How did you get into hunting and the outdoors?

[capoeirajosh]

Here is something I wrote that tells the story of how I got into this awesome way of life that we all cherish. No matter how many new memories that we make, it seems that we will always remember those first special ones. What got you into hunting and the outdoors?

http://dialedinhunter.com/the-reason/

[KeithV]

My Father, he took me out almost every weekend. In the winter we hunted and spring and summer we fished i was very fortunate.

[capoeirajosh]

My Father, he took me out almost every weekend. In the winter we hunted and spring and summer we fished i was very fortunate.

More kids need to be brought up like that!

[mattys281]

For me it was pretty simple and rather unglamorous: single mom with limited patience, four boys that liked to fight about.... well.... anything, and a ton of open undeveloped land behind our house that was loaded with rattlesnakes, rabbits and a handful of mule deer.We would get exiled from the house and entertained ourselves by making spears out of pvc pipe and crappy hand made bows trying to kill rabbits. Never did get it done, but we were the terror of neighborhood birds a couple years later when equipped with bb guns. When my family moved to az a few years later I moved up to chasing and not killing bigger game with a bow. Out of the four of us im the only one it really stuck with, but it stuck for good. Now I hope I can infect at least one of my kids with the same love of open spaces and the nagging desire to always see whats over that next ridge.

[buckmaster21]

My dad and my grandfather I can remember them taking me out on an evening pig hunt after school I was in kindergarten and on the weekend taking me rabbit hunting I couldn't hit any thing with that old 22 but every rabbit my dad shot he would tell me I hit it I still have all of thoughts rabbit furs in my den and am doing the same with my son I hope to keep it going

[capoeirajosh]

My dad and my grandfather I can remember them taking me out on an evening pig hunt after school I was in kindergarten and on the weekend taking me rabbit hunting I couldn't hit any thing with that old 22 but every rabbit my dad shot he would tell me I hit it I still have all of thoughts rabbit furs in my den and am doing the same with my son I hope to keep it going

That is WAY cool! I remember my dad letting my reel in all of the fish he would hook, because I wasn't catching anything. Have a good one man. ; )

[Pine Donkey]

This is like asking when did you start breathing oxygen...it's just always been there. I was very fortunate to be raised by outdoor parents.

[capoeirajosh]

This is like asking when did you start breathing oxygen...it's just always been there. I was very fortunate to be raised by outdoor parents.

Hahahahaha! I hear ya man! Some people are unfortunately not that fortunate though.

[backcountry_brad]

I have been fishing and backpacking nearly my whole life but got into hunting through my passion with guns and got hooked after I killed my first turkey at a youth camp a few years ago.

[tjhunt2]

I was raised in a little town along the Ohio River called Brilliant. It only had 1 red light next to the school. Not knowing any better back then I thought everyone was brought up in a hunting and fishing environment. Our family depended on game a lot. Rabbits, squirrels, and ground hogs were prepared many different ways in our household. Grandma and my mother were the best at cooking game. Guns weren't locked up back then and hunter safety and cleaning guns were a part of our upbringing. My grandfather taught me early in life to respect your fellow hunter and the farmers who allowed us to hunt on their property. Most of the farmers sold produce in front of their farm houses and gramps would always buy their produce and spend hours talking to them. He then would give most of it away to his neighbors. My job was always to take care of the game and clean the guns after every trip. Dad would take 2 weeks vacation every year and load my 2 sisters and brother up in a station wagon and head to Canada where we fished for bass, musky, pike, and my favorite pan fish consisting of rock bass, bluegill, and perch. We fished in a 12ft wooden boat and ate fish for breakfast, dinner, and lunch. Camping was always done in a tent and I remember the mosquitos being as big as hummingbirds.

I know I'm really blessed to have had that kind of childhood and I thank the good lord everyday for the opportunities I had back then.

 

TJ

[capoeirajosh]

I was raised in a little town along the Ohio River called Brilliant. It only had 1 red light next to the school. Not knowing any better back then I thought everyone was brought up in a hunting and fishing environment. Our family depended on game a lot. Rabbits, squirrels, and ground hogs were prepared many different ways in our household. Grandma and my mother were the best at cooking game. Guns weren't locked up back then and hunter safety and cleaning guns were a part of our upbringing. My grandfather taught me early in life to respect your fellow hunter and the farmers who allowed us to hunt on their property. Most of the farmers sold produce in front of their farm houses and gramps would always buy their produce and spend hours talking to them. He then would give most of it away to his neighbors. My job was always to take care of the game and clean the guns after every trip. Dad would take 2 weeks vacation every year and load my 2 sisters and brother up in a station wagon and head to Canada where we fished for bass, musky, pike, and my favorite pan fish consisting of rock bass, bluegill, and perch. We fished in a 12ft wooden boat and ate fish for breakfast, dinner, and lunch. Camping was always done in a tent and I remember the mosquitos being as big as hummingbirds.

I know I'm really blessed to have had that kind of childhood and I thank the good lord everyday for the opportunities I had back then.

 

TJ

Very cool! Sounds like an awesome childhood.

[ctafoya]

got hungry.

[mbiewer]

originally a native of chandler... but then the family moved back to Wisconsin to help on my uncle's dairy farm with about 160 acres. Most of the family was there. Had one city cousin in the national guard that would bring guns out to shoot on the back fields, but was too little to try shooting at the time. Plenty of deer back there, but they were a nuisance. Some of the Older neighbor kids would ask to hunt the fields, but was always taught "if you got time to sit around, you got time for chores". The only time I can remember having venison is off the front bumper of the farm truck. Mom clipped a deer coming back from taking my older brother to CCD at church. That was a sight to see. I remember the three of us younger kids daring each other to go in the detached garage that was the workshop for the farm to look at the deer hanging from the rafters draining into a bucket.

 

Eventually we moved back to az. And a family friend put us up for the first summer we were back,My sisters God parents. He was a valley fire fighter and she had lupus. She was a camp ground host during the summer and he was either on shift or up north with her so they generously let us stay at the house. Worked out because we baby sat their grandkids.

 

I was the tag along. Not old enough to explore the neighborhood like my older brothers I got to go with "Grandpa Jim" and the boys when they did cool stuff like shooting. Jim and his sons all hunted but never got to go. It wasn't until I turned 20 that I was invited for my first deer hunt by one of his boys. then they invited us out for javelina. One friend from work convinced me to go out for elk with him, and he was gonna "teach me all about it". My brother and I tried turkey a few times on our own (no one I knew wanted to bother with the small game like that).

 

I still don't know what im doing. I know I ask a lot of questions on here from time to time. TJ (thanks TJHUNT2) and a few others are great at fostering the community to continue what it is , and I do my best to share what little I do know. Every trip out is another chance to learn. Eventually someday I might get it all figured out and hang a tag.

[Mocha1545]

Was born into it. My earliest memories include going to the desert shooting 22's and having picnics. Every summer we would vacation in Colorado and fish. Dove and quail hunting and finally going deer hunting and putting in for elk. My Dad loves the outdoors and raised us to Love it too.

[jim]

My Dad started me out and I just never looked back. Now it's my boy and grangkids turn.