Lady seeks guidance

[upinak]

I have a very large interest in hunting lately. I was hoping you fine people could possibly give this “newbie” in the art of hunting, some good advice. I am not from a hunting family so this is all a learning curve and I am a willing student.

At this moment I have a Marlin 30.06 and a Savage .22 and looking to get a 12 gauge, but do not know what type as of yet. I will be scoping them in the next couple of weeks. I am also taking a Hunters Education Course, which is upcoming.

I am asking for good techniques for Moose. As that is probably what I will be going for, big game wise at this moment in time. Any equipment you can think of that most “new” hunters may not think of. And as I have read up on the forums concerning clothing, like the HH Imperitech, is there any other clothing you could recommend?

Any advice will be appreciated.

[gusuk1]

upinak

There's is lot's involved in harvesting a moose,the biggest hurdle is butchering and packing out,so for equipment a good set of knives and good pack is wise,are you planning on hunting on your own?will you be camping,lots of variables when asking about gear.glad to hear you are interested in hunting and this should be the right place to get good info.

[AkGreg]

great choice

upinak.... welcome to the forum and to the lifestyle of providing for yourself and others!!

You will likely be getting TONS of great info from the folks on this site... there is a tremendous amount of experience floating around this site... and we love to help "newbies"...

gusuk is right about moose being a HUGE task... fufilling though.

My first suggestion is that if you have anyone who you know and TRUST who is a ethical and safe hunter.... do what you can to get "mentored".... I have been hunting up here for decades and still feel like a novice and learn things everyday...

once you have someone who you trust and can get some experience under your belt in small increments.... start settling in on the right gear for YOU.... there will be opinions out there for every piece of equipment... do your homework and find the right thing for you..... and whatever you do... don't skimp on quality.... better to buy smaller amounts of excellent gear than large amounts of crappy stuff!!

welcome again.

Greg

[upinak]

knives

I was thinking the outdoors edge Kodi pak. But I can be steered in a different direction.

[upinak]

upinak.... welcome to the forum and to the lifestyle of providing for yourself and others!!

You will likely be getting TONS of great info from the folks on this site... there is a tremendous amount of experience floating around this site... and we love to help "newbies"...

gusuk is right about moose being a HUGE task... fufilling though.

My first suggestion is that if you have anyone who you know and TRUST who is a ethical and safe hunter.... do what you can to get "mentored".... I have been hunting up here for decades and still feel like a novice and learn things everyday...

once you have someone who you trust and can get some experience under your belt in small increments.... start settling in on the right gear for YOU.... there will be opinions out there for every piece of equipment... do your homework and find the right thing for you..... and whatever you do... don't skimp on quality.... better to buy smaller amounts of excellent gear than large amounts of crappy stuff!!

welcome again.

Greg

One of the reasons for the post. I have a couple guy friends helping me, but they aren't from Alaska but do know quite a bit about rifles.

So I am looking for good options, opinions and ideas. As I said I am a willing student. Thanks for the welcome.

up

[PatrickH]

Hints

For hunting in general you should look into Fish and Game's seminars set up for women who are interested in hunting. I think they are called "Becoming an Outdoors Woman." For moose hunting in particular the best advice is to have a hunting partner with a strong back. Butchering a moose is a much bigger and more difficult job than most people imagine. Finding someone who has experience is the best way to learn and get experience.
Good luck.

[mdhunter]

PM Sent

...about the Kodi Pak.

Listen to Gusuk1 about the moose hunting, I know for a fact that he's packed out plenty of moose in his day.

[upinak]

For hunting in general you should look into Fish and Game's seminars set up for women who are interested in hunting. I think they are called "Becoming an Outdoors Woman." For moose hunting in particular the best advice is to have a hunting partner with a strong back. Butchering a moose is a much bigger and more difficult job than most people imagine. Finding someone who has experience is the best way to learn and get experience.
Good luck.

Already signed up for it.

[mdhunter]

Hip boots or breathable waders, moose like the boggy ground.

As for your scope - don't get carried away with magnification. A good 2x7, 2x8, or 3x9 variable scope with a 40mm objective lens should work fine. Leupold and Bushnell make good scopes without getting into the price range of Swarovski and Leica. The Nikon scopes also seem to be getting some fans, I don't have any tho so can't comment on them yet.

Binoculars - 8-42 or 10-42, Nikon Monarch have worked well for me and won't cost an arm and a leg like Leicas or Swarovskis.

[Rock_skipper]

Buy a boat, and shoot your moose right on the rivers edge,lol(no packing)

Serious tho cloths don't make a differance, I dont care how many of you camo guys are out there. As long as you wear something warm you'll be fine. ( Black caharts look like a stump to them unless you're moving) I shot my first moose 35 years ago in nothing but bluejeans and a wool shirt, shot 15 more after that and never wore camo, I do agree as to where you hunt,camo would probably be your friend but I have always hunted along the river. In the open where you are more visiable camo is probably a good idea as long as it matchs your background, otherwise you might as well be wearing a black set of carharts. I found that a brown carhart set will blend well with the grass at hunting time, that said don't walk into some god forsaken area and shoot one before you think about how far you have to pack it to get it out.

Was looking into teaching women how to operate a boat a few years ago, in case they got out there with the old man and he got stupid and broke a leg or something,( OK or an accident) Just did'nt have the time to do it. Now that I have a little more time on my hands, if there was enough intrest, I might think about taking up the thought again. It would be a class of boating, fishing, hunting, and building shelters, and most of all being able to survive out in the woods.

Anyway you can't be to prepared for some of the stuff that you will encounter out there, so gather all the info that you can. Good luck, E.S.

[upinak]

md

I have a leo 3-9x40 for the 30.06. As well as a Bush for the .22.

Good idea on the bino's. Nikon is pretty durable as I have dropped enough of their stuff and it hasn't broke as of yet.

[upinak]

Buy a boat, and shoot your moose right on the rivers edge,lol(no packing)


Was looking into teaching women how to operate a boat a few years ago, in case they got out there with the old man and he got stupid and broke a leg or something,( OK or an accident) Just did'nt have the time to do it. Now that I have a little more time on my hands, if there was enough intrest, I might think about taking up the thought again. It would be a class of boating, fishing, hunting, and building shelters, and most of all being able to survive out in the woods.

Anyway you can't be to prepared for some of the stuff that you will encounter out there, so gather all the info that you can. Good luck, E.S.

Keep me in mind if you do decided to do that. You may have your first customer

[hodgeman]

I'll agree with the BOW seminars put on by Fish and Game. My wife attended last summers and can't wait for the March session.

I'd suggest the "Butchering Big Game" class- last summer it went from gunshot to table with a reindeer. Can't get much better or hands on than that.

I can recommend the Kershaw Alaska Blade Trader. Mine handled moose this fall just fine and the bone saw works like a champ.

I'll also agree with the lack of camo comment. Just stay in muted earth tones- movement is generally what gets attention. No need for spendy hunting clothes at all.

[Rock_skipper]

Keep me in mind if you do decided to do that. You may have your first customer

Will do, kinda have to wait and see what spring has in store for me.

[upinak]

Will do, kinda have to wait and see what spring has in store for me.

Understandable.