Your Hunting History/Resume

[Uncle Nicky]

Another slow day at the 9-5....this time, thought I would start a fun (hopefully) topic, rather than a controversial one.

 

Let's see your hunting history/resume. I'll start:

 

Grew up in SE PA, right outside Philadelphia. As a kid, this area was still mainly farms and woods, it's now 90% housing developments and industrial parks.

 

My father was a hard-core small game hunter, grew up in the area, and knew all the hotspots; he always hunted with a 12 gauge side-by-side with wide open chokes, and this is what I learned to shoot with also. I got my license when I was 12, and tagged along with him. When he didn't have a dog, I was the dog, LOL. I liked squirrel hunting the best. He was also a dedicated deer hunter, who did everything "wrong", but still managed to kill a buck every year, through pure persistence. There were few deer in this area at that time, so most deer hunting was in the Poconos in PA. I hunted probably 5 years before I killed a deer, a button buck in the old 3-day PA doe season. He didn't fish much, but I had a few buddys growing up that liked to fish, so I also fished (and mostly drank beer) with them. We mostly just caught a buzz, LOL.

 

After high school, went off to college, and went right to work....didn't really have a lot of time for hunting, but got away once in a while for deer hunting in the mountains...but, wasn't very dedicated...mostly shot spikers & 4-pointers. Still managed to fish pretty often, mostly ocean fishing charters. Since I went to school for food-service, I had some knowledge of meat cutting & butchering, and somehow wound up working as a butcher in a supermarket. I started a deer-processing business around 1985, and had even less time to hunt.

 

Eventually, I got married, had kids, and went back to school. Once I was done college for the second time, I got an office job, and had a little more free time for family and "fun" (fishing & hunting). I gave up the deer processing business, and got back into hunting, this time with a serious passion; I also decided to teach myself how to bow hunt, along with trying to get both kids involved. I managed to find some decent spots locally, and bought a hunting camp in Allegany County, NY; the place was loaded with turkeys, so I decided I was going to teach myself how to turkey hunt also. The last 20 years has been pretty much a non-stop hunting & fishing trip, I either fish or hunt just about every chance I can find, as well as run a tax-preparation business to pay for all of this. I've hunted all over the U.S. and eastern Canada, and been on a number of fly-in fishing trips to Canada. Both of my kids have gone hunting, neither goes now, but they still like to target shoot at the range & skeet shoot, and the youngest fishes with me. I've also been blessed with a wife that understands my obsession, even though I complain about her (all in fun).

 

No goals or "bucket list" left now, I've got a house full of trophies & made a bunch of friends all over the U.S. & Canada. I've lost a lot of the "killer" instinct I used to have, a lot of it now is about the friendship, socializing, etc. that goes with all of this. But, I usually have a freezer full of something from the woods, lake, or ocean. I've "guided" a lot of friends in my network to deer when they weren't having much luck, and called in a few turkeys for new guys. All in all, a great ride, with no immediate end in sight.

 

 

[Arrow Flinger]

OK... heres mine. Not exactly a writer but here goes

 

 

I grew up in Central NY. As long as I can remember, I've been hooked on Archery and especially Bowhunting Whitetails.I started shooting Bow when I was about 8 years old. I ended up shooting in the Empire State Games and also the Jr. Olympics. I started tagging along with my father during bow season before I was old enough to hunt and was instantly hooked! I became a Whitetail hunting info sponge. I read and watched anything I could get my hands on about deer and hunting them. In high school, I was the only kid that brought hunting magazines to school to read during study hall and to this day I still read up on hunting( reading the book by Bill Vale as we speak). I would say my love for bowhunting Whitetails is an obsession, I think about it every day. The only time I stay out of the woods is during the summer but that's when I'm shooting my bow the most.

 

I shot my first buck with a bow the 2nd day I ever went hunting when I was 14, a 6 point. I shot my first trophy buck in 1995 at age 22 and have since been lucky enough to shoot a few more. I've also messed up on my fair share! They have a way of doing that to you. I still live to bowhunt whitetails but I now get a lot of enjoyment out of helping others I know get a deer, especially my son who just started bowhunting a few years ago. I also get a lot of enjoyment getting it done on public land, even though some of the others you run into can be frustrating at times! I hope to have a lot more years of bowhunting left in me and will enjoy it till the day I die. I already cant wait till Oct 1

[Pygmy]

I grew up in rural Southern Steuben County, near the PA border on 187 acres owned by my folks.

 

I started "hunting" with my Daisy BB gun in the 1950s, terrorizing the local  songbirds, pigeons, chipmunks, frogs and anything else that was small enough to kill with a spring powered BB gun.

 

In the early 1960s, I graduated to a single shot .22, and then a single shot 16 gauge shotgun. 

 

I raised and sold a steer in 1963. Sold the critter for $123  and used $85 to buy my first repeating shotgun, a Remington  16 gauge 11-48.  I hunted all kinds of small game and gamebirds with it, grouse, woodcock, rabbits ,squirrels, pheasants, ducks, crows and barn pigeons.

 

In the early 60s turkeys became legal game..I killed my first turkey in the fall of 1965 on my first fall hunt..I wouldn't kill another one for 10 years.

 

I shot my first buck, a 3 point, in 1966.   In 1970, I was about to be drafted into  the Army. Since I did not relish the idea of slogging through rice paddies while being shot at by little guys in black pajamas, I  enlisted in the USNR . for 6 years. I served two years active duty  1971-1973  on a destroyer, The USS Moale( DD-693) home ported first in Brooklyn, then later at Ft. Schuyler, Bronx.

 

I was married while in the Navy, and after release from active duty  my wife and I moved into a house on her father's property. He was a dairy  farmer and owned 1000 acres, which was part of a hunting co-op that included about 3000 acres. About this time I also started hunting PA every year, since the border was only a 15 minute drive away.

 

In 1975 I killed my first spring gobbler and spring turkey hunting became my passion. Since then I have hunted them in Georgia, Virginia, Kentucky, PA, NY, Maine  and Ontario Canada. I still hunt every year in NY, PA and Ontario.

 

In 1989,  at age 39, I went on my first BIG out of state hunt, a float trip in Alaska for moose and caribou. Since then I have returned to Alaska 6 more times and have also hunted in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Northwest Territories Canada, Quebec, and New Brunswick. I've taken caribou, moose, mule deer, elk and antelope. Except for some of the Canadian hunts where a guide/outfitter was required by law, most of my hunts have been unguided/DIY.  I have been very fortunate to spend time in some wild and beautiful places.

 

Since a change of marital status, I now live in town for the first time in my life. I was lucky enough to hook up with The Mermaid, a local girl who just happens to own 100 acres of prime hunting land about a five minute drive from my house. Since I have lived in the area my life, I have lots of friends who allow me to hunt thier properties also.

 

Fishing ?? That's a whole nother story and I'm tired of typing...It would just suffice to say that I love to fish as much as I  love to hunt, and  fishing opportunites abound here near the Finger Lakes.. I fish for bass, walleyes, panfish, trout, northern pike  and most anything else that swims.

 

Gainful employment ?  Worked several years as a grocery clerk at several A&P stores and about a year as a laborer in a pallet factory.. In 1974 I went to work as a lab technician for Corning Glass Works and retired after 30 years with the title of engineering technician.

 

 

 

 

[UpstateNomad90]

Well to start my story, My hunting family (Dad, Uncles, Cousins & Close Family Friends) all thought I would be the one to not be interested in hunting because I never really showed interest in it as a kid. From 6th grade to 11th grade in High school I was playing basketball and didn't have the time for both hobbies until my mid teens. When I was 12 I started getting into wanting to hunt, took my hunter safety course and bow course, I told my dad if I am going to bow hunt I wanted to use a recurve. I ended up getting one for Christmas when I was 13 and used the bow to hunt for a couple seasons until I was mid draw while hunting and the string snapped, I said I would never bow hunt again. At 15 I started hunting on the weekends here and there never really had time because of basketball. Saw a couple deer here and there but I didn't take it serious until 16. I was out to Forestport, NY hunting at camp and I have always like this ridge so I went and sat on the back side and my dad went to the corner of a swamp about 500 yards away, I sat maybe 15 minutes when all of a sudden down walked a small forkhorn. Since it was buck only I took too long to confirm it was a buck and spooked it out of there. Slightly discouraged my Dad kept me going for the season and we decided we would go out for 3 hours before practice when southern zone opened up, again I went to this area I liked and he went to the top of a hill. Within 15 minutes 3 deer walked out and I had a doe tag, I saw this one deer cut to the left giving me a broadside shot at what I thought was 80 yards, I pulled up scoped what I thought was a decent doe, 6mm right through the heart at 137 yards the deer flopped over and I waited for about 20 minutes for my Dad to come down. We walked out and saw it was a small button buck, But to me, my first deer was the biggest in the county. Ever since then I have been buying guns of all calibers, I have given up on hunting southern zone (Maybe will hunt 2 weekends here or there) because I don't like seeing so many hunters. Senior year (2008) I quit the basketball team because I had an opinion that the coach and I didn't see eye to eye on and decided hunting and fishing were the sports I loved to do more. It took me three more years of hunting in Northern Zone before I ever had a chance to try and shoot another deer. Hunting and fishing soon took over my life to a point I made set schedules with colleges and my job at the time so I would always have time each week to participate in either one or the other. This worked out perfectly for my first two years at community college but when I went away to finish my degree I ran into time lost for each sport. My last year at the college I ended up living in a townhouse with a guy who was become one of my closest friends. We were both big into hunting and pushed each other to keep going farther in the sports. He even got me back into Traditional Archery which is something I truly enjoy shooting. About 2 weeks before spring break we planned to go on a traditional archery hog hunt in Florida, so we told our parents they laughed and said yea right. We packed the SUV and off we went, neither of us connected with a hog but we had the time of our lives trying to catch a fish in every state and even giving bow fishing a whirl in FL. This past season I have spent the most time ever in the woods scouting in the preseason and hunting my tail off (Ended up with a decent doe in Early Muzzleloader).This season really made me realize the love of the outdoors and the commitment I have decided to take. If it wasn't for my family that kept the door open for me to enter the outdoor world, I don't know if I would of ever joined back. So far I have taken 3 deer (2 does (Muzzleloader) and a button (Rifle)), And I was working an area where I knew there was a buck this season, but my dad decided he would end his cold spell of lets just say double digit years and stole my target from me!  I must say the day he got that deer, It was more exciting then when I got first deer. Finally my Dad was able to hunt without worrying where his little boy(s) are wandering around the woods and it felt good knowing his gun still works ha 

 

[bubba]

born, raised and reside in Northern New York. Hunt the daks and St Lawrence river valley farm lands. I grew up in a very strong hunting family.  Both parents Aunts uncles cousins and my siblings all either hunt or have hunted.   I live about 10 minutes from a state wildlife area where they release pheasants every year.  I enjoy a good pheasant hunt more than a deer hunt.  A good dog a good friend and a good meal after.  I have been an instructor for the sportsman's education program for over 25 years.  I like to think that the number of people I have help launch into hunting means more than my personal accomplishments as a hunter.  Giving back means more to me than taking away. 

Edited December 31, 2013 by bubba

[Uncle Nicky]

Anybody else???

[Bowtoons]

I started shooting bow when I was very young. I remember shooting in a Saturday morning kids league with a recurve. My Father and older Brother (arrow flinger) both were heavily into archery and bow hunting whitetails, so I wanted to be like them. I used to tag along with them into the woods before I was old enough to legally hunt. I remember many times, freezing my ass off sitting on a limb in a tree with the ol' man. Just watching him shoot deer had me hooked. I couldn't wait to do it myself. When I finally turned 14 I had shot my first deer with a bow ( half rack 8 pt). I hunted a lot for a couple years and then I found girls and hanging with my friends more interesting . At the age of 25 I found out I was going to be a Father. That slowed me down and totally changed my lifestyle for the better (Thank God!). This is when I started getting really hardcore into chasing whitetail again with my Father and Brother. In the past 12 years I feel that I've been pretty accomplished, I've killed some really good bucks with archery tackle ( really not much into gun hunting), introduced archery to my daughter ( which she loves), I prostaff for a great co.( Hudalla Associates) and recently just made the shooting staff for Bear Archery. I hope to enjoy many more years of it and can't wait until the day my Daughter get's her first kill with bow.

 

[Lawdwaz]

Can I get a ghost writer, please?

 

As a young boy I remember my father going duck hunting in the Alabama Swamps.  On the odd occasion he'd bring some ducks home it would just freak me right out, I thought they were so cool!  He also hunted pheasant and deer but the deer were a rare sight for him in the mid 60's.

 

Another fond memory was going to my grandmothers house and messing with an old longbow that my uncle owned.  I was maybe 7 or 8 years old, shooting arrows up in the air then running like hell to hide!  I got my first bow for xmas in the late 60's.  A lemon wood longbow that broke in half the first time I drew it back........SOB did the tears flow.  Shortly after that I got a Bear recurve.  I had a ball with that.

 

In 1970 my father bought 10 acres of land in Canadice.  The following year he had a modular home built and the die was cast.............we spent just about every weekend there until 1983 when, due to a divorce he decided it was time for a change in his life.  Those 13 years on Lawrence Hill Rd were filled with all kinds of good time.  From fishing every small pond, stream, creek or ditch for miles to spending time on Honeoye, Hemlock and of course Canadice.  My buddy Steve & I had a boat stashed on the east and west side of Canadice for our uses.  The best one was a 16' Lyman that his dad helped us set up.  How about two sets of oar locks?  We could darn near get 'er up on plane    That boat was great until it was lost in a storm........

 

I got my Jr Archery license in 1975, the first year it was made available.  I killed my first deer at 17, a button buck which was fitting!  Killed my first racked buck a year or two later. a fine little 6 point.  I also was doing some killing with the shotgun then too. 

 

I started hunting Pennsylvania in 1981.  I've only missed one year there since then.  It was in the late 80's and I don't remember why but I'd like to think it was work that caused that....In the 30+ years hunting there I'd guess I've killed 20 or more bucks with the rifle and one with the bow.  I only bow hunted  there 6 or 7 years though.  Killed a few doe with the bow and a couple with the flintlock in PA that are very memorable.  Most of my buck/rifle season hunts there were only a day and a half at the most.  I've hunted Tioga primarily for deer with some flintlocking in McKean County.

 

Killed some spring gobblers in PA also.  Fond, fond memories of the ride down before opening day and the first few days of the season.  I probably did that hunt from about '81 until the mid 2000's.  I kind of lost a little interest........

 

I went on my first out of state hunt in 1982.  Texas deer and turkey hunting, via a motor home and a tag along p/u.  We had a blast!!  The deer I killed there still hangs in my house and the pictures tell the story.  We all killed a doe or two and turkey also.  Then there were the jack rabbits with the spotlights and CF rifles!!!  All killed from the back of a Jeep.......sometimes moving.  All with the blessings of the rancher

 

From there it was Wyoming in 1985 for deer & antelope, 1989 for caribou, multiple trips in the 90's to Colorado for elk, antelope and deer, Saskatchewan for spring bear, Alaska for spring bear and Wyoming for antelope.  The 2000's had me heading to Colorado for a mule deer hunt, an elk hunt and a couple trips to Alabama for January deer hunts. 

 

Of all those hunts; only the caribou, both bear hunts and a Colorado rifle elk hunt were guided.  The Alabama hunts were kind of guided too I guess, they just pointed us in a direction and said have fun...........

 

The self guided trips were always more fun, hands down.  Lots of unfilled tags but always a good time!!

 

Here in NYS I am blessed to have more than my fair share of land to hunt from a family member and a couple very close friends.  At one point close to 2,000 acres but that is shrinking a bit as time marches on.

 

Plenty of deer, turkey and all sorts of small game has fallen to my weapon of choice over the years.

 

I've filled deer tags here in New York with the rifle, shotgun, muzzle loader (flintlock, smokeless and original in-line) bow (recurve, longbow and compound) and even a couple with a pistol.

 

Over all these years, dad has still hunted but nowhere near as much as me.  He sparked the fire and I  have burnt out of control since!  He went to PA on many dove hunts with me and we hunted antelope in Wyoming also.  His still gun hunts for deer but is loosing a little interest.

 

Here is a buck from a few years ago he shot.  (actually he wiped out the entire family that day; he killed a doe and a fawn and the buck all on the same drive, hence the big smile!!)

 

 

That about does it for me for now.  Thanks for the time..........