The Ones That Inspired You

[bullnose]

I was going through some old family photo albums and came across the one below. It's my dad, my uncle, and two buddies on a hunting trip to Wyoming from 1971 or 1972. My dad is on the right on the tailgate in the red flannel, and my Uncle Jim (his brother) is kneeling on the right wearing glasses. Uncle Jim was the toughest SOB I ever knew while still being the guy every dog and kid loved. All 4 in the photo have since passed. They don't make 'em like this any more.

Please post your photos and/or stories of your fathers, grandpas, or whomever taught you how to hunt and inspired your love of the outdoors.

 

[Squirrel Master]

Without a doubt my Dad and older brother. My parents had me late in life, they were 42 when I was born, and my older brother was already 17. But Dad kept me in the woods and on the water, and my brother was already grown by the time I was big enough to hunt so if Dad couldn't take me, he did. My Dad passed away in 2014 at almost 78 years old, and he was still active and hunted quite a bit. I miss him every day. My brother is still my best hunting buddy and we're still making memories, now with our own kids and grandkids as well as each other. I have a ton of old and new pics of our family on various hunting and fishing adventures. It's more than a hobby for us for sure. I'll share some pics later.

 

[flatlanderhuffandpuff]

My dad started hunting after high school when he started running around the guys who would later become his brother in laws. He would always go deer hunting for a few days a year but always enjoyed hunting for the social aspect. When my brother and I both reached hunting age he would let us come along to camp and we have enjoyed hunting with him ever since.

My uncle Frank was the one who really kept me interested in hunting. He introduced me to archery hunting and turkey hunting. He was with me when I killed my first few turkeys and helped me recover my first archery buck. He has mentored several other young men as well as his own kids who were 10 years younger than me and my brother. He has trapped beavers and everything else just for the sport of it and has allowed some of us to accompany him on the trips.

He has always wanted to head west to do an elk hunt and I am hoping to have him tag along next year.

I feel very lucky to have multiple influences who instilled good sportsmanship, woodsmanship and responsible gun handling.

 

[Marble]

My dad got me started, but he was more the type of hunter that enjoyed the trip more than being full focused on game. He is still my #1 hunting partner at 72 years old. When I was 24, I went to CO for the first time and met a guy that had been hunting it for 27 years at the time. He taught me horsemanship, backcountry camping, elk hunting (rifle and long ra ge hunting) game care and how to deal with difficult guides. Without him I would know next to nothing of what I do now.

Hopefully someday I'll be able to do the same for someone else that he did for me. I'm only 46 so hopefully there's plenty of time!

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

 

[zacattack]

My dad and my uncle were the primary two. There’s been others at certain points in my life that have also influenced my hunting and fishing in one way or another.

I have two boys now that inspire me to learn all that I can so I can teach them in a few years. I have hope in them as our first camping excursion this summer was a success.

 

[Carr5vols]

my old man started teaching me to hunt and fish when i was just walking. He still gets it done. He did everything for us 5 kids made me the person i am today.

 

[Billy Goat]

This is damn near, the perfect, medium cow. They need to fall in the slot limit on the string between the knots. Past the last knot, they too big and tough, inside the shorter knot, it's too small.

This one, falls perfectly between the knots, and is damn near the perfect medium cow.



I came from a pretty much non-hunting family. I had an uncle that upland hunted a little as a kid, a grandfather who had an interest in it, but never the time. My Dad and granddad would shoot ground hogs, so that's where I cut my teeth and learned to stalk. Then I gained a friend in elementary school who's dad was a big hunter, he had also come from a family of non hunters and took me under his wing.

Still wonder sometimes if he taught me what to do or what not to do, but he gave me a lot of opportunity growing up, then took me out west.


He is past 40 years now of going out west every year to hunt, from an east coast state. He says, hell I never had cared about hunting elk, just found out I could hunt them in late August and I had time to hunt then. So I said why not, and could hunt mules of deer too.

 

[Cant hit em]

My grandpa (Moms father ) taught my Dad to hunt when my Mom and Dad met. Every summer and fall was with grandpa fishing and hunting in California. He was from Oklahoma originally.

 

[RockyMnt Hunter]

My Dad taught me to hunt. He started taking me with him before I could even walk. 39 years later we are still hunting and learning together. My grandfather taught me all about shooting. When I was a little my brother and I would spend several weeks with him every summer. We'd spend a week fishing in the mountains, then a week in the shop which would include his "ballistics university", handloading ammunition, and lessons on gun maintenance, then a few days at the range shooting up all of the ammo we had just loaded, as he taught us all the finer points of marksmanship. I still remember the smile on his face the day he gave us both our first hunting rifles. I've had the opportunity to hunt with a whole host of different folks over the years but there is just something special about hunting with dad.

 

[Palmetto_Archer]

Good reads

 

[Pony Soldier]

I hunted big game with my dad. I hunted geese with a friend of his. I learned all about camping on the job with the government - for months at a time. The last three weeks were camping and working 10 hr days straight.

I've had some damn good hunting partners over the years. The latest one for over 50 years.

 

[Scoot]

My mom, dad, grandpa, uncle, several cousins, brother, and several buddies would be my answer. Too many to provide pictures of... When I was too young to drive, my mom used to drive me out to the deer stand and sit on the ground and read a book while I hunted. My dad taught me a million things about hunting, the outdoors, and life. I've got a great network of friends and family who are still around who I learn from and look up to in many ways still.

 

[hernluis]

My high school teacher set the foundation for what I do now. She died of cancer before high school graduation. It's a damn shame it can take 25 years to realize how important some people were.