virginiashadow

I am sure we each have unique hunting experiences and thoughts that have shaped us throughout the years. I am curious about each of your hunting backgrounds and how you have evolved throughout the years in terms of your mind frame and overall hunting techniques. I will start.

I started hunting in 1992 at the age of 17. I remember wanting to hunt so bad that I went to the local Elk's lodge and sat for 2 days in a freezing cold little shack listening to some old timers talk to us about safety. No one hunted in my family, but I was always out in the woods fishing and walking. My first hunt was uneventful as I did not see a deer and froze my butt off for 3 hours. I must have picked the coldest day of the year. I remember walking out into the woods with my buddy who was smoking a cigarette, not even thinking of scent control, the wind, or even as to where the deer where coming from...I had NO plan at all other than to be quiet and stay warm.

So in my teens my goal was to kill any deer, I didn't care. I used to get up early in the morning to drive out to public land hunting spots with no idea what I was doing. I hunted from the ground with an old used .3030 my dad bought me. I did not see a deer until year 2, and I missed a doe at 30 yards with that rifle because I was so nervous. I finally killed a deer year 3, when I killed two bucks on my buddy's private property in Loudoun County Virginia. From that day I was hooked. I remember reading about Tinks 69 and other lures and I tried them, but with no success. I began washing my clothes in no scent detergents and being a little more cautious of the wind.

In my early to mid 20's I still just wanted to kill any deer as I was still very inexperienced. I began putting deer down consistently at about my 10th year hunting. I finally purchased a climbing stand and loved it. I picked up a bow and started hunting with it around 2001.

In my late 20's I started to became more selective, trying to kill bucks of 4-5 points or better along with does. I started hunting with a bow during the gun season and eventually put my guns away about 4-5 years ago as I had been bitten by the bow bug. My scent control regimine became a lot better as did my success on taking deer on public land. I also began scouting for the first time, something I never did for the first 10 years of hunting.

In my early 30's I transitioned over to trying to kill bucks of 6 points or better. Now at 34 I feel I am better than ever but still have a lot to learn...It may take me a lifetime but I am committed. I still have not killed a mature buck but when I look back at my entire evolution I know that I am just a slow learn I believe and not killing a mature buck is just part of my learning process....it will come but in due time.

So how about you, what has been your evolution?

ps...I forgot to add, Davidmil may use two pages on this post as he is in his 100's.

MeanV2

Started in "68" I have definitely went through several stages in my Bowhunting. I have never gun hunted other than a cfew Turkeys, rabbits, & squirrels.I still like knockin'em down with a Bowbut.......................................... .......

I do Trophy Hunt more than I used to. I only kill 4 to 5 deer a year vs. the 12 to 15 I used to.

Too much work draggin'em out![8D]

Dan

130woodman

I went hunting with my Dad from the age of 8. I couldn't get enough. I was 12 when I was finally legal to carry a gun. I missed a buck that first year buck I was hooked. My dad was not the most savy hunter as it came to scent control or wind direction. It was find a spot that looked good and wait it out. I was 14 when I first picked up a bow. I saw this 10 point every night after school in the corner of my yard so my dad went and got me a bow tag and told me to use my brothers bow which he never used. Thefirst nightI could hunt I shot that buck. Since then I can't wait for opening day.

Afterthe first buck it took me 7 years to get another with the bow.I shot a few does in between but nothing with antlers. I read everything I could on the subject of bowhunting and learned from mistakes. If I don't learn something in a season I didn't hunt hard enough. At this point I know how to hunt the wind and just figuring out that bucks move on differant trails than the does and find those trails is hard.

Know scent control is first on my list. Finding those spots that are buck magnets is getting easier. Year round scouting,shed hunting, food plots keeps my deer season going almost year round.The more I do for hunting the more I get out of it. Most of all I enjoy every minute I spend in the woods it' my way of not going insane.

virginiashadow

Mean---I can't imagine killing 10-15 deer in one season. The most I have ever killed is 4. At that point I started asking myself, do I need any more deer?

130---my dad was the same way with fishing as your dad was with hunting....we weren't fancy but we would spend a lot of time fishing until we caught something...he never gave up.

Edcyclopedia

Very similar to your metamorphosis...
Just 2,920 days older.

I have my thinking cap on today, can you tell?

Schultzy

For myself I grew up In a bow hunting household being both of my parents bow hunted. I was flinging arrows at 3 years old and the old man just loved It. I couldn't turn 12 years old quick enough being that was the age a person had to be to hunt In Mn. I started out with a Martin Lynx compound and used that until I grew out of that and picked up a XI Impact compound. The 1st 4 years bow hunting I shot the 1st thing that gave me a shot (bear or deer). Most years my hunting season was over the 1st 2 weeks of deer season. We could only shoot one deer and our season was over, not much has changed now being It's still like that 95% of the time here. At 16 years old I shot my 1st buck, I then told dad I want to step up the challenge and shoot big bucks like him and let the young bucks pass. To this day (18 years ago) I haven't shot a young/small buck on that same property and have no Intentions on doing so unless of coarse It's either wounded or It's an older buck with not much of a rack. When I turned 22 years old I wanted to step up the challenge more so I decided to get rid of the wheels and try It with a traditional bow. My dad bought me a custom made take down recurve for my birthday ($200.00) and I've used the same recurve since. Me switching to a traditional bow was the best thing that ever happened to me bow hunting. I forgot to add that I shot my 1st deer at 13 years old (2nd year of deer hunting) and I shot my 1st bear at 15 years old (1st year of bear hunting). Bow hunting has been good to me other then just my kills, It's taught me a few things when sitting out In the woods. It's giving me time to think and time to myself which I do need from time to time.

ahunter55

Fellas-2009 is the start of my 53rd year of Bowhunting. I Bowhunted Deer the 1st time in 1956 at the age of 15, I took my 1st Deer in 1958 at the age of 17 with a 45# recurve, wood arrow I fletched myself & a MA3 blade head-35 yd shot, dbl lung& 30 yard dash.I managed 38 Biggame animals with recurve & wood, forgewoodor Fiberglassarrows& no sights or releases. Since then I have been on a Bowhunting Journy that many will only dream of & a variety of Biggame animals. Archery & Bowhunting has always been a major element in my life AFTER GOD & FAMILY.
After a 5 year stint with the Navy/MarinesI worked at a steel mill & had a archery shop/lanes the entire time.I vested my time at the mill& went full time for about 8 years with 2 archery shop/lanes in 2 different towns & was a archery column writer for a state distributed sports magazine& occassional archery magazine articles plus being a local Archery Club officer &held variousState Archery Assn. offices.I kept very busy with Archery/Bowhunting & traveled ALL the tournys during my PRIME time (70s80s) state& sectional shoots. My Bowhunting evolved from kill any Deer to being selective (after several animals) to very selective on Whitetail Bucks(I started shooting Does again in 2007-the 1st since 1980. I have never been a true TROPHY hunter so when I Bowhunt something new to me-it's still (for the most part) ANY LEGAL animal. I have traveled many states & Canada Bowhunting & the list is Elk, Caribou, Buffalo, Black Bears, Mule deer, Some Exotic deer, Sheep, Goat,Wild Hogs, Javalina& many many Whitetails.I have been fortunate to have taken several P&Y animals ONLY because they walked by-not because I specifically hunted them& I have never entered any-I do know their scores. I get just as excited drawing on a 100# wild hog as I do a big Whitetail buck or a doe. When I "KNOW" I am going to take a shot at whatever-I get excited.
I managed 4 animals in 2008- 2 wild hogs in Oklahoma & 2 Whitetail Does.
I did let a few Whitetail Bucks pass asI was trying for a personal best this year-I came "CLOSE" on 3 different occassions but each time the Buck didn't make that fatal last step he needed to-that's why they are BIG.
I don't know if I have evolved over the years as a bowhunter- I know I have had TONs of great experiences Bowhunting & have seen some major changes in Bowhunting tackle BUT for the most part-Bowhunters are still good ol Guys & Gals. The BIGGEST RACK doesn't make you the Best Bowhunter on the block. It is always best to be a little humble if YOU ARE BLESSED to bag that BIG ONE.... Good Luck to all.

J The Deer Slayer

My dad hunted as a kid growing up and then got married to my mom and had me so he had more important things to do. He liked shooting .22's in competition, so he had me shooting targets with the bb gun at 3 years old. I started killing "those damn birds that **** on the truck" soon after. He made me into a deadly weapon haha.

Around 6 years old I spent lots of time with my uncle and cousin. They had a nice hunting camp that sat on a 100 acres of prime hunting land. I didn't do any shooting with them but I learned a lot of hunting skills from all the time I spent there.

At around 10 years old me and dad would go hunting on Saturdays. He had his 30-06 and I used my granddads double barrel shotgun. I never killed a deer with it. 2 years later my dad bought a 7mm-08 for his new deer rifle so I used his 30-06. Fist day out with it I killed a doe. Then I was hooked.

I got into bow hunting because I loved to be in the woods trying to out smart deer. I have found that there is nothing more rewarding than getting that clean kill shot off. It is my favorite way to hunt. But when I get lazy I still love to use my 30-06