I am a 40-something woman who is thinking of learning to hunt.  I've recently moved to the country, and am hoping to take full advantage of the opportunity to put healthier (and cheaper!) food on the table and become more self-sufficient.  The garden is a work in progress, I'm looking at plans for a hen coop, and now I am searching for ways to fill the freezer with meat for me and my two dogs.

There were no hunters in my immediate family, and the people I know who do hunt haven't shown any desire to help me get started.  What do I need to do to find a willing mentor?  And how will I know if this is something I can do?  I'm tenderhearted about animals, but I also like meat, particularly wild game, and find hunting and small farming far preferable to supporting the practices of the "factory" farms that have become so prevalent today.

I feel pretty silly asking most of these questions, but I really don't know where else to take them.