I think I wanna start Hunting

[WhiteyMacD]

The downside to picking up a .22 is that there isn't much you can hunt with it and you might get bored fast. I think you will find plenty of nice, iron sight rifles at that gun show for $200-300.

Not to mention some sporterized .303s for relatively cheap. My father has hunted many years with a sporterized enfield.

 

[Erick]

Another idea is to get a shotgun and use slugs. It greatly reduces your range but it can be multi-purposed and kill anything on the continent! I've never hunted with slugs but it would be practically ideal for public hunting places with think timber.

 

[Erick]

Not to mention some sporterized .303s for relatively cheap. My father has hunted many years with a sporterized enfield.

An old military rifle was exactly what I was thinking too. A Mosin Nagant can be had for under $200 and a nice German Mauser will run around $350.

 

[willystruck]

Remember that a black powder rifle that is legal for muzzle loader season is also legal for rifle season. Same gun could be used (downloaded) as a squirrel getter!
Good overall starter rifle that can be reasonably cheap to shoot.

 

[1954fordfirtruck]

find some where 2 hunt
be private or public

 

[dennishoddy]

Not to mention some sporterized .303s for relatively cheap. My father has hunted many years with a sporterized enfield.

It never hurts to look in the paper at auctions that list guns. Most will go high, but on occasion, a gem can be found for not much money.
I found this 7.7 Jap captured in WWII that had been converted to a .300 Savage for less than a hundred bucks. Even had been restocked with a Bishop stock. I took two deer with it last year. Nifty little rifle.
The .300 Savage is almost identical to the .308 in ballistics.

My advice is to find a shooting/hunting partner. Join a local gun club with a range. Most ranges now have lots of .22 competitions for beginners and others that are more experienced.
Network with the club members, and hang out on this site to pick up differing opinions of how to hunt.
We all have our opinions, and some are good, and some are not so good, so take everything with a grain of salt.
Its a highly addicting sport, and can run into some big $'s if you want to go that way, or it can be a sport on a budget.
Welcome to the club

 

[Danny Tanner]

I'm with ya kroberts. I've never been hunting a day in my life, either. I've never had an interest in it. Then a couple of months ago I came across a video on how to field dress a deer and it hit me, made me want to go hunting.

I want to hunt for food only. Something I might try to experience next season.

 

[okiefarmer1]

Look at the Savage Edge rifles.

 

[TerryD]

If your purchasing a .22 maybe deer hunting isnt the right choice. Maybe some varmint hunting. Better deal is to pick up a 12 guage you can get them pretty cheap and you can use slugs for deer, or other shells for different animals. you will get more out of a shotgun than a .22

 

[criticalbass]

Deer hunting is a great choice. Yes, it can be boring if all you want to do is shoot, but it can be very challenging and rewarding if you enjoy nature. If you own a rifle that's legal to take a deer, then I would say to use it first. Even an open sighted rifle can make a great gun if you are in dense timber. I would also highly recommend hunting with someone that is fairly experienced. Hunting with a partner is a good idea for many reasons, but just having someone that knows about their habitat and basic techniques can help you get started right. Plus, it's always nice to have help dressing deer!

In my opinion, picking a rifle caliber depends on a few things such as location, fun, and cost. If you have nothing but open pasture, you'll want a flat-shooting quick round that has precise accuracy. If you are in thick woods, a bigger, slower round like a 30-30 can be ideal for a brush-gun. A little twig or small limb won't necessarily knock it off target like it would to a small/fast round. A gun needs to be fun to shoot and comfortable. I know plenty of guys that have magnum rifles that can't shoot well because they hate pulling the trigger. That's all just my opinion though. Good luck!

+

Studies show that's mostly myth. Any obstruction is very likely to deflect about any rifle bullet. And, if you decide to get something in .30 cal, consider something more energetic than the time honored 30-30. .308 or even 30-06 is vastly preferable to the romantic little lever gun. Very best deer calibers are probably .280 Remington or 7mm-08. CB