Who first introduced you to the joys of hunting?

[hlq]

For me it was my great grandfather. He was a quiet, hard working man who worked to live and lived to hunt and fish.

He started me out gopher hunting the summer I was five or so, teaching me about how to safely handle a firearm and how to think like the animal I was hunting. After a couple of years of shadowing him I finally graduated to his model 12. The first time I shot it, it put me on my back side. He just kind of smiled and told me I'd get better at it.

His ideas were simple, hit what you shoot at or don't shoot, and pay attention to whats happening around you. Over the years from prairie dogs to elk those to thoughts have served me well. Thanks Gramps..

How about you?

 

[3pairs12]

My dad introduced me to hunting. The running joke is that I was his first bird dog. Apparently by age 3.5 I was retrieving his dove for him. I got my licsence at age 8 and it has been down hill from there. There are still some nights before certian season openers I can't sleep well because I am just too excited. My 11yr old daughter is getting to be the same way ecspecially for dove opener. I think she just likes theidea of getting to run through a lot of rounds where at deer season its 1 or 2.

 

[chas08]

My maternal Grandfather sparked the interest, but he passed away before I was old enough to follow in his footsteps. My Dad kindled and developed the intrest by buying me a 20 ga H&R Topper 158 when I was ten and taking me Duck hunting a few times a season, till I was old enough to drive. My dad quit hunting shortly thereafter. He said he really never enjoyed the hunting all that much and that he did it because I loved it so, and it was something we could do together in the fall and winter. I have His and my Granfathers shotguns now and my youngest Daughter has His Deer rifle that he never used.

 

[Bearhands]

My Dad, .... I WAS his birddog.. he'd tell me to "sneak under those bushes over there(briars) and "see if we can't grab a pheasant for dinner".
Or I'd gather up apples or whatever and toss em into the fence rows for him.... In deer season, I got to carry his knife "just in case a deer jumped me" When I became old enough to hunt, he'd make sure I saw game.

 

[jbkebert]

My dad introduced me to the joys of hunting. My mom told me the story a thousand times that when I was born. Dad dropped her off at the hospital and went to the Ducks Unlimited banquet. In his defense he was the president of the Jackson county chapter of DU at the time. My grandpa even bought me the DU shotgun at the auction for my birthday. Dad quit hunting when I was around 12 years old. The death of our old lab really took it out of him. My brothers and I continued on our own and are now passing it on to our kids.

 

[Deer Hunter]

Father and Grandfather. Or Dad and Pawpaw as I called them.

 

[Funderb]

rd ryder co. and all the lizards in my back yard.

gotta feed the pet snake some how..

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Dad!



Ld

 

[lesterg3]

Sports Afeild, my Dad could have given a sh-t about hunting or fishing!!

 

[gotgcoalman]

Me;
as far as i can go back none of my family have owned guns
(for private use) WW1 and WW 2 included.

I'm the first to bring guns into the home for sport/fun.

By fun imeam a Sunday morning clay shooting or vermin
control on a local farm with my 2 sons.

 

[lukepriebe]

My dad and brothers. My dad has the uncanny ability to sit for hours motionless in the freezing snow. I tried but was never that good. I still remember him carrying his old Garand out every November until his back went out and he switched to a 30-30.

 

[Legionnaire]

My father-in-law. He and my wife conspired to buy me the first gun I ever owned--a Mossberg 500 combo. That gun has taken its share of deer, rabbits, squirrel, and even an occasional game bird over the years. My FIL fed my latent interest in hunting and it has become a great bonding experience. Further, he was there when my oldest son got his first deer, when I had to work. So I'm greatly indebted to my father-in-law. He's getting "up there," but I trust we will still have several more years of shared hunting experiences.

 

[testar77]

Mine was actually a close friend that I worked with. He is considerably older than I am, but that's the way it's always been with me, all of my closest friends are older than I. I bought a rifle in 1998 and he started teaching me a few things, once I got my first deer locally he started taking me over to "his spot" every year with him, which I did for about 4 years. In between deer season we would do some Bear hunting and such. Oddly enough we don't hunt together at all anymore, we are still good friends but I now have another hunting partner also considerably older than I (he's gonna bitch when he reads the considerably part LOL). He and I have hunted together for the last oh 7 or so years, and we have had a LOT of fun over that span, although sometimes I wish I still hunted with the last partner, my current partner is part Mt. Goat his only instinct is friggin UP!!! But in all seriousness I wouldn't trade anything as far as the 2 mentors I have/had. I take great joy now in helping my current partner teach his 2 boys in the sport that we all love so much, and in a few more years my oldest will be starting his journey as well, and I know that my partner will have as much fun helping teach mine as I am in helping with his. It is so important these days to pass on our sport more than it ever has been, even if it's not family. We need to keep this sport going, so that it may never die. Sorry it went on so long but that's my story in a nutshell, there are of course MANY stories within that story, but who has the time to put it all down.


Toby

 

[MCgunner]

Maternal grandpa. Bought me my first Benjamin, still have it, don't work anymore. He gave me my first shotgun and my first deer rifle. My dad beat him to the .22. He and my uncle taught me to shoot. I pretty much am self taught for small game and waterfowl. He took me dove and deer hunting and he absolutely loved to fish.

 

[Art Eatman]

My first .22 shots were from my maternal grandpa's Monkey Ward rifle around age seven. Got my first Daisy Red Ryder from my mother that following Christmas, 1941.

But hunting, as such? I guess that was in me from the git-go. My folks had split up, and my grandfather never hunted much. He'd hand me the rifle and point to the back pasture and woods to get me out from under his feet. The training was, "Don't shoot a cow."

I didn't.

 

[inclinebench]

My dad didn't hunt, but every summer at 4-H camp I took the rifle and small arms class, and sat for and passed the hunter saftey certification they offered. Finally, when I was 10 years old a friend of the family, a former UDT guy took me hunting. That sealed the deal for me. I now have two sons, both too young to hunt, but I hope to get them out a little sooner than I went out. My four year old is determined to sit on the stand with me next deer season, right after he turns 5.

 

[PT1911]

throwing rocks at squirrels:banghead:, figured.. there must be a better way

 

[357sigRog]

Father and Grandfather

 

[AKElroy]

Maternal Grandfather; He bought a crossman pump when my dad bought me a daisy powerline so we could shoot together. He pointed out my first cottontail---Major "buck fever", I missed that rabbit 7 or 8 times (from 7 yrds!) & could not believe it just sat there while I reloaded & pumped 10 times for each shot. (with hindsight, I am sure I hit it; I learned later in life rabbits are prone to freeze). I was 9 then; When I turned 11, he passed down a stevens autoloader .22 that I shot the barrel out of over the next 20 years. To this day I bet his acreage in Fredericksburg, TX could be classified as a super-fund site for lead contamination. Most patient man I have ever known--I miss him.

 

[TIMC]

My dad introduced me to hunting when I was very young starting me out with .22's then a 410 for squirrels and quail. In 1969 I took my first deer with an M1 carbine while out hunting with my dad. Today 40 years later we still hunt together but it is becoming more I take him hunting than him taking me, I guess we have come full circle. I hope we have a few more hunts left before he passes on but at least I have 40 years worth of memories! We all should be that lucky.

 

[wankerjake]

My Dad taught me to shoot and then to hunt. We have had some great times doing both of those things. I started out with me pellet gun for quail and rabbits, and then squirrels with a .22 and quail with a shotgun. Big game hunting has always been the pinnacle for both of us I think. You just can't beat elk burgers grilled over oak coals, or fresh deer liver fried with onions and mashed potatoes. I sure am lucky to have had a dad who wanted to teach me about shooting and hunting, and I can wait to teach it to my kids.

 

[bad_aim_billy]

Grandpa, dad never hunted

 

[Water-Man]

My grandfather did about 55 years ago. Deer and rabbits.

 

[dagger dog]

My father. Serving in two theaters of combat in WWII Europe and the Pacific," had seen his share of killing"
in his words. But still had the fore thought to see that his son was versed in firearm use and saftey.

Having gained his confidence that his teaching were well heeded, allowed me to hone my natural instincts as a young hunter first with a .20 caliber air rifle then progress to a .22 caliber rimfire, and shotgun by my 13th birthday.

Being raised in the country was a plus, and in the early '60's there was plenty of small game in the form of rabbit, squirrel, quail dove, bullfrogs. Crows and groundhogs, were open game then which allowed me and the neighborhood gang to persue our quarry year round.

My father taught respect of the animal you were hunting, and the game laws , plus the land owner recieved as much, for letting you use his property in the legal pursuit of the game.

Lessons well learned from a man that gained a respect for life, in the hardest way.

Thanks Dad.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

My dad.