Category: Podcast

Show Notes:

Everyone wants to hunt somewhere that no one else hunts and that the animals are undisturbed and grow big. Private land seems to be that ideal place.  Often it’s not as great as it sounds but there is no doubt that it is usually the best available option.  Getting permission to hunt on a nice parcel of private land can prove difficult.

On this episode we discuss 4 strategies that you can use to get access to private land:

1. Talk with your game commission to see if they have a hunter access program that lists willing land owners.
2. Use you maps or OnX Hunting App to find ideal places, scout them, and try to build relationships with the owners.
3. Train your ears and be more thoughtful with your conversations to identify people you know or meet who could connect you.
4. Do not overlook the small opportunities that you have not considered or wrote off before you knew better.

Show Notes:

Finding a place to hunt can be one of the biggest challenges for people new to the sport. Public land provides some unique opportunities but also has some issues. However, if you know how to find it and how to use it, public land can be a major asset. 

When I first started hunting I did not know about all the public land close to me, I didn’t even know how to find out about it. I asked someone once and they told me about a place and the directions were essentially “east”.  It was maybe a year before I found a way to figure out where that land was. It was two or three years before I learned what was there and figured out how to make use of that land.  On today’s episode I will tell you how to get years worth of learning in minutes. No exaggeration! 

Key Take Aways:

• You don’t need any permission to hunt on public land, and it’s free.
• Public land tracks are often larger than private.
• Public land has more hunting pressure and requires a strategy to use well.
• You can find public land through the game commission, Google maps, and best of all a good hunting app.
• OnX Hunt is a must have tool for every hunter, new and experienced. It saves so much time, energy, and confusion. There is no easier way to find and navigate public land. You can learn more at their site www.onxmaps.com

Show Notes:

Getting your first hunting license is easy, if you know what you want to hunt. There are a lot of licenses, tags, and add-ons you can buy that can add up to a serious chunk of money and most new hunters have no use for all of them. In this episode we look at deciding what you want to hunt before you head to the store. 

Key Take Aways:

• Think about the game in your area, what you want to hunt, have opportunity to hunt, and have equipment to hunt. Then buy only those tags.
• You can always buy more tags later if the opportunity to hunt something comes up, but keep the cash in your pocket until it looks like you will actually be able to pursue that game.
• Think about game that requires special tags, like antlerless deer, and handle those right away.
• How to easily navigate the complex process of antlerless deer tags.
• When in doubt, ask the game commission questions, they are often happy to help.

Show Notes:

If there is one official hurdle to getting started in hunting it is the hunters safety course. The course isn’t hard, but figuring out how and where to take it, and what is the official course for your state can be more challenging that most people think, especially because lots of online education companies claim to be offering something that sounds like what you want. But they are not certified by the game commission in your state to give you the certificate you need to get your first hunting license. 

This episode will help you navigate the hurdles and get you or the person you are helping into the woods quickly and painlessly. Plus it will help you get the most out of the opportunity that taking this course provides, after all, you are in a room full of other hunters and future hunters, you can really benefit from the connections you make here.

Key Take Aways:

• Always attend your safety course in person when possible, it’s a great opportunity to network, meet local hunters, and try to find information about where you can hunt.
• Do not trust online hunters safety courses unless they are offered or recommended directly by your state game commission. When in doubt, call your state game commission to ask.
• Visit this site for links to each state’s local government to search for your game commission’s page 
• Visit here for the humane society’s list of most state’s game, fish, or conservation agencies. Be warned, it’s not 100% complete, but it will help most people.
• Enjoy the class, it’s not hard, and it will help you think more about how to hunt and how to be safe and successful. 

Show Notes:

After years of relentless research, first hand experience, reading book after book and article after article, talking with experts and attending seminars, and spending many days in the woods pursuing almost every type of game native to his state, he developed a practical well rounded hunting knowledge.  Perhaps even more important than hunting knowledge, he developed a strong appreciation for the outdoors and a desire for more people to share his passion of fresh air and captivating landscapes.

The New Hunters Guide is simply the podcast George wishes he would have had when learning how to hunt; a single place to get practical hands on knowledge about different kinds of hunting, affordable gear, and tips that can exponentially improve your comfort and fun factor in the woods.

Show Notes:

George Konetes is a professor, pastor, digital media professional, husband and father. He is also an avid lover of the outdoors.

George started his hunting journey at about 30 years old. Since childhood he had a desire to hunt but didn’t have any opportunities to hunt or any family members that hunted. Eventually he decided he was going to give it a try and started down the path.  What he didn’t realize was how big of a challenge learning to hunt was going to be. He was starting at ground zero with no network, precious few friends that had ever walked into the woods, and not even an idea of where to look for information.

Sitting in the office one day he just felt compelled to find a reason to spend time outside and be in the woods. He was also motivated by his baby boy, wanting to build a hobby that they could later share.

Show Notes:

Too often people have a desire to go hunting, to get outside, to try something new but they never follow through on it. They might live with mild regret, or an unfulfilled dream, but that can change! You can do it!

Hunting is not about guns, it’s not about killing animals, it’s about getting outside and enjoying God’s creation. It’s exciting, motivating, and rewarding, and if you feel any pull to try it, you should go for it. There are 101 things that convince people not to take that next step. It’s too hard, no one you know is doing it, you have to grow up doing it, it’s too expensive, you don’t know where to start, etc.

None of those is true!

• It’s not too hard, and we are here to guide you.
• Chances are multiple people you know are doing it, or will start when they see you break the mold and go for it.
• I walked into the woods for my first time at about 30 years old, and I didn’t even have this podcast to help me get started.
• Hunting can be very inexpensive to get started, I started with $30 worth of orange gear and an old rifle that cost $140 and had a wonderful time!
• You know where to start, it’s with listening to this episode of the podcast, and then go from there.

Show Notes:

The New Hunters Guide is a website and podcast dedicated to helping new hunters get started and helping active hunters learn new things.

Our one big thing is to help get you into the woods and enjoy being outside. There is so much fresh air out there; someone needs to breathe it in. There are so many beautiful sunrises with rays of light glittering through misty treetops; someone needs to see them. There are so many amazing animals in the forest; someone needs to search them out. It should be you!  Continue reading →