How big is your circle of family/friends/aquaintances/bow shop clientel/ shooting league,etc thatmakes up your bowhunting world? Outside of our big happy family here on HNI?

Personally mine is rather small. Very few of my friends hunt(although everyone who knows me in the slightest, knows that I am passionate about it). I don't hang at pro shop, don't shoot leagues, or belong to any other type ofsocial organization. Basically its my immediate family, a few freinds, couple neighbors and you guys that I have to tell my stories/share my successes with.

Anyone here a "local legend", don't be shy? Anyone else a recluse?

I would saymy hunting world is about 6-8 people. Like you said, i dont hang at the bow shop or do leagues, just dont have the time. Any free time is spend hunting, fishing, or chasing ladies.

Well me and my older brother are eat up with hunting,fishing and archery so when we talk that's pretty much the subject line. Myyounger brother and Dad both hunt and fish but aren't as into it. I have a few friends that hunt and my best friend is a nut about it but that's about it for me. Definately not a local legend.

Probably in the neighborhood of 10 guys. Of those 10.....I've shared woods with 3, deer hunting (and one of them is my son).

my first mobile post, from my phone here! whoooo hoooo

my b-hunting world is really small outside of the hni. my brother is about it. I am pretty much a recluse. shoot alone, live way out, scout
and hunt and shed hunt solo.

Close knit group? 5-7 Extended hunting family? 15-20

Interesting question. Mine is small as well. Two buddies, and an acquantance.

Very Small.. I generally hunt, scout....all things bowhunting.....solo.

Besides my discussions here I have a cousin in Wisconsin and one in Indiana that I chat via e-mail or phone with and that's it for the dedicated.

My Dad and one Uncle Bowhunt Pa.. very casually..I got them into it, but they are not very serious. My Uncle did score on a nice 8 pt last year..he uses a cross-bow due to heart related dis-ability.

In winter leagues my Dad and another Uncle shoot...My uncle is very good and won the senior division this year at 72

I have a lot of friends that deer hunt, but not bow hunt. I guess my network would be my family consisting of me, my dad, my brother, and my uncle. We are all hard-core bow hunters.

I always thought of myself as a bit of a deerhunting closet case, pretty reclusive - no leagues,don't likethe bow shop, usually hunt alone, etc... But now that I think about it, the hunting networkhas becomepretty vast over time.

Mom has 4 brothers that are all diehard whitetail nuts, they have a few sons and in-lawswho hunt. Dad has3 brothers and2 cousinsthat live to hunt. All those guys have hunting buddies who I've hunted with sometime or another. We don't hunt together all that often (too competitive), but we talk deer hunting at every holiday dinner andevery family function. We also dodeer camp every year, and I bet the roster has featured no less than35 different names on it over the years. Deer camp isn't about the deer- it's about the people. It's the only time every season when I'm hunting, but really don't care if I get anything or not....then again, my buck tag is always filled long before rifle season comes. I'd probably be out there in a tree dark-to-dark like a psycho if I still had valid buck tags. The guys at camp can play poker without me. LOL

I have a good friend who throws a big whitetail party every spring, and invites everyone he knows. Food, beer, pictures, seminars, product demonstrations, the whole nine yards. From going to that little event every year, it's expanded the "circle" by another 10-20 people. Good guys, like to talk archery. A whole new "circle," mostly acquaintences, but I've had a couple of those guys out for guided turks.

Then my personalfriends - not many - maybe 5. Here again, they all have hunting buddies who I've crossed paths with sometime or another.

Did some turkey guiding for a while - got to know a lot of guys through that. Worked with NWTF, and met more good people there....

You also get to knowfaces on the fringe - taxidermists, bow shop people, gun shoppeople, conservation officers, guys from sports leagues, guys from work, landowners, other guys who hunt the same places, etc...

...and then you throw in the people here on Huntingnet... it's a pretty big circle.

I couldn't even begin to try to count the number of guys I've hunted with over the years... It's a ton. Growing up, I'd have hunted withanyone willing to drive me - didn't matter if they dropped me off at the woods and picked me up at dark.

All that, and on opening day, I still like to be perched in my stand, alone with my bow, whereabouts: unknown.