Hunting is one of the biggest past times in Idaho. Idahoans and the visitors that come to the state to hunt are all about getting out into nature and gathering their next meal the way it was done before we could all just go to grocery stores. It is a challenging and exciting activity to take part in and can be fun even when you end up going away from the hunt without actually finding anything. At least you were still given the opportunity to explore the Idaho wilderness and check out the beauties of Idaho nature. Idaho is the ideal place for Hunting. There are tons of different animals in many different environments that you can go after and your options are never going to be limited. Hunting in Idaho is a sport that will always have you moving onto the next thing, never getting bored with what is available to you. However, while hunting is a fantastic sport to get into, it is not necessarily an easy sport to get into. Learning the ins and outs will take time and I do not have time to get you started on that today, but I do have time to tell you about and explain a few small things you might not be aware of.

Some hunting is just sitting in a deer blind and waiting for your prey to come to you. A lot of people do this, and it is fine, but things get a lot more strenuous from that point. Every other kind of hunting involved a lot of jaunting this way and that. You can drive to the general area of where you are going to be hunting but after that, you are on your own. Some smaller vehicles might help you get around and maybe you have horses that can help you out (A rarity) but these things make noise that scare away the animals you are hunting. So, you have to go into the woods, keep going until you find your prey, stalk them as long as is necessary, keeping the direction and power of the wind in mind and possibly moving around to a different spot where the wind is more advantageous to you, and then you have to trek back out. Hunting is a lot of trekking and you definitely need to be ready with the right gear for the miles you need to go. If you plan to get int the wilderness and do some real hunting, you have to also plan for the hard work your body is going to have to do.

A lot of people forget that they stick out as a human person in an animal and uncivilized environment. People especially forget that they become a beacon to every animal around them when they stand at the crest of a hill or ridge to check out the surroundings. This is called silhouetting and is one of the worst things you can do if you are trying to hide. Suddenly, where the flat top of a hill used to be, there is a very human-looking dark spot that signals to everything that a human is nearby and probably wants to hunt them. What this means for you is that it would be wise to stay off of the very top of tall things. Sometimes you might consider getting up high to check out what is around you but keep your profile low and do not move around so much. That way you can check out what is going on in your local area without giving yourself away to a bunch of things that you do not want to know you are there.

You should also mind where you point your gun or any weapon. This is just a good idea in general. When you are at a shooting range or just handling your guns at home, checking up on them or cleaning them, it is a fairly sterile environment. When you are out in the forest surrounded by dirt and leaves, everywhere you put the muzzle of your gun might be problematic. If you set your gun down and the muzzle digs into the dirt, you are going to have to clean that out before you even think of pulling the trigger. A further consideration that comes from being in the field is the amount of time you should be thinking about your gun. When you spend hours and hours with your gun in your hands it can be hard to be always thinking about where it is pointing, but you still have to have it in mind. Even if you have it across your back in a sling, it can still get into trouble and you need to be mindful of that.

As a parting thought, the environment you are in is important beyond the obstacles you need to cross and the temperature that might bother you. It can also just get in the way of your shot or your approach to a downed animal. For example, if the forest you are hunting in is too thick, you are going to find it very hard to find and acquire targets. Even if you track a deer through the trees for an hour you might never get a real chance to take a shot at it and hit. Further, environments with a lot of underbrush can make it hard to find what you have taken down. Animals have evolved to blend in to what is around them and are going to be very hard to spot when they are low and not standing up. Make sure you keep your bearings and know what direction is what when you take a shot.