years under your belt?

i was thinking how interesting to see exactly how much experienced hunters are on this forum and how many people are just starting this great sport.:d and how you all got into this great sport? how many years?

I got into bowhunting because a friend took me out one night to sit with him while he was hunting. i have been rifle hunting since i was twelve(5 yrs. ago) but i have only had one full bow season under my belt. and this comming season will be my second :d i know this forum has helped me out a ton!!

 

Shotgun for deer/turkey = 9

Archery = 3

Ive learned/hunted more in my 3 years with my bow then all 9 years with a shotgun combined

 

I also only have one BOW season under my belt, but many gun seasons (~20 seasons w/ gun)... unfortunately I don't think the skills required for gun, while similar, don't need to be honed as sharp as with bow... so its like hunting is all new for me...

 

Been bowhuntin for 44 years now. Got started because of watching old Fred Bear T.V. shows. The first year I started was a disaster. I only had 3 arrows, wooden arrows with crimped on hilbrew heads,straight feather fletch.More than once I had to chase the deer away to go get the arrows I shot.

 

I started bowhunting 15 years ago. I got into it because I wanted to spend more time in the field hunting whitetails. I really didn't have much help or advice from anyone when I started out. I figured things out through trial and error (A lot of error! :d). A forum like this would have helped me a ton back then.

 

20 years of bowhunting

 

This year will be my 7th year bow hunting, with the shotgun it will be year number 8.

 

17 years for me now. Seems like just yesterday I was flinging arrows around the woods without a clue as to what I was doing. And not much has changed since then. :D

 

I just turned 30 and took my first deer witha bow when I was 14, so I guess around 16 years bowhunting...I never remember a time when I did not hunt, be it with my grandfather because I was too young or on my own as I got older.

 

Started small game hunting around 1969 at 10 years old (squirrels & rabbits), first deer hunt was in 1975 at 16 (shotgun, IL), started bowhunting in 1993 when I moved to my present home in St. Louis County. Lots of deer but too many houses to gun hunt. Been shooting em with a bow ever since.

P.S. I also bowhunted a few times one season around 1977 or 78. I was pretty dumb about it and found too many other things to occupy my time at that age. I did manage to get one shot at an 8 pointer, but I buried my Satallite Broadhead in a tree.

 

42 years of bowhunting and gun hunting. Small game as well.

 

13 years rifle hunting.. about 6 or 7 bowhuntin but only the past 4 seriously..

 

24 years this year of bow hunting. It all started taking shape when I was 3 years old.

 

27 years of hunting, all with the bow. I started out hunting carp and went to deer the next year.

 

i guess i didnt metioned that i started hunting critters and little song birds with my red ryder BB gun if that counts haha

 

Gun 1982
Bow 1985 or 1986, I did miss a couple seasons in between then and now.

 

39 years of hunting, the last 25 years seriously bow hunting.

 

began hunting in 1988..deer and small game. began bowhunting in 1990. so over 20 yrs.

 

September will be the start of my 48th year of bow hunting.

 

This will be my 24th season deer hunting, 23 with a bow.