How many hunted when you were younger

[Bounty Bill]

I am 65 years old and was raised on a ranch in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Northern California. Went with dad hunting at 5 years old, shot first gun, 22, at 5 years old. Had first rifle at 12 years old, a Winchester 30/30 that I still have.   Killed first buck at 13.  Dad passed away this March at 100 years old and still talked about our hunting trips to Wyoming and Colorado.

Bounty Bill

[Cyrille]

My Uncle L.B. (Louis Bernard) took me out shooting when I was seven years old he had a Rimington .22  single shot that he let me "cut my teeth " on.  I have hunted off and on til sometime in the 1980's. On my last hunt the temperture got down into the 20's and I had to be helped out of my sleeping bag on the ground  as I couldn't get on my feet without assistance. Haven't hunted since.
I've hunted squirrels, rabbit, and deer been fairly sucessful with the small game but never got a deer. I've hunted with bow, muzzleloading guns, the old replicas not that "In line" stuff as well as "modern" arms. Ducks, small game & deer and had fun on every hunt.
     But now I just shoot at an In-door range, I really miss the "Outdoors"and would love to hunt again. If just to be "Outside" But being dang near 65 years old I don't relish the thought of sleeping out in the open anymore.

"Never apologize Mr. it's a sign of weakness", Capt. Nathan Brittles [ John Wayne; in "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon"]

[wspe61]

Grew up on a farm in WV... Don't remember not shooting.. My favorite memories are of my dad giving me half a dozen .22 shells and the rifle and sending me out to get rid of the ground hogs in the hayfields. Taught me to take my time and AIM... Still hunting to this day here in Nevada.

[Doc Sunrise]

My family hunted small game, and I got to go with my dad and my uncle when I was 10.  Rabbits and doves were the popular game at the time with an occassional turkey.

I got my own 16 single when I was 12.  A hand me down Ithaca, and I loved it.  We lived in the city, but short travels into the country side on weekends in the fall & winter were a favorite time for me.  My father was very jealous when my uncle went back to Australia and gave me his 1954 Breda Brescia Auto 12 he got in Italy to take care of.  My uncle was a Greek soldier stationed in Australia during WWII, and met my aunt there.  After the war, he went back to Australia and got married, and stayed there.  My father was like a kid when he would ask to see my uncle's gun, which I proudly would show how well kept and oiled it was.

A side note: my uncle is thankful he left his gun in America.  Australia decided to do the gun ban thing and confiscated all semi-auto firearms.  His shotgun would now be a pile of metal instead of a family legacy with many stories to tell my son about those great family hunting trips and how my uncle was the greatest shot around.

Recently, my son's Boy Scout Troop went to a shotgun training session and then spen the day shooting clays.  That old 16 single kicked some royal but, and the boys thouroughly enjoyed it.  As for the dads, my uncle's auto 12 could not be matched.