Zeke, you have gotten some really good advise in here. I especially like the advise to tell your kinfolks to piss up a rope.
Spend some time in the woods. You don't have to be hunting, just roaming around. Learning how to get around. Try to put some of the stuff you've read into practice without the pressure of actually hunting. Sit in a tree stand for a while and just watch deer moving around. Go out after a nice skiff of snow has fallen and follow some of the tracks you'll see. I've often said that the more time I get to spend in the woods before hunting season, the luckier I seem to get.
Over the years, I have hunted quite a bit by myself. That way you can set your own pace. Do what you want to do: "hey, I can kill a deer anytime; I don't get to watch beavers build a dam very often....." See what I mean? I would tell you tho, if you hunt by yourself, leave a very detailed note telling where you're gonna be and all the other detes in your vehicle. Also, give your wife or sig other the same info. (by the way, get you one of those 6x8 plastic tarps and haul your deer in the trunk of your car)
I actually like the idea of an ad in the paper very much. I answered a similar ad one time in Memphis from a guy that wanted a fishing pal. He had the equipment, he had read everything there was to read about fishing, he had just never gone. He was a quick learner and when I left Memphis, he was running a tourny rigged Ranger and holding his own in the local tournies.
For my own personal taste, I'd much rather try to help a guy that tell's me he is dumber than rocks than some self-styled hot-shot that knows it all.
Regarding dressing a deer: Go down to your local packing house, especially if you have one that processes game, and ask to watch. There's always folks that bring in deer just like they hit the ground and want the butchers to do it all. Who knows, maybe, just maybe, if you're really, really polite they'll let you pull the guts out of one yourself. :lol: