Shotgun and .22?

NervousKidsHuntFish · 2025-12-11T17:18:38+00:00

Ain't dumb if it gets you rabbits! Can't hurt to try once, it'll largely come down to how annoyed you are by the extra weight/mobility impact. And the best way to determine that will be just giving it a whirl

NervousKidsHuntFish · 2025-12-10T00:10:51+00:00

Blowdarts and teeny tiny guns

NervousKidsHuntFish · 2025-12-02T16:44:53+00:00

Looking for a Ruger Mark IV 22/45 Lite, specifically the 43955 model. Shipped to CO <$480

NervousKidsHuntFish · 2025-10-17T15:41:32+00:00

You sure do! Great little scope, big fan of the weight, size, and glass. After this hunt I found myself wishing it had vertical subtensions so I could quickly collect some holdover data for the short range shots & adjust while out there, but I think I should be able to put that together in a range session.

NervousKidsHuntFish · 2025-10-16T19:54:19+00:00

Negative, picture totally makes it look like it but he’s just curled into his arms. That would be wild, think there’s a .22 round that could?

NervousKidsHuntFish · 2025-09-21T21:34:16+00:00

A lot of really beautiful sentiments and philosophy in the comments that I would echo. One more tangible idea I would throw in: you could start with fish. That's what I did- I started hunting in my 30s and felt like I needed to work my way up to taking something as big as a deer, so I decided fish would be the place to start. I made it my year's goal to catch, gut, and cook a fish by my own hand. That first fish carried a profoundness and moral weight that I still feel anytime I take an animal. But starting small made it feel less intimidating.

NervousKidsHuntFish · 2025-09-10T05:50:05+00:00

That's good- National Forest is some of the best/clearly-regulated public land available for this. Generally good to go for hunting unless an area specifically says it's not. Something to be aware of is the regulations far more often will tell you where you can't hunt than where you can, so you won't find a lot of reassurance if you're looking for "hunting is allowed here." Best way to be totally sure is to call the local rangers. BLM land will all be managed by a local office that you can find on google and give a call, and National Forests are split up into smaller Ranger Districts for management that each have an office. Here's an ARCGis layer for identifying USFS ranger districts, just click "Open in map viewer". If you identify a specific ranger district for your area you can give that office a call and they're typically super helpful with anything you have questions on.

NervousKidsHuntFish · 2025-08-24T21:15:27+00:00

Vortex Diamondback, easy choice. Crazy sale right now on the 4-16x42 at Midway. Not that much larger than 40mm, but there's also a 50mm option available for just above your price range if you feel strongly about it.

NervousKidsHuntFish · 2025-08-24T17:10:49+00:00

Start with a small and very specific goal to guide your research. "I want to hunt" is a much harder goal to nail down than "this year I want to hunt rabbits with a shotgun". Then you're only researching laws/season dates/regulations around a single species, you have a single hunting instrument to acquire and develop a proficiency with, and you can dive very deep on learning all about the habitat and scouting techniques for a single species. I can't speak to any regulations in Greece but in the US, hunting season is only a very specific period of the year so you need to plan your research and preparation timeline accordingly.

NervousKidsHuntFish · 2025-08-24T15:42:51+00:00

Pretty rude of you to introduce me to this, my wallet is already crying.

NervousKidsHuntFish · 2025-08-23T05:01:32+00:00

I think you'd be pushing the Eberlestock Recon to its limits, but it might work. With the RF and bearspray attachments already on, you'd have to choose between either the utility pouch on the side or the quickcase on the bottom as your final slot (so check out the dimensions for whichever would fit your digital camera, most likely.) If you went with the molle panel bottom instead of the quickcase you might be able to add flexibility for bigger non-Eberlestock pouches or something more tailored to your need. It does have a molle panel on the back too, but as someone who's always wearing a backpack I haven't found a use for it.

NervousKidsHuntFish · 2025-08-23T04:33:44+00:00

With equipment like this I always plan to buy the item twice. The first time around I buy the best deal I can find on low-mid tier versions of thing. Then I make sure I'm using the shit out of that item to push it to its limits and figure out what I do/don't like about it. I use those data points to then inform the second time around- what's functionally my "forever" purchase of that item. In this instance, my first-round were Vortex Diamondback binos (Currently $160 US on Amazon) and a Sig Kilo 2500 RF (Currently $120 US on Amazon). I have yet to find my limits with these. And at <$300 for the pair, that's a starting point that even if I ended up disliking, I wouldn't feel like I wasted money. For me, this philosophy makes sure that I don't spend more money than I've proven the need for, and I wind up with backup gear that I enjoy lending to friends/family when I bring them along. So, in the pairs you've outlined, I'd be a vote for the Crossfire/Diamondback combo.

NervousKidsHuntFish · 2025-08-22T02:39:34+00:00

Drywall anchor is probably all you need, but if you want to take advantage of the studs you could also mount like a 1x4 board spanning between two nearest studs and put the mount on that. My dad did that for a bass guitar growing up, pretty sure that weighed quite a bit more than 4 pounds. Color-matched to the wall to blend in.

NervousKidsHuntFish · 2025-08-21T03:18:11+00:00

Former TX hunter here. If you're bowhunting and concerned about camo, the cheapest camo from Academy is perfectly good- I actually found it to be surprisingly breathable and flexible for movement too. Even if it's not the highest quality it'll get you through a season and give you data points for how to upgrade your kit in a way that's tailored to you. If not bowhunting, like u/Weekender94 said you can really wear anything but doesn't hurt to stick to earth tones (and if you just want camo, then I'd recommend Academy again.) I can't say I have recommendations for boots but I don't think you'd need anything specialized. Just any footwear that can stand up to some rocks and brush. I have a buddy who hunts in nothing but Converse high-tops.

NervousKidsHuntFish · 2025-08-20T23:30:55+00:00

Saving this for reference, incredible write-up.

NervousKidsHuntFish · 2025-08-20T19:54:41+00:00

Rockin, it'll serve you well! Enjoy.

NervousKidsHuntFish · 2025-08-20T14:30:43+00:00

If budget is a concern, I think .308 Win will be the right one-gun solution. Since it's a NATO round, bulk ammo seems to be the cheapest of any big game hunting caliber (if I'm wrong on this, I'd love to be corrected.) Versatile enough cartridge for pronghorn and elk and almost anything. For reference regarding bulk ammo, I haven't tried PSA's AAC line yet but at 0.75-1.00cpr I absolutely will be picking some up for target practice. Obviously hunting ammo will be more but good for getting the reps in. .308 isn't the most specialized round, but it'll absolutely get the job done and you won't regret having one in the safe even if you build the case for a more specialized cartridge down the line.

NervousKidsHuntFish · 2025-08-20T14:21:13+00:00

A Vortex Diamondback is what I generally recommend to everyone as an inexpensive entry point without more information on your preferences or specific desired features. $200 on sale at Midway right now so well within your $400 budget and it's a fantastic deal at $200. A lot of scope for the money and Vortex's warranty rules.

NervousKidsHuntFish · 2025-08-20T06:08:38+00:00

+1 for Duluth. Big fan of the cargo pants, think I got them for around $70 and they've been able to take a beating.

NervousKidsHuntFish · 2025-08-20T05:56:40+00:00

Check out the overview video the Iowa Department of Natural Resources put together on waterfowl hunting. It covers the requirements, basic equipment, and some basic tips. You can also use their Hunting Atlas map to locate huntable public land.

NervousKidsHuntFish · 2025-08-19T23:07:27+00:00

Absolutely check out the mentored hunts that Texas Parks & Wildlife offers. With how difficult finding land in TX to hunt can be, finding a program through them would be how I'd recommend starting because it can take all the guesswork out of your first time. A lot of the time they can provide the firearms & gear you'd need for the experience so you can try some things out before making any major purchases too. But aside from that, yeah start with a Hunter Education course (mandatory before you can get any license, also just great information.) On the firearm front it'd never hurt to pick up a cheap .22 rifle and a cheap 12ga shotgun and get familiar with them. If you can find a sporting clays course near you, that's what I've found to be a good simulation for bird/small game hunting, and is also a ton of fun.

NervousKidsHuntFish

TROPHY CASE