Who taught you to hunt?

[Ace1313]

My dad took me rabbit hunting with a bunch of men that he worked with. It completely hooked me into hunting. We deer hunted a good bit together and I learned my woodsmanship skills through trial and error. Lots of reading and spending time following trails and tracks.

 

[35 Whelen]

My Uncle Kenneth. I was 13 years old and deer hunting for the very first time. I had looked forward to going for over two years (minimum age in Pennsylvania at that time was 12.) After two days hunting with my father I vowed to myself that I would never go again (my father made most things in life miserable.) My uncle could see that I was miserable and he asked my father if he could take me out hunting the next day. We had such a great time I could not believe the difference! He taught me how to see feeding deer in the woods and so much more. I was hooked for life! He passed away in 2018, miss him but forever grateful to him for taking the time and effort to help me at a time in my life when I needed a role model. Thank you Uncle Ken!

 

[4HAND]

Although my daddy carried my older brother & me hunting & to the family camp when we were knee high to a grasshopper, he passed away when I was 5.
My uncle & older cousins took up a tremendous amount of time with us, taking us hunting & camping & teaching us.
I've posted about my uncle before. He's the greatest God fearing man I've ever known.

 

[tree cutter 08]

My grandpa's small game hunted when young because the had to but hung it up pretty quick. Had the desire to hunt from a early age so pretty much trial and error and lots of errors.

 

[MYRX]

I taught myself. No one in my family ever hunted. I grew up in Atlanta near Piedmont Park, never saw a deer until I was 25. I went on a dove hunt, saw a deer and was intrigued. Started getting Outdoor Life. Found a club, bought an Eastman recurve. The rest is history.

 

[Waddams]

I'm still learning - never had a teacher. So far it's been reading articles, watching YT vids, talking to people on hunting forums, and boot leather burned during class at the school of hard knocks in the woods.

I'd wanted to learn as a kid, however, my dad - a Vietnam Vet and had spent lots of time shooting stuff in the woods during 1967 and 1968 - had no desire to go shoot anything else in the woods. He'd had enough of the great outdoors, he wanted the grocery store, a kitchen, and a warm bed at night next to a warm bodied woman (my mom). Amongst the many things he did teach me, hunting was not to be one of them!

 

[Big7]

My Daddy.

I've been hunting 50 years.
Fishing too.

 

[bany]

Father and elders. Myself and Ma Nature. Some friends along the years.

 

[Silver Britches]

My dad got me into the outdoors. He had me in the woods and on the water when I was still wearing diapers. Killed my first deer at 2 months old, and was hunting on my own at 4 months. Just kiddin' about that last part, of course. We hunted squirrel and deer at an early age. We used to sit at the base of a tree and hunt. But I talked too much and we didn't have much deer hunting success together. Tore up some squirrels and fish, though. Back then, I had me a small fishing pole with a Zebco 33 on it, and that little pole caught a lot of freshwater fish. I killed my first deer on November 6, 1983. An 8 point on public land. We used to also do a lot of target shooting back then with various rifles and shotguns. Mom never hunted, but she would shoot and fish with us. She loved to fish. Dad and I were always in the woods doing something. Blessed to still be enjoying the outdoors with my father. My father means the world to me.

Pic from a few years ago. That's dad on the left wearing the hat. He's a lot younger looking than me.

 

[Danuwoa]

My dad. He was a long time member here and the reason I ended up on here so you can blame him. Best hunting buddy ever. I miss him everyday.

 

[NCHillbilly]

It takes a village, as they say. My grandpa taught me to fish, but he died before he got the chance to teach me to hunt. My dad taught me the ways of small game hunting, and bear and coon hunting with hounds, and rabbit hunting with beagles. He was a hound man, and had pretty much no interest in any kind of hunting that didn't involve dogs. I learned to deer hunt from several of my local elders that I bugged to death for advice. Same with fly fishing. I learned to trap from my great uncle, who was my grandma's brother and my surrogate grandpa after my grandpa died. I learned woodsmanship from all of the above, plus Nessmuk and Horace Kephart, and H.G. Tapply.

 

[Buckstop]

Self taught in my early to mid twenties. My dad fished but didn't hunt. Had a few buddies who had a little experience so picked up what I could but mostly just winged it.

 

[00Beau]

My Dad took me when I was around 8-10 years old to a club in Hancock county, we moved to Walton County in 1977 when I was 11, he pretty much worked all the time then to take care of us. I don't remember hunting again until I was 16, killed my first Buck at 18. Read alot of books, magazine articles. I learned from being in the woods as much as possible. I have been very Blessed in my hunting career, I now want my Grandchildren to enjoy a lifetime of Hunting and fishing.

 

[Jim Boyd]

Learned it fully on my own. No partners the first year or so.

No internet back then, basically word of mouth and trial and error.

You could say that Fort Stewart and the barrier islands like Wassaw taught me.

That and a pan of fried shrimp caught off the Jon boat after the hunt.

 

[buckpasser]

I'm still learning - never had a teacher. So far it's been reading articles, watching YT vids, talking to people on hunting forums, and boot leather burned during class at the school of hard knocks in the woods.

I'd wanted to learn as a kid, however, my dad - a Vietnam Vet and had spent lots of time shooting stuff in the woods during 1967 and 1968 - had no desire to go shoot anything else in the woods. He'd had enough of the great outdoors, he wanted the grocery store, a kitchen, and a warm bed at night next to a warm bodied woman (my mom). Amongst the many things he did teach me, hunting was not to be one of them!

I’ve got a good friend and church brother that has that same story. He told me he hunted men for 18 months and that was plenty enough hunting for him. I know another infantry Vietnam combat vet that hunts like crazy for everything but turkeys. I guess it strikes each fellow differently.

 

[James12]

Dad till I was 11 - he was my idol at that age. 31years ago today actually he was called up and after that some other men stepped in to help a bit. Like said above, still learn something every time I go! Also have learned a lot of what NOT to do from some folks too

 

[Milkman]

From reading these I see some of your Dads were like mine and had served enough time carrying a rifle.
Daddy said he had to keep his rifle in reach 24/7 for 3.5 years in the Philippines from 1942-1945.
He never carried one again. He even got us boys to shoot pigs and calves at slaughter.

 

[frankwright]

No One at first.
I hunted just a few times in PA with my Dad and that was usually tracking deer in the snow. I left for the service soon after.
Some friends took me a few times and I finally got in a club.
I asked and watched everyone to try to learn. VHS rental was a thing and a little hunting store down the road had a bunch of hunting videos to rent cheap.
I learned a lot from them, not all good, but a bunch was.
After that I am still learning to hunt. I take it all in, everything I see and hear on TV and in person andI try to sort it out along with what I learn every time I am in the woods.

 

[bfriendly]

My mom took me fishing, but it was a neighborhood friend that was a few years older than me. When he got his first vehicle, a truck, he took me hog hunting. Him and his pit/cur Spike…..spike was a bad dude and played a big role I’m sure of it.

 

[uturn]

I'm still learning - never had a teacher. So far it's been reading articles, watching YT vids, talking to people on hunting forums, and boot leather burned during class at the school of hard knocks in the woods.

I'd wanted to learn as a kid, however, my dad - a Vietnam Vet and had spent lots of time shooting stuff in the woods during 1967 and 1968 - had no desire to go shoot anything else in the woods. He'd had enough of the great outdoors, he wanted the grocery store, a kitchen, and a warm bed at night next to a warm bodied woman (my mom). Amongst the many things he did teach me, hunting was not to be one of them!

My story is much the same…my Dad Vietnam and Korean War Vet…the Greatest Man I’ve ever known as well!

He did take me across country and back to Alaska stopping at every National Park we could on the way back to Florida..and so began my passion for the outdoors. I started reading Field and Stream and anything else I could get my hands on relating to the great outdoors, hunting etc as a kid…still read a lot mostly related to archery hunting for the last 15/20 years..so I suppose it’s been me along with the 100’s of writers that have graced the pages…and yes I’m still learning as well!