I'm 35. I've been hunting since 13. No one in my family hunted, so I self taught myself beginning with a bb gun for squirrels. That was a tough one....trying to convince my parents to buy me a bb gun at 13...LOL.
Killed my first deer at 16, and have enjoyed hunting small and big game since. I hunt in Va and WV every season, and use bow, muzzleloader and rifle, and sometimes shotgun and pistol. I've focused on bow hunting mainly for the past 12 years. Killed alot of deer both with a bow and various guns. But never a REAL big one. I've learned an awful lot over the years by trial and error...LOL, and mostly just enjoy being out there. Like others have said, my goals as a hunter have changed over the years. Now I realy don't have any desire to shoot small bucks anymore. However I do consider any game animal taken to be a personal trophy. A few years back I had the opportunity to introduce my dad to hunting, and now we enjoy it together. I have a son that is almost 5 and is very excited to be able to hunt. He has gone out with me some for the last 2 years, and loves it. He has his own bow, and bb gun and is actually a decent shot for a 4 year old. Anymore, I'm looking forward to hunting with him, (and my daughter when she gets a little older) more than anything else. There is nothing like seeing the sheer and honest excitement of a child in the outdoors! <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
Oh, we love to fish also, though we don't get to go as often as I would like. Lastly, I'm real interested in eventually starting to hunt out west. Can't wait. Nice post!