How old were you when you started hunting big game?

[Zeke-BE]

I was shooting birds with BB guns at age 8. My dad hunted big game growing up and still to this day he has the biggest buck in the family. But he never took us big game hunting when we were kids. He didn't have the money and he doesn't like game meat (What the!!!) so he never took us. We just went Dove and Quail. My 2 good friends where 10 when they were going big game with tags in hand. I was so jealous as a kid. My uncle took all his boys at that age and most of them will bag out. I wanted to go soooo bad! Finally my older brother got tired of it too and asked my uncle if he can put in with him. The next year my brother comes home with a nice couse buck. Thats IT!!!! The whole family ganged up on dad and said your taking us next year. My dad hasn't hunted deer in years, so we had my uncle come along and show us the ropes down south. I was 16 that year and on my first deer hunt and shot one standing up at 100 yards shooting my grandpas old Springfield 30-06. Loved it!!!! I was really good at basketball and my parents kept putting me into basketball, because why go hunting when your son loves basketball and we don't have to spend money on hunts. I would of gave up all my basketball games to go on those hunts at age 10 and up. I still play basketball today to stay in shape but the group of guys i play with know, when winter comes along Im usually gone on Saturdays for hunting season

 

Now that I have a family of my own with 4 kids I can't wait till I can take them out. Hopefully my kids would rather be hunting then being on a school sport team, for my own sake to hunt even more during the season. But never the less I'll leave that up to them, but I don't want them to miss out like I did.

 

P.S ever since that hunt my dad still has not gone out with us on a big game hunt. Its just the brothers now.

[bigorange]

Squirrels in the yard with a bb and pellet gun at about 7. Don't remember what age when my dad took me out for squirrels and rabbits but not much older. Dad didn't hunt big game, but my uncle started taking me deer hunting at about 12 or 13.

[bgshooter]

I was 37 when I went on my first big game hunt that was last year. Family doesn't hunt and I never even thought about hunting as a kid.

 

My sons have gone squirrel and rabbit hunting. Brought them dove hunting but they just retrieved. I just put in for javelina with my 11 year old son for this spring so hopefully that'll be his first big game hunt.

[MULEPACKHUNTER]

39 years old

[Zeke-BE]

I was 37 when I went on my first big game hunt that was last year. Family doesn't hunt and I never even thought about hunting as a kid.

 

My sons have gone squirrel and rabbit hunting. Brought them dove hunting but they just retrieved. I just put in for javelina with my 11 year old son for this spring so hopefully that'll be his first big game hunt.

 

39 years old

never to late to start

[PRDATR]

30's.

[GreyGhost85]

Probably as soon as i could walk i started hunting small game. Tagged along with my dad on a LOT of big game kills before i was 10. Shot my first buck at 10. I am 31 now and have killed a deer every year but 1, along with a good amount of elk, antelope, bear, javelinas, turkey, etc. was pretty lucky being brought up the way i was

[elecshoc]

Started going out with my pops from when I was just a toddler. Some of my first memories where of us out and about hunting in northern az/nm. I remember when he got a doe archery hunting in Jan one year. It was first thing in the morning and everything was still frozen and still. He let me track the blood trail and we found it over the next ridge. That was coldest I ever had been while he was gutting it out. After high school once I moved down south I rarely got the chance to go due to school and working.

 

It wasn't until 12 years ago that I saw a doe beside the road here in Tucson that peaked my interest. I started reading up on the local coues deer and then it started all back up again. Been hunting again ever since.

 

Best part is that pops and I have more excuses to hang out.

[Zeke-BE]

Probably as soon as i could walk i started hunting small game. Tagged along with my dad on a LOT of big game kills before i was 10. Shot my first buck at 10. I am 31 now and have killed a deer every year but 1, along with a good amount of elk, antelope, bear, javelinas, turkey, etc. was pretty lucky being brought up the way i was

 

 

You were the kid I was jealous of

[Red Sparky]

I started going with my dad and "Uncle" when I was 8. I took hunters ed when I was 11, I had my first deer tag at 12. In those days in NM you just bought a deer, bear, fall turkey license over the counter. Then at 13 I went on my first elk hunt. I haven't missed a season yet as I always put in for a unit that has leftover deer tags so I am guaranteed to draw a deer tag.

[standman]

This is me with my first archery kill. I wandered around a lot shooting stuff with my bow while my dad cut wood back when I was a knee high. Killed my first rifle deer at 10 and first archery deer at 14..

 

Brian

 

[Snapshot]

14.

 

First deer hunt in 37b.

[DUG]

12 or 13. 1st pig in 24A and 1st deer in 24A.

[Allforelk]

10 years old in unit 9 for deer. Have never stopped.

[sherman]

From as young as I can remember. Mom and dad split up when I was 2 and dad worked 2 or 3 jobs so didn't get to see him much but come hunting season he had time for me and my brother. Dad had me do hunter's ed at 9 and 10 and started hunt in Oct of 1990 I have missed one year of deer hunting. I even had the pleasure of hunting elk with him as he killed his very first one and for someone who has hunted almost 60 years (except his time in Vietnam) in az not that many first time left.