Lone Wolf

[davlandrum]

Lone wolf for me

My dad stopped hunting before I was old enough to start. Odd because his dad hunted and one of his brothers did as well.

Started out innocently enough, started shooting targets at an archery range at Ft. Polk, got into that, next logical step was bow hunting. That was in my mid-to-late 20's. I don't think I rifle hunted until I was in my mid 30's. I got my hunting partner into bow hunting and he got me into rifle hunting.

 

[Legionnaire]

Lone wolf ... sort of. None of my immediate family hunt. My dad hunted when he was a kid, but by the time I and my brothers came around, he hadn't hunted in years. My mom has family who hunt, but they live west of the Mississippi, so I didn't get into it that way, either.

It was my father-in-law who turned me on to it. He and my wife conspired to buy me my first firearm--a Mossberg 500 combo. That gun has taken lots of deer, rabbits, squirrels, and the occasional bird over the years. I'm very grateful that he took me under his wing.

My kids, on the other hand, have grown up with a hunter as head of the household. The older kids have all hunted with me. A son and a daughter have both taken deer, in addition to various small game. And I'm praying they will pass the interest on to their own kids when the time comes. If they've lost interest, I hope they'll let "grandpa" initiate the grand kids.

 

[sc outdoorsman]

Huntin's in my blood. My grandad and great uncles told stories about hunting for food during the Great Depression. I remember my Dad carrying me from dove fields because it was too far for me to walk. I may have been 4 or 5 years old. My son has got the fever for deer hunting, I want to take him small game hunting as well but he hasn't shown any interest outside of deer.

 

[Hog Buster]

Grew up in a hunting family, or I should say families. Both mom and dad’s were hunters. No matter whose house you were at there was a rifle or shotgun leaning against the wall behind every door. Both sides hunted just about everything. I was damned near grown before I realized that not everyone hunted.

Got my first rifle at about age 6. It was a Stevens Model 72. A single shot chambered for 22 WRF. It was a hand-me-down as there was a war on and anything made out of metal was hard to get. Don’t remember what became of that rifle, but now, 65 years later, I sure wish I still had it.

 

[shortwave]

Came from a long line of hunters.

As Hank Jr. would say, "It's a family tradition"

I've got a pic. of my Great Uncle that was taken when he was in his 20's. He's got a rope around his neck that hangs down to both knee's with dead squirrels tied to it. He was a big man at 6'5". Alot of squirrels. I also have his old double bbl 12ga. hammer gun. Man, that things heavy.

Dad raised all of us hunting. Some stayed with it, others didn't. I did, and taught all my kids to hunt.

Can't wait to take grandkids .

 

[cerberus65]

Another lone wolf here but hopefully not for long.

Not only did I not grow up hunting or fishing, my dad didn't even teach me to shoot. He was apparently a pretty fair shot in JROTC in high school but we never had more than a BB gun in the house when I was growing up and for some reason he never taught me to shoot it.

We're working hard to leave things better than we found them though. 3 of my 5 brothers and sisters have guns and 1 emailed me recently that he's maybe going to go deer hunting this fall. This is the third season I've done some deer hunting and I'm hooked for the rest of my life. My first deer is still at the processor's and I'm waiting for my wife to recover from some surgery so I can get back out in the woods. My younger son still needs to grow into my .243 but I think eventually he'll get to do some deer hunting. He carried a .410 single-shot shotgun squirrel hunting last winter and we'll do it again this winter once deer season closes. I'm still working with him on sitting still enough and quiet enough to let squirrels get into the same county with him.

I've been very lucky to have some friends show me the ropes. Without them I'd still be missing out.

 

[Deerhunter]

I got a BB gun when I was 9. Never looked back from there. My dad did a little hunting when he was young but was never into it. I was dropped off to take my hunter safety course. My dad went out for walks with me as I tried to shoot something a few times. Once I hit 16 (in PA) I was out every chance I got. Walking around the woods trying to learn everything I could and put into practice what I read in books or saw on TV. I never looked back after that season. There are a couple second cousins on my mom's side that hunt but not that I hang out with much. Only one that I ever hunted with, Dave Beck who was the maker of the Dave Beck Wilderness Survival Knife.

I was on my own to learn for the most part. I now have 2 daughters. The oldest isn't so interested but the 9 year old is ready to go. She gets up on the weekends and wants to know if hunting is on.

 

[(BH)]

I'm like you Roy. My extended family are almost all hunters, but I grew up two states away from them and my immediate family didn't hunt.

I got to take a boar and a bobcat when I was a teenager, but that's all the hunting I've ever done. I wish I knew some people around me who could take me out and show me the ropes, but I don't hardly know anyone who hunts. I wouldn't feel comfortable going out on my own because I really don't know enough about the nuts and bolts of hunting.

I really want to take up the sport, but I'm realizing that you really have a massive disadvantage if you don't come from a hunting family, or have friends that hunt.

 

[cerberus65]

BH, given your location, all you should have to do is ask around a bit. There's plenty of folks around there that hunt and I bet it wouldn't take you long at all to find someone willing to help. In the meantime there is all kinds of information on the net about hunting. I did a lot of reading before I ever made it into the woods and it helps too. You learn a little bit here and a little bit there and pretty soon you feel pretty comfortable with it.

 

[FairWarning]

Raised in a family of hunters. I had a Red Rider BB gun at 8, .22 LR at 9, .410 single shot at 10, 12 GA and .30-30 at 14 and 8mm at 19. Started carrying the Colt New Service .45 as a sidearm at 15.

I remember the first time I went deer hunting was at 11 with the .410 and a 2.5" slug. If I had managed to get a close enough shot and make it count, it would have still been a miracle to drop a deer with it. But my dad wisely didn't want me carrying a long reaching rifle or a shotgun that was taller than I was.

I haven't had nearly as much time to hunt since getting a time consuming job in a major city, but I still treasure those early memories and enjoy getting out in the woods on a cool morning and shooting guns as often as possible, regardless of what time of year it is.

 

[zahnzieh]

lone wolf for my generation

I have had hunters in my extended family -the older generation - grandfather, uncles. They all hunted in Europe (wild boar,red stag) but hunting is now a rich mans sport there. Anyway, I have cousins of my generation over there (germany) and not one of them hunt. Count your blessings people, that we have the land and access to wild game in the USA.

 

[bamaranger]

long line

Long family lineage here. But, oddly, bamaboy is not anywhere near as keen on it as I was at his age.

 

[Colorado Redneck]

My Dad took me deer hunting one time. I haven't a clue as to how much he hunted in his life. But let me tell ya what! He was about 60 on that hunt, and I bagged a really nice mulie 3 point about 45 minutes before dark. He gutted that thing like he did it every day, and told me a "fable" about dew claws and the antelope and the deer. He was 45 when I was born, and died when I was pretty young. I regret not having the opportunity to know him better.

Anyway, several of us hunt, and my son, even tho a city boy, has a natural ability to hunt that i envy greatly. Maybe he got that from his Grampaw.

 

[ritepath]

My grandfather on my dad's side hunted and fished, and had 90 or so firearms.

My dad hunted and fished every spare moment when the farm wasn't in control of his life. Dad took 3 weeks a year for hunting and a couple for fishing...


My brother, 10 years older than I picked up hunting and fishing bug worse than my father ever did. He's got enough time built up to where he's out 8 weeks a year fishing or hunting. He also spends at least 3 days a week at some match or another (22 and 12ga)

I followed in my brothers footsteps until I was around 25 or so and my career and family kept me out of the field as much as I wanted to be for the past 10 years or so...until this year.

My son....He's got me back into hunting after a 6 year total absence. He took his first deer in a Va youth hunt back in September, and now we've made it out several times so far this year. It looks like the family tradition will carry on.

 

[thunderbird101]

I am more or less the first avid hunter in my family. My dad tried hunting once or twice unsuccessfully years back, but never really got into it. Growing up I would go on an occosional camping trip and enjoyed the outdoors, but it was due to friends and a desire to enjoy the outdoors even more that led me to get my hunting license.