Who got you started in hunting and fishing?

[Rusty Spinner]

My first fishing outing was when I was 4 years old with my grandfather on my mother's side on Pines Lake in Wayne. We were visiting for a week from California where I was born and lived the first 5 years of my life. I caught my first sunnies on worms under a big 'ol bobber. And I was as hooked as the sunnies were. When I was 7, my dad bought a new LL Bean fiberglass 7 weight and I fell instantly in love. I bugged the crap out of him until he broke down and bought me my own fly rod and the rest is history with my fishing.

Ever since I could walk, Dad took me hunting when we lived in California. It was often with one or two of my uncles and my grandfather and mostly for small game. I was too young to be in the deer woods, but I remember driving in the back of my uncle's Ford pickmeup truck like it was yesterday. Dad was a wood carver, and he carved me a flintlock rifle I could pretend I was hunting with. By age 10, again I was bugging the crap out of him to take me to my hunter's ed course and get me in the woods. My first time out was during 6 Day shotgun season, in the snow that year ('75). On the last day, Saturday, dad and I were following some deer tracks. Deer were almost nonexistent back then in West Milford where we lived. We stopped when I saw some weird bird tracks in the snow that suddenly stopped. As I was staring at them, a grouse burst out of the snow and took off as only a grouse can. I soiled my pants on the spot. Dad fell to the ground laughing. And a wild bird hunter was born. I wanted to know everything there was to know about that amazing encounter and the king of all gamebirds. We hunted together until he passed 8 years ago next month. Here's a shot of his last bird hunt. We hunted deer together a few more seasons, but this was his last hike with my old Brittany, Jed. We both limited on woodcock and I took a grouse in the DWNRA near Stokes. Jed and Dad are both long gone, but his Remington 870 sits in a place of honor in my gun safe.

So who introduced you to field and stream?

 

[Pete]

.......So who introduced you to field and stream?

Actually, "Field & Stream" did.
A neighbor (friend of my parents) used to give me his old issues of Field & Stream, Sports Afield, and Outdoor Life.

 

[Alan_B]

Don't laugh...... Curt Gowdy and American Sportsman. I couldn't wait for that show every week. That and the Herters catalogs at the barber shop. My dad loved to fish but he worked his ass off and he barely had time to make it to Little League games, so we did not fish together when I was young. I bought my first fly rod at Edelmans in Little Falls when I was maybe 12 or 13 and fished the South Branch behind the Lutheran Church inL.V. (mostly with garden hackle in the beginning)

 

[golden beetle]

Well said.

Enjoyed that.

 

[CTobias]

No one in my family hunted. I got into hunting late in the game. My college roommate, who is now a NYS DEC officer, got me into hunting.

I don't get to hunt too much, but I do get out once in a while.

 

[Rusty Spinner]

No one in my family hunted. I got into hunting late in the game. My college roommate, who is now a NYS DEC officer, got me into hunting.

I don't get to hunt too much, but I do get out once in a while.

You did hunt Taliban and this clown :saddam: to protect the rest of us, so you get a pass on starting late!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Thursthouse]

No one in my family hunted. I got into hunting late in the game. My college roommate, who is now a NYS DEC officer, got me into hunting.

I don't get to hunt too much, but I do get out once in a while.

Ditto that on the hunting. No one in my family hunts or fishes (one cousin overseas does). So I definitely jump at the opportunities whenever they come up to go hunting.

 

[trico mike]

My father used to hunt but stopped before I was old enough to go. His dog got shot by some idiot while rail bird hunting. My oldest brother started me duck hunting and I have many fond memories of days in the blind. We got my dad back into it for a few years. Then I started deer hunting and got obsessed with it. I got my first bird dog at 20 an English pointer and after many years of loyal service I had to put him down at 16. Now I have my gshp he is going on 3. I gave up ducks to concentrate on birds and deer. Here is my biggest one. I got him this year during pa rifle.