Ive always wanted to go hunting but i lived in baltimore. Now i live in the middle of nowhere in texas and I want to start. I live in between ft.worth and waco, kinda near cleburne if anyone knows where thats at and can direct me somewhere.

What gear do I NEED?
Is a 5.56 ar15 good enough?
Where do I find a place to hunt?
How the hell do you even do it?
Ive never skinned anything before and the only thing ive ever gutted was fish so im also concerned about that.

Im really sorry im new to all of this and know nothing.

5.56 is ok... but far from ideal. 300 blk is better 308 is better yet. Honestly, the best place to start is find a buddy or a mentor of some sort thats gone out a bit. Texas is tough because it is almost all private land. But shelling out the money and going on a few guided hunts might be very worthwhile to get your feet wet.

I would suggest making some friends at work, church, etc and find someone else who hunts.

Ask them if they can help you get into the hobby, take you on your first hunt, teach you, and/or recommend a hunting club that you could join.

In my experience hunters love getting new people into the sport.

First, learn to shoot.
Second, walk outside.
Third, shoot the first animal you see.
Fourth, .... well you get the idea.


The above is probably not obviously enough a joke so, "IT'S A JOKE, STUPID." Still, it's not a lot more complicated than that. Gutting is easy, all the shit that's on the inside needs to be moved to the outside. Skinning is easy, just take the skin off like you would a really sticky-ass shirt. Hunting in Texas is going to be mostly private land which will frequently involve a guide. The guide will show you what you need to know as long as you don't fuck up and shoot the guide, thus the list above is still (even if joke) valid.

I didn't start hunting till I was 39. None of my friends or family hunted. Then a guy at work I am buddies with invited to go grouse hunting. I was like sure, but I don't know anything about it. Now been grouse hunting a few times, duck hunting. Hopefully gonna do some deer hunting next year. I got lucky that he was willing to help me out. Otherwise I was already looking at the guided hunts and stuff. They are expensive but would be worth it imo

The vast majority of hunters aren’t very good.

Find an older successful hunter to mentor you.

Find a Hunter Safety course.  Mingle during the breaks.

I would suggest going to your local DNR office and talk to them about local opportunities  and weigh your options. Those guys see alot of stuff-good and bad. Just be honest and tell them where your at.
1/2 the fun of hunting is the comradery with fellow hunters, be careful who you hook up with.
A local gun club should be full of good guys willing to show a new guy the ropes.
One tip: all the critters in a Cabelas or Bass pro shop have already been shot, there is no season on them no matter how much money you spend there.

Land to hunt is a priority.
Second is time.
Third is expense. It’s not cheap.

Without those three, the rest doesn’t count.

Finding some friends that hunt is probably the best way to go about it.  

Lots of public land in PA to hunt, so finding land in Texas you might have to know someone, or pay a guide.  Asked around if you know any farmers or ranchers if they would let you hunt for free or a fee

If you cant find anyone to show you, Youtube has a lot of decent field dressing videos.

As fr ass 223/556 it will kill a deer with the right bullet and good shot placement.  As an inexperienced hunter i would go with a larger caliber though.  The first time you have a deer in your sights can be nerve racking and you may not get a perfect shot.  Converting to something like 6.5 Grendel wouldn't be to hard.  You could also pick up a bolt action rifle like the Ruger American for less than $500 and they are good guns.  Something in 243 or 7mm-08 if you want something with low recoil or 308 or 6.5 Creedmoor for some more power

Texas has long rifle seasons, which is ideal for a new hunter.

Private land, unless you know somebody, is extremely expensive (to lease or buy).

Get on this website, and scope out public lands near you.

https://tpwd.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=c9788957300943559f7b49206e8ef153

You will notice Davy Crockett National Forest is about 140 miles from you. The best thing to do would be to buy the OnX app or another similar hunting app that shows property line boundaries. OnX is 30 bucks. I think there are others that are cheaper, but anything that shows you boundaries, lets you drop waypoints, and terrain overlays is perfect. This will help you stay on land that is legal to hunt, and ensure you can get back to your vehicle safely.

Before you hunt, long before the season, you want to drive to your hunting location and walk around. Just do this all day long, for as often as you can. You'll learn to identify where the deer have walked. Start by finding clearly beaten down trails. Follow the trails and see where they lead. Deer do not walk haphazardly all over the woods. They have preferred travel paths generation after generation, all based on avoiding humans, convenience, proximity to favored food sources, etc. Just like real estate, picking a spot to hunt is all about location. Be where the deer are already going to be.

You should plan to camp over night for weekends during gun season. I wouldn't invest in much gear at this point. You need a gun and a good sharp knife more than anything else. A climbing tree stand is definitely better than sitting against the base of a tree, but you don't need one to kill deer.

I taught myself to hunt as an adult, through trial and error. I had zero idea what I was doing when I started, and now I kill several deer every year, including usually a good buck or two. There is so much information on the internet about hunting that anyone who is motivated can do it.

Probably going to go slightly out of order:

Having taken a few deer now with 5.56, it’s definitely doable. The only downside is that 9 times out of 10, they don’t bleed very much at all. Which would be tough to track as a new hunter. As others have stated, a slightly larger caliber might give you better results. If you wanted to use it exclusively for hunting and save a little money, you could wait until PSA runs a special on a 16” 300 Blackout upper without the BCG and charging handle. You could use your existing lower, BCG, charging handle and magazines. Then just find the best hunting load it likes. This way, you’re only out a few hundred dollars instead of buying a whole new set-up.

Your next thing is going to be finding somewhere to go. Like others have said, talk to friends, coworkers, etc. to see where they go, and if it’s public or private as each one is going to provide different challenges. They may jump at the chance to take you for your first hunt. But also don’t be surprised if certain people give you the cold shoulder. Some people get very possessive over not only where they hunt, but the deer on it. As I was told by an older gentleman, “Many a friendship has been ruined by being a part of the same deer club/lease.”

My next thing would be finding a good processor near you. You definitely could go the “process it yourself” route at first if you want, but for me, if I’m starting something brand new I like to focus on each aspect at a time. Otherwise things can get overwhelming quickly. As a side note, having a good processor to call can be a good thing if you start doing it yourself and things don’t go according to plan. At least then you don’t have the “Oh, crap!” moment of scrambling to figure out a Plan B. As was also talked about above, talk to coworkers, people you might go to church with, etc. to find out who they use and the good and bad. And if you get the chance to go with some experienced hunters, they may so you the ins-and-outs of processing.

As though not enough has been thrown at you, I would also spend a lot of time looking at diagrams of deer vital placement. And study it HARD. It’s easy in the heat of the moment to forget your first name, much less where your crosshairs need to go.

Start early in the morning..go from there

Moved to the sticks 2 years ago.   Bought a bow a month after moving in.

I’m about $3k into hunting gear.

No deer yet.  I should have taken this spike that walked by me.  I also only bow hunt. Could be part of my problem.

I have to kids under the age of 5.

I’ve maybe been in the stand 6-7 times.


My land is my back yard.

Lots of research and time looking stuff up. Unless you can find a good mentor.

Since I haven’t harvested a deer I’m not a hunter yet. I’m a treestander.

Direct answers above.  For you/your situation, finding a PLACE to hunt is likely going to be the most challenging for you.  As for everything else, it's all "small stuff."

For a "first timer", and I can't believe I'm going to say this, but if you can't find a mentor, I'd honestly look at doing a paid hunt for hogs/exotics/etc.  They'll guide you & take care of the details, allowing you to watch & learn on the "after the shot" part, and the relative cost should be MUCH less than a high fenced trophy whitetail hunt.

Some good recommendations have been made already in this thread as well.  

My "expansion" on my brief responses above:

The things I "need" when I hunt:
-Rifle
-Boots (comfort is king)
-Clothing in layers appropriate for the weather (bundle up as/when needed & strip down as/when needed).  I've hunted in shorts/t-shirt and Carhart insulated bib overalls w/ a parka & everything in between.  Don't worry so much about buying Gucci camo, but focus instead on functional & comfortable clothing appropriate for the weather & conditions & that can be worn in layers. Nothing wrong w/ a flannel shirt & jeans.
-Binos (chest harness if stalking/backpack if stand hunting)
-1 pair extra socks (in backpack) if I'm going to be walking/stalking.
-Rain gear (in backpack).
-Water/snacks/coffee/med supplies/etc. (in backpack)
-Knives (hard to field dress unless you can cut 'em open. Carried in backpack)
-Knife sharpener (in backpack)
-License
-Zip ties (in backpack)
-Portable battery pack (recharge the phone if needed)
-Flashlight & headlamp
-Blacklight (in backpack - for following blood trails at dusk/in the dark)

I've taken both hogs & deer w/ 5.56.  I limit my shot distance (~100 yds or closer) and use premium bullets when hunting (I'm partial to the Fusion line in my rifle).  Study the anatomy of the animal(s) you plan to hunt, so you know where to place your shots, & it won't be a problem.

Finding a place to hunt in TX can present challenges.  You can check the availability of public lands.  You can lease.  You can purchase your own.  You can pay to hunt (lots of places online) by day/weekend/other (and as I recommended above, this is a viable option for you to learn).  Ideally, getting your own land and/or the use of other privately owned property is the best long term strategy IMO.

As for the "how do you even do it" question, it's simple (not necessarily easy):
-Meet all the legal requirements (e.g. hunter education if required, get a license, etc.)
-Find a place to hunt (touched on above)
-Pay attention to how/where the animal(s) move, so you can figure out a place to setup (water->food->bedding).
-Take the shot when it presents itself
-Recover and process your kill (YouTube has LOTS of videos on how to field dress, skin, process, etc. that are actually pretty good.  Watch them.)

Ideally, you have already met/know someone in your social circle that likes to hunt & is willing to mentor/teach you.  If not, plenty of places here in TX willing to sell you a hunt (pigs/exotics/etc.) that will help you dip your toes into & learn some valuable lessons.  

Good luck.

I'm in my late 30s and hunted for the first time literally this weekend....didn't see a thing on Friday but got a medium sized spike buck yesterday morning (thought it was a doe when I pulled the trigger, dude had about a 4" spike on one side and nothing on the other, and was hanging out in a bunch of dry brush and branches so it blended right in). Spent the money to go with an outfitter as I don't have any local friends who hunt, it was well worth it, they had a ton of land with stands and feed plots set up, tracked and retrieved the animal, then skinned/gutted/quartered it so I could get it in my cooler and up to the processor.

I used a PSA AR in 6.5 Grendel, 18" barrel, Gun Nuts brand 2-stage trigger and Sig Whiskey scope, Hornady Black ammo.

If you have experienced friends who can take you that's ideal but if not spend the cash to go with an outfitter if you can, either way get out there!

For sure. Learned this the hard way.

There’s a difference between hunters and stand sitters.

First thing? Hunter safety

As for equipment or a firearm depends what are you hunting for? Mule deer .30-06 bolt action. Thats all i use. Im hunting deer not starting Nam...

Birds? Need a 12 gauge and likely a plug due to restrictions that you'll only be able to hold 3 rounds  (a single shot might be best in cost)

Hogs? Your AR might work but thats beyond me

It doesnt have to cost you alot. Remember the pioneers didn't have 1/10th of variety nor equipment as we have today yet somehow they were able to feed their family and live until the next generation

As for knives get a mora. You want an agile knife with a sharp edge and a great grip. Mora also makes them in orange which i highly suggest

I hunt on my own property and i only have 27 acres and come home with a deer 2 years in a row and prepping for a 3rd

If you plan on your own butchering get that second after your hunter safety

Youtube helped me when I first started (and as a good reference) six years back from scratch. The Bearded Butchers were/are my go-to.

How to field dress a deer

how to skin a deer video

How To Butcher a Deer at Your House

My favorite way to find deer hunting spots is to go out for squirrel.

My favorite way to find squirrel hunting spots is to go out for deer.

I am thoroughly convinced they know what you’re after and are in cahoots.

Killing animals is easy with modern equipment. It’s really pretty straightforward and well documented. The (at times painfully) difficult part is arranging the meeting, on your terms.

Around here you could setup a stand basically anywhere and shoot a deer if you sit there long enough. Problem being how long you can afford to sit there, and how much antler you want to see on the wall. Often those don’t add up.

Look for doe meat hunts, where ranches need to get rid of a lot of doe.  Usually 100-200 per deer.  One of the cheapest easiest way's to get your feet wet.  FB groups, craigslist ad's, feed store's, are some ways to find them near you.
Lots of other good advice already posted on items and gear.