Who taught you to hunt?

[Couestracker]

This is a great thread!

 

Lancetkenyon, you sir are a very lucky man to have shared and learned so much with your Dad. I have to admit I shed some tears when you mentioned your Christmas present to your parents. Awesome family you have! Thank you for sharing your story!

Of course it made me think of my Father and how I wished I had even a few of the opportunities that you had had.

 

So I got into hunting by being taken at a young age by my Father, Grandfather and Uncle when they went deer hunting in the Chiricahuas. We lived in Tucson back then, I still don't know why they wanted to hunt there when they had ample opportunities in the surrounding mountains.

But man, what an adventure it was getting there back then, I'm guessing it was 1964. I recall riding with my Uncle Rob in his 48 Buick Roadmaster with a fluid drive transmission. I liked that car, looked like a upside-down bathtub with wheels. I was impressed that the hood would swing open from either side or from the front like all other cars.

Anyway, I don't remember what my Dad drove up there, no one had trucks back then I know. I recall getting there at night and taking some terrible "roads" through the woods-we had to get out often to stack rocks in the washed out areas so the cars could get through.

 

I was too young to hunt deer (well that's what I thought for years until I learned otherwise. Now I know I could have, because I was about 12, just don't know why they didn't let me) so I went out squirrel hunting with my Grandfather's .22 automatic rifle - don't remember the brand-but I remember I could shoot it well. So well, I came back into camp carrying almost more squirrels than I could carry and thinking how awesome it was going to be when they saw how successful I had been. Holy cow, my Grandfather came unglued and ripped me a new one. He was mad because I killed way too many and so he made me clean every one of those squirrels and I ate squirrel until I got almost sick. Learned some ethics and conservation ideals over that.

 

Next day I went out hunting again (no squirrels!) for whatever, when I saw this rather large bird. Of course I shot it, thinking it might be good to bring back and eat. Man my Grandfather about had a cow when he saw that bird-turned out to be a blue grouse-yelling at me about how it's a protected species, it's not even grouse season and you need a special license and bird stamp, etc. I got in trouble over that one. He made me clean it, we burned the feathers and all of the remnants. Afterwords we cooked it over the fire-it was pretty good! Anyway, learned another important lesson that day.

 

So as the years passed, they all quit hunting after a few trips, I would hunt quail, dove and rabbits with my best friend Rick after school and the weekends. We'd shoot the birds' heads off with our .22's and cook the birds over a fire in the desert. We took salt and pepper out with us. Only killed what we wanted to eat at the time. Never occurred to us to shoot a bunch and bring home the dinner.

 

I would go and spend weekends at my Grandparents place often. I was the only one of us 6 kids that wanted to. I loved my Grandmothers cooking, she'd cut corn off the cob and cook it in butter-yummy! And biscuits, cookies, pies-what were my siblings thinking. I loved watermelon, so my Grandmother would stop at the roadside fruit stand and pick one up. I would eat the whole thing before I went home. My Grandfather and I would play cribbage for hours.

 

I remember my Grandfather called me (my parents most likely) I think I was about 16, and asked if I wanted to go deer hunting with him to the Chiricahuas. Man was I excited! It never occurred to me then that I could have gotten a tag too and tried my hand at it, I was just so thrilled with the idea of getting to go with him on a hunt. He had a 67ish Dodge dart, 6 cyl 3-on-the tree. Man that clutch got to stinking going up the mountain. He darned near got his door handle knocked off in a turn by a vehicle going down the mountain. I never seen him so mad-except maybe the grouse incident, lol.

 

Seemed like forever, but we finally got to Onion Saddle and we got out of the car. I'll never forget how anxious I was for this hunt, a chance to help him on a hunt as an "adult"- well, grown up more anyways. So he walks around a few minutes, didn't even go for a hike looking for sign or anything, and says "Nope, nope, not any good, let's go home". I was shocked and confused and didnt understand, but man was I ever heartbroken! To this day I don't know why he did that. That was the last time I ever got out anywhere with him. A couple of years later, I graduated from High School and soon joined the Navy. His health took a bad turn and he passed away that next year.

 

Several years ago, I traded a shovel full of dirt from his grave with some from Onion Saddle. On one of my hunts in unit 29, I took that dirt and spread it out in Onion Saddle and I carved his initials in a juniper tree. I go up there every hunt and cleanup the area and have a beer or two.

 

Anyway, I loved to hunt, but didn't until I moved to Phoenix after getting out of the Navy and got a job at Airesearch Manufacturing Co. in 1978. I soon got married and made friends with Mike, who worked at Honeywell with my wife. We began deer hunting every year together. More like camping with guns! I now know we didn't have a clue about it, but we still had a lot of fun. We kinda got out of the hunting thing for a bunch of years and life changes.

 

But I still had the bug. I had friends at work that would go elk hunting together. Man, I never even thought of going elk hunting before, but when I heard them talking about it, my bug got to itching bad. I worked on my friends for a couple of years to let me go with them. Finally they said ok, but you have to go take the Game and Fish hunting safety course first. I signed up for the week-long evening course in 1999. That's when I made friends with Jorge, now one of my best friends and constant hunting partner, but that's another story.

 

So I passed the course and me and my 3 friends put in for a late bull hunt for unit 1 in the next year, 2000. And we got drawn! That hunt was the most awesome of my life (up to then), I shot my first elk, a 5x5, out of a running herd on opening morning in 9 degree weather, in knee deep snow! I'll never forget that sight, it was like a movie, the elk were running up a ridge in front of us, about 80 yards away, mostly single file, steam blowing from their noses-it seemed like 2 feet in front of them-I watch.all this through my Leupold scope on my Browning .308 BAR. I waited until my friend Bob shot, then I looked for a bull to go by, I saw a nice one, so I fired and my 5 by 5 fell out of the group. I got my first ever elk!

 

I was hooked for sure after that, and have been hunting like crazy ever since.

 

I didn't mean to write my life story, I might have gone overboard a little. ☺ Thanks for reading though! Happy hunting everyone and Happy Holidays to all.

[corkin it]

My dad was the first person to introduce me to hunting. Had some great times with him. Still makes it out for a duck hunt every year. I can remember what an incredible shot he was. Dropping dove like nobodies business.

 

I had a family friend when I was 14 introduce me to bowhunting. Its one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I still hunt with a recurve. That first hunt was for javelina. We walked up from the base of redington pass . The sky was overcast and the streams were actually running. The smells and the freedom of being out with the chance at slinging an arrow was incredible. To this day javelina are my favorite animal to bowhunt....even over elk. Its those early experiences that keep me there.

 

Really great memories and I cant thank them enough for giving me those opportunities. I hope my son will feel the same way one day.

[bgshooter]

I'm the first in my family to even think about hunting and eating meat that's not beef, chicken, pork or fish.

 

I learned how to hunt by reading on the internet. I'm still learning. I've only hunted dove and squirrel. I'm trying to involve my kids as much as possible. I've still got a lot to learn and I appreciate everyone on this site for their knowledge and willing to share with people like me.

 

For 2015, I plan on having 3 camping trips with my family...a rabbit camp in March, a fishing camp in May and a squirrel camp in October. I hope to do this every year and have my kids grow up loving to hunt (they already love to camp). My wife will just be there for moral support . Of course, I'll be out dove hunting in Sept and Nov/Dec.

 

I hope to add big game hunting as the years go by and I gain more gear and knowledge.

 

Thanks again to everyone here!!! Merry Christmas to you all. God Bless...

[Tres]

My dad, my cousin, books and experience taught me how to hunt.

[POB]

My dad and Jack O'Conner (by way of Out Door Life magazine). My Dad loved to hunt birds, mostly dove because he could sit in a folding chair and drink beer and send us kids out to retrieve his kills. He was a pretty good shoot with that old model 12 win. 20 ga. He liked to get up high and glass for deer way back in the 60's. I thought it was because he was rather heavy, I believed in the "bust 'em and blast 'em" method. After I finished high school I went in the navy for 4 years, when I got back the state had switched to the current permit draw system, before that you bought a tag and went hunting. I killed a small mulie in 27 that first year back but then kids and the economy caused me to miss more hunts than I went on. After Reagan, things picked up for me and I was able to start hunting on a more steady basis and learned what my dad knew so many years ago about sitting and glassing. He's been gone for many years now and I'm trying to teach my grandsons what little I've learned. Hopefully they will love it as much as I have.

[Hoss50]

I will expound on my original post.

 

My grandmother became a single mom after running from an abusive relationship. She left Iowa and moved to AZ when my dad was about 5 years old. He never had a father figure really and didn't get taught much about outdoors early in life. He did finally get to try dove hunting with a neighbor sometime when he was probably a teenager. He enjoyed it and him and some local neighborhood kids started dove hunting and then deer hunting later on. I remember from a very young age going out to deer camp with my dad and his buddies and there families. I stayed in camp with the ladies and kids until I was old enough to hunt. His friends, him included were not skilled hunters but mostly when's hunting to go camping and drinking. They hunted but none of them are what I would consider dedicated hunters so I really didn't learn much hunting from them.

 

By the time I was old enough to hunt my dad had stopped hunting with that group of guys and it was just him and me, and sometimes some of my friends that he would let me bring out. I don't consider my father a good hunter, but I do credit him for getting me started, and really getting my best buddy who is still my #1 hunting buddy started. My dad has never had many successful hunts, and neither have I, but I am learning and still enjoy it. I have never killed a large game animal on my own yet but hope to change that soon. My dad and I did tag team a cow elk as our only elk we have ever put down. I learned a lot from that hunt.

 

Our biggest consistent hunting trips were dove. I learned to hunt dove starting around the age of 10 with an old full choke 16 gauge single shot shotgun. The first time out the only shells we could find were high base heavy game loads. My first trip out I got the crap kicked out of me but I loved it. I got pretty good and patient learning with a single shot shotgun. I eventually was allowed to move to Mossberg pump with a modified choke and life was grand. We had many good hunting trips for dove. I still hunt the same water holes we hunted 15+ years ago and even though other spots might be better, those water holes are what I know and remember from him.

 

My dad was a big time gun enthusiast and I am as well. We never had a lot of money growing up but we saved out nickels and dimes (literally) to get the cash saved for that next gun item. We went shooting as much as we could afford and loved doing it. He taught me the fundamentals of shooting and marksmanship the best he knew how. I am still refining my novice skills trying to get better but he was the base of my knowledge on all things outdoors.

 

My dad is still alive but he has severe back issues and can't hunt and probably could shoot more than a 22lr without hurting himself. I wish he was still able to go afield with me but he cannot. Now my best buddy and I are going out as much as we can get drawn for and get time off work. My first son is almost 3 and he has already been on 2 javelina scouting trips with me and has loved it. I have another son due in March and I plan to do the same with him.

 

Being outdoors and learning to shoot are now frowned upon more than ever before, but that just makes me want to make sure I pass on as much as I can to my sons and anyone else who will go. I took a coworker out last year on his first deer hunt and he enjoyed it enough to put in on all my tags since, and make several gun investments since. He has also started putting in for turkey with his roommate which I chose not to hunt this year, but might start next year.

 

Learn everything you can from anyone willing to teach you, and learn more on your own and refine the knowledge someone was kind enough to pass on.

 

Harley

[jp0212]

Man, super surprised to see so many people that had to go out and learn it on their own. I started getting really interested in my teens. Finally, one year I went out and picked up a bow and got started. Haven't looked back since. I'm addicted. Still have a lot to learn but its coming along.

[Havasuhunter]

Me

[azruger]

My GRANDFATHER(BUDDY CULPEPPER) and uncle(DANNY CULPEPPER). Taught me everything about fishing and hunting. Grandpa taught me fishing and small game uncle taught me the ins and out of big game and glassing. Grandpa is gone now but his spirit of the outdoors lives on through me.

[Shannondale33]

My father

[naturebob]

My Dad. I had 4 sisters ,no Bro. and He took Me when ever we could go. In the summer we would hunt groundhogs as we were in Pennsylvania. Moved out here when I was 21 in 1977 ,and thats the only thing I missed was hunting with Dad. He will be 96 years old Sept. 19th. I have a plane ticket to go back. He is in good shape. Hope He can keep going.Bless this Great man............BOB!

[JakeUSMC]

My dad and grandfather gave me a good baseline and I took it from there. Grandfather taught me to shoot and the values of harvesting game. Pops taught me how to prepare, stay warm, field dress, track, and take care of the meat and fur. Everything else I learned through mistakes and being out in the wilderness. I taught myself how to Bowhunt......still have much to learn.

[metau]

A good friend of mine taught (used very loosely) how to hunt big game after I got out of the service and moved to Gunnison. He convinced me that I should elk hunt, and on the third day of my first hunt, he had to leave camp and head back to work for a few days. I asked what exactly I was supposed to do once I shot an elk. He asked in reply if I had ever cleaned a fish before. I nodded in affirmation, to which he said "gutting an elk is just like gutting a fish, only bigger." I am sure he was laughing the whole way back to town.

[portas.d.ace]

my dad got me into it though he was a sucky hunted. i loved the out doors and nature. i got better after many years of training and learning,

[Jcubed]

Honestly JLG. He taught me more about hunting than my dad ever did. Thanks John