To be honest, I got myself into bowhunting. My grandfather used to take me hunting with him when I was too young myself. He'd take his double barrel 16 gauge, his bird dog and me.....we'd grouse, pheasant and rabbit hunt and I was excited. When I turned twelve, my grandfather had quit hunting, there was no male figure in my life, my mom sent me hunters safety course and I passed with a 97%. I would take an old fiberglass recurve out to the woods with field tipped arrows trying for small game. I didn't even consider deer. I would ride my bike for miles to the farm carrying a 16 single barrel just to wing shoot doves.

When I was 15, out of the blue my father entered my life for a short term but when asked what I wanted for my birthday I said, a compound bow. What I received was a Fred Bear, Black Bear II, shiny black flecked painted compound bow set at 50 lbs....I was amazed. I bought some arrows, full length Easton Eagles 2117 and tipped them with 160 grain Thunderheads....talk about underspined...OH MY GOD. I'd ride my bow to hunt deer in the same woods I hunt today. When I turned 16, I expanded my bowhunting grounds because I could drive.

I used that bow for the next 8 years eventually raising the poundage to 60 lbs, shooting matched arrows and switching to 100 grain Muzzys. I shot fingers, off a flipper rest and added a sight. I shot at deer every year for 8 years and never "recovered" a single deer until that last season when I was 23.....I think back and shrill at the thought of my ignorance and think...what if I had all those seasons back with todays knowledge.

At 23 I received a Jennings Carbon Extreme XLR, a release, all new equipment, matched arrows and knowledge...I started competing in 3D tournaments. With practice came skill....I was picked up by a dealer of Hoyt bows at 25, added to their national shooting staff and started my long career of tournament shooting and Hoyt bows. Of course bowhunting never took a back seat....the first year with my Jennings I took my first buck with a bow.....since then and so many bows later I sit here as a veteran of over 20 years of archery, bow shop staffing, teaching, coaching and still learning everyday. I love this sport. I love to bowhunt and I will until the day the good Lord calls me home. I pray there is bowhunting in heaven.