Are you a 1st generation hunter?

[motleystew]

I will be a 1st gen hunter. My dad and uncle took me jack-rabbit hunting one, but this doesn't count. My parents just bought 41 acres 6 miles South of Fredericksburg on Hwy 86. The previous owner was a hunter and there is a deer stand on the property. The neighbor on their left has 5,000 acres and the neighbor on the right has 3,000 acres and we have been told by both neighbors we my use the land if we want as the owners no longer do. I will need to but a rifle but I plan to hunt for my first time this year. I will take the training class before hand. Also, I have never cleaned a deer, but should I bag one, There is a caretaker there who will assist me. There are lots of deer around that we have seen along a fence line at the rear of the property. There is a shooting range on the property down in an old dry gulch where we shoot our guns and it is marked off at 25 and 50 yards to sight in our rifles. So, yeah, I'm a first gen hunter!

[der Teufel]

My father never hunted. I don't think he ever owned a firearm. His father died when he was about eleven. However, my dad was active as an adult leader in Boy Scouts, and we did a lot of outdoor activities as a family. When I was about 13 an uncle gave my two brothers and me an old .22 rifle. We shared that rifle for a few years, and when I was 16 I saved enough money to buy my own .22 rifle. That same year I bought a shotgun. No one in the family knew much about hunting, so my dad just asked around where he worked for recommendations. His friends told him to suggest that we avoid a .410 (which was what I was thinking about getting because I had never even held a shotgun before). I ended up buying a 16GA in a pawn shop for cash at age 16! That was long before there was much registration, although it was about four or five years after Kennedy was assassinated.

I learned to hunt by doing mostly, and by going hunting with friends. We mostly hunted ducks and squirrels back then (40+ years ago). Fast forward to today, and I'm retired. A good friend has property on which there are feral hogs. I really enjoy getting out and hunting hogs. No one thinks they're cute, they're tasty, and the neighbors all want them gone. About two years ago I shot my first (and so far only) deer. I usually pass on the deer in order to save freezer space for the hogs. I learned to clean deer and hogs by reading a pamphlet while I was standing around in a Bass Pro Shop. Again, most of what I've learned regarding hunting hogs has come from reading and doing. One thing that works out in my favor is that my wife is okay with me hunting. She doesn't want to go with me, but she's perfectly okay with the fact that I hunt. I can't emphasize that factor enough.

[retrieverman]

I am getting in late, but this is an interesting thread. One side of my family has been avid hunter for generations, but I am a first generation hunter on one side. I have actually already created a second generation though. My youngest son absolutely LOVES to hunt and has become quite skilled at it too.

[Lodge2004]

Guess I'd be a 1st generation non-hunter. My father was an avid hunter. As a kid we ate just about everything that flew or walked on four legs. Unfortunately, he did not involve any of his children in hunting or shooting sports. The end results are:

My brother, who had a career in Law Enforcement, loves to shoot and owns quite a few nice guns but does not hunt. His son is very active but has no interest in firearms.

My sister probably has never held a firearm in her life and is ambivalent towards them. Her children and grandchildren have probably never touched a firearm.

As for me, I got into shooting in college (pistol team) and love the sporting/self-defense aspects but have never hunted. My kids have all been to the range many times and the older ones own firearms (gifts from dad).

Bottom line - parents have a huge impact on their children and grandchildren. Seemingly small influences, like a fun hunting experience or trip to the range, can have a significant impact lasting generations.

[Chuck TX]

No, but it skipped a generation. My father only duck/bird hunted. I had to learn the rest from uncles and great uncles, etc.

[chabouk]

I'd like to hunt. Well, I'd like some venison in the freezer, and hunting is the only way to get it.

We didn't hunt growing up. I killed one rabbit with a .22 when I was about 10 or 11. We went deer hunting once or twice, but never saw a deer. I've killed a few squirrels, a couple of crows, and a possum, but only for pest removal.

Since there's almost no public hunting land in Texas and leases are expensive, it's tough to get started. If you're not already part of the hunting community, you don't know where to go, who to talk to, or what questions to ask. You don't know what you need to buy. You don't know what to do if you should get a deer. And what's more, despite all the talk about keeping hunting going for future generations, almost nobody wants to help you get started, because other adult hunters are seen as competition.

So, I guess I'll stay a non-hunter.

[akhooters7]

My family was non- outdoors..... thank you for the in-laws.... my father-in-law (rip) and brother-in-law taught me all i currently know.....never had hunted till i got married... now 20 years later... it is in the blood.... and spreading to my 6 yr old..... he loves it.

[baseballguy2001]

I'm a first generation. My dad never hunted, never owned a gun, he didn't do much of anything outdoorsy. He did enjoy sailing, and sailed here for years on a local lake. Funny thing, he started enjoying sailing about the same age I began shooting. I've learned to shoot and hunt from my buddies. We go dove hunting, skeet shooting, we have tried to book that hog hunting trip, but it hasn't happened yet.

[A-R]

I am officially a first-generation hunter. Harvested my first two deer Tuesday morning within 15 minutes of each other.

Was not raised a hunter. My dad did not hunt. One of my grandpas did, and a few uncles. But I was never really interested as a child. My brother hunted a bit in his early 20s (supposedly once shot a deer out a bathroom window while sitting on the porcelain throne ), but I still never got the itch to try it.

But this year, for some reason, I decided I wanted to try it ... may be my age (I'm 36 and don't want to be "too old to learn" to hunt); may be my son being born (he's a year old in two weeks). A friend of my dad's from church invited me to his lease near Bulverde to "try it out". One of my best friends loaned me his Ruger .270 bolt-action rifle with 6x Leupold scope (a hand-me-down from his dad, I believe). I picked up the gun Sunday, sighted it in at indoor range that night (found out it dislikes $35/box Federal Premium ballistic tips, but LOVES $18/box Remington Core-Lokt lead soft tips ... see photo of 3-shot group at 100 yards with the Core-Lokts; Federals were 1.5 - 2-inch groups @ 100)

3-shot group @ 100 yards Ruger M77 .270 with Leupold 6x scope shooting Remington Core-Lokt lead tips

So my dad's friend told me since it was my first time and we only had that morning to hunt, he'd put me in his box blind (well-hidden in a clump of trees 75 yards from feeder in a clearing) while he hunted a tripod stand in back of property. He'd seen two does from this box blind previous morning, but didn't shoot (waiting for a buck). Feeder was set to drop corn at 7:15 am. About 7:05 am, this little buck walks up, looks at me in blind, looks at feeder, looks around, at me again, then trots off. I wasn't "ready" yet - rifle was still leaning on wall of blind and thought I'd missed my chance. But I got the rifle ready hoping for another chance. Five minutes later, 3 does and this one little buck walk up and start feeding. So I take aim at the buck and squeeze off a round. Everyone scatters, including the buck and I thought I'd missed him somehow. Was wearing gloves that weren't intended for shooting and felt the gun slip just a bit when I squeezed the trigger. Was mad at myself, but decided to wait 15 minutes like my dad's friend had told me. Sure enough, corn drops from the feeder at 7:15 and 10 minutes later a doe wanders back over. Determined not to miss again, I carefully aimed and squeezed the trigger. Doe bolted behind a juniper bush. Couldn't believe I could miss again on a target that big at only 75 yards after putting that dime-size cloverleaf pattern on the range target. Waited 15 minutes. Nobody else was showing up, so I ventured out of the stand.

Sure enough, found the doe dead just around the corner 20 yards from feeder. Clean kill just behind the shoulder. Walked passed the feeder around juniper bushes on other side, and found the buck lying under a limb 30 yards from feeder. Clean kill too; just behind the shoulder, exactly where I'd been aiming.

So after fretting for 20+ minutes about possibly missing (or worse, wounding) two deer on my first hunt, I found myself with the bounty of two kills. Loaded them up in the truck and headed back to cabin. My dad's friend returned from his stand. He got skunked because 3 hogs - first he'd ever seen on this lease - scared off the one deer he saw all morning. He didn't shoot the hogs - though I know he wishes he had - because he was hoping a deer would return when they left the feeder area. I felt bad about my bounty while he was empty handed, but he was really gracious in showing me how to field dress my two deer etc.

Was a rewarding first hunt. Supposed to get the meat from the processor hopefully by end of next week (might have venison burgers for my son's first birthday )

The buck seems small, but my dad's friend told me "it's your first hunt, if you see a deer, shoot it" basically don't sweat the details. Not sure about counting points (I think it has 7) and certainly don't care about "grading system" and whatnot. Anyway, here's a photo (no blood) ...

My first deer - 7 point?

I know this hunt would not have happened without some very gracious hunters offering to help me learn to hunt. The state doesn't help; took the state-mandated safety course and it's not much more than an expansion of the 4 Rules and some generic talk about ethics and conservation - not much "here's how you hunt" information. And without much help from family, getting started as a hunter is difficult without other hunters passing along their knowledge. I can't emphasize this enough: Without other hunters inviting new hunters into the fold, so to speak, hunting could become a thing of the past within a few generations.

I'm eager to try it again. May have some more opportunities this year. Definitely have some possibilities of varmint hunting on some farm land near Hutto.

Hope to take my daughter and son when they're old enough, see if they like it.

[chabouk]

The buck seems small, but my dad's friend told me "it's your first hunt, if you see a deer, shoot it" basically don't sweat the details. Not sure about counting points (I think it has 7) and certainly don't care about "grading system" and whatnot. Anyway, here's a photo (no blood) ...

8 points with a broken tine. Nice!

I know this hunt would not have happened without some very gracious hunters offering to help me learn to hunt.

Double congratulations on that. That's what I'd like to find.

I'm sure if I mooched around enough at work, I'd find someone willing to take me. One of the problems is that we have to schedule all our vacation for the coming calendar year in September/October. I'm never going to be scheduled off during deer season, so it has to be a situation where I can hunt on my days off.

[A-R]

I'm sure if I mooched around enough at work, I'd find someone willing to take me. One of the problems is that we have to schedule all our vacation for the coming calendar year in September/October. I'm never going to be scheduled off during deer season, so it has to be a situation where I can hunt on my days off.

that's what sick days are for, right? Used to work with a guy who always used to get sick for 2-3 days in early November. We called it "deer fever". I still think that's all swine flu is, just a hog hunt version

[Isimanica]

I pretty much learned on my own or with a friend. My father bought a rifle but never went, then I went and had the rifle blown up (another story for another day). His father and grand father did but that is what you did during the Depression. On my mom's side it is the same story. I would love to go hunting but it is just to dang costly for some one in college. I have tried the texas hunts but the dates hit right around midterms or finals! Though next year I am looking into the public lands and hope that will work out then.

[chabouk]

Here's a nice report about a first-generation hunter passing on the tradition to her son:

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx ... f7bc0f164d" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[marksiwel]

I would like to go hunting, maybe some javelinas?

[drjoker]

Yes, I am a new hunter. Just got my hunter ed's class.

I'm going to hunt rabbits and maybe turkey because I don't have a gigantic freezer nor a pickup truck. Besides, I don't want to freak out the liberal anti-hunting veggie eating bambi hugging wife.

right now, I'm just practicing my shooting skills with a BB gun at home indoors everyday and shooting a rented or borrowed 22 at a range every other week to prepare for the hunt. I plan on going hunting in early spring 2010.

Anybody experienced wanna join me? Feb 2-4 in LBJ grasslands. I'm very safety conscious and will never ever point a gun at you. Please do not tell my wife. Be my "beard". If you have experience and know what you're doing, I'll buy you a pack of beer for your troubles. PM me. Thanks.