Sitting here at work got to thinking about my history as a hunter - crazy stories

Around the age of 5-6 I got my first bow a state of the art fiberglass recurve with three wooden arrows, I shot every day and busted arrow after arrow and even starting making some of my own from the reeds behind the house- One unfortunate bluejay fell prey to that little bow and perfect temple shot took him down for the count

Not much else interested me until my bow finally broke, it was around the age of 14, I got interested in archery again, worked all summer mowing and doing chores to get a bear whitetail, remember the 6 wheel powerhouses of the day- around 6 months later bought another recurve a martin 2800 hunter - awesome bow -

14-15 shot the bow often, Dad took me hunting two or three times but he was never really interested in it and I didn't have a clue as to how to hunt deer, I was always walking around (trying to sneak up on them)

Around the age 0f 16, took my first rabbit with a bow - boy was I excited, we had moved out into the country at this time and had a 40 acre woodlot to start stalking, I purchased flu-flu arrows and wreaked havoc on the small game population

from 17-23 were a blur, got married, started working FT, college, etc took up a lot of my time .... but still managed to keep shooting and the lure of recurves had drawn me in..(until I broke my wrists my senior year).I was driving on my own and would hunt Public land all over the state of Fla... still no deer but lots of hogs, and a couple of turkeys some with recurve, some with compund

Amazing how the gear is changing - people are putting overdraws on their bows - the speed phenomenon begins

23 - Magical year , I had purchased a new compound, and a friend of mine asked me to go to Alabama with him to work on some A/C units he told me to bring my bow- and purchase a stand - I purchased a summit lock-on - Camden Alabama, put the lock -on in a creek bottom on Dec 3rd , and around 8am a large doe walking funneling besides the creek - I took her at 31yards and double lunged her, after a short trail finally had my first deer

for the next 5 years bowhunted exclusivey and took several does, it wasn't until 97 -4 years later I took my first buck a spiker, a week after I got the spike - killed a 17 inch 9 point with Choc antlers - a month later we were moving to NC - because both mine and my wifes job were closing

1998 - new turf- new strategy- I had never killed a deer with a rifle - owned them since i was 12, killed a few with a shotgun and prob 12-15 with a bow - had no land, knew no one, went to a hunting outfitter on the east coast of NC, Nov 1. Killed a 9 point about 18inches with a .243

from 1998-2004- killed a lot of deer in both nc/sc/al with both rifle and gun - a few good bucks with rifle but none with a bow

2004-2007 - Started out the 2004 season opening day nice 6 point (full velvet) opening day 2005 14inch 8point day after opening day in 06 largest buck to date with archery gear - 2007 was a blank but took some does

The history since I have moved and been on my own, I read hunting, live it, research things, the common theme in my life was always hunting alone( not by choice) dad never really got into it, my brother dabbled with it - with the exception of a few instances -the most recent last year- It has been an ongoing learning experience - I have no desire to gun hunt anymore - I just posted this morning about a recurve again - I shot Jeff's longbow back in the spring and think it has re-lit that flame, just doing some relecting as the season nears, dad is longer here, lots of up and downs but my passion for hunting has never faded

sorry to ramble but like I said - not many folks to share things with - no one here at work hunts seriously or devouts any time to it - just leaves me and you guys - thanks

That's an awesome read, Frank. Thanks. Feel like we shoulda been drinkin'.

Call me Sunday. We'll sling a few.

Probably right would have been better with a few beers