What started you hunting?

[moog5050]

My family loves to joke about it with me.  Long story short.  Not a tradition in my family and I never really planned to become a hunter.  Only have two cousins that are very casual hunters since they grew up in a more rural area.  I also had a great uncle that hunted the ADKs but I was too young to really know much about it.

6 years ago, I had booked a charter to take my son and a friend fishing.  1/2 way there driving, I get a call from the captain apologizing profusely because he double booked and we were out.  So, trying to ease my son's disappointment, I suggest we buy a pellet gun and do some target shooting.  We both had fun.  Being obsessive, it quickly turned into high end PSP air rifles and then powder burners.  Then it came to me, if I am going to target shoot, why not hunt.  My cousins always gave me venison when they got one because neither was a big fan of the meat.  I loved it.  So, by mid-summer, I took my safety course and got my license.  BUT, if I am going to hunt, might as well try bow, since it gives me a longer season and better chance.  Took the bow course and bought a bow early September and was reasonably good by opener and off I went to hunt.  My cousin offered his property.  Sitting in a spot that looked good.  Why, I have no idea.  The first morning as sun was rising after heading into the dark woods all alone (which was a bit disconcerting), I see something moving.  It took my eyes a while to adjust and as it got lighter, it was a small deer (at the time, I wasn't even sure if it was a small doe or a fawn) about 20yds away.  Looked pretty small and first encounter in my first hour, I decided not to shoot.  My cousin later said, does are small you should have shot.  I can say for certain now it was a fawn.  That first season was a blast (two with the bow and one with a shotgun) and phade was kind enough to take me under his wing after I asked him a few questions on here - even suggested the spot where I took my first big ole mama doe.

Now, 5 seasons and 25 deer under my belt, it remains my favorite time of the year and hobby.  I love getting to the stand before sun up and watching the woods come to life.  It is so peaceful.  Me, Phade and our friend David hunt together 99% of the time and we have fun - ups and downs, but always a blast. I am now obsessed with shooting the stick bow daily.  Love the challenge.  I don't even shoot the guns that got me started much.  All the time spent scouting, prepping, analyzing, setting stands, etc.  My wife now jokingly kisses me goodbye on Oct. 1 and says I will see you in late December.  Pretty funny, 7 years ago, I never even thought about it.  Fall was football season, that's it.  How things change.

Most of you probably grew up hunting.  I guess I would aptly be called a very late starter.  lol  And, a cancelled charter got it started.  I should thank that captain.  Not sure what I would do with all that free time if I didn't hunt now.  I think my daughter will carry on this new found tradition too!  Knowing how obsessive I can be when I get the urge to do something, I recall my cousin saying that first season, yep you will be chasing big game in Africa in no time.  I hope he was right.  The clock is ticking.  I sure wish I started sooner, but am also sure glad I started at all.  I figure I still have a good 30 years plus to enjoy if I am fortunate.

Just a little personal reflection.

 

[BizCT]

Nice read!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Pygmy]

Moog...You'll probably be the next Jim Shockey  ..<<grin>>...

I grew up with hunting...My parents were children of the Great Depression, and  just about everyone I knew hunted  and fished..

I lived far enough from town that it was too far to walk and play team sports, so I just spent my time in the woods and the streams..

By age ten I was getting pretty good at hunting big game ( chipmunks)  with my Daisy air rifle...By the time I was 12 my Dad was letting me roam the family farm with a .22  hunting rabbits, woodchucks and squirrels...

Eventually, I  was able to hunt some pretty far away and exotic places...I have hunted the North American continent from Texas, New Mexico and Colorado to Alaska, including 5 Canadian provinces and the east coast from Maine to Georgia...

I have spent quite a bit of time in some wild and wonderful places, and never regretted a bit of it..

Now that I am retired am my income is limited, I hunt mostly around home, but that is not too bad either..I still enjoy hunting deer, turkeys, small game and waterfowl, and  the area I live in is pretty good for that...I can drive about five minutes in any direction and be in some pretty good hunting territory..

[moog5050]

4 minutes ago, Pygmy said:

 

Eventually, I  was able to hunt some pretty far away and exotic places...I have hunted the North American continent from Texas, New Mexico and Colorado to Alaska, including 5 Canadian provinces and the east coast from Maine to Georgia...

I have spent quite a bit of time in some wild and wonderful places, and never regretted a bit of it..

YOU TOOK IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL DAN!  I would really like just one BIG BROWN BEAR with the recurve.  Do you mind standing behind me with a big ole gun when I piss him off?

 

[Pygmy]

You pay my way and I'll be right beside you with my 9.3x62 and a 286 grain Nosler partition....

No way would I let some big hairy volkswagon  chew on my Bestus Big Buddy Moog..

[philoshop]

My Grandma put a gun in my hand and told me to bring home some pigeons for dinner. She also said, "Don't shoot your Grandpa on the tractor". I was ok on both counts.

[moog5050]

23 minutes ago, Pygmy said:

You pay my way and I'll be right beside you with my 9.3x62 and a 286 grain Nosler partition....

No way would I let some big hairy volkswagon  chew on my Bestus Big Buddy Moog..

You're on.  You just have to promise that you run slower than me.  You know the old saying ....

was at bass pro yesterday and there was a P&Y brown bear mounted.  My wife looked at it and me and said "that's what you really want isn't it."   I responded with an unequivocal "Yep."  Lol

Edited July 6, 2017 by moog5050

[Pygmy]

Philo...Everytime I eat pigeons I wonder why I don't hunt them more often....Excellent...You just have to be sure you cook the older ones long enough to tenderize them..

[growalot]

Grew up with it...married into it...just a part of life.

[philoshop]

In Europe they call them squab. They're pigeons, roof rats, whatever. I thought when I was younger that my grandfather had a barn just to attract pigeons as targets and game. We ate a lot of them. The chickens, pigs, and cows had to be nurtured and grown, but the pigeons and squirrels were available year 'round.

Shooting pigeons around a barn is also some of the most fun I've ever had with my pants on. Bring lots of ammo.

[Swamp_bucks]

Dad and a cousin, just grew up in it helping drag deer out to wrapping them up.  Started young and now ive started my 6 month old son on it. 

[grampy]

I grew up in a rural area. My six brothers and sisters were raised by a single mom. Needless to say we didn't have much money, but were wealthy in so many other ways. I was always in the woods, as that was my escape. And started bringing home rabbits and squirrels, at around eight or nine years old to put some extra meat in the pot. And I  have no problem telling anyone, that I shot my first deer at 14 with an old single shot 16 ga, that I bought from the farmer I worked for. That deer shot in the early fall, put a lot of meals on our table, that we were so thankful for! That farmer and a couple of his buddies took me, a fatherless kid under their wing, and showed me the ropes of deer hunting. One of them had a son killed in Vietnam and another around my age. That one became my lifelong friend and hunting partner. When his father passed he struggled to keep the farm. That is where we became partners on the farm too. In almost 50 years, we have never had harsh words with each other. We are much closer than we are with our own siblings. Now, we have shared the joy of seeing his two girls get their own deer! One of whom is my god daughter. Next up is my grandson Zac!

[Zag]

As the Hank Williams Jr song goes, it's a family tradition for me. 

[Nomad]

Growing up in Webster when I did, it's what you did . Our fathers all hunted and deer hung from  trees when you did your morning paper route. My bus driver passed out pheasant feathers to us  .

Was a casual gun hunter till I worked in the factory where everyone hunted and getting OD off was a battle or sick day... But they did not like that much ,finally management gave up and wee all got it off.

Today most of my stand time is in bow season , which oddly started the year I got married 1,988 . Could not take a honeymoon as  I used up my vacation time canoeing the Yukon River  , but each day with me is a honeymoon !!

see fellas there's a lesson there, she did not complain I used up my vacation time canoeing , two months prior to the wedding , that's a good fulltime night woman right there .

[Paula]

1 hour ago, moog5050 said:

You're on.  You just have to promise that you run slower than me.  You know the old saying ....

was at bass pro yesterday and there was a P&Y brown bear mounted.  My wife looked at it and me and said "that's what you really want isn't it."   I responded with an unequivocal "Yep."  Lol

He has short legs so I am sure he will be slow   Haha

[moog5050]

4 minutes ago, Paula said:

He has short legs so I am sure he will be slow   Haha

Not sure Paula, Dan seemed pretty quick when I met him. 

[BizCT]

You're on.  You just have to promise that you run slower than me.  You know the old saying ....
was at bass pro yesterday and there was a P&Y brown bear mounted.  My wife looked at it and me and said "that's what you really want isn't it."   I responded with an unequivocal "Yep."  Lol

In all seriousness, I know a guy who just started getting grizzly tags in B.C. He only charges like $10K for the hunt right now. In a few years, he'll be 15-20K like everyone else. If u are interested let me know. I'd love to go, just can't pull the trigger to spend that kind of money for a week to get a bear.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[moog5050]

3 minutes ago, Biz-R-OWorld said:

 

In all seriousness, I know a guy who just started getting grizzly tags in B.C. He only charges like $10K for the hunt right now. In a few years, he'll be 15-20K like everyone else. If u are interested let me know. I'd love to go, just can't pull the trigger to spend that kind of money for a week to get a bear.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Yes you can.  Let's do it Biz!

[BizCT]

Yes you can.  Let's do it Biz!

My dad almost did it. Instead of $10K he got the guy down to $5K with the other $5K only if he got one. But he didn't want to go alone and I didn't want to take 8-10 days off to watch him hunt.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Paula]

I didn't grow up with hunters in the family but my parents had to hunt to help feed the big family's. My father grew up in the Adirondacks, said as much as he hated it he was good at it. My mother grew up on a farm in Varysburg, she hunted because it was a house rule that everyone had to contribute to the house. My husband got me going but after two years I was on my own. 

I don't do well on my own but I sure love it 

[Pygmy]

7 minutes ago, moog5050 said:

Not sure Paula, Dan seemed pretty quick when I met him. 

Appearences can be deceiving, Moog....Last time I tried to run it was after a crippled goose..After about ten steps I stopped, held my ground and SHOT the silly bastid....

As far as bears and such go, I'd have to do the same thing..

Actually, it's a moot point, because in order to hunt grizzlies or brown bears in Alaska ( as well as in Canada) a nonresident has to hire a licensed guide, who will save your bacon should things get dicey..

The first time I hunted in Alaska, I walked into the airport terminal in Anchorage, and the first thing I saw was an enormous mounted brown bear..

I immediately realized that I was no longer on the top of the food chain..

While hunting Alaska, you take your rifle ( or heavy handgun) everywhere you go...If you go fishing, you take it....If you go out behind the tent to answer the call of nature, you take it...If  you go down to the creek to get some water, you take it...

[dbHunterNY]

as a very young kid my dad's side hunted along with my dad.  since a very young age we always had a farm.  opening day i'd come home from school excited to hear the good news that dad had got something (deer).  that's all he really hunted.  i helped and watched deer get processed and went on recoveries.  then went with my dad to shit with him while he hunted.  he got me and my brother our first real guns (me a 20ga mossberg).  by 16 he basically said i knew what i was doing, gave me a radio, made me leave it on, left me in his best spot, and sat just up over the hill.  i had a 2.5 yr old 6 point with 2 on one side and 4 on the other come in with some doe.  i took it with no issue using the same winchester 94 30-30 he took his first deer with.  radio'd back and forth.  he came over and was pumped to say the least.  he'd enter me into family buck pools joking around about my reserve and how the other might be in trouble.  his good friend started hunting big game throughout north america and i'd be giddy to visit and see what else he'd gotten mounted in his great room.  uncles bow hunted and i always had a seed planted there in the back of my mind.  everything basically snowballed into hunting everything and anything, especially being on an immediate family owned farm.  time and other life stuff has me scaling back my actual hunting.  i've been to other states to hunt deer but nothing else.  i'm young enough with a relatively new family of my own it'd be a little while before i hunt other big game but definitely pursuing more.  wife is pretty excepting of my pass times and hopefully she continues to be.

[Pygmy]

13 minutes ago, Biz-R-OWorld said:

 

My dad almost did it. Instead of $10K he got the guy down to $5K with the other $5K only if he got one. But he didn't want to go alone and I didn't want to take 8-10 days off to watch him hunt.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

If they are mountain grizzlies, they will be much smaller than  coastal grizz/browns....500 pounds would be a good one...

Coastal black bears can easily reach that size, and coastal browns can be double that size or more..

 

[dbHunterNY]

@moog5050 probably 20 years ago at least my dad's buddy went to alaska and took a "10 3/4 foot square" brown bear. he got it full body mounted on a giant rock to put in his great room.  all said and done back then it was $25k and removal of a dinning table. go for it!  i'd have it mounted so his lower jaw and teeth can hold the bow you took him with.

[Dinsdale]

2 hours ago, moog5050 said:

 

Most of you probably grew up hunting.  I guess I would aptly be called a very late starter.  

Nice story....

This topic has come up a few times here over the years. You'd be surprised how many late/self starters are on here. (I came from a anti gun/non hunting family and started on my own in my mid 20's)