What road did you (or those before you) take to become an outdoorsman?

[Troubles Trees]

Although my Grandfather passed when I was 8 years old he was my only real influence on hunting and fishing. He was a farmer and owned a few thousand acres that opened my eyes to the outdoors. My Dad was a terrible hunter and even worse fisherman but he did take us kids fishing and when older he put us in a treestand for solo hunting without weapons. Most of what I learned I read from Field & Stream and similar publications and tried to take what I read and apply it to the outdoors. It was rarely accurate, hindsight likely because what I was reading was from areas dissimilar to mine. When I was old enough to start chasing whitetails I had some negative influences like my Dads friend that took me with him. He owned a bow shop so I assumed he was the guy to learn from, he was a terrible hunter lol I found out much later that the deer mounts in his shop were not taken by him but he had bought :/ One "lesson" he taught me that I will never forget (also never use) is "when you are shooting at a deer that is downhill you have to aim at his feet" (WTH?!?) So I had a rough start, all he liked to do is have us kids drive woods to him.

Fast forward a few years and I found myself wishing I had land of my own but stuck on State Land. My bestie came from a broken home and hunting and fishing was his escape from all of it so we spent a lot of time learning together on our own. Hindsight we were terrible hunters back then that made a lot of simple mistakes like hunting the same spot day after day and not being conscious of our scent. He and I spent a lot of years killing every deer we could until one day he took a really nice 8 point, seeing that rack lit a flame in me that still burns today. It was then that we agreed we would let the little ones go, that led us down the path to harvesting so many bigger bucks and understanding the dynamics of the woods we hunt.

 

[PatinPA]

I was born into it. Couldn't wait to start hunting. My dad, both grandfathers, all my uncles. Trips to the family hunting camp in northern PA every summer as a kid turned into "sick days in hunting season" when I turned 12. My first time hunting was actually illegally when I was 11. My grandfather was in the hospital and my grandmother handed his doe tag to my dad and said see if you can fill this. So I was handed an open sight 308. Saw some deer that day but I was scared to shoot it. Not sure I had ever shot anything bigger than a 22 at that point. My first archery hunt I was put in a homemade permanent stand about 25 feet up in a tree and told we'll be back for you at 10 am.

Shot my first doe when I was 12, by myself in a tree stand. Heart shot at 20 yds. I was hooked after that. Actually stalked a buck when I was 13 as it was rubbing a tree. It walked back out on the road and it ran as I shot. Hit it right in front of the hip. Miraculously my dad's friend stumbled on to it the next day as we grid searched and were about to give up. I remember it had been eating poke berries. Still one of the worst gut jobs of my life.

Now I hope to pry my son away from video games. I hold out hope that he'll enjoy it. My daughters hunted for a few years but all gave it up. He's pretty indifferent about it right now. I'm trying not to push him too much but I also want to get him out there.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Dad was a fishing fiend who also liked hunting. Think it was a driving force behind my parents divorce when i was young. I got obsessed with fishing from an early age too. I went to college in ND and the hunting opportunities opened my eyes to what could be chased.

Wide open spaces western hunting is my favorite thing and I'd live out there if it weren't for my entire family being in MN.

 

[Foggy47]

My dad was raised in So Central MN on a farm that was 20 miles from anything close to what could be called a town. He was born in 1921 and he would have been in his teens in the 30's. I dont think my grandfather hunted much.....but my dad really liked guns and hunting. His first shotgun was a Winchester Model 12 in 16 gauge.....and I believe he got it when he was about 12.....which would have been about 1933. In those times there were so many pheasants and ducks that to NOT hunt them was nearly impossible...especially for a young guy. I'm sure that wild game provided many meals during the tight times during the depression era and WWII. I do not think very many from that area were into deer hunting until after WWII as I suspect their was not money to "waste" on sport hunting....nor time to waste during harvest. Not many deer down on the prairie in those times? Dunno. My dad gave me that model 12 on about my 12th birthday and I used it to shoot countless pheasants over time. I've owned 4 model 12's over the years. Great guns. Winchester had a stellar reputation for such a long time.

 

[Derek Reese 29]

When I was 8-9 years old, I read this book and was hooked on the adventure of the Outdoors ever since. It also goes by the title of "Lost in the Barrens". I think this book and the main character actually started shaping me in my views of life before I even knew it ... independent, resourceful, etc.

Then it was the Boy Scouts and camping in tents in 12 deg F weather, having my cousin live in the country and spending who weekends running the fields, woods, and stream catching trout and shooting rabbits. Then hunting with my Da and brother ... I should clarify, my Dad walked on top of the railroad tracks while my brother and I walked the lower wetground and nasty brush shagging pheasents for my Dad to pick off.

One of the most fun experience at age 14 was going pheasant hunting Sunday am with the adults. Dad would have us up at 4 am and be out the door to the local truck stop to meet 4-5 other Dads and their boys. A hearty breakfast and thell moring walked some of the best corn field hunting ever. Then to the local supper club for lunch. well actually it wasn't lunch. The dads had bloody marys and beers and us boys had all the cheery cokes we could handle. This supper club would also serve up freash deep fried smelt and we ate until having to loosen :)y belt
buckle ... :)

My Dad has been gone for many years now and will never forget those memories, but I now have a new hunting partner, my 20 year nephew trying to pass those experiences. Different breed, different era so I understand why my Dad was the way he was with me... just different. The lessons I learned were more than hunting, they were about the rites of passage which i will never forget. He is now understanding why I am the way I have been.

It's all good, the transition from each generation, just gotta keep our eyes on passing on the tradition. ;)

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Interesting that a book sparked your interest, as I had 2 books in the library at school about fishing (titles unknown) that I read until I had them memorized and really they helped with my interest there.
Also read the book Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard, about a boy and his dog and their hunting and trapping exploits, that really started me getting interested in hunting.

 

[Foggy47]

I would say that being a Cub Scout, then a Boy Scout, magazines from Boy's Life, and spending a year reading Swiss Family Robinson had ALLOT to do with shaping the outdoor experience into my life. I ate that stuff up as a kid.....and it was really good for me. In our Boy Scout group I was the "hoop dancer" and the "Rain Dancer" as depicted in my avatar. lol. I still will perform rain dances for cash and beer. Grin.

 

[Foggy47]

I would say that being a Cub Scout, then a Boy Scout, and magazines from Boy's Life and Heaters catalogs, and spending a year reading Swiss Family Robinson had ALLOT to do with shaping the outdoor experience into my life. I ate that stuff up as a kid.....and it was really good for me. Our home was not too stable for some time back then.....and scouts kept me on the straight and narrow. In our Boy Scout group I was the "hoop dancer" and the "Rain Dancer" as depicted in my avatar. lol. I even did a flaming hoop dance......once I still will perform rain dances for cash and beer. There was a period when high school sports came before hunting and fishing.....but as those days faded.....the outdoor passion grew again. That is the neat part.....it's a lifelong hobby.

 

[H20fwler]

For me it was the same as many on here, started out hunting and fishing with family. My Dad absolutely loved to fish, especially bream, loved cooking and eating them too.
When I was a kid over half the boys in school would play hooky on the first day of bunny season, my Dad always let me skip the first day. We would go out with my Grandfather uncles and friends, Thanksgiving morning was also a bunny hunt with family. I started trapping in elementary school and it really supplemented my income through the fall and winter.
When I was in Jr High Dad started taking me along on the first day of deer season, as I got older, I broke out on my own and started duck&goose hunting with friends. By the time I graduated I had been totally immersed in hunting and fishing.

I took all three of my kids hunting with me almost as soon as they could walk, I changed diapers in the boat and duck blind. They all learned to fish as soon as they could hold a pole too. Will do the same with the grandkids.

 

[Native Hunter]

My dad carried me on his shoulders when he would go hunting. It kinda stuck with me................................