RE: What got you into bowhunting?
 

A personal friend ask me to tag along one trip. He actually arrowed a buck on that trip and I was hooked. I think my heart was beating harder than his.

RE: What got you into bowhunting?
 

Brang05, You sound like you grew up in my family. My dad and uncle used to take me deer hunting with them starting when I was about 8-9 years old.Opening morning meant wakingupbefore sun up, warming up the truck, grabbing the case of beer and high power rifles.It was always very exciting for me and it seemed to me that they took their hunting very serious. They always told stories about how great they were with there high powers, and all the deer that they had taken in the past.By the time Ihad gotten old enough to take hunters ed so I could shoot my first deer I had spentmany deer seasons with them and I wanted to be like them really bad. When I got my chance I realisedhow hunting with them really worked...drive around looking for deer, and when you see something stop the truck and shoot out the window. Needless to say my first year was not fun at all, I shot at five different bucks...all of which where bolting for the trees by the time I got a shot off. I ended up hitting a yearling mulie in the back legs and my dad finished it off. He wanted for me to feel good so he told everyone that I took the deer but I couldn't take the credit. the next year I went to my great uncles farm with my other uncle and actually walked down to a field edge by the creek and sat and waited. after sitting there for about 20 minutes a doe trotted right by us and right behind her was a whitetail buck head down with his lip curled. He litteraly ran right to me within about 15 yards and I took him with my rifle. It ended up being a unique 4x4 that probably went around 120". That deer was twice as big as anything anyone in my family had ever shot. I believe that was the day I was hooked on getting outand actually HUNTING deer. I boughtmy bow that next year but didn't use it because I didn't feel confident with it because I didn't have a teacher and had to learn to shoot it by myself. last year was my first year out there in a tree stand hunting with my bow and it was the most exciting time of my life. I think my family is now starting to realize what kind of deer are out there if you put in the time and hunt them. Last year I shot a 145" 6x6 that is hanging on my wall right now and have shown them the pictures of the deer I will be hunting this year that I got on my trail cam. One of which is a 5x5 with a 20"plus inside spread and lots of mass. But it's not all about taking a huge buck that gets me fired up. I just love sitting in my stand and watching the wildlife around me, wether it be a mature buck or a lone turkey pecking at the grasshoppers. I just wish my hunting buddies of past had the same obsession I do. I can't wait to take my son or daughter hunting and fishing.

RE: What got you into bowhunting?
 

My dad

RE: What got you into bowhunting?
 

I got into bowhunting as a new challenge for myself. I have hunted deer since i was 13 and i used to go and shoot deer with a rifle for game meat buyers and when you shoot 3 or 4 deer each time you go out it starts to feel like a job and not a truly pleasurable experience. A friend had a bow and he always gave me a hard time about shooting deer at long range. He said REAL men like bowhunters get up close and personal and aren't that hopeless that they have to shoot from out of sight of the deer. After constant mud slinging i decided to purchase a bow and give this bowhunting a good go and i was lucky enough to harvest a large Red deer hind on my first hunt with the bow. If i hadn't been successful in those first few hours i honestly don't know if i would have kept the bow. My chiller is no longer full all of the time but i have a new love of hunting and don't even own a rifle anymore. Happy hunting.

RE: What got you into bowhunting?
 

My father and older brothers bow hunted and at 12 I took hunters safety. That same year I arrowed my first doe and was hooked forever. I can't bring myself to pick up a gun. I bowhunt as much as possible. You can take a man out of the wilderness, but you can't take the wilderness out of a man. That sums it up for me.

RE: What got you into bowhunting?
 

kill a few with a gun, wanted to try something different.

RE: What got you into bowhunting?
 

it sure does sound like we came from the same background. Its sad that so many people neverrealize the feeling that going one on one with a wild animal on their terms gives a person. thanks for the post!

RE: What got you into bowhunting?
 

Thats cool Mountainhunter. Talking about bowhunting does the same thing to me. A appreciate the long post!

Thanks to everyone for the posts!

RE: What got you into bowhunting?
 

I got into bowhunting the first time because I was a hunter and an archer but had problems melding the two. There wasn't a lot of information about bowhunting back then. I got back into it a couple of years ago, and with info from various hunting forums was able to meld my archery skills and my hunting skills.

The prospect of having a longer period to hunt (long bow season) works well due to the nature of my job (could have a vacation cancelled on short notice).

RE: What got you into bowhunting?
 

I started archery hunting for two reasons.
1)Rifle hunting was getting easy.
2)Archery hunting is harder & it extended my season another six weeks.