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Post by Sasquatch on Jun 12, 2006 3:46:42 GMT -5
I
Most people are introduced to the outdoors through a mentor.
I started hunting on my own, but I was introduced to fishing by a family friend. My father and that same friend tought me about mushrooms, wildflowers, and trees. I remember them joking that Red Man chewing tobacoo helped the mushrooms grow wherever they spit!
In my teens I was encouraged in my hunting by a good friend and Conservation officer.
Any good mentor stories?
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Post by dbd870 on Jun 12, 2006 4:16:34 GMT -5
No good story, just boring and average; my best friend's father. We started out getting to know each other through archery and he got me into hunting and skeet shooting. Funny, I started out a shotgunner and for many years all I shot were handguns and to a lesser extent rifles. Now the only shotgun that sees the light of day is my slug gun.
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Post by kevin1 on Jun 12, 2006 4:57:46 GMT -5
I'm almost completely self taught .
My Dad didn't hunt after leaving his parents home , despite a country upbringing , and few of my friends that I grew up with hunted . Those who did hunt didn't hunt locally other than an occasional squirrel or rabbit . Deer were still relatively scarce during the 70s when I was a teen , turkeys practically ddn't exist . I didn't even begin to learn to hunt in earnest until the 80s after I got out of the Navy , though I had taken rabbits a bit immediately following my separation , and popped the occasional squirrel to keep my eye sharp .
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Post by jajwrigh on Jun 12, 2006 6:18:54 GMT -5
No one in my home has ever hunted. I was introduced at the age of 12 by my best friend's father. We used to hunt squirrels on an old farm in Muncie. We had a little success and the passion for it all just grew from there. Now I don't know if there is any hobbie that I enjoy more.
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Post by DEERTRACKS on Jun 12, 2006 6:19:49 GMT -5
I did not have a mentor, as I came from a non-hunting family. Many years of trial & error in my youth learning how to hunt, fish, & gather all of Indiana's flora and fauna. Huntng safety to me was common sense in action & again self-taught.
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Post by drs on Jun 12, 2006 6:47:31 GMT -5
I did not have a mentor, as I came from a non-hunting family. Many years of trial & error in my youth learning how to hunt, fish, & gather all of Indiana's flora and fauna. Huntng safety to me was common sense in action & again self-taught. The same here too "deertracks", to some degree. I hunted with my Granddad, for Squirrels & Rabbits, when he felt like going. My Dad, being a Doctor (OB-GYN) like to hunt but didn't have much time due to his extensive medical pratice. I learned to hunt pretty much on my own |
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Post by bsutravis on Jun 12, 2006 13:02:42 GMT -5
Man, this is weird... No hunters in my fam either. I had a buddy who had a bb gun, so that's what got me interested in shooting. We'd go into the woods and toss some copper at black birds. When my grandpa found out I was taking a liking to the woods he bought me my first shotgun....a 12 gauge for a 13 year old. He didn't have a lot of hunting experience, other than some bushy tails when he was a kid, but he took me out and taught me what he knew about safety and shooting.....then I took it from there.
Weird that most people responding so far are self taught, or from someone other than a Dad.
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Post by jstalljon on Jun 12, 2006 13:44:26 GMT -5
Add me to the list. No one in our family hunted. Had quite a few fishermen, but no hunters. I remember enjoying slinging arrows in kiddie camp, but never got serious until spending a few years in Alabama for work in my early 20's. Started shooting a bow with some co-workers and have been hooked ever since. Luckily got married and moved back to Indiana just as my father-in-law was buying acreage with critters on the property!  Started with deer in 2000, have since added rabbit, squirrel, turkey and other game birds to the mix. The only thing I have yet to do is waterfowl hunt, and then the wife will officially kick me out of the house!  |
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Post by chicobrownbear on Jun 12, 2006 14:00:21 GMT -5
My dad planted the seed.
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Post by drs on Jun 12, 2006 14:16:33 GMT -5
Man, this is weird... No hunters in my fam either. I had a buddy who had a bb gun, so that's what got me interested in shooting. We'd go into the woods and toss some copper at black birds. When my grandpa found out I was taking a liking to the woods he bought me my first shotgun....a 12 gauge for a 13 year old. He didn't have a lot of hunting experience, other than some bushy tails when he was a kid, but he took me out and taught me what he knew about safety and shooting.....then I took it from there. Weird that most people responding so far are self taught, or from someone other than a Dad. WOW! a 12 gauge Shotgun at age 13! I bet it really set you on your behind, when you fired it. I started out with a Savage/fox .410 s/s; I've always been a fan of the .410 3" shell loaded with #5 shot. |
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Post by pbr on Jun 12, 2006 16:00:26 GMT -5
Self taught with trial and error. Mostly error.  That was back before any videos, DVDs and not too may how to magazines. |
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Post by 911 on Jun 12, 2006 16:15:16 GMT -5
No one in my family has ever hunted i guess my mentor was my younger brother. He started hunting with a friend of his when he was 13 and i was 16 i guess it rubbed off on me Ive been die hard ever since. Kyle E is my goose hunting mentor  |
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Post by bsutravis on Jun 12, 2006 18:51:44 GMT -5
WOW! a 12 gauge Shotgun at age 13! I bet it really set you on your behind, when you fired it. I started out with a Savage/fox .410 s/s; I've always been a fan of the .410 3" shell loaded with #5 shot. The old Mossberg model 500....still hunt with it. Back then I only shot low brass game loads, so the recoil wasn't bad. |
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Post by deerdude on Jun 12, 2006 19:01:11 GMT -5
my dad passed away when i was young so several of my uncles taught me small game hunting and fishing.deer hunting i had to learn all on my own, archery was the same, boy ,now theres a trip on your own, but i love every minute of it and the great thing is ,no matter how old you are you still learn something new from it every now and then.
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Post by huxbux on Jun 12, 2006 20:07:10 GMT -5
No hunters in my family. I came from a family of fisherman. A distant cousin I met only once at a family reunion had a couple of BB guns and we went out shooting when we got bored with the adult conversation. I was hooked after I shot my first chipmunk, and gladly, have never been able to shake the habit.
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Post by hunter7x on Jun 13, 2006 7:09:19 GMT -5
No hunters or outdoors people in my family either. My parents bought a house in Northern Michigan up around Petoskey. In the garage was some fur fish and game magazines and a couple of little fiberglass recurves. I read the magazines cover to cover several times and then started going in the woods behind the house on adventures. Started trapping when I was in 6th grade and hunting followed shortly after.
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Post by mudstrider on Jun 15, 2006 11:49:23 GMT -5
My family didn't hunt either. In my late twenties I bought a 12ga. and walked into a state park and started learning. Oh man, did I make some stupid mistakes and did some dumb things, but I've come a long way since then. Reading people's posts on sites like this really is a feeding ground for knowledge and tips. My love for deer hunting has steadily increased thru the years as the memories and experiences have piling up. Last Nov. I took my 10 yr.old son out on his first hunt (with his own gun). He was real tentative when a doe walked by, so I went ahead and took it. Later in the afternoon, I asked him if we went back out and a deer walked by would he take it? He said he would, and that is exactly what happened. He made a perfect shot while perched in a mulberry tree near me. The doe only went another 10 yards. Man, I was about ready to fly out of my tree stand! I was so proud and happy. I asked him yesterday what kind of deer is he going to get this year? He smiled and replied, "A twelve-pointer."
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Post by jackc99 on Jun 15, 2006 12:30:37 GMT -5
I had it made as a kid. My dad was the ultimate fisherman. He'd catch anything and everything that swam and my next door neighbor's boys always went with us. Their dad on the other hand was a consummate hunter and we went rabbit, squirrel, quail and pheasant hunting all through my youth. We were always outdoors and never in trouble.
Deer were scarce back then but I started deer hunting with my friends when we all got back from the service in the early 70's. Made a lot of mistakes, had a lot of good dogs, and made a few friends along the way. I worry about the day not too far from now when I'll have to give up the outdoors. Might as well plant me then.
This thread kind of reinforces the idea that all of us need to find a kid to take hunting or fishing once in awhile. They may never learn to enjoy the outdoors if we don't pass it on.
Jack
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Post by gunner on Jun 16, 2006 16:16:23 GMT -5
My Pop, D.J.B (1904-1974) may he rest in peace. A shootinst gentleman from the old school. To all the dads, living and past, Happy Father's Day!  |
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Post by squirrelhunter on Jun 16, 2006 18:20:26 GMT -5
My dad was/is an avid outdoorsman.Hunting,fishing and trapping.We still hunt and trap together each season,though we don't do as much as we use to because of his age and my health.He has a pond and still fishes a lot,but I don't do much of that anymore.
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