For those of you who weren't "born" into hunting, how did you get into it?

[Highwayman]

I wasn't brought up in a hunting family and am just starting out getting into hunting. I know I can't be the first person who has gone down this route, so I thought I would post this.

Any body else have any stories they want to share about how they got into it? Or, anybody have any advice on how to go go about starting out?

[boy wonder]

My family did not hunt. I found hunting through reading about it and hearing stories. And, I've been addicted since I was a young lad (now 51).

[Bisch]

My mom was a "no guns in my house" type person. I never hunted at all as a kid and got to do very little fishing either. I got to go dove hunting in high school and it all exploded from there.

Before my mom passed away she looked at me one day and said "Whose kid are you anyway? I got five kids and you are the only one who hunts or fishes!".

Bisch

[IowaHunter]

I've pheasant hunted for 30 years straight at the farms in Iowa. One day I was told, "We only bird hunt because you wanted to" I switched to archery the following year and haven't looked back.

Christmas 2013 marked my entree to traditional. Thanks Roysmoke!

[Mudslinger]

My Dad liked to hunt dove and quail and fish, but not hunt whitetails or anything else. Got into the bowhunting scene in 1971 at A&M when I lived in Davis Gary dorm and met Max Greiner. He and Jim Beard took me bowfishing one night and the rest is history, been addicted ever since.

[r_u_sharp_2]

my dad and uncle hunted when I was a kid, but as I got older I got into sports and that was all there was. My uncle moved out of state and my dad had a stoke when I was 15. He has not hunted since.

I wished I would have taken more time to hunt with them as a kid.

How I got back into it... I met the husband of a friends of my wife. He is big into archery... next thing I know, I bought a bow and was pig hunting. Good times.

Matt

[mikeb1206]

3 years ago a friend was having pig problems at her place in east Texas so I went to Walmart and bought a marlin 30/30, shot a pig the next evening' been hooked ever since. Started bow hunting last year and got the first kill this year, I am 51 years old and love it.

[bassmatt72]

I was introduced to hunting through coworkers. I was brought up fishing with my Dad, and still do, but he didn't hunt. Lots of good folks on here that can and will share lots of info. and help you along!

[Txbownut]

Got a fiberglass bow when I was a kid and shot at rabbits and squirrels until I finally hit a cottontail one day. I was hooked. My Dad took me squirrel and duck hunting a couple of times, but we both started deer hunting the same year, when I was 13 (gun), but he never bowhunted. I bought an old Pearson compound at Walmart with my lawn mowing money when I was 15 and went on a quest for a deer. It took a few years to finally kill one, but I have been chasing them ever since with a stick and string of some sort. My wife and son have both taken deer with their bows now and I couldn't be more proud.

[EdO]

Super interesting thread! I don't qualify because my earliest memories of my father (when he came back from WWII) were myself and him hunting the back 40 on my uncles place. I was about 2 or 3 years old, so don't really remember much, other than him dragging me through the muskeg and wishing I wasn't there.. I didn't have a clue what was supposed to happen.

[topduarte]

Always loved the outdoors as a kid.

Went camping a few times in Boy Scouts.

I had to get outdoors and hunt

[coachmas]

I grew up on Lake Athens and fished all the time. No one in my immediate family really hunted. My junior yr of high school I moved to Trinidad, TX, and all of my new friends were into hunting. So I got introduced into hunting at age 16 by some friends, started bow hunting in college because of a friend. I still haven't killed many deer, but that has been by choice. My oldest (8yr) killed his first deer this year, a 15" 8pt, and he is totally eat up with hunting. He wants to go to our lease every weekend to shoot or scout. Coach

[Shinesintx]

Shot my first deer at 9, shot my first deer with a bow this year at 43. That extra month is what got me bowing hunting. Never took out the rifle this year, not sure I will ever want to.

[Highwayman]

I appreciate all the replies so far. It's nice to see how something like this can bring people together from many different paths.

I grew up fishing in North Carolina with my dad and grandfather. Mostly bluegill and crappie. Fished for trout off and on in the North Carolina mountains during college. Just moved to south Texas a few months ago for work. Now after many years away, my roots are calling me back to the outdoors, but for something a little more than just fishing.

I'm looking forward to getting out there and am thankful for places like this to help me along.

[Patton]

My dad had hunted some in college and took us deer hunting once in LA. near Ruston on some family property. I think we saw 1 deer that weekend.

I got a pellet gun that Christmas and became a bird and squirrel killing machine. After about a week, I was out under the 'if you kill it you eat it' rule. And I did. My then 71 year old neighbor Mr Sam taught me how to clean them and him and I would cook squirrel stew after we had 4-5 frozen ones.

Yes I know you're not supposed to kill them with a pellet gun and I don't anymore but as a kid that's how it was. I learned so much about hunting and the outdoors walking up and down are rural street shooting squirrels.

Got into bow hunting after my best bud got a new bow, and killed three deer in 9th grade in three consecutive days. I have been addicted ever since.