When was your first hunting? What'd feel like?

Johnnygofordream

When was your first hunting? What'd feel like?
What's your record if you don't mind sharing?

snake284

Back in the late 50s one of my uncles was on a deer lease out of Llano Texas. There were more deer in Llano county than any county in Texas. He took us there a couple of times. That was some of the greatest hunting I've ever been around. I went once in 1959 and once in 1961. When we went in '59 my dad killed a five pt. That cemented deer hunting into my heart forever.

snake284

My record in deer hunting is about 70 deer and about 20 hogs. I could have killed three times that but I'm pretty particular and don't always just meat hunt.

You would love me on your lease because I don't just shoot the first thing I see. I have this thing in me that always wants to manage the herd. I'm thinking, "Let him grow up!"

earlyagain

I was 14. At the time it was a way to have fun with my Dad and his friends. I didn't really get into the enjoyment of seeking animals in the field until many years later as a young adult. Even then it was time spent with my Dad. Later, quiet solitude was the biggest part for me. 

CHIRO1989

4th grade, about age 10, followed dad around looking for grouse, me with a Daisy BB gun and him with his Mossberg bolt 16 ga., then came deer season that fall and we hunted with friends that had kids similar aged and we did deer drives with the crew, lots of walking in clear cuts and swamps, all loaded up on halloween candy and pop, only missed 2 seasons since then when I was in chiropractic college. 

Linefinder

Maybe 6 years old, carrying a BB gun, following my Dad after rabbits. What I mostly recall at that age is the smell of the woods. Oak, pine, green grass, dry grass....they all smell different and for some reason that has stuck with me for over a half century. 

Mike

JerryBobCo

I was 6 or 7.  I had a small pocket knife, and tied it to the end of a stick to make a spear.  I talked my dad into taking me hunting for whatever I could find.  He took me to a scrub mesquite pasture that didn't have much other than lizards.

We spotted a small lizard, got within spear chucking distance, and I threw my spear.  Somehow or another, I managed to cut the lizard's tail off, leaving the rest of my quarry unharmed.  

I'm 68 now, and can remember that event like it happened yesterday.

Good topic.  Thanks!

Bigslug

Circa 1982-83 about age 11-12.  Dad took me out for dove and/or pheasant.  Got jammed up - friendly like - by a fish & game guy who proceeded to tell us that my Dad's methods from the '60's and early 70's relating to hunting the drainages running parallel to railroad tracks and time of day were now against the rules.  I seem to remember he wasn't any happier about it than we were.

Shape of things to come, I suppose.

Gene L

Please don't feed the trolls.

Six-Gun

I joined an neighbor from my first apartment complex on a public land archery deer hunt when I was in my early 20's - much older than most folks.  He also happened to be the hunter safety instructor who helped me get my certification complete, so I was grateful to him on several levels.

That said, looking back, the hunt was pretty...hopeless.  We basically walked into a back stretch of heavy timber, bows in hand, looking for deer on foot.  Knowing what I know now, and how many deer reside in that particular public area, we probably spooked scores of them and never had a chance in hell at getting a shot.  The only deer we even saw were headed for the hills in top gear as we left, spooked as all get-out as we crunched every twig and leaf in sight.  As it turns out, this guy just wasn't a good hunter.  He had a lot of trophies on the well, but I came to find out that they were mostly shot on pricey guided hunts over bait.

While this guy wasn't a very good hunter, he took me out and exposed me to the woods. He taught hunter safety pretty well, and helped me earn the certificate that would open up a world that I, a city kid from the busy East Coast metropolis of Philadelphia who knew nothing but an existence of dry pavement up to that point, never knew existed. 

So, while my first hunt was a resounding bust, it wasn't all for naught.  Sometimes, the bad hunts double as critical learning points in our outdoor lives.

JerryBobCo

Gene L said:

Please don't feed the trolls.

What in the world are you referring to?  I don't see a single post in this thread that doesn't strike me as legitimate and on point.

Johnnygofordream

Thanks for sharing your stories folks!
You know, hunting is considered as dangerous outdoor sport. How come you guys did that at a such young age?
Don't get me wrong. I respect that.
I mean, normally you are not supposed to play a gun-related sport when you're a kid.

Johnnygofordream

JerryBobCo said:

Gene L said:

Please don't feed the trolls.

What in the world are you referring to?  I don't see a single post in this thread that doesn't strike me as legitimate and on point.

Thank you for sticking up for me. Appreciate it.

earlyagain

How dangerous is hunting compared to an automobile ride???

Or assisting ones parents working with farm machinery???

Or walking back and forth to school from home???

How dangerous would it be to be in a police station. With all those people armed with guns????

Or helping in the kitchen to chop vegetables???

Or mowing the lawn???

Painting the garage???

Riding a bicycle???

Six-Gun

Yup.  You have a statistically higher chance of being killed by many other everyday activities than hunting.

Jayhawker

Hell, I was running a chain saw at 12....Damn sight more dangerous than hunting...

To help us put this in perspective...where are you from...

GunNut

Johnnygofordream said:

Thanks for sharing your stories folks!
You know, hunting is considered as dangerous outdoor sport. How come you guys did that at a such young age?
Don't get me wrong. I respect that.
I mean, normally you are not supposed to play a gun-related sport when you're a kid.

Hunting is one of the safest sports you can engage in.  Statistically speaking you’d probably have a higher chance of dying from a lighting strike while playing Golf that dying from a firearms or bow related accident while hunting.

The first time I went hunting was an amazing experience.  I remember sitting on a stump on the edge of this beautiful meadow deep in the woods, bundled in layers of clothing because it was COLD.  

Snow started coming down and from inside the hood of my parka it seemed like I was watching the scene through a window in a cabin.  

It was not a successful hunt because I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, but it was probably the most peaceful day in my life.

JerryBobCo

Johnnygofordream said:

JerryBobCo said:

Gene L said:

Please don't feed the trolls.

What in the world are you referring to?  I don't see a single post in this thread that doesn't strike me as legitimate and on point.

Thank you for sticking up for me. Appreciate it.

You're welcome, I guess.  I didn't really mean to be sticking up for you as much as trying to understand Gene's point.  Regardless, welcome to the forum.

One person who has not shared their first hunting experience is you.  Why don't you do that, and tell us a little about yourself?

FWIW, a LOT of us in this forum grew up around guns and started hunting with our dads, family or friends at a young age.

Gene L

JerryBobCo said:

Gene L said:

Please don't feed the trolls.

What in the world are you referring to?  I don't see a single post in this thread that doesn't strike me as legitimate and on point.

"What'd feel like?"  A possibly weird question.  Maybe just to me.  Hunting considered as a dangerous outdoor sport?  Hmmmmm.  No, it's not a dangerous outdoor sport.  I'd like to know how the OP came up with that opinion stated as fact, no one I know of considers it dangerous.

Maybe I'm oversensitive, but I've spent most of my adult life dealing with words; using them, interpreting, studying them.  But it occurs to me that while we have threads giving information on ourselves, we know almost nothing about the OP.  If I owe an apology to the OP, it will be freely given.

earlyagain

My radar has been hightened as well.

However, we're not like a closed secret society. And I'm aware from personal experience that some people are a long way removed from my personal experience or vise versa.

Johnnygofordream

Jayhawker said:

Hell, I was running a chain saw at 12....Damn sight more dangerous than hunting...

To help us put this in perspective...where are you from...

Thank you for sharing.
I am from a small town in China. I'm so captivated by all the stories you guys shared. I hope one day I will go hunting with a firearm. Frankly, I'm jealous of you guys going hunting as such a young age.

Johnnygofordream

I realized that I have made a fool of myself asking a stupid question.
I apologize for that. Here in China, it's illegal to own even a bullet. 
You guys can go hunting, go to the range, and do all fun things with your firearms. I can't imagine what it feels like. So that's my intention to ask these questions.
Yeah, sure. I can google it and do a research. But the stories you guys shared are much valuable than that.
I hope one day I can go hunting like you guys. So next time someone asks "When was your first hunting" I can tell him!
If I said anything wrong or inappropriate, please bear with me.

earlyagain

I don't think you said or did anything wrong.

They're people that would seek to undermine our cherished freedoms through subversive means.

The language discrepancy revealed in the posted text aroused suspicion. Not a big deal. I wish you all the best in your investigation of freedom.

Six-Gun

^^What he said.  We've had a LOT of subversives show up on here trying to get gun owners to make politically charged comments, presumably for sensationalized sound bites.  Don't take it personally.

Gene L

And you have a great command of the English language.

orchidman

What did it feel like?

I was cold, wet, my teeth were chattering like a room full of typewriters, I couldnt feel my feet, my hands were like blocks of ice, my nose was running faster than a river in flood..........I was a couple of years out from wearing triangular trousers and accompanying my father chasing ducks.............It was the best day of my life and I wouldnt have missed it for the world........

And that folks is how a hunter is born I guess.

Johnnygofordream

orchidman said:

What did it feel like?

I was cold, wet, my teeth were chattering like a room full of typewriters, I couldnt feel my feet, my hands were like blocks of ice, my nose was running faster than a river in flood..........I was a couple of years out from wearing triangular trousers and accompanying my father chasing ducks.............It was the best day of my life and I wouldnt have missed it for the world........

And that folks is how a hunter is born I guess.

You paint quite picture there! 
When I read it, I feel like the whole scene come out in my head. I can feel how cold it was. I like it.
Thank you for sharing.

snake284

Linefinder said:

Maybe 6 years old, carrying a BB gun, following my Dad after rabbits. What I mostly recall at that age is the smell of the woods. Oak, pine, green grass, dry grass....they all smell different and for some reason that has stuck with me for over a half century. 

Mike

Me too, the smells were a big part of my recollection. That is, until somebody cut the cheese!!! LOL! Talk about something that ruins the experience!

JerryBobCo

snake284 said:

Linefinder said:

Maybe 6 years old, carrying a BB gun, following my Dad after rabbits. What I mostly recall at that age is the smell of the woods. Oak, pine, green grass, dry grass....they all smell different and for some reason that has stuck with me for over a half century. 

Mike

Me too, the smells were a big part of my recollection. That is, until somebody cut the cheese!!! LOL! Talk about something that ruins the experience!

Sorry, but I couldn't resist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mBBL6xB3d8

Nevermiss1

Johnnygofordream said:

When was your first hunting? What'd feel like?
What's your record if you don't mind sharing?

Nervousness. I was 12 years old, but after years of hunting everything gets fun and fulfilling.

Some_Mook

Johnnygofordream said:

 I can't imagine what it feels like. 

If it is at all possible, I'd encourage you to try and get a copy of 'The Eskimo Hunter' by Florence Hayes.  It was published in 1945.  My father had a copy from when he was a child and I in my youth I read the book many times. It is about a young Eskimo boy, Kapoonga, and his efforts to prove his manhood by become a successful hunter, and a provider of food for his village.  I think you would enjoy reading it if you can get a copy.