Tell us a little about who got you started hunting or fishing.
Was it a Parent, or Grand parent, or what ever.
Was it a Parent, or Grand parent, or what ever.
I owe it to three men. My Dad, and both of my grandpas. Dad took me hunting and fishing, his dad took me fishing, and I went hunting with my mom's dad. I have been in the outdoors since I was 2 months old. (there are pics of me out fishing with my family at Texoma)
Spring Break was time to go fishing with my Grandpa, Archery season was hunting deer with Dad, and Rifle season was deer camp with my other Grandpa along with numerous other trips to the outdoors inbetween.
I have been truly blessed to have these men in my life. Both grandpas have passed. Dad and I get out when we can. I just hope I can do half they job they did of sharing the outdoors.
Spring Break was time to go fishing with my Grandpa, Archery season was hunting deer with Dad, and Rifle season was deer camp with my other Grandpa along with numerous other trips to the outdoors inbetween.
I have been truly blessed to have these men in my life. Both grandpas have passed. Dad and I get out when we can. I just hope I can do half they job they did of sharing the outdoors.
Grew up in the country on indian land where harvesting and foraging from the wild was the difference between living and starving for my ancestors. Thier skills were passed on down to me and I still hunt and catch crawdads on some of the land they were given when relocated from Georgia during the Trail of Tears. So I grew up with parents and cousins who done it all the time and it was just natural to do the same. I am passing on some of the skills to my children which might come in very handy if the economy keeps crashing.
I grew up in the Texas panhandle, and I remember growing up there waiting on the edge of my seat for dad to get back from hunting. I couldn't wait to see what goodies he brought home be it dove, quail, pheasant, deer, speed goat, etc. I remember helping dad clean deer in the garage. He let me and my brother pull the skin down, hehe!
Then one day, he asked me and my brother if we wanted to go dove hunting with him. IIRC, I was 9 years old. Of course we both excitedly accepted the offer. No guns for us, but we got to see what he did while he was away. That's all it took for me, I was hooked. It was only a few months after that I got a brand new Stoger single shot 20ga and I was sitting on my bucket next to dad. Didn't take long to bring down my first dove and the grin was a mile wide. A couple months later it was my first pheasant hunt. That was a whole other monster having to keep up with dad and his buddies. I got to walk on the edge of the fields so it wasn't too bad. I don't remember if I got my first pheasant on my first trip, but I had a blast just getting to go.
Probably a year or so later I decided that I was ready to move up to a repeater shotgun. I pheasant hunted a few times with my dad's buddy's camo Mossberg pump 12ga and I had to have one of my own. I wanted one just like it. The owner of the shotgun offered to sell it to me (my dad
) but dad suggested that I get a nicer shotgun with my money (I'm raising hogs in 4-H at this point you can imagine a 10-12 year old kid getting $1000 or so in cash, haha). I did a lot of looking in pawn shops and found a Remington 11-87 with rem chokes for right at $300. It was in rough shape, but still ran like new. So dad bought it. This is the only shotgun I will use from then until now. I recently bought a very old 1100 20ga, but the 11-87 is sill my go to shotgun. I don't know that I could ever get rid of it, it means a lot to me.
After that it was deer hunting time (but before the 11-87). Dad had an SKS that he bought for $75 that I got to tote. I could even work the irons good enough to kill the targets at the gun club. Never got the chance to shoot a deer with it, but in a couple years I saved up enough pennies to buy a remington M700 ADL in .243 at Walmart in Amarillo. I think it came to around $250 with the Simmons 3-9x32 scope. I think it was $29 by itself. I was 12 years old at the time I got the .243. I sold it to my dad a few years ago to buy my BAR in .30-06 because I thought I needed a bigger gun. WRONG!! Now I can't wait for the day I get it back. It will either be him giving it to me, selling it back to me, or me borrowing it and forgetting to return it, lol!!
I never was into shooting for sport. I was pretty much a FUDD. We had one cheap handgun in the house for dad to play with at the caliche pit where we rode motorcycles and 4wheelers. Of course there was no reason for anyone to own a handgun!! Now dad has a couple, I have several and my bro has a couple handguns. ARs, AKs, etc. We definitely ain't no FUDDs anymore!!!!
As I've gotten older I still hold a soft spot for hunting and enjoy it very much, but I've probably come to enjoy killing paper as much or maybe a little more. We make it a point to go back home every year and kill pheasant together. I hope we always have that bond, it is very special to me.
Thanks for reading if you made it all the way through.
Then one day, he asked me and my brother if we wanted to go dove hunting with him. IIRC, I was 9 years old. Of course we both excitedly accepted the offer. No guns for us, but we got to see what he did while he was away. That's all it took for me, I was hooked. It was only a few months after that I got a brand new Stoger single shot 20ga and I was sitting on my bucket next to dad. Didn't take long to bring down my first dove and the grin was a mile wide. A couple months later it was my first pheasant hunt. That was a whole other monster having to keep up with dad and his buddies. I got to walk on the edge of the fields so it wasn't too bad. I don't remember if I got my first pheasant on my first trip, but I had a blast just getting to go.
Probably a year or so later I decided that I was ready to move up to a repeater shotgun. I pheasant hunted a few times with my dad's buddy's camo Mossberg pump 12ga and I had to have one of my own. I wanted one just like it. The owner of the shotgun offered to sell it to me (my dad
) but dad suggested that I get a nicer shotgun with my money (I'm raising hogs in 4-H at this point you can imagine a 10-12 year old kid getting $1000 or so in cash, haha). I did a lot of looking in pawn shops and found a Remington 11-87 with rem chokes for right at $300. It was in rough shape, but still ran like new. So dad bought it. This is the only shotgun I will use from then until now. I recently bought a very old 1100 20ga, but the 11-87 is sill my go to shotgun. I don't know that I could ever get rid of it, it means a lot to me. After that it was deer hunting time (but before the 11-87). Dad had an SKS that he bought for $75 that I got to tote. I could even work the irons good enough to kill the targets at the gun club. Never got the chance to shoot a deer with it, but in a couple years I saved up enough pennies to buy a remington M700 ADL in .243 at Walmart in Amarillo. I think it came to around $250 with the Simmons 3-9x32 scope. I think it was $29 by itself. I was 12 years old at the time I got the .243. I sold it to my dad a few years ago to buy my BAR in .30-06 because I thought I needed a bigger gun. WRONG!! Now I can't wait for the day I get it back. It will either be him giving it to me, selling it back to me, or me borrowing it and forgetting to return it, lol!!
I never was into shooting for sport. I was pretty much a FUDD. We had one cheap handgun in the house for dad to play with at the caliche pit where we rode motorcycles and 4wheelers. Of course there was no reason for anyone to own a handgun!! Now dad has a couple, I have several and my bro has a couple handguns. ARs, AKs, etc. We definitely ain't no FUDDs anymore!!!!
As I've gotten older I still hold a soft spot for hunting and enjoy it very much, but I've probably come to enjoy killing paper as much or maybe a little more. We make it a point to go back home every year and kill pheasant together. I hope we always have that bond, it is very special to me.
Thanks for reading if you made it all the way through.
I hunted and fished with my dad and uncle as soon as I could keep up with them while rabbit hunting in the pastures. At about 4 or 5 I was allowed to carry a Stevens Crack Shot (empty). When Dad or my uncle would spot a rabbit "settin" I was issued 1 .22 short and aimed for the eye. Killed and ate more rabbit before I was 10 than I have the rest of my life. Dad and Uncle Joe took care of any I missed or jumped before they were seen with 12 guages. I've still got the Stevens in addition to dad's Marlin pump and my uncles 32" bbl 12 ga. double.
Frank aka willystruck
Frank aka willystruck
I really didn't have a legacy.
I had one uncle that Hunted, but by the time I got old enough to go along, he passed away with cancer. Don't know what put the bug in me, maybe the love to read books, so growing up, it was pretty much on my own. Most of the time learning was spent out at my uncles farm just walking around and learning about wildlife. There were no deer, no turkey, just small game.
Mowed yards at $1.75 each untill getting enough money to buy the H&R .410, that is still in the safe. Shot rabbits, quail, and dove with it, untill getting drafted into the Army in 1970. Got out, and finally ended up with a JC Higgens 12ga with a cutts compensator when 30. Lots of water under the bridge now, and a couple more guns in the safe, but I still learn something every time in the field. Learn from the animals themselves, and from those that I hunt with.
I'm really jelous of those that grew up around a hunting family. My buddy that I hunted with this weekend started in Georgia, and made deer camp from when he was a child, growing up making memories.
I had one uncle that Hunted, but by the time I got old enough to go along, he passed away with cancer. Don't know what put the bug in me, maybe the love to read books, so growing up, it was pretty much on my own. Most of the time learning was spent out at my uncles farm just walking around and learning about wildlife. There were no deer, no turkey, just small game.
Mowed yards at $1.75 each untill getting enough money to buy the H&R .410, that is still in the safe. Shot rabbits, quail, and dove with it, untill getting drafted into the Army in 1970. Got out, and finally ended up with a JC Higgens 12ga with a cutts compensator when 30. Lots of water under the bridge now, and a couple more guns in the safe, but I still learn something every time in the field. Learn from the animals themselves, and from those that I hunt with.
I'm really jelous of those that grew up around a hunting family. My buddy that I hunted with this weekend started in Georgia, and made deer camp from when he was a child, growing up making memories.
Hunting and fishing has always been a HUGE part of my family. My grandfather on my mother's side was a trap champion in the 60s. He owned a farm just north of Tahlequah and had natural cold spring water. He had a trout fishery there. People would come down and fish for trout. My mother still thinks she can clean a trout faster than anyone alive. He would test rods and reels for ZEBCO when they were based out of Tulsa. I loved spending time out there on that farm. I would hunt and fish from sun up to sundown.
MY dad's stepfather was my other grandpa as his dad died before I was born. He owned a farm over by Bunch Oklahoma (Shagbark). He started out as a farmer but soon turned it into an outdoorsman paradise. He had ponds with catfish a huge flood control lake and the deer rifle season was a BIG deal. He planned all year long for that ONE WEEK. I loved going to both of my grandpa's house because not only did I spend time with them but it was time in the outdoors. My father of course is a hunter deluxe. We hunt as often as we can together. When I was in grade school during the spring he would come and get me out of school early (around noon) and we would spend the rest of the day fishing. I loved hearing the principal call for me on a nice warm sunny spring day. I knew that I wasn't in trouble just headed out for another fishin expedition with my dad.
MY dad's stepfather was my other grandpa as his dad died before I was born. He owned a farm over by Bunch Oklahoma (Shagbark). He started out as a farmer but soon turned it into an outdoorsman paradise. He had ponds with catfish a huge flood control lake and the deer rifle season was a BIG deal. He planned all year long for that ONE WEEK. I loved going to both of my grandpa's house because not only did I spend time with them but it was time in the outdoors. My father of course is a hunter deluxe. We hunt as often as we can together. When I was in grade school during the spring he would come and get me out of school early (around noon) and we would spend the rest of the day fishing. I loved hearing the principal call for me on a nice warm sunny spring day. I knew that I wasn't in trouble just headed out for another fishin expedition with my dad.
Great story!
I started hunting with my dad when I was about 9 or 10 years old. We hunted birds a little...but mostly deer. There were so many different times and issues that we had had over the years...but every October thru December...it all stopped. It was 100% about hunting. We have been fortunate enought to both take several nice deer...but I remember each of the small ones just the same as the large ones. My dad is getting up there in age now...and can't hunt like he used to, but I think one of his happiest days was when my son shot his first deer this year. I recently made a powerpoint show with music and photos of both of us the last 30 years. It turned out great. I can't imagine life without being in the woods with my dad...and I hope my son feels the same way when he gets older.
This is a great topic by the way...love to read about other's heritage. We are all fortunate.
This is a great topic by the way...love to read about other's heritage. We are all fortunate.
