Who or what?
 

Who got you into hunting, or did you just decide on your own that you wanted to hunt?

Who taught you what you know about hunting, or did you teach yourself?

Who do you typically hunt with, or do you hunt alone?

Do you hunt anything besides deer?

Just thought this would be kinda fun and interesting all in the same...

I'll go first, my husband invited me to hunt, I said no, but I will sit with you.... next thing I knew, he had bought me a gun for my birthday in August and 3 months later I killed my first deer. I was hooked after that, have taken 3 deer in 3 years. He's now got me into bowhunting (obviously), pheasant hunting, turkey hunting, and dove hunting. Everything I know and practice I learned from my husband. I am now learning my kids in the way of the outdoors, and I think my husband was the best thing that ever happened to me and my kids. At least when they are teenagers they will be looking forward to hunting season and hopefully it will keep them out of a little trouble! LOL

Your turn...

RE: Who or what?
 

Well, I basically have started from scratch. I’m a first generation hunter in my family. I just got into hunting this year, I was given a family heirloom .30-06 in January, and I bought my first bow in June. I have never hunted anything before this year. I have tons of friends that like to hunt, so I have people to go with. And I will hunt anything that moves, and is legal.

RE: Who or what?
 

I have to say my Dad was the guy who got me started. He and my uncle were always out hunting small game, deer and bear. I am 1 of his 5 sons and the only one who took hunting seriously. 2 others tried it, but have not been out there in years. My Dad and I were best hunting buddies until his untimely death 5 years ago. Now I hunt alone. What a huge change in hunting ... going from breakfast together and talk of the stratagy and just the pure commradere of being together, to now just being out there by myself. I have a son in college who is going to resume hunting once school is done next year, and a 9 year old who is just chomping at the bit to get out there and start.
But let me say this, to those of you who do have your best hunting buddy still there with you.... be it your brother, father, wife or good friend....
enjoy what you have with them now. Take notice how much you enjoy that togetherness and companionship... it is really a great thing.
I look forward to sharing all those times with my 2 boys in the years to come. In the meantime I keep memories of my Dad near and dear to myself while out there these days.
DW

RE: Who or what?
 

I'm sorry to hear of your loss.

I can't even imagine losing my hunting partner, life partner, and best friend. We obviously have our bad days, as do every couple, but the bond that hunting brings us is a unique one that unfortunately, most couples will never share. For anyone who hasn't shared something this sacred with someone so close, you can't even begin to describe it.

I don't know what I would do if I ever lost him. [&o]

Because of my husband, there is now a whole new generation of hunters in my family. My children, who are from my first marriage, are extremely excited about hunting and are chomping at the bit, and my mom, of all people, is going to be hunting her first year with me this year. I am hoping I can make it an enjoyable experience for her so I may share more special memories throughout the years. I am so extremely excited to be able to have an opportunity to share something that means so much to me with my mom who has given me so much from the day I was born.

RE: Who or what?
 

My whole family hunts, or use to. My dad taught me a little otherwise I learned on my own. Trial and error. I unfortunatly hunt alone so there is always room for anyone who wants to venture up. My dad has lost interest over the years. My younger brother is in college so he doesn't have time. I hunt deer, bear, turkey, phesant, grouse, and water fowl. I do have two boys that are 4 and 6 so I am excited for them to start coming with me. The oldest has been out a few times this year already and I am happy to say he loves it.

RE: Who or what?
 

I guess my dad introduced me to hunting when I was 7-8 by taking me out with him. By the time I was 10, he lost interest in hunting but kept me involved in shooting. Started hunting on my own when I was 13 with a hand-me-down .243 winchester. Killed a couple spikes and does before I joined the Marines at 18. The training I recieved in the Corps honed my hunting skills and when I got out in November of '91I got back into the woodsstalking whitetails. Picked up bowhunting in '92 and have been addicted ever since. I have hunted with the same group of 4 buddies since '91.

RE: Who or what?
 

my husband badgered me for about 2 years before i agreed to go. i told him i would try it, and if i shot a deer and it cried, i was done. well, here i am 13 years later and i'm still doing it. i just love being out there. i hunt with my husband and my father. i always sit alone, but i like knowing they are in radio distance. i love going out with my dad on weekdays when its just the two of us walking in the woods talking. i don't think we are even really hunting. its the quality time we spend together that matters, not the deer.

RE: Who or what?
 

LOL, I like to have someone to talk to either by radio or text message when I am hunting as well. I much prefer it when hubby goes with me rather than me going out on my own... I guess it's just the protection/safety issue.

RE: Who or what?
 

My Dad and grandpa got me into it. Although, I am the only one that archery hunts. My dad told me that once I bring one home that is big enough, he'll start.
I hunt just about everything I can, Grouse, Pheasants, Woodcock, Turkey, Ducks, Geese, and of course deer, I'm also thinking of Bear hunting this year or next with my Bow.
In PA I usually hunt alone or with my Dad. In NY I usually hunt with the Inlaws.
I'm trying to get my wife into it But I'm not sure how? She has gone spring Turkey, and Duck hunting before, but she didin't have a liscense so she just sat. And thats kind of boring for her. Any suggestions????

RE: Who or what?
 

My father-in-law got me started before I married his step daughter.

I have always WANTED to hunt since I was a kid, but there was no one in the familly who participated. My grandfather was a big time sport fisherman and showed me the romes there. My father did nothing associated with the outdoors. He was a gear-head and showed me the way around cars and motorbikes. I appreciate them both for that.

I was invited to go on a management hunt in S.D. by my FIL for does only shooting .50 cal muzzle loaders. I was hooked after that. I loved being "On the hunt" more than just shooting the dear. I wanted to spend more time "Hunting" and there are not allot of places that allow any kind of firearms in my area, so it natrually led me to bow hunting.

RE: Who or what?
 

Ok I am new to the forum but my grandfather got me into hunting when I was 8 or 9 he would take me and my brothers out small game hunting. I had pretty much given up hunting when I moved out of state to nebraska. However 5 years ago my brother died in a boating accident and it brought me back home. I was looking for any way to feel closer to my brother and he was very big in deer hunting and fishing. I also loved to fish and was going out regularly. However my father was no longer going deer hunting since my brothers accident so I asked him if he would go with me. Well I never understood why anyone would sit in the cold and wait for one animal to come in front of them now i know. That year I killed my first deer a small 4 pointer and I have never had so much fun. That was 3 years ago and now I cant wait for season each year. My father no longer hunts with me do to health but my best friend and I hunt together. I only shotgun hunt for now becasue I am still practicing with my bow until I feel more comfortable I will not hunt with it. Sorry this is so long but this thread really got me thinking about it.

RE: Who or what?
 

My father got me started, but I really had no chance to escape hunting. :D:DEveryone in my family, including my fathers side and mothers side hunted to put meat in the freezer annually. They used to throw the antlers away, sell them or give them away...how timeshave changed...I've been fortunate to hunt elk in the Idaho wilderness packing in 20+ miles as a kid..with Gramps and my dad and my uncles...it was spectacular..we killed some awesome bulls, for me I didnt know any different. it was our way of life..still is... Hunting is much more pressured here now a days but still good hunting..if you get off the beaten path...

Today I hunt, Elk, Whitetails, Bear, Turkeys for the most part..

I am a self taught whitetail/turkey hunter... Dad taught me how to hunt elk and mule deer. Whitetails are my passion..love em

I pretty much hunt alone since my brother lives 4 hours away. We used to hunt a ton together..Imiss that, hes my best friend...he still makes it up for 3 trips a year...whitetails and bear...Ialways try to spend a couple weeks or weekendsa year hunting with friends and since I have been a member of this site have hunted with over a 10 guys from here too! its been a treat making lifelong friendships..

Now that my two sons are 3 and 5 they will progressively join me more and more. Jess my oldest and I got our first animal together last Turkey season... It was awesome! My wife gets to join me a little bit, but she says she will hunt more once the boys are older. We areplanning our first Bear camp this spring..for the entire family. It should be fun.

RE: Who or what?
 

Mike is his name. The man who got me into this addiction. I am a first generation hunter my dad deciding to go through hunters saftey with me. He(mike) first brought me out when I was 10 two years before I could legally hunt. But boy when those two years were up I jumped into it. The first 2 years were all trial and error without me bagging a thing. These last 3 years have produced 3 deer out of the last three seasons. I no longer hunt with Mike as I have moved on and prefer going into rifle country instead of staying here in shotgun territory. I learned alot from him and the rest has as I said before trial and error. Mostly error though. I now hunt with different people every year as where I gun hunt tends to change year to year. And now here I am more addicted than ever. Thanks Mike.

RE: Who or what?
 

* Nobody really got me into hunting. I guess I've always had an interest, but just had nobody to show me how. My grandfather, father, uncles, numerous friends of theirs used to hunt way back in the 50's and early 60's. But see, I'm the baby of the family... When it was my time to "come of age" - they had all given it up. [&o]

* I learned from the hunter education course, remembering stories my dad would tell me, and I learned about hunting from magazine articles, TV shows, and of course -- all you guys!;)

* I mostly go bowhunting alone, as I don't really have any close friends/family/neighbors/etc... who hunt. But when firearms season comes in, I hunt with a great group of guys out in the mountains of Virginia in a deer hunting camp. It's the kind of place where (thinking back) my dad, uncles, etc.. would have been right at home.

* Besides deer, I hunt turkeys, small game (rabbits), and occasionally, waterfowl if I'm up to it.


Butch A.

RE: Who or what?
 

Some people must be born with the hunting gene already in them. Whenever my family moved to the country I started taking walks in the woods, Now I cant stay out of them. Whenever I think back to those days, and look at myself now, I can almost recall every lesson learned through trial and error. My biggest heartbreak was when my bowhunting partner(Afriend from school) passed away in a car accident, I thought I was going to quit hunting but after a few years I learned to look at things a bit differently. Since then, I have made numerous hunting friends....... One thing I can honestly say is that some of the finest friendships I have ever had were a result from hunting.

RE: Who or what?
 

My Dad started me hunting. That was really the only time he wanted anything to do with his kids, and hisidea of hunting was nothing like mine now. He and his friends had a hunting club, but they mostly drove around road hunting, running draws and drinking. They would shoot anything that moved. When I was about 14 I started bowhunting on my own-using an old recurve given to me by a family friend-on my Great Grandparents farm after school and on the weekends. That is how I developed the love of the game.
I got outof hunting for a few years due to work and financial problems. It was during this time that I was running a check in station in my county and really started missing the hunt. I got the fever and started hunting again. Dont know how I ever did without it.
I still hunt alone for the most part, but am lucky enough to have my kids to take with me once in a while. I dont take them nearly enough because I enjoy the alone time and they have things to do also, but I pray that I have instilled a love of the outdoors in them.

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Forth orfith genaration huntinan trappin fools.. my great grandaddy started me on muskrats when i was 5. Ran coon hounds for years. we been eatin wild game since i was born. been killin deer for 30 years.could not imagin life with out being in the great out doors.

RE: Who or what?
 

Kids at school got me into hunting back in the 60s. I taught myself exclusively. I had a real mean step dad and spent lots of hours hunting to just advoid the home life. I hated school and my mom subscribed me to Outdoor Life , Field and Stream and Sports Afield. I would read those mags.
C7

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I have to give that credit to my brother. Noone in my family hunted when I was a kid. My brother started hunting with a friend in highschool. And soon after that he got me involved.

RE: Who or what?
 

I would have to attribute my love of hunting to my Grandfather Byron Keiter. Unfortunately I never got to hunting with him because he died of cancer before I was 12 (the legal age to hunt in PA) But I do remember the great stories he used to tell me and I think that is what got my hnting juices flowing. My father liked to hunt but not as much as my grandfather but deffinitly showed me the basics and taught me proper ethics. I can still remember that proud look on his face when I took my first deer. It was a 150 yd heart shot that dropped a big doe in her tracks. As far as archery is concerned I pretty much learned that on my own. My father is the one who intorduced it too me when I was probably about 10 when he gave me a 25lb fibergalss Ben Pearson super Jet recurve that was his when he was a kid. I would shoot that bow all day long. He then bought me my first compound at about 12. it was a Golden Eagle target bow that a co-worker of his who shot for Golden Eagle had that was brand new and sold to us for $100. I still have both of those bows. But I didn't start archery hunting until I went to college 11 years ago when I had some friends that convinced me to go.

I almost always hunt with my Buddy Jeff whom I work with. We've hunted together for about the past 7 years. I also make time to hunt during rifle season with my father and have recently gotten him into turkey hunting. I also Hunt during rifle season with my father-in-law at the camp I go to with him.

Well as for what I hunt, I hunt Whitetails, Turkeys, Bowfish for shark and stingray, coyote, and in the near future I hope to be able to hunt for Elk, Mule deer, Sika deer, and Bear. Most likely I am probably going to try hunting archery bear since PA now has a archery only bear season now.

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I'm selt taught and everything else. Iam the only one out of my entire family, save my granddad (God rest his soul) that hunts or has hunted. I taught myself everything I know. I like to hunt with a couple of other guys but I LOVE to hunt by myself.I hunt everything from doves to deer.My season starts with the opening of dove season in early Sept.and ends with the laste day of goose season in February.

RE: Who or what?
 

I was fortinate enough to be born into a huntin family,on both sides my grandpas were trappers and hunters and cotton farmers.they started me back in 78,And i cant seem to kick the habit i would skip school just to go squirrel huntin ,or go to the lake and fish all day..And every year i make it a point to carry as many kids as can find who want to hunt ,and when they get that first deer or what ever were huntin ,i can see that fire that i had ,,and allways will. Theres nothin like it. THE OUTDOORS IS A GREAT PLACE and alot of our kids or going to miss it,its up to all of us to make sure the ones thats got that FIRE DESIRE get a chance to use it.Chances are you know someone with kids, who know nothing about hunting, but there kids have friends in school that come in every monday morning talking about there weekend hunt and what all they seen in the woods and stuff like that or showing pictures of that first deer or that pile ducks they took ,or was a part of the hunt anyway.So it never hurts to ask if they would like to come along on a hunt or fishin trip,,. and thats all it takes to get that next generation going in the right direction. THANKS AND THATS HOW I FEEL ABOUT IT..MY 2 CENTS..AIM SMALL MISS SMALL.

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Dad, I was the 3 year old following him hunting and never stopped. The patience it took must have been tremendous. He can't hunt now but the stories are still as good as when we were in the woods. The one about the time I got buck fever bad and let an 8 pointer walkwithin 20 feet (I was on the ground)then he walked awaygets alot of telling.

Basically, I hunt deer and small game now.

Rockonafly

RE: Who or what?
 

My mom and dad divorced when I was 6. Mom remarried when I was 9, and to an absolute GREAT dude! He's been dad ever since. Really lucked out there. He started me hunting when I was 10.

At this point, I've NEVER fired a gun. So he started me off with a BB gun. I was aiming at a tin can at let's say 2 o'clock, fired, and shot the back window out of his 1973 Bronco at 11 o'clock......I have no idea how I pulled that off.....I mean, that window wasn't even CLOSE to where I was aiming....musta ricoched.....[&:] Anyway, he never said a single word about it. Never. Now we laugh at it pretty good though. I am very fortunate to have himbecause my "real" dad is an animal loving non hunter. Not ANTI mind you, which is good.

Ironically, I've never been deer hunting with him (my step dad.) 90% of what I know about deer hunting is self taught. I've had a few friends along the way teach me a thing or two, but most of what I know I learned on my own.

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I am more or less a first generation hunter. My dad didn't hunt too much, when i was a kid, but he does now. I more or less got him into it.
My grandpa instilled the love of the outdoors in me.
I hunt deer, with bow and gun, pheasant, turkey with bow and gun, squirrel, and rabbit.
WHen it comes to deer and turkey hunting, i like to do it alone. when it comes to pheasant and rabbit, i go w/ my brother and dad.

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Yeah, my kids lucked out in the stepdaddy field too. I met my husband when my daughter was 4 and my son was 1, we got married last year, daughter now 7 and son now 4, and we have one of our own on it's way here shortly.

My ex husband is a real *winner*... let me tell ya. He is a yuppie boy, country clubber wannabe type of guy. He is NOT thrilled with the idea that my kids want to hunt, but hey, when Mommy and "Daddy" hunt, what can you expect. What am I gonna tell them, sorry, you're moron of a father doesn't like the idea... that's why *I* have sole physical and legal custody, with only visitation rights for him. My kids call my husband Daddy and they are much, MUCH closer to him than they EVER will be to their own dad. I try to never say anything negative to them or around them about their dad, but they are starting to see it on their own now, especially the 7 year old.

God brought my hubby into our lives for a reason, and I am convinced that my children, all 3 of them (so far) will turn out to be very wholesome, respectful, and well rounded adults. The outdoors has a way of teaching people about respect... He's just a super dad to them and I expect he won't treat his own child any differently than he has ever treated them... Yep, I've got a good one... and he got me into hunting too, I owe him a lot for that...

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I've been out there ever since I was knee high to a grasshopper. I remember going turkey hunting when I was little and HATED it, because the guns were So loud it hurt my ears for a couple of days. I was probably 3 or 4. I say that because I can remember seeing my dad and my head was about to hisknees. *No, he's not a grasshopper* From there, my grandparents would take me out hunting and fishing. Seems like everyone on both sides of my family hunted and fished. I can say that I am the first generation bow hunter. I can hit the boiler room at 60 yds with a bow, but if I took a 200 yd. shot with a rifle, I probably couldn't hit the broadside of a barn. lol I'd always want to shoot a bo, but my mom always told me I'd put my eye out. lol I did finally get a little recurve when I was 12, but lost it when we moved. I finally got a big girl bow 4 years ago and my friend, who was then the bow tech at the archery shop, is the one who has really helped me to get where I am with my archery skills.

RE: Who or what?
 

My Dad got me and my 4 brothers into hunting. I do most of my bowhunting alone during the week (when my wife lets me) and hunt with my brothers on the weekend.
Who has time to do anything but bowhunting during season? Every time I do any hunting but bowhunting I feel bad I am not in the deer stand.