quiksilver

From what I understand, the hunting community is facing dwindling numbers of hunters each year and groups (Game Commission, Sportsmen's Clubs, etc.) are currently focusing on trying to spur growth through awareness, marketing and youth programs.

I come from a long line of SW Pennsylvania trappers and ginseng hunters. Everyone in my family hunts, traps, etc., so my involvement was almost inevitable, no matter how much my mother hated the idea.

I guess I'm just wondering how everyone else was introduced to hunting.

Specifically, I'd like to know how those of you who DIDN'T come from a hunting family got started. Was it something that you just wanted to try? Something that a friend introduced you to? Were you influenced by television/music/advertising/et cetera?

Alsatian

I hunted pheasants, with the permission of my father and to some extent following his model (though we only hunted together once), when I was growing up on a farm in rural Illinois until I left home at 18 for college and then out of state to work. I did not hunt or keep any gun in my home until my father died when I was 46 when I inherited several high power rifles, .22 rifles, and shotguns. I first began taking the high power rifles out to shoot at the rifle range and then decided it would be nice if I could find a place to hunt using these rifles. While showing my inherited guns to my niece's husband, he invited me to deer hunt on his small cattle lease. This is how I got started -- or "restarted" maybe -- hunting.

It wasn't that I wouldn't have liked to hunt before, but I didn't own my own guns and didn't know where I would hunt if I did have guns.

My own plan is to try to get each of my three children involved in hunting early. My 15 year old son and I have gone squirrel hunting several times, though we haven't found a productive squirrel hunting ground yet. We have gone dove hunting several times, but we haven't found a good dove hunting ground yet. We drove from our Texas home to Gilette, Wyoming, this October and both took pronghorn antelope -- my son taking a buck and me taking a doe. We both hunted deer on the above mentioned cattle lease this November when I took a doe and my son had no shot (he obstinately insisted on a buck-only license, because his first deer kill MUST be a buck -- and there are fewer bucks on this hunting ground than does). My middle daughter may not care to hunt. Maybe I can get her out to shoot and to become familiar with guns even if she doesn't hunt. My youngest daughter likes to eat venison and seems like she may want to go deer hunting when she gets older. Time will tell. I also have taken one neighbor boy who is a friend of my son's to the hunter safety course, at the same time my son took it. I took it with them as well, though in most of my hunting I am not required to have the certification, because I figured I could learn valuable information also, and so I did. I plan to take another of my son's friends to hunter safety course this year. I have taken the first neighbor boy squirrel hunting, but we saw zero squirrels. I also took him dove hunting with my son and I, but the dove hunting was poor.

Generally, I think each hunter has an obligation to introduce others into the sport of hunting. Your children, obviously, but preferably others in addition. This extends to general gun handling -- you ought to introduce others into the sports of shooting, starting with the hunter safety course. These are probably the best ways to preserve the sport for hunters and to keep the second amendment alive.

cardeer

I lived on a farm in the 57 recession. Dad lost his job and he had me shoot anything that crawled so we could eat.

PikeTipper

My family hunted but I have a few friends that still hunt even though there family never did. There was a big group of us friends and most of us grew up hunting so some of the others just came with to see what all of the fuss was about. I think the guys that didn't grow up in a hunting family are now the most hard core hunters of the group.

onebullet

WE ALL CAME FROM HUNTING FAMILIES IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER-HOW DID YOUR ANCESTORS GET THERE FOOD??SAME AS EVERYONE ELSES- HUNTED FOR IT

johnch

I grew up on a farm and guns were just tools ,to kill chucks ,black birds ,rats ,ect.
Dad did not hunt ,to hunt.
I just wanted to hunt and fish so when I was 12, dad showed me how to shoot and said I don't have time to go with you ,don't do anything stupid ,you know where the guns (a 22 rifle and a 12 gau pump)are . I was alowed to roam our farm and several others to hunt on my own.
I am teaching my neices and nefew how to properly hunt .

Roost em 1st

I began really hunting when I was 16 and able to drive myself around to hunt. i grew up in the country and had been shooting a BB gun forever. I want to be outside all the time. I had a father who didn't hunt and rarely took me fishing though when we went it was fun. I rode a bike to fish often. My first goodsize bass came when I was in the 5th grade fishing like a fool in the rain after school. 4 lbs. Worst looking mount I've ever seen.

I hunt for many reasons but can't tell you why I started. Too many variables. My son is 3 1/2 and talks about hunting already. I'm trying not to over encourage him but have taken him, with hearing protection, quail hunting. He loves being outdoors as well. When Walker was only 10 weeks old We were having lunch after church with the family. An older gentleman who looked to be a farmer leaned over and said, that's a boy who likes to be outside. I guess he was right.

My father now wants to birdhunt with me. I travel around the midwest for Pheasant and he now thinks he'll come hunt. Says he has a spot in South Dakota to go to. I don't have the heart to tell him I'll probably never go to SD for pheasant. Doing just fine on wild birds in MT, ND, and Nebraksa. I'll have to hunt with him but am wondering where was this gesture when I was 12 or 13 or 14 or 15. I killed a deer that first year and had no idea how to gut it but somehow did.

I hunt because of something deeper than any ad or peer pressure. Thinking about I've found a lot more out about myself while hunting than anywhere else.

WantBuck

I grew up shooting BB guns and 22's in the woods down the road just for fun.When I was about 16 I was spinning the night at a freinds and he said lets go look at some deer.His grandpa owned thousands of acres and we jumped in the ol'Wagonner and hit the feilds.I got so pumped seeing all those deer I just had to go hunting.Been hooked every since.It kinda hurts now though because hunting the land he had was some of the best hunting land in the area(spoiled me a little) then we got into it and I have'nt been able to hunt it since.
I bought 13 acres that buts up to a lot of wooded land so I have deer,I just have to get them at the right time since I don't have much to work with,but...... it's better than nothing at all.I've also seen a few bucks roaming through there.Maybe eventually I will be able to buy some of the land around mine.
Thats my story.
JE

s. il. hntr

i had always had people give me deer meat, suasage, burger, jerky, etc. then one day i got a fresh backstrap and from then on knew i had to take up hunting.so me and my brother got into bowhunting together. no one in my familt hunted or fished but we were already die-hard fisherman so i guess it was only a matter of time. will hunt till i die now

Shootem up870

my dad hunts deer and thats it. he only does shotgun. my uncle was the one who got me into bowhunting. im so glad that he did. my grandpa takes me every kind of hunting there is except deer. pheasant rabbit squirrel dove quail. i would deer hunt with him but me and my dad go to his friend's house every year and hunt with him as a kind of tradition.