[New to hunting]

I wanted to start off small so I've been trying to bag squirrels but at this point, I am willing to go for any legal small game or upland birds that comes my way.  My plan was that once I felt I can succeed in hunting, I would invest more money and go into coyote hunting with a centerfire rifle.  My problem is that I head out into the woods for hours (walking around, sitting and waiting, etc) and have not come across a single game yet.  I went to West Point on Friday and Stewart State Forest on Saturday.  I did not see a single creature (except for some sparrows and woodpeckers).  I did see one doe in West Point and she just laughed at me before scurrying away.  It's like she knew I was carrying a shotgun loaded with #6 shot and I didn't have a doe permit.

[Changing Forend For Mossberg 500]

???  I've been trying to change the forend on my Mossberg 500. It came with  wood forend, but I'm trying to replace it with the black hawk recoil stock & forend. I removed the action slide tube nut and according to various websites and tutorials, it's supposed to slide right out, but mine doesn't.

Am I missing something?

Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!

[New to hunting]

Hello everyone.  Not only am I new to this forum but I am completely new to hunting.  I am hoping to meet new people maybe learn a few tricks and stuff.  Thanks.