BookYourHunt.com is there to serve all hunters, and all legal hunting preferences. Whatever color, gender, age, nation, etc. you are, you get the same service from us, and we do our absolute best to make our online marketplace work for you. But among our consumer groups there’s one that, though small, has a special significance to us: it’s the first time hunters.
All humans are born with a hunting instinct, but nobody is born with the full set of knowledge and skills that makes you a successful hunter. We need to learn it. Most of us have been mentored by older family members. But what about people who feel the urge to go hunting, but have no friends or family who hunt. BookYourHunt.com is there for these people, too, and we have customer testimonials to prove it.
This was my first time hunting and the whole crew helped me learn – they even coached me through skinning my first deer!
Daniel, deer and hog combination hunt, Red Bluff Lodge, South Carolina
Richard is a really amazing hunter and an even better guide. With his assistance I managed to successfully stalk and take down a beautiful young kudu bull and a gorgeous impala ewe. Keep in mind this was my first ever hunt!
Kriveshin, plains game hunt, Buffalo Legends, South Africa
I’m grateful to have learned the very basics of hunting with Jordan. It was my first time on a hunt and would never have imagined having such a great experience on an “introduction”. Definitely doing it again!
Jamie, deer stalking hunt, DeerCare, United Kingdom.
Interestingly enough, numerous “first hunt, first deer, hooked for life” reviews come from Great Britain, where outfitters like Tusk and Antler, DeerCare, Chiltern Sporting Service offer dedicated and affordable experiences that introduce novices to “deer stalking”, as they call it on the island. No wonder the United Kingdom shot up to the Top 5 countries on BookYourHunt.com in the last few years (see our blog here)!
I was not fortunate to get a deer but that is the nature of the sport. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the stalk and the whole experience immensely. For someone that is not involved in shooting at all until this trip, Jordan and Deercare are a perfect choice, there is no pretense or pomp and they make it totally accessible and welcoming. You will learn a lot with Jordan about the deers habits and deer hunting techniques. He is very attentive and he will guide you all along the way. I will certainly be returning.
Jacob, deer stalking hunt, DeerCare, United Kingdom.
What a fantastic experience and I’m now hooked on it to the world of deer stalking! Oliver is a great tutor and extremely knowledgeable, from improving my shooting and learning about deer stalking and all that goes with it I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I highly recommend Tusk and Antler!
Chris, deer stalking hunt, Tusk and Antler, United Kingdom
Had a great experience overall. There were two of us, and we managed to hunt a Chinese Water Deer. It was a first experience for my cousin, and Dave, the guide, was very patient with him, and guided him very well. Would definitely visit again.
Hamza, deer stalking hunt, Chiltern Sporting Services, United Kingdom
Dedicated beginner’s packages are available also in South Africa from numerous outfitters, including but not limited to African Wilderness Safaris (which offers a comprehensive 10-day boot camp that covers everything from sustainable use conservation to 3d target bow shooting), Wintershoek Safaris, Ditau Africa Safaris. In continental Europe, many of the beginners’ needs and demands are covered by hunting clubs and associations, but outfitters are there, too. In the USA, Red Bluff Lodge gets a lot of positive reviews from novice hunters, and residents of the New York Metropolitan Area won’t go wrong with Learn to Hunt NYC, just to name a few examples.
Great first deer hunt. He catered the trip well to a new hunter. It was an all around very educational individualized experience and an exciting hunt.
Pavel, white-tailed deer hunt, Learn to Hunt NYC, New Jersey
I’m a novice hunter but was made to feel very welcome and given the right opportunity and all the advice to bag my first deer. Over the 4 days, I was able to get my first deer, a buck, as well as two does. The whole team at the lodge is very welcoming, professional and knowledgeable. The stands cover all of the possible options you could want and a lot of planning going into the possible stands to hunt for every outing. Novice and very experienced hunters sharing a fantastic time together.
Ian, deer and hog combination hunt, Red Bluff Lodge, South Carolina
Amazing first hunt experience. My first hunt was great. Nice guides, nice stags, lovely landscapes and a lot of patience answering all my questions. Great communication.
Joël, red deer hunt, PROHUNT Poland, Poland.
Actually, you don’t even have to book a package that says “beginner” on the description. Most outfitters around the world, especially those who list their hunts as “easy” or “moderate” hunt difficulty, would absolutely not mind introducing someone to the world of hunting. We strongly recommend, however, that you be open about it, and mention your level of hunting experience in the very first message you send to the outfitter through our chat system.
Normally, we recommend new hunters to start from the easy hunts. Small game used to be the traditional beginner’s hunt, but these days the easiest and most affordable options appear to be found among the non-trophy big-game hunts: management, culling, exotics, hogs, etc. Looking at the reviews, it seems that black bear over bait is perfectly aligned for a first time hunting experience, too. However, there is no hard and fast rule – it’s up to you and what you can afford, both financially and in terms of physical and mental endurance.
We had a man show up to camp who had never hunted and an unfired rifle. Nick got his gun zeroed and taught him to shoot. He got his bear on the second night.
William, bear hunt, Wild North Outfitters, Ontario.
We all took trophies of every animal we asked for. I was a first time hunter and took one gemsbok that made the SCI record book with 85″ and one that made SCI 96″ and Rowland Ward 41 3/8″. I can’t imagine a hunter hunting with them and not being more than satisfied. 3 other animals made SCI minimum.
Jimmy, plains game hunt, Khomas Highland Hunting Safaris, Namibia
I had a great time and a great hunting experience with Allan and his family last Fall (October, 2021). They are very friendly and know how to make us feel welcome. Regarding the hunting itself, I can only thank Allan and his daughter Julian for putting me in the right place, at the right time to harvest the first big game animal I’ve ever shot. I got a 4 point buck on the third day of the hunt. I had the chance to shoot one on the first day, but I missed it.
Paulo, mule deer hunt, Chilanko Forks Outfitters, British Columbia
Last but not the least, there’s the question of introducing some of your family to hunting. If you want to get your child hooked on hunting, you want them to have an absolutely great time on their first hunt. If you’re positive you can provide that, fantastic; if you have any doubts, it’s absolutely advisable to hunt together with a good, professional guide. After all, not everyone is born a mentor: my Dad, for example, is world’s best dad ever, but his driving lessons are something I wouldn’t want my own kids to go through (press “Like” if you chuckled as you read this). By contrast, I have yet to find a bad review for a family hunt, while great reviews as below abound:
I took my 13 year old son on his first big game hunt. The 3 nights we spent together in the woods will provide memories for a lifetime. The 186 lb. hog he took will feed our family for some time to come.
Scott, hog hunt, Red Bluff Lodge, South Carolina
I took my 13 year old son for our first Turkey hunt. Terry was very patient and took the time to educate us so we would be more successful when we traveled home and hunted by ourselves. Being able to watch my son bag his first long beard is something I will never forget!
Tommy, turkey and hog hunt, RackNine Outdoors LLC, Alabama
My normally shy son came out of his shell and blossomed as they treated him with so respectfully. He grilled the wildlife biologist with all of his biology interests and the biologist took it all in stride and was just as excited to share. My daughter was so fond of her guide Terry that she called him “Uncle Terry” when telling stories after we got back home. Both of them took their first rifle kills there and we are grateful for the experience.
Kevin, white-tailed deer hunt, Starry Night Ranch, Texas.
Tick a “Family Friendly” box in your BookYourHunt.com search, and you won’t be disappointed. And don’t forget family is not only about parents and children. You may have an excellent time hunting together with your significant other – or future significant other, as the case might be:
This hunt was a present for my husband’s birthday as it was his dream for a while to go hunting. It was the best present he could have wished for. He was over the moon especially after meeting Oliver. Oliver is extremely knowledgeable about hunting and on the first day he was teaching my husband how and where to shoot, on the second day they went in the woods hunting. My husband managed to hunt a doe with Oliver’s support. My husband said it was the best weekend that he will remember for the rest of his life. Oliver is an amazing, experienced, professional, kind and funny hunter and I will buy this experience for my husband again.
Anna, deer stalking hunt, Tusk and Antler, United Kingdom
Above expected adventure. Dave and Nikki are fantastic hosts and made the trip very special. Hunting was great every day and we found all targeted animals. Opportunity was 100% for all 3 of us and we all filled our packages plus a couple extra game animals. It was my girlfriend’s first hunting trip and they helped her tag all 3 of her animals. Nikki also arranged a special night for us where I proposed to her and we became engaged in a very beautiful place.
Jacob, plains game hunt, Leopard’s Valley Safaris, South Africa
We at BookYourHunt.com feel our responsibility to help pass the torch to future generations of hunters. One part of this effort is our “Hunting 101” series of blogs that are intended to help those of us who want to hunt but don’t have any hunters among friends or family to get started. But the best teacher is practice, so find your first hunt now!
This was my first time using BookYourHunt so I was a little nervous about what I was getting into. However, after hunting with Luis and the Spanish Ibex crew… I look forward to joining them again for the rest of my slam and more. Thanks again for everything.
Steven, Beceite Ibex hunt, Spanishibex, Spain
