Yes sir.

I'm very fortunate to have grown up "with land" and was able and interested to do this from an early age. Both grandfathers taught me.

This might get long … I would have to say without a shadow of a doubt, my dad. He grew up thru the depression and hunted everything year around to feed his family. After he married my mother, they still lived with her family and he continued to hunt year around to feed mom and her family. Off to the WWII European theatre in the Army Air Corp (top gunner/chief engineer on B-24) for 53 missions before taking flack and coming back state side for recovery. He was going to re-enlist but the war was coming to an end. Back to their home county, minimal living expenses, he was back to hunting year around for food. He was not a trophy hunter in the least but wouldn’t pass up a good buck if presented. He bought his business (oil/gas/tires) and along came my brother and I but both mom & dad were old enough to be our grandparents (mid 40s) by then. He raised us to love the outdoors and respect what God had provided with a very high respect for everything. He could shoot with anyone and won a lot of bets from his clients with his shooting. He had a lease that he took clients too to entertain and gain a lot of business. I got my first BB gun when I was 3 to shoot birds out of the fruit & fig trees in our back yard, I killed likely hundreds of thousands with that little Daisy. Dad would sit in the back yard coaching on shooting and how the BB would drop at farther distances, so we learned to aim high if the bird was a long ways. I was inseparable with him up until I started school. He had 2 leases, one for entertaining clients and one with a bunch of old hunting buddies that he could take family. I started out with him in a tree or brush pile when I was 3, with my daisy in tow. By the time I turned 4, I convinced him I was good enough shooting and safetywise with a gun to try deer hunting. He had a little model 1892 in 218 Bee, 3 power weaver with post reticle that was side mounted (top eject rifle) that he took me to the old garbage dump to see if I was good enough to actually hunt. Passed that test with ease, so come opening weekend I got to go with him and killed my first deer sitting in his truck with barrel not quite out the window, he was looking at a big doe and I was looking at the fawn, he thought I missed until we walked down to it. (I was almost 5) and we joked until he and mom both passed about me knocking the spots off that first deer it was so little.

Side note, dad was highly allergic to the hair or dander off any deer species and it got much worse the older he got. So needless to say, I had to learn how to gut and skin a deer from a very young age.

Anyway, I hunted with him every chance possible that I could for many years. He knew how to spot and stalk, play the wind, sneak and knew how to pattern the deer. I was a little sponge trying to learn all the tricks of the trade that I could from him. We killed a lot of deer and I got to gut and skin every last one of them by the time I was about 6-7 years old. We brought everything home and processed 100% including making many varieties of sausage. It was a family affair where mom, dad and I worked as a well-oiled machine … me skinning, dad was sharpening knifes, I would quarter and take inside one piece at a time where they started deboning, I would end up with an old metal wash basin on the tailgate of the truck where I was putting the grinding meat as nothing went to waste from the knees to the ears. Remember, they were raised on hard times and every edible part was used. I hunted on the lease with him until I graduated HS and went to college. I would still go hunting with him when I was home from school and fill all our tags but not near as much as earlier. We did all our own processing until mom and dad got into their mid 80s and it just got to be too much work for them … my nephew shot a deer and dad tried to coach him thru gutting it, wasn’t going to happen without a helluva mess, dad drove to town and got a friend and they dropped it off at a local processor, 2 weeks later dad calls me and says we’ve processed our last deer!!! I haven’t attempted to process one by myself nor does my wife want me to do so in “her” kitchen.

He also taught me to wing shoot for dove and quail and we hunted every day during dove season as he would pick me up after school and off to an area tank or sunflower field until we filled our limit (10 birds back then). When we got home, we cleaned the birds and mom would cook them for dinner (along with fried potatoes, gravy and homemade rolls or biscuits). We didn’t have many turkeys or ducks around, so we never hunted those. Cottontail and squirrels were prime menu items also.

Dad taught me an overwhelming respect for nature and his rule about killing something was 1) you’re going to eat it. 2) it puts you, family or property in danger 3) of some good will come out of killing it… We pretty much lived by those rules and if we ended up with more than we needed, we gave to our neighbors, friends or donated to the local Buckner’s boys ranch. Back in the early days, if we hit a deer with the car/truck/gas truck, it came home to be processed year around. We always called the GW to let them know and they were fine with us not wasting the meat. Several times the GW would show up at our house with a deer in their trunk for us to process that was killed on the highway or by an illegal hunter because they knew if we didn’t need the meat, it would go to some family that needed. It was just a way of life. We very rarely bought meat at the market or slaughter house (this was pre-HEB days). Yes, we also had a garden as did both of my grandmothers.

As I matured and started a family, I started passing down this traits to my kids and my son spent quite a bit of time hunting with my dad (but I still had to gut & skin all their deer). As dad got older, he no longer kept a lease but would hunt on his small ranch that he got in as part of selling his business. I would often go pick him up and take him hunting with me at my lease, get him up in a tripod stand and take his gun up to him. At that point I had taken over a much higher level of game management mentality and started helping him understand that. He understood pretty quickly and started taking on those habits also. Of course we spent a lot of time in the truck and around a campfire and camp over those many many years and so many good conversations about everything under the sun. He also taught me my work ethic of is something is worth doing, it’s worth doing right and always put in whatever effort was needed. Treat everyone fairly and the same, I can hear him say to this day treat everyone, no matter the level, the Janitor or the president of the company with respect and they should show that to you.

So with all that said, I wouldn’t say I am better or he was better, as we were quite different in our passions but both had a passion for hunting/outdoors and each other … with memories that will stick with me as long as I’m alive. Now days, I get to build new memories with my wife, son & daughter in law, daughter & son in law and grandkids. I just hope I can pass down one tenth as much to each of them as my dad did to me on preserving nature for them and future generations.

There is probably 10 times more I could write, but I know how reading comprehension is and doubtful many make it thru even this much

'Read the whole thing. Very well done.

thanks, I have often thought about writing a book on our adventures ... I have this uncanny memory thing and can remember virtually every hunt, road trips, camping trips, motorcycle races, time/dates/location, etc. in vivid detail ... some of my co-workers think it's almost freaky ... why it makes it somewhat hard for me to make short responses to a given question(s).

Photographic memory. I have a buddy I met in college, in Music School - has a photographic memory and...perfect pitch. Life isn't fair, but he's one of the most brilliant guys I've ever come across. He doesn't have a pot to piss in, but you should hear the cat play jazz chair trumpet. The east coast is full of starving (real, not wannabe) musicians. But I digress.

Write the dam book!

I was lucky to have a grandfather that loved to hunt and fish. I got to hunt at least three days a week during season close to the house. The old man killed deer for food and would usually kill all five of his opening day of deer season so he could get them In The freezer and get back to quail hunting. I feel like I’m a better dog trainer than him but I have a shock collar and he didn’t. That is the best device ever invented for quail hunting. I also have access to better bred dogs than he did. My dogs will never get to see as many Quail in their lifetime as his did in a year though. It seems like back then every year was great for Quail and quick limits were easy. Dogs finding bird was never a problem but getting them to hunt the right range and come back in was. There was always a lot of chain dragging and dog beating. Back then you could flush a covey off the road and make a 30 minute round and hit 4-5 more coveys on the way back to the truck. We could also kill jackrabbits by the hundreds any time we wanted to drive around backroads for fun. Nothing is better than live animal practice for honing rifle skills. I was very fortunate to have someone like him to pal around with until he died.

I’ll never be as good of a mechanic as he was. I don’t think I ever met anyone that could repair or build anything the way he could. He was a plane mechanic in the war and learned to pilot while stationed in the Philippines. He turned that into a good career in the oilfield. He wound up as a plant superintendent for his last 30 years. He lived in the same house he bought from the company for 60 years and maintained his own airplane until his eyes got too bad to fly. He was a man that lived life the way he wanted to. He always said he wanted to be a doctor but never had the chance to go to school. He enlisted at16.

I believe I am a better hunter and enjoy it more not so much the kill but the chase. I was really not guided by my Father or anyone else. I was given the tools but not the guidance.

Great read. I wish I could remember every hunt in great detail like that.

PMK,
I too read the whole thing. I think you should write the book as mentioned. As I read your statement I thought of two things. One being able to visualize your comments and relive the type of activity you have remembered. The other is you must have a real ability to write.
Go for it!

I agree PMK should write that book. I have it in my imagination, what it was like, already.

My Dad taught me. He was a helluva wing shooter. Just very fluid and instinctive. We'd jump a covey of quail and the first one would be dead about the time I got my shotgun halfway to my shoulder. An incredible thing to witness. Don't know if this makes sense but he didn't so much mount the gun as lean into it and fire, all in one motion. He loved Belgian A-5s. I've got a late 1960s Light 20 of his in the safe that's not for sale at any price.

My dad was my teacher. He had one rifle (Winchester 94 32 special and one shotgun a no name sxs) i remeder going hunting with him and i had my BB gun dressed like an Eskimo, if i would fall down he had to help me up so many clothes on. He wore a green plaid coat back in those days middle 50's. When I turn 9 or 10 he bought me a 410 single shot. At 12 I got a 16 ga Remington semi and he got a 12 they look the same. We hunted birds, rabbit and deer. Some areas for deer were shotgun and slugs, no rifled barrels back then. At 15 he bought me a 3006. I remember setting in the woods with him, cleaning the snow from where we would sit by two fallen trees. I feel asleep he woke me up to shoot a doe, i I gut shot her, I remember my dad making me clean the deer. I'll never forget the smell, wow. Never did that again. The good times gone by. He has passed away. I still have the memories the guns the green plaid jacket.
The good times of the 50 and 60. No fancy rifles, no fancy blinds, just us and the outdoors.
I got a tear just thinking and writing this. Love you dad.

No hunters or fishermen in the family. Had to learn it all on my own over the last 50+ years of hunting/fishing. But, I have grandsons and their friends that I have provided opportunities to. They’ve come a long way.

PMK Thanks for sharing those great memories! Without a doubt that is the best family hunting heritage story I have ever heard You should write the book!

And thank you Creek for mentioning that in your comment for I usually pass on real long stories.

For me it was a combo of my granddad, his two sons (my uncles) and my dad.

My granddad worked for the US State Dept and lived and hunted all over the world, taking his two sons (my uncles) with him. While on a stint in southern Africa one of my uncles stayed and became a PH and now is a pretty well known PH specializing in Elephants and the the others of the big 5 and has a large ranch in South Texas. The other uncle continued to hunt around the world and now bought an old military communications bunker on a mountain in VA and is hanging out there having a good time. My Dad grew up in Michigan hunting and when he met my mom got to know my uncles and grandad got sucked into the bigger world of hunting.


While my hunting accomplishments pale in comparison to those 4 folks, the lessons I've learned and got to pass down to my young boys is priceless.

Wow some good stories in here. I was naive to how lucky I was to have the opportunities To hunt and fish growing up. My dad and uncle and their friends showed me a lot. It was my grandad and dad who hauled me around when I was a few months old that I owe the most. From staying in a hah barn on a Briscoe property to owning our own place now it was a long journey and not always a smooth one. My dad has us up early and sitting until after dark. Spit and stalk through the southTexas and Mexico brush country. Moments I will always cherish but the one’s that really shaped and molded me where during a hard time. In December 1988 my dad’s business went bankrupt and we went from hunting Mexico to paying rent late on a one bedroom apartment every month. We all pitched in and made things work. I was lucky enough during this time to have access to family land to get my fix. No deer hunting but everything else. There was no deer because my family farmed peanuts and shot them year around so they where non existent in the 80’s. My dad would get us invited occasionally but no leases from about 88 until 2005. So when I got the chance to hunt I definitely appreciated it more. But what I loved more than anything was spending time outdoors tracking, fishing, camping and hunting or working the land with my grandparents. Now a days my dad is focused on spending time with my son. He had blinds built big enough so all 3 of us can hunt together and my son is getting more patient by the day. He will hopefully learn as much from my dad as me but also
Have the added benefit of learning from his uncle as well. We just got back from the place we bought in 15 and it is so gratifying to see my son ask questions like why this and why that or shooting his bow. His dog by his side and running around like a wild banshee from time to time. I can watch my dad and see it in his eye’s that he did something right and even though it wasn’t a smooth ride but it was worth it. Hunting shaped my life and helped me develop character. My dad made everything revolve around hunting. All though by pure accident he also showed me you don’t need money to enjoy the outdoors was the biggest lesson.

My family always dove hunted but we never had property to deer hunt. When i was 18 a friend of mine knew about Crockett national forest and we would hunt there but never had success. A few years later I paid to for a lease and have been hunting ever since. I guess I am self taught and hanging out with other hunters has taught me some things but mostly just spending hundreds of hours in the woods is where I have learned the most. I did teach my son as he has been hunting with me since he was a toddler. He is 23 now.

my dad taught me how to hunt and fish. but back then there was no AR and my dad shot ever buck he saw and needless to they were all small but we ate everything back then. i lost my dad about 11 years i do continue to deer hunt to this day but i've learned to let the deer mature. i sure miss him and the days we had together doing what he loved.

My Dad was an avid hunter - so much in fact he wrote a column for years in the local newspaper called "Rod And Gun" - This was during the 50s and 60's.

He took me to the Hill Country deer lease he was on everytime he went. I remember him driving in the pitch dark of morning and stopping and saying "the stand is about 400 yards that way" - I had never been to or seen the blind before. So I would get out and he would drive off and I would walk through total darkness trying to find this blind. He told me "if you cannot find your blind and it starts getting light then sit down next to a tree and just hunt from there." He told me "once you are through hunting then just still hunt back to camp." The camp was a couple of miles away - so I would stalk/slow hunt my way back to the camp house. What a great way to learn how to really hunt.

Last but least - the "stand" I would be looking for in the pitch dark was actually an old pick up truck cab that the lease members had bought that just sat on the ground - once you found it you would open the rusty door, crawl into the front seat, and sit on some old springs that use to be the inside of the trucks seat. You rolled down the truck window and sat still until a deer might walk bye. Problem was that as you sat inside that truck in the dark you could hear and feel mice running everywhere including across your legs.

Yep those were times we will never reproduce -

Dad and a cousin his age taught me hunting as a kid following around beagles chasing cottontail rabbits. I learned what to look for, what shots to take, what shots to avoid. I learned how to coordinate (plan & execute) a hunt from those guys. Dad was pretty deadly with his Winchester 42. I could never hit with his 42, too long of a gun for a kid to get a good feel for it. As a younger man he was 50 out of 50 shooting squirrels with a bolt action Mossberg .22 that he traded in for my mothers wedding ring.

As an adult, I hunted deer with him for many years. I don't know if I am a better shot now than he was in his prime and I suspect that in his prime he was a very fine hunter. His brother, who was quite the hunter in his day, considered my Dad the better hunter between himself and my Dad. I know that I have been luckier than he was as a deer hunter, as time in the woods seems to pay off in results. I don't consider myself anything special as a hunter, however I have had a lot of success over the years. I seem to put myself in the middle of the action somehow. I'm more picky at what I shoot at than he ever was, which has paid off in passing on smaller bucks to hit some big ones later on.

Dad beats me with the .22, I beat him with the heavier calibers. He wins shooting at his .410 at rabbits and I win shooting my 20 ga. at pheasants and dove. He's got me on upland game and I have him harvesting deer. He is a fisherman, I catch fish. The water all looks the same to me.

My first thought is that I'm self taught... but as I reflected on it that's a lie. I've pick up parts and pieces from probably a dozen folks. My grandpa on my mom's side taught me archery, and one day I hope to inherit one of his hand made bows. From there I learned to bow hunt bunnies in my neighborhood from trial and error. Grandpa also taught me to shoot a single shot .22, and that gun hangs proudly on my office wall. My dad didn't do much hunting other than rabbit and pheasant, so that's what he passed along to me and my brothers. Good times for sure, but pheasant season was short and hunting them just left us wanting more. As a teen I had an uncle that gave me a few early deer hunting pointers, but deer hunting trips were very few and far between, and I didn't actually kill a deer until my early thirties when time and money afforded a lease. Another uncle took pity on my brothers and I in high school and taught us the basics of duck hunting. We made some good memories with him, but then my aunt divorced him and those opportunities got lost in the shuffle.

So am I better than the one that taught me? Yes. Because I took the parts and pieces I got from them and built up a hunting resume that crosses the countries and continents. But without the little pieces and parts they provided, the hunting bug would have never caught hold, so I'm grateful to all the men I met along the way that gave advice or tutored the younger me.

BTW... this thread should serve as a reminder about the importance of taking youngsters under your wing and helping them get into our sport.

These stories take me back to a simpler time in life. My dad and family grew up poor in farming community in N.C .Hunting and fishing wasn't for recreation for the most part. My dad taught me a lot but he didn't have the passion for the woods or the hunt very often. My uncle Carey had the passion for the hunt he was 82nd Airborne Vietnam Vet and was a crack shot at whatever we hunted. We did a lot of small game hunting, in those day very few deer in those parts . Fond memories of my dad ,cousins and uncles rabbit and squirrel hunts , coming back in cleaning and having a big cook. Uncle Jack was my fishing mentor he was a hard man Korea Vet medic I guess he saw a lot of bad stuff over there. I think he liked taking me because he saw the passion I had for it and kept my mouth shut and didn't complain. So I guess I had several mentors in different ways. Never understood how my dad could take it or leave it, he was a workaholic and I guess that stemmed from growing up poor. Still love it going on 55 years.

Taught myself.

My dad and my brother taught me. My dads health declined rapidly and at 12, I was bought a climber and pretty much turned loose. I had to do a lot of watching bc being on MLD/restricted LAMPs clubs in ETX early on in their existence was tough hunting. I wouldn’t say I’m better than they were, I just have better places now, useful technology - but what I did notice is they knew the deer would do certain things at points of the season - hit areas loaded with white oaks/get behind water once season had progressed and would run certain ridges when the bottoms come up, etc. I think I just was a little more obsessed with wanting to know why and the science behind the behavior. My son can currently play a mean game of 20 questions on a stand and hunting has gone back to being more enjoyable.