For me, I recall my granddad taking me on a few dove hunts before he passed away when I was 9. Did a ton of fishing with him though. Did some bow hunting with my dad until I went off into college. Getting back into the swing of things this year.

Got anyone you're trying to pass down the tradition/experience to? My son is only 4, but certainly want to get him out there as soon as I can. The attention span isn't quite there yet, even for things where you don't have to be silent/still.

My dad. The funny thing is that I hated going with him. It was cold.

My dad.

Pops....

My dad never hunted and didn't know the first thing about it. Lucky for me a family friend who didn't have any kids had land and patience. He picked me up at school every Friday and took me to his farm where we did everything from tractor work, cows, hunting and fishing. Widowmaker10 came along several years after me and was lucky enough to have this same mentor in life and the woods. He's become like a little brother to me even though he graduated from AU with a degree in Forestry but still pulls for Bama .

I became who I wanted to be in life because of someone who had no obligation at all but he did it anyway.

I guess my dad, but everyone in our family hunted - it was expected. Whatever we killed, was pretty much what we ate - with the exception of the hogs and chickens that my grandparents raised. For as far back as I can remember - we probably ate deer or some type of game 5-6 times a week for dinner. My dad says that when I (being me) was young, "We were so poor that we were "po" - we couldn't afford the "o r" to make us poor.

My mom would make a big pot of pinto beans on Sunday and we'd eat them everyday that week till they were gone.

A typical dinner:
Fried deer meat (tenderized with a mallet)
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Pinto beans
Biscuits or cornbread

Often,
Bisquick squirrel dumplings
Pinto beans

Sometimes,
Fried chicken or porkchops
Mashed potatoes
Pinto beans
Biscuits or cornbread

Ironically, my favorite meal is:
Fried deer cube steak
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Pinto beans
Cornbread

My best friend who is no longer with us. I think about him everyday but feel his presence the most when I'm deer hunting. My daddy and granddaddy were saltwater fisherman and not hunters at all.

Father in law....My dad never hunted. I've got alot of uncles who hunt, but never asked to take me hunting. My FIL had several shooting houses on his and some family property behind his house. I finally took him up on the offer to go. After the first one, I was hooked. I'm still not any good. But I enjoy it.

My dad.

He was a duck hunter so that's what we did. He got pretty pissed at me one night at camp because I wouldn't shucks in the woods. Late that night he drove me all the way back down the river and my mom picked me up at the boat landing. Now my son has no problem dropping logs in the woods.

My step-father did in the late 60's, killed my first deer in '71

Friends of mine in hs

Pops, best time of my life has and will continue to be time spent with him in the outdoors..

Dad

Grandfather

Dad, Uncles, and Step Grandfather. Great times following them and some bird dogs or rabbit dogs or squirrel huntin or sittin on the creek bank. I started them on deer hunting. I sure miss those guys.

Early on I squirrel hunted around my uncle's farm and around 1967 I started deer hunting just north of Troy with my cousin. He always had coon and squirrel dogs so we ran deer in the daytime and coons at night.

Me. Started with my red rider. Watched fishing and hunting shows. My dad worked too much to hunt and both my grandpas were dead. We had 7 acres but it was a funnel for deer. I got a sks when I was 14 and would go stand on the hollow after school in my blue jeans and tee shirt. Killed my first deer back there. Was a doe out of doe season. I was so pumped I didn't care. That got me hooked.

And I knew so little about it after I shot it I took off running after it.

I have always been fascinated with the outdoors and pretty much taught myself through trial and error. We had a large farm in Ga and used to sit on a hillside and watch deer every evening studying their body language. Then after I turned 12 my step dad handed me a 30-30 and said about time you start hunting ....I haven't stopped yet and still love to watch em.

Cool pic... Wild man there

Dad did. It was rough at times but he taught me everything I know.

Dad.
He would carry me on his shoulders thru swamps while hog hunting.

My dad carried me on a few squirrel hunting trips. But because of his job, those were few and far between. My Paw Paw Quimby and my Uncle Ken are the ones that introduced me to deer hunting. Sure wish I could share one more hunt with my Paw Paw.

My dad and grandpa grew up quail hunting walked many a miles and loved it

My Dad. Some of my best memories are of me and him hunting together.

My youth pastor from the younger years is who really got me started deer hunting. He was patient, taught me about everything he knew, and laid a good foundation for what it takes to be a respectful outdoorsmen. Grew up running coon dogs and never really gave deer hunting a chance.

Looking back at it now, God's plan for me in the woods was far greater than the mind could imagine. Years later in a duck swamp, I hit my knees and truly fell in love with my Savior, Jesus Christ. I quit playing religion and devoted my life to follow Jesus. What probably just seemed like teaching a youngin to hunt, turned into the greatest decision I have ever made. Months after the swamp meeting with Jesus, I began to preach the precious, powerful Word of God! Very humbling moment each time I give my testimony, telling everybody I can, that I found Jesus in the midst of hunting other things! I thank God for the obedience of my youth pastor.

I have the greatest opportunity to hunt with some great Godly men. Not only did I find my Savior in the woods, but also get to strengthen my relationship with Him through Godly fellowship with bold men in His Beautiful Creation! Whether I'm in the duck blind, deer stand, or chasing turkeys I never forget what God has done/continues to do for me in the woods and I always find myself saying:
"For many are called, but few are chosen."-Matthew 22:14

Myself, at 38. I was spending loads of money in competetive shooting and begging for venison. Finally made the logical conclusion. Read half the posts on this sight, joined a club and now we'll see...

My Uncle Jimmy. My father didn't hunt at all. Uncle Jimmy taught me so much about the outdoors and deer hunting. Gave me my first whole beer and first whiskey drink......... at 14! Good times !

My friend's dad took me while I was in college. No one in my family hunted. Hooked after one trip...

Dad

My ol man. Miss him terribly!

Me. Daddy said he hunted as a kid because he HAD to, not because he wanted to. He swore he'd never go again once he no longer had to. I read everything I could get my hands on and just went out and did it. Learned alot from making so many mistakes.

Just about all the men in my family hunted and a few of the ladies did as well. Hunting and fishing were just a part of life.

My pops, I have very very fond memories of when I was like 4 hunting with him. I was using a springfield single shot 410 with birdshot I thought I was gonna take a deer out with it if I saw one. Almost unloaded it on a wild dog one year. When I was turned 7 or 8 he upgraded my hunting gun to a ruger m77 7mm rem mag lol, still my go to hunting rifle.

7mag at 7 years old.. Dang... I would have gave you my lunch money for sure..

when i was 7-8 yrs old my dad took me out hunting and id sit on the ground under his tree stand or in a blind with him. i loved just sitting there quiet in the woods with him

My brother in law got me started when I was seven. That was 34 years ago and we still hunt together.

My dad and grandfather took me hunting. When I got big enough to tote a adequate deer gun my grandfather would take me dog hunting on Saturday and my dad would take me stalk hunting on Sunday. I killed my first deer a doe with my grandfather and first buck with my dad and cousin. It just kills me they aren't here to do the same with my son.

My Dad.

My dad. I dont remember ever not hunting. Mom been gone 32 years and dad 30. Think of them every day.

Myself.. My dad didn't hunt and no one in my family did..

My dad. My favorite years were the ones when my dad & 2 uncles had a little lease that we'd all hunt together on weekends.

I guess I was born with it. No one hunted in my family. Went with a friend of dad's brother dog hunting some. When I turned 16 I had a friend with an uncle who let us hunt his land in Walker Springs, been hunting for 30 years since!

My dad started me with deer hunting. Started going about 3 or 4 years old. Dog hunting to start with and then on to the sit and wait game as years went by. All other big game and waterfowl, I did myself.

My dad. I remember him hauling me up with a rope to his old Baker stand. The most fun was the dog hunting. I love hearing a good race. Hunting was so much more fun for a youngster in the 70's.

My dad didn't care anything about hunting but my uncle Delmar who lived next door did. It was the mid 70's, I was 12 or 13...before daylight I could hear that old 68 ford crank & the tail gate slam & he would come rumbling up the driveway. That truck was bought from the local Western Auto which had gone out of business. It was a blue & white two toned 2wd, three speed on the column long bed with a huge dog box on back & a long cb antenna rocking on the bumper. 1200 mudders on back for traction. It had an AM radio & an 8 track under dash, he had a couple of tapes thrown up on the dash Willie Nelson's Red Headed Stranger & Bob Segers Night Moves. My dad had a 30-30 but I wasn't allowed to carry it yet so he let me use his 12 gauge Stevens double barrel shotgun & that stuck as my cb handle..Double Barrel. I still have & use both guns. We would go meet up with a dozen others in similar rides, drop the tailgate & the race was on. I was in hog heaven. Sorry for rambling on but those are some of the most fond memories of my youth.

Grew up with a sister and a mother after my dad decided he didn't want to stick around. My uncle got me into hunting.
My Uncle Curry.

my grandpaw started me out rabbit hunting and squirrel hunting and one uncle deer hunting my other uncle quail hunting and my dad and uncle dove hunting i've been blessed to have kenfolk that hunt

I believe I was born into it.

Growing up my Dad was the Vice President of sales for a pretty large corporation (coal industry). This was back in the 80's and it was normal to spend money entertaining customers on a regular basis. Well we had access to some prime land just west of Prattville and in and around Autagaville. We spent a lot of time down there hunting. Dad almost always took me and PawPaw with him, me starting at age 5.

I would set with Dad unless he had customers down and then I would set with pawpaw. Shot my first deer at age 5 with a pellet gun after pawpaw had done killed it. Lol. Missed my first deer at 6 with a double barrel 20 on a big dog hunt down that way. Dad always included family in these big hunts. He would have 5 or so big customers (executives) and there would be just as many family and friends. The gentleman that cut my t shirt off me after the miss talked about that hunt till the day he passes away (2 years ago). I still have that t shirt.

We did a lot of man drives (midday) during those times and killed piles of deer. Dad was always the driver and would do his best to run something on me or pawpaw. I set in a tree stand now and he will send me a text that says "josh, get ready!" That's what he always yelled after he jumped some that were headed my way.

X2

My father. He likes the outdoors, but nowhere near to the extent I do. He saw that in me at a young age and did his absolute best to keep me in the outdoors as much as possible. Looking back, he probably didn't want to go himself most of the times, but did because his little boy did.

I also believe that I was born with it. But my father taking me and allowing me to experience the outdoors as a child is one of the greatest gifts I have ever been given

Also, my grandmother, who passed away several years ago, was a very heavy influence in all of my life, but especially the outdoors. She lived less than a 1/4 mile from me and on the family farm. I spent most of my free time as a child at her house...which has a 3 acre lake it sits beside. Some of my fondest memories are of fishing with her as a kid with a cane pole with minnows we had caught in a minnow trap off of her pier. And what we caught, we ate. Her influence in my life concerning the outdoors isn't just limited to fishing....she loved to see what I had killed hunting. From the time I was 6 years old until the time when she passed away (I was 27) the very first stop I made after I killed a deer, turkey, or anything was her house for her to see it and take a picture for "her book"....

I have so very many things because of my grandmother...but one of coolest and most irreplaceable are the hundreds of Polaroid pictures of fish I caught, things I killed, etc. I miss her every day.

My Dad and my Uncle. Dad would take me whenever he went(which was almost every Saturday and Sunday during dog season) and my Uncle would take me on the days dad didn't. Some of my best memories are of my Uncle picking me up after school and taking me to the woods. My Dad never bow hunted, but my uncle got me started at age 12 with an old Bear Kodiak Magnum recurve. Never killed one with it and graduated to a compound at 14...that was 26 years ago and I've been hooked ever since.

I apologize for my tardiness on this thread but I want to share my story and show my appreciation to a few individuals including our very own General. Bubba I wouldn't be half of what I am today without you in my life. You've given me lots of advice and been there when I needed you. When mom was sick and it was starting to wear on me, you gave me the speech I needed to hear and I put my big boy britches on and dealt with life. I can't express in words my gratitude towards you well enough to justify what all you've done for me but thank you brother. Just like Generals story my dad didn't hunt and really didn't spend the time with me that I wish he wouldve, but for some reason the good lord blessed me with some great people in my youth. It has led me to a career doing what I love, kept me out of trouble, and now I am looking forward to pass on what has been given to me so unselfishly and hopefully instill the same values that were taught to me.


And yes I'm an AU grad but BAMA fan due to the man that took me under his wing and introduced me the great outdoors ...Roll Damn Tide

A mix between my dad and grandfather. By the time I was old enough to go, my dad didn't really care for it anymore but my grandfather couldn't watch me and my brother at the same time. Once my dad saw how much I enjoyed going, we went every weekend that he wasn't fishing a tournament. I still wasn't old enough to shoot a gun so he hunted and I tagged along with my BB gun. He ended up making a bad shot on a deer that took 3 more shots from the 7mag to finish off and it kinda ruined him. He still went just so I could go but once I was old enough to hunt by myself, he stopped going. It's just been me and my grandfather for the last 8 years and he's having a hard time getting around now but we still have a good time.

I can't shoot a 7MM MAG now and I am 52 years old and 170 lbs!! Got rid of one I bought a few years ago, a Rem 700, because I couldn't sight it in,I started flinching after the third shot!!

Like DW said, here's my Lunch Money too!!


I did, however, shoot my first Deer when I was 9 1/2. Shot him with Daddys 742 30.06. Emptied the mag...5 shots and ended up hitting him twice at about 30 yards!! Never felt the recoil but felt the knotted bruise on my shoulder for a few days afterward.