I was way too busy fishing to worry about hunting. Then in 2015 I randomly bought a Beretta O/U 20 gauge and starred shooting skeet that spring. Fall rolled around and I drove from SW Florida to the Upper Peninsula and chased grouse for 10 days. No dog or a clue what was I doing…flushed around 8 birds and the only one I killed was with the truck driving back to camp one day, but I fell in love.
A few years later had a buddy offer to take me deer hunting, I was skeptical but decided to go. We woke up way too early for my taste, set up on a spot and watched the woods come alive that morning. I had no idea that squirrels could make so much noise. I didn’t see a single deer that season, but I fell in Love.
2019 a buddy in NC showed me his compound bow and taught me the very basics of shooting it. I bought my first bow shortly after and greatly extended my hunting season. I took it up to MI that year and had multiple bucks that didn’t meet the antler point restrictions within my 20 yard range. All of those small deer showed up at spots I chose and while I didn’t get to harvest a deer, I fell in love.
2020 I take a job in Montana and have to go through a whole year with no big game tags, but I chased a ton of grouse. Then 2021 as a Montana resident I find myself in possession of my first elk tag. My cousin and a buddy both drew non-res tags and we spend 5 days 5 miles from the trailhead and we found elk. We never got within bow range but I think it goes without saying, I fell in love.
I’m about 7 years into this thing now and haven’t harvested anything larger than a pheasant but it’s the only thing I take time off for anymore. Don’t get me wrong I still fish 150+ days a year but I haven’t spent a week chasing tarpon since I moved to Montana…that time off is too valuable come fall.