That same kickoff-period struggle hasn’t changed for new hunters despite the passing years and a new digital landscape. Most new hunters don’t have the funds to finance the latest and greatest in gear. Include that simple fact with an increasingly urban population without easy access to hunting, and an immediate need arises. You and I need to ensure that new hunters, first-timers, have a pathway to continue the heritage of hunting.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service completes a survey every five years on hunting, fishing and wildlife watching. The latest, released in 2017, reports a decrease of 2 million hunters between 2011 and 2016. Not only is that shocking, but conservation is funded via hunting expenditures. Hunting license sales and hunting expenses, taxed via the Pittman-Robertson Act of 1937, go directly to wildlife conservation that affects all wildlife — whether hunted or not.
Aiding or mentoring a new hunter may be the best action that you can take to reverse, or at the very least, maintain the power of hunting in an ever-changing society. Predator hunting is a powerful tool in this battle because it provides an easy pathway into the sport. Predators populate regions from coast to coast. It’s affordable as an introductory sport. Access to hunting ground is still possible in this transitioning, pay-to-play landscape. And predator management is essential for all wildlife to flourish. If you want to be part of the solution to the issue at hand, then help a first-timer get into predator hunting.
Right Outside Your Door
Access to hunting land and game to hunt continues to plague sportsmen and women. The access issue alone accounts for many individuals not starting or simply giving up hunting, according to several surveys. Why? The majority of people hunt on private land since approximately 60% of America is privately owned. A HunterSurvey.com poll from 2015 revealed that 38% of respondents hunted on family land or the land of friends for no cost. Those that hunted primarily on public lands accounted for 28% of those responding. With more and more private properties being leased for personal recreation, the old days of knocking on doors to hunt are disappearing.
Fortunately, predators populate all lands, private and public. This opens up options that you might not have if you simply focused on big game or other species. For example, landowners managing property for wildlife oftentimes open the gate for predator control. They understand that too many predators can have a negative impact on all wildlife, and that keeps a few private-land options open in addition to public parcels.
Since many predators maintain large territories, for hunting success you can find coyotes, foxes, bobcats, mountain lions and black bears crossing borders, private and public. Most of those same species also inhabit zip codes from coast to coast. So if you can’t gain access to predator hunting on private land, you have options for unlimited hunting on public parcels. You’re never without a place to hunt.
Calls That Call
The next step in a first-timer’s introduction is acquiring a call to lure a predator into sight. Online shopping quickly introduces a new hunter to the shocking price of digital callers. You can easily spend more than $500 on an electronic caller alone. Think back to your beginning days. Did you have $500, $300 or even $200 to drop on one hunting item? I barely had $10 for fuel to energize my trips.
Since electronics are all the rage, many manufacturers have included starter units at prices fluctuating around $100 with a remote. These units tend to be stocked with limited sounds in their library and cheaper speaker systems, but they will get the job done. You can call in most predators with rodent, bird or deer distress sounds found on the affordable units.
An even cheaper alternative includes an old-school approach. Before the days of electronic-assisted calls you had to use lung power. Hand calls can be purchased for less than $18 per call and some kits package multiple calls that can be had for $25. If you really want to embrace the days of yesteryear, you can simply cup your fist and create squeaking sounds by sucking against the hole where the back of your thumb, and index finger adjoin. That call is totally free thanks to human anatomy.
Most experienced predator callers have a closet or equipment room brimming with new and old gear alike. If that includes you, look through that stash and help mentor a new predator hunter with your old calls. They’re doing you no good collecting dust and the donation might just help generate excitement, and future funding for conservation.
Shooting Iron Investment
After you sucker a predator into range you need to shoot it. A firearm purchase tops the list as the most expensive article needed to excite a newcomer. In most instances a centerfire rifle is the answer and the firearm industry has heeded the call for more affordable options. Mossberg, Ruger, Thompson/Center, Remington and others now have models that shoot very well priced below $500, with some even less than $400. And don’t forget to check out single shots like the inexpensive CVA Scout Apex.
Add in a new variable riflescope and you could be outfitted for less than $600. Variable riflescopes are the no-brainer purchase due to their flexibility. A scope with a range from 4X to 12X power handles close shots in thick cover at 4X power and long shots at 12X power.
One good goal for hunting mentors is to help a new predator hunter get more bang for their buck. As a hunter on a budget myself, I tend to follow this same pathway. Instead of purchasing a specialized predator rifle, new purchases should cover a host of other hunting categories. Specifically, a predator rifle should be of a sufficient caliber to double as a deer rifle.
Research your state regulations since some don’t allow smaller calibers to be used for deer, such as the .223 Remington or the .22-250 Remington. There’s no need to overpower, either, with a pounder like the .300 Winchester Magnum. Popular calibers, such as the .243 Winchester, .270 Winchester, .308 Winchester and the .30-06 Springfield will work just fine for predators and deer alike. Choose lighter bullets for predators and beef up for deer. If recoil is an issue you can tame some of the larger calibers for smaller-framed shooters by looking at reduced recoil ammunition like Hornady’s Custom Lite. It reduces felt recoil up to 43%, yet will stop deer and predators in their tracks.
Don’t forget about the new-rage calibers as options, either. Lately I’ve embraced the new kid on the block, the 6.5 Creedmoor. It’s a flat-shooting powerhouse with plenty of options for bullet weights that tackle coyotes on up to elk.
As a veteran hunter you may have a rifle to gift or loan. Follow proper procedures if you decide to transfer it to a new hunter, but that simple exchange could boost your mentorship to the certain ending of a new hunter. Even giving a recruit a discount goes a long way in value to the sport of hunting. And even though a binocular is not a starting requirement, an old binocular donated to a novice hunter may help in their success. Keep digging through that closet of old gear to find more helpful and well-appreciated hand-me-downs.
Camo Not Required
I nearly faint at the sight of price tags on new camouflage clothing these days and I can’t imagine what runs through the mind of a beginner hunter. Not only is camouflage cool to the new hunter because it identifies them as part of the fraternity, but it is effective too. Even so, as a mentor you should stress that any landscape-blending color works when combined with one important aspect: staying motionless.
Predator eyesight varies, but coyotes, for example, have similar vision to dogs. Research shows that they likely can see colors, but not vividly. Even so, all predators have keen eyesight to spot anything out of place. Limit any movement and only adjust when a predator’s eyes are obscured or turned away. This will allow you to stay hidden without $1,000 worth of camouflage.
In addition to being still, you should teach every new hunter to use shadows and to rest up against terrain features. These two tactics will help you blend into the background, again without the expense of trendy camouflage. Of course, your lesson also needs to include a downwind approach to everything. Without playing the wind, the best cloaking apparel on the market won’t help much.
If you believe in scent-eliminating products, now would be a good time to share their purpose. Scent-eliminating sprays can help erase foot scent. Scent-targeted laundry detergents can keep clothes scent free and clean without adding UV brighteners like most commercial detergents employ. Those brighteners make clothes glow instead of blend.
You know my closing remark already, but it pays to repeat. If you have camouflage hanging unused offer it up to an apprentice hunter. Even World War II era camouflage works, and to a millennial it might be the trendiest attire they acquire.
Knicknacks
An often overlooked equipment acquisition is a backpack. You’ll need something to tote your gear and clothing layers along with you while predator hunting. When I first started out I used to dump my college books out of my daypack and reload it with my predator gear. At the end of the weekend I shuffled back into school mode. Again, think economics and shop for value and function.
To boost your rifle accuracy a set of shooting sticks is recommended. Mentors may have an extra set or simply suggest to the first-timer that they build a set. DIY shooting sticks are relatively simple to assemble. Head to your local lawn and garden center. Purchase two plastic-coated garden stakes that have a steel core for strength. Opt for the 5-foot variety with a 3/8-inch diameter, to be trimmed later for shooting from a sitting height. Next, purchase a bolt and nut, along with rubber washers for crisscross assembly. The washers quiet any movement of the sticks. Cut the sticks to match the height that you need for a sitting shot. The bolted, crisscross feature allows you to raise or lower depending on the terrain. Before final assembly you can pad the upper portions that hold the rifle fore-end with rubber hose or tubular, foam insulation. The entire project may set you back $12 at most, compared to more than $50 for a set of questionable quality.
If you’re helping a beginner, family or friend, or taking a serious approach to mentorship, the initial cost of starting someone down the road to predator hunting doesn’t have to start at the pawn shop hocking a flat screen. By sharing shortcuts, gear and hunting insight you can inspire a new hunter with the benefits of starting out on a predator adventure.
Modern Hunter 