Brand new, never gone hunting need tips/help

[Enders]

Whats up guys and girls. So I’m a cop down here in the lovely Bronx and I’ve been a life long lover of hunting. Watching videos and reading up on hunting my whole life. I recently decided to get off my lazy ass and just got my s**** together and get my license and equipment. In the last month I’ve done all that.

 

Now my questions,

Anyone in NYC here I can network with and link up with some time?

Where so I go hunting and how do I map it there?

recommendations for field dressing and quartering the deer or help finding a place to take it to near the city? 

 

If I want to mount a deer do I leave the head with everything in it and deliver it to the taxidermist like that?

tips on how to get started appreciated!!

Thank you.

[TreeGuy]

Well, you must have a dang good spot or just be very confident if your asking about taxidermy before you have laid one down ! Most butcher shops will "cape" a deer for you and you can take that right to the taxi.

 

Field dressing.... Lots of videos online, just go slow when it's your turn.

 

I'm far from your area but I believe there are some fellas from down that way.

 

Good bunch of guys here, somebody from your area will chime in.

 

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[wolc123]

Welcome to the site where I am certain you can find answers to all your questions.   I can't help much with the near NYC stuff, because I am nearly as far as you can get on the Western end of the state.  I have heard that there is some decent hunting around Westchester and Long Island. 

As far as the other stuff goes, there are lots of good youtube videos on gutting.  A butt-out tool gets that process started a lot easier and faster (also good videos on that).  Just make sure you stick it in the right hole if you kill a doe.

If you want to get a buck mounted that you intend to process yourself, cut thru the hide, behind the front legs, and skin the deer from that cut, towards the head.  Saw off the head at the base of the neck, leave the hide attached, put it in a garbage bag, and freeze it.   Take the frozen head/hide to the taxidermist of your choice, along with your carcass tag.      

You also need to have the carcass tag attached to the gutted deer if you take it to a processor.  They almost always know how to remove a head for a taxidermist.

Edited November 18, 2019 by wolc123

[New York Hillbilly]

Welcome to the hunting world. Working as a police officer is a tough gig. Respect! 

1. There are folks on this site from the city, and all seem real nice. I hope they contact you. 

2. When you buy your license check the syllabus for the maps of public hunting as a place to start. You might even make some contacts here, and get an invite to go along. 

3. Check online for field dressing tips. Not so hard really, just messy and takes a little time until you get experienced at it. 

4. Yes the whole head goes to the taxidermist if you choose to have it mounted, Also, read up on the difference between caping a deer you expect to mount versus a deer you plan to just saw the skull cap and keep the antlers. 

Good luck on your journey! 

Edited November 18, 2019 by New York Hillbilly

[Enders]

10 minutes ago, TreeGuy said:

Well, you must have a dang good spot or just be very confident if your asking about taxidermy before you have laid one down ! Most butcher shops will "cape" a deer for you and you can take that right to the taxi.

 

Field dressing.... Lots of videos online, just go slow when it's your turn.

 

I'm far from your area but I believe there are some fellas from down that way.

 

Good bunch of guys here, somebody from your area will chime in.

 

Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

Haha yeah I just ask for future reference you know. Thanks for the feedback!

[Enders]

7 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

Welcome to the site where I am certain you can find answers to al your questions.   I can't help much with the near NYC stuff, because I am nearly as far as you can get on the Western end of the state.  I have heard that there is some decent hunting around Westchester and Long Island. 

As far as the other stuff goes, there are lots of good youtube videos on gutting.  A butt-out tool gets that process started a lot easier and faster (also good videos on that).  Just make sure you stick it in the right hole if you kill a doe.

If you want to get a buck mounted that you intend to process yourself, cut thru the hide, behind the front legs, and skin the deer from that cut, towards the head.  Saw off the head at the base of the neck, leave the hide attached, put it in a garbage bag, and freeze it.   Take the frozen head/hide to the taxidermist of your choice, along with your carcass tag.      

You also need to have the carcass tag attached to the gutted deer if you take it to a processor.  They always know how to remove a head for a taxidermist.

Thank you, I’ve watched a couple videos definitely helpful.

[Enders]

4 minutes ago, New York Hillbilly said:

Welcome to the hunting world. Working as a police officer is a tough gig. Respect! 

1. There are folks on this site from the city, and all seem real nice. I hope they contact you. 

2. When you buy your license check the syllabus for the maps of public hunting as a place to start. You might even make some contacts here, and get an invite to go along. 

3. Check online for field dressing tips. Not so hard really, just messy and takes a little time until you get experienced at it. 

4. Yes the whole head goes to the taxidermist if you choose to have it mounted, Also, read up on the difference between caping a deer you expect to mount versus a deer you plan to just saw the skull cap and keep the antlers. 

Good luck on your journey! 

Ah I see there are other forms of mounting. Okay ill look up those videos. Hopefully they do contact me I’d love a mentor of sorts to guide me along. 

[wolc123]

As far as the taxidermy goes, the last few years, European mounts have been gaining popularity.  Those are relatively easy to do yourself, with just a power washer.   I garbage-picked one of those (5) years ago, and have done about (6) bucks with it so far, the last one just today.  It only takes about a half hour to blast everything off and out of the skull (except for the antlers).  There are also some good youtube videos on that process.  Many folks like to have the skulls dipped after the process in a cammo pattern or glossy white.  I prefer just leaving them natural.      

The old way of doing this involved boiling a pot of water and scraping everything out as it cooked and softens.  That was a stinky messy job.  Going outside, on a concrete pad, wearing a rainsuit, with a fresh skinned head and a power washer is a much faster, cleaner way of getting it done.  The best part is, birds and vermin will usually clean up all the mess overnight.

Another option is to burry the head with the antlers sticking up out of the ground and digging it up the following late spring.  I guess there might be a few folks out there who actually have the patience to do it that way.     

[Enders]

3 minutes ago, wolc123 said:

As far as the taxidermy goes, the last few years, European mounts have been gaining popularity.  Those are relatively easy to do yourself, with just a power washer.   I garbage-picked one of those (5) years ago, and have done about (6) bucks with it so far, the last one just today.  It only takes about a half hour to blast everything off and out of the skull (except for the antlers).  There are also some good youtube videos on that process.  Many folks like to have the skulls dipped after the process in a cammo pattern or glossy white.  I prefer just leaving them natural.      

The old way of doing this involved boiling a pot of water and scraping everything out as it cooked and softens.  That was a stinky messy job.  Going outside, on a concrete pad, wearing a rainsuit, with a fresh skinned head and a power washer is a much faster, cleaner way of getting it done.  The best part is, birds and vermin will usually clean up all the mess overnight.

Another option is to burry the head with the antlers sticking up out of the ground and digging it up the following late spring.  I guess there might be a few folks out there who actually have the patience to do it that way.     

I live in the city no way I can do most of this stuff unfortunately. Great info though thank you!

[nyslowhand]

21 minutes ago, Enders said:

Ah I see there are other forms of mounting. Okay ill look up those videos. Hopefully they do contact me I’d love a mentor of sorts to guide me along. 

A mentor or at least some one to share their years of experience to cut your learning curve down significantly. Old farts are suckers for taking newbies under their wing. May require some "sweat equity" on your part as a pittance. Unfortunately, I'm not a good candidate as I'm at the opposite end of the state. Good luck!

[Enders]

41 minutes ago, nyslowhand said:

A mentor or at least some one to share their years of experience to cut your learning curve down significantly. Old farts are suckers for taking newbies under their wing. May require some "sweat equity" on your part as a pittance. Unfortunately, I'm not a good candidate as I'm at the opposite end of the state. Good luck!

I noticed most people are really far from me. Not many people in the city are willing to go jump all the hoops the NYPD has to get a permit. Hopefully someone near me sees this and helps me out.

[The Engineer]

Welcome Enders good info on this. I wish you reached out on Thursday before opening day.  I live on Long Island and have a cabin in the Catskills. Went up with 3 other hunters and had a mountain and a half to ourselves. 2 of the guys have been hunting for over 40 years. They are fathering type. If I wasn't going up next weekend with my wife for Thanksgiving Id have you up. First thing to do is sight in you rifle. Get used to it and see it's capability. Theirs a good range on eastern LI in Calverton. Its run by the town and the range officers are good teachers. If your rifle is a shotgun then go to NYDEC. Opening day on LI is January 4. Follow the instructions for hunting on LI as it's close to you. Good luck and stay in touch 

[Enders]

9 minutes ago, The Engineer said:

Welcome Enders good info on this. I wish you reached out on Thursday before opening day.  I live on Long Island and have a cabin in the Catskills. Went up with 3 other hunters and had a mountain and a half to ourselves. 2 of the guys have been hunting for over 40 years. They are fathering type. If I wasn't going up next weekend with my wife for Thanksgiving Id have you up. First thing to do is sight in you rifle. Get used to it and see it's capability. Theirs a good range on eastern LI in Calverton. Its run by the town and the range officers are good teachers. If your rifle is a shotgun then go to NYDEC. Opening day on LI is January 4. Follow the instructions for hunting on LI as it's close to you. Good luck and stay in touch 

awesome man, I sighted in at 100 yards yesterday shooting some good groups I was happy with. Good luck on your next hunt!

[LongWayFromHome]

Go read your mail. 

[Enders]

14 minutes ago, LongWayFromHome said:

Go read your mail. 

got it

[LongWayFromHome]

good.

[Lexingtonlegend]

1. As a NYC resident who grew up hunting, drop me a line and I'd be more than happy to discuss at length your questions.

Now for a quick guide to some of your questions:

Locations- anything above Westchester Co (Bow only)  is good for a beginner with a rifle or shotgun. Get a DEP permit to hunt watershed areas. Between that and state land, you'll have 1000s of acres to hunt.

Field dressing/Skinning/Quartering/Taxidermy- Youtube to field dress and skin out. Its NY not the midwest so man up and drag that trophy out! If you have to quarter out a deer then you're physically  just old, weak or lazy. Being that you're on public land no ATVs to assist so don't try and get cute with that move either! As far as taxidermy then its all relative to the type of mount you want. I know a few real good ones that I use. The same applies to butchers. Neither are near the city but, are in between the hunting areas and here. Its worth the trip back up after the season, trust me.

And just a few very simple and basic words of advice:

Patience-don't get discouraged. You have to let nature come to you sometimes, not always that person out there seeking. As a beginner its best to sit back and learn through observation. It takes years and experience to master the walk and stalk.  

Keep your hunting gear and clothes completely separate from your other stuff. Leave in a garbage bag if you have to and use odorless detergent. Scientifically will only give you a 10-15% advantage but, maybe that's all you need to score. 

And the 3 most important words of advice......give thanks for the opportunity to go hunting and harvest wild game. Appreciate that organic, free range, no GMO meal better than anything else you ever ate. Respect the environment and leave it better than when you walk in. Just being out in the woods, smelling the fresh air and away from this rat race is all you need.

Hunting is multi generational sport that builds some of the best bonds between, family and friends. It also becomes super addicting if you don't score in your first year. Buck fever is real! 

 

 

 

[ATbuckhunter]

Im also in NYC and as most of the people on here can tell you, im very dedicated to hunting. If you have any questions I can definitely help you out in any way. Since you're in the bronx I would say its easier for you to hunt upstate than to hunt the Island. I can send you some good videos on how to butcher a deer. I do all my skinning and quartering out in the woods so I dont have to take the rib cage and back bone with me back to the city. I cant help you with butchers since Ive never actually brought a deer to a butcher before. If you have any questions just send me a pm

[Borngeechee]

There are a lot of great guys on here that will definitely help you out. My first time hunting was with someone from this group. YouTube is your friend. There are tons of videos on field dressing everything from squirrels to deer and are very helpful.

Hunting spots most of that is up to you and where you're willing to go. But also depends on the tool you want to use some areas are shotgun only and some... like long island is bow only. Google Earth helps a lot in deciding that a hunting spot once you have an idea of what to look for.

Taxidermy wise it depends on where you go. Some taxidermist butcher for you as well and some butchers will gladly remove the head for you to take to the taxidermist but be sure to take a picture of your tag because the tag has to stay with the meat and you'll need all the info on it to give the taxidermist.

 

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[Culvercreek hunt club]

Google the "Powderhook" app. it will put you in touch with a network of mentors in your area that can answer questions for you.  Just one more tool to have at your disposal. 

[Enders]

Thanks for the replies guys much appreciated 

[Al Bundy]

I had a relative who was a police officer and avid hunter. He told me once something to the effect of ..... "You would be surprised the amount of people that let me hunt their land. I roll up in my cruiser, dressed in my cop uniform and ask permission. More often than not, I get permission."   I'm just across the Hudson from NYC.  I hunt CNY though so cant give you any great spots locally. I do want to link up with ATBuckhunter though for ducks/geese on LI one day. Ever think about waterfowl??

[ATbuckhunter]

15 minutes ago, Al Bundy said:

I had a relative who was a police officer and avid hunter. He told me once something to the effect of ..... "You would be surprised the amount of people that let me hunt their land. I roll up in my cruiser, dressed in my cop uniform and ask permission. More often than not, I get permission."   I'm just across the Hudson from NYC.  I hunt CNY though so cant give you any great spots locally. I do want to link up with ATBuckhunter though for ducks/geese on LI one day. Ever think about waterfowl??

Might work if hes a local cop, but NYC cops have a bad rap upstate for the most part. A lot of people might not like a city cop asking for permission to hunt. Im all for doing some waterfowl hunting on the Island though

[Enders]

3 hours ago, Al Bundy said:

I had a relative who was a police officer and avid hunter. He told me once something to the effect of ..... "You would be surprised the amount of people that let me hunt their land. I roll up in my cruiser, dressed in my cop uniform and ask permission. More often than not, I get permission."   I'm just across the Hudson from NYC.  I hunt CNY though so cant give you any great spots locally. I do want to link up with ATBuckhunter though for ducks/geese on LI one day. Ever think about waterfowl??

absolutely I have a passion for hunting in general so anything is good in my book. I've actually hunted for dove before in the Dominican Republic. unfortunately the NYPD wont give me a take home car haha 

[Enders]

3 hours ago, ATbuckhunter said:

Might work if hes a local cop, but NYC cops have a bad rap upstate for the most part. A lot of people might not like a city cop asking for permission to hunt. Im all for doing some waterfowl hunting on the Island though

we everyone hates us