Where did it start for you?

[156821]

Where did it all start for you? This was the first kill I was part of. At age 14 or maybe 15. And I was green as green could be. I had a hand me down 303 with peep sites, blue jeans and a pair of dads old boots. This experience was like pouring gas to a fire for me. I have been hooked ever since. Today I’m 35 and chasing sheep and goats yearly. If any newbies need a little advice of aren’t sure about something feel free to pm me. I don’t know everything but having a limited budget and making things happen has been the name of the game for a long time. Small incremental improvements over time have got me to where i am today. How did you get started?

 

[EastHumboldt]

I was a late starter at age 30. In 1987, My boss was selling some rifles he had acquired while in the AirForce in Greenland in 1962. One of them was a 1962 Remington 700 in 30-06 I picked up for $180. I bought the rifle and picked up some ammo for $7 a box at the local Coast to Coast hdwe. store. Bought license and a deer tag and went hunting for mule deer in October. My first year I was not skilled enough to find a buck and settled for a doe. Been hooked ever since.

 

[coloyooper]

All started around 2yo riding in my mom’s backpack while my dad hunted grouse in Michigan. Worked my way up to squirrels and finally shot my first deer before I was legal age. Started bowhunting around 12-13. Used to drive a moped/scooter in early high school. I remember one teacher almost shitting s brick of gold when she saw me in full camo with my bow strapped to the handle bars of the moped driving to my hunting spot through town on a moped one day. It started early and it hasn’t slowed down for me.

 

[ODB]

First deer 1985 at 13. 303 Lee-Enfield. Co-shot the deer with my brother who was shooting an 870 Special Field

 

[Yarak]

Never hunted large game growing up
My Dad was big into squirrel hunting and of course thats what I followed after too
I remember going with my Dad when he would have to carry me across creeks and streams...I was 4-5 years old
Was ruff on the tree rats for a long time with the help of my old hound and a 22 rifle. I had a name around the community that if you needed a mess of squirrels just ask me....Good times

 

[Like2hunt]

Started when I was a little kid. Was always watching hunting shows and begging my dad to go. Few weeks after I turned 12 (legal age in Utah) I had my first deer. I’ve been super lucky and been able to kill around 10 or 15 big game animals. Killed lots of small game too. Not bad considering I’ve only been able to legally hunt for 5 years now. Still got years to go.

 

[hunting1]

12 years old hunting rabbit and squirrel with my grand father then a neighbor moved in who was a bow hunter and have always loved the outdoors since.

 

[Still Hunter]

My mother told me I successfully managed to stalk and kill a house wren with a rock at the age of four. Apparently, I was a "Born Killer". Grew up with BB gun, transitioned to a Pellet Gun and a small recurve killing everything that had fur, feathers, scales or skin! Had a precious grandmother that would cook for me whatever I killed. Thank God for Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup!

 

[Dos Perros]

I'm an adult onset hunter. Wasn't raised hunting but was always curious about and exposed to the natural world.

In 2013, after a year or two of taking a expatriate colleague deer hunting, I went for myself. Killed this buck a mile from the truck, it was -2 F. Called a buddy to help me, he literally looked up on YouTube how to gut and gave me directions. We dragged him all that way and holy hell that sucked.

It's tough to imagine what my life would be like without hunting...met some great people and had some great times, and hopefully a lot more coming.

 

[cnelk]

This pic was taken in 1968.

My dad and I were sitting up in a jackpine tree along a deer trail the evening before. I remember that Dad let me blood trail the doe after the shot.
Of course Stevie Wonder could've followed the blood trail, but I remember it like it was yesterday

I still have the bow but dad's been gone for over 20 years.

 

[Still Hunter]

This pic was taken in 1968.

My dad and I were sitting up in a jackpine tree along a deer trail the evening before. I remember that Dad let me blood trail the doe after the shot.
Of course Stevie Wonder could've followed the blood trail, but I remember it like it was yesterday

I still have the bow but dad's been gone for over 20 years.



View attachment 406934

Glad you still have the photo!

 

[AK Troutbum]

My hunting beginning’s all started while I was growing up on the farm, as a small black child….at least that’s what they tell me. If the pictures look blurry, that’s only because my stepmother was detoxing and couldn’t keep the Kodak steady.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mt Al]

This pic was taken in 1968.

My dad and I were sitting up in a jackpine tree along a deer trail the evening before. I remember that Dad let me blood trail the doe after the shot.
Of course Stevie Wonder could've followed the blood trail, but I remember it like it was yesterday

I still have the bow but dad's been gone for over 20 years.



View attachment 406934

Impossible! He doesn't have Snow Condition Doe Archery JackPine Technical Hunting Only Pants, plus his gloves look like "gloves" vs a design expression with 12 different pattern pieces/colors/textures/coatings, and his jacket isn't the latest Secret Inviso-Ultra-Ghost-Pattern.

That is, honestly, one of the best pictures ever on Rokslide. Pics like that inspired me with my kids. Bless your father's memory and thank you for sharing this moment.

 

[JakeShmevans]

For me it started with upland hunting at around 8 and with a gun at 12. This evolved into what it is now when I moved to Montana at 18 where I love to pursue all things hunting and really step out of my comfort to try new things.

 

[Miboy86]

Started out when i was 4 shooting squirrels with a pellet gun at my great uncle charlie's in alabama. Started deer hunting in 2001 thanks to my uncle jim back home in michigan, took a 7 year break while i was in the army. Been back hunting in michigan since 2012.

 

[Burnsie]

It never started anywhere, it just always was.
Dad and dad's friends all hunted, I saw farm animals killed all the time from a toddler, had a BB gun
by kindergarten, and it just progressed from there.

See if you can wrap your head around this one: Our high school Physics teacher taught Hunters Ed class at the school during our study hall hour for those who wanted take it. Junior high was in the same building as the high school and I took the class when I was in 7th grade. As part of the class we had a day where our instructor brought us up town to the local hardware/bait store where they had a .22 gun range in the basement and we got to shoot. The nice thing was if you had a .22 you could bring your own. So on the day we were shooting, there I was at the end of the driveway with my .22 in a case waiting for the school bus. As I enter the bus our bus driver "Dan" says "hey what you got there" - "its my .22 we get to shoot at Hunters Ed today" - "Hey good for you, just leave it in the case". Get to school and walk through the halls along with 6-8 other young boys with their .22s. We bring them up to the instructor's classroom and he stores them in a cabinet. That afternoon we all march down the street to the hardware store and shoot up several boxes of ammo. At the end of the day I travel back home on the bus with my trusty old Iver Johnson single shot. No SWAT teams showed up or anything!

 

[FLATHEAD]

For as long as I can remember, prolly at age 5 or so.
Thanks to Grandaddy who got that fire going.

 

[Huntin Fool]

Almost as long as I’ve been walking, from hunting with my dad to taking naps on the floor of my grandpas deer stand.

 

[steelheadmike]

My dad had hunted when he was younger but he had kids and that was the end of his hunting. I got the bug to fish when I was very young. and did that until a guy I worked with at a sporting goods store said “you should try hunting, you’d probably like it”. I was probably 18 or 19 (I’m now 40). We went on a duck hunt and killed one hen spoony. That’s all it took. One taste and I was hooked.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Wags]

I came out of the womb hunting… I grew up hunting everything except Elk. Deer, antelope, ducks/geese, doves, pheasant, quail & so on… I’m a fanatical duck hunter but there’s a huge spot in my heart for the Mountains & chasing mulies as well as the sage chasing goats. My kids are at ages where I’m able to take them out more often and really begin teaching all the points of the outdoors in general.

My son (12) shot his first buck last year on our property making him the 4th generation to do so. I’ve got a lot more memories like these to make this year… can’t wait.