Texas Hunting Forum

How do you compare to the one that taught you?

Posted By: txtrophy85

How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 03:02 AM

The thread in the picture section about the 1950’s and the 3 gun battery got me thinking.

I’m going to assume most of us were taught by a parent, grandparent or uncle.

So how do you compare to the previous generations? Are you a more avid hunter, about equal or less passionate about it than they were?

The two people who got me into it ( during different times of my life ) were my dad and uncle.

Dad was a bird hunter primarily then switched to deer later in life, mainly hunting on his friends properties. I don’t think he killed a buck deer until he was in his mid 30’s. He did like to chase his quail and you didn’t have to twist his arm to get him outdoors, but He was pretty content with the simple things in life and it didn’t take much to make him happy.

My uncle had a more adventurous streak and went to Colorado and Wyoming several times, as well as owning several ranches he hunted on as well. He was a pretty quintessential example of a late 80’s - late 90’s south Texas deer hunter. Still, I would say his hunting was more of a fond hobby than a real passion. His ranch was his passion but not the hunting aspect in and of itself.

I would fall as a more passionate hunter than either of the above mentioned two.

Curious to see how others fall into the spectrum regarding their hunting mentors
Posted By: rolyat.nosaj

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 03:34 AM

I learned from my dad and he is still just as passionate today as I am but he is really old now. He has been my true hunting buddy since I was 12. I would consider us equal. I have also learned a lot about waterfowl from a friend that's a wildlife biologist but he is more about the good times than the chase, which is fine.
Posted By: Nogalus Prairie

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 03:36 AM

Daddy was my main teacher - both grandads were also a big part of my becoming a hunter along with several other dads. The dads took all us kids to a central Texas deer lease every Thanksgiving. It was a bigger deal to us than Christmas, and as a result several of us picked up hunting as a passion. Later we got an east TX lease closer to home so we could go every weekend.

Many of us are probably more accomplished as hunters than our mentors if size and variety of animals is the measuring stick, but none of us would ever claim to be better hunters. Their skills were honed during the Depression and post-war era when spending time in the woods was just what every boy did. You can’t help but get pretty dang woods-wise when being outdoors is just a way of life.

My passion for hunting is probably higher than theirs was, but as I get older I am beginning to realize the root of that passion is probably an attempt to recapture the times spent with those now gone and to honor their memory. Which is a big reason I am glad my wife and daughters also enjoy hunting, so those times can continue.
Posted By: rolyat.nosaj

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 03:42 AM

That last statement about recapturing old memories that NP said hit the nail on the head for me. Things aren't the same now but I still chase it every year.
Posted By: mr. buck

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 03:47 AM

great thread and really got me to be more introspective. My uncle was a game biologist for TVA and later on the federal govt. His job was to entertain high profile clients of both which meant senators, congressman and generally well-helled types. The lands he got us access to were amazing. I've been immersed in it my entire life but would never be as knowledgeable as him. But now that I think about it, hes probably more patient than me (except when it comes to safety and he was brutally strict), so I need to work on that. But my 8 year old is absolutely eaten up with it and pretty accomplished for his age and definitely respects the sport so I'm not totally messing him up. Thanks again for the post, lots of great motivation in your question.
Posted By: 10 Gauge

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 04:12 AM

My grandma was probably the main one that I looked up to, and who fueled it for me. I was mostly just a fisherman growing up to be honest. We owned no land and grandma owned one firearm- a .38 revolver- for two legged vermin. I did kill a ton of birds with a pellet gun, and a handful of other small game. Between my grandma and my neighbors- probably moreso my neighbors- they gave me a nice hit list of birds that had to be gone and probably because they crapped on everything and there were a ton of them. Mostly english sparrows "dookie birds" and any grackle or crow or anything probably resembling one to be honest. We were pretty much surrounded by sunflowers in mesquite in the 80's, and the land was stepped. Tons of dookie birds, grackles, and crows.

My grandma was the best mentor a young boy could have possibly hoped for. We never went on a deer or elk or even a dove hunt but she was the primary influence in my life regards to the value of life and what needs to be killed.

Used to tell us (me and my cousins who she took care of all of us) stories about the farm, killing stray cats with a 12 gauge because they ate chickens, etc. Grandma was my hero.

She kicked a dudes [censored] that tried to carjack and rape her. And about clawed his eyes out. I will never forget it. Also also kicked my (then) stepdads [censored] when I was Probably 3 or 4 for beating me with a coathanger for no reason. And took me in and rescued me from a life that probably would have got me in prison to be honest.

Another funny story- grandma used to tell us stories about life on the farm, eating turtle soup etc. she apparently was fond of softshell turtles. Well, one time I went to pull a stringer of cats up and I could not retrieve it no matter how hard I pulled. I reached around in the undercut tried to untagle my stringer from the roots when the biggest snapper I have seen before or since stuck his head up out of the water with my stringer in his mouth. It was an alligator snapper and It was huge! I am 39 and to this day have never noodled for cats just because of this one incident.
I gave up and left, and on my way back my best bud's dad saw me. He was like where is your fish at Catfish? I told him about the turtle and he gave me his longest pair of channel locks and the biggest treble hook he had. Told me to bait it up with meat and go back, the turtle will take it. Grab him in the mouth with these channel locks and drag him home.

I went home and made a leader from 18 gauge wire my grandma made her electric fence from. I basically twisted that to my new treble hook and twisted a loop in the other end. Put some 25 pound shakespeare omniflex on my zebco 404. And put as much bacon ends and pieces on the treble hook as I could make fit and went back.

I caught that damn turtle. Tried to lift him up out of the water with my pole and it broke right at the metal joint! But that 25 pound line held. I grabbed him in the mouth with those channel locks and drug him out of the water and all the way home, through a good mile of woods and probably at least a half mile of roads and back alleys. For reference my secret catfish hole was near 635 in some woods and grandma lived on Bruton Road. Drug that snapper from 635 on the bank of that creek, past mcwhorter elementary, to grandmas house and I think I was probably in the 3rd or 4th grade. This time fram the sunflowers were all gone and they were putting up apartments and subdivisions. Anyways I was completely exhausted dragging that big turtle that far.

I thought she'd be pround but no sir- grandma pointed at the road and told me to drag that damn turle back to the creek where I found it! She didnt want nothing to do with it! I did not have the strength, I was cashed out. so my 15 year old cousin snagged her car keys and threw the damn thing in her trunk (old pontiac with 5 speed) and drove me to a part of the creek (a gutter) by the road!

We caught thousands of crawdads out of there by dragging window screens through near the gutter. Threw them in fire and raked em out and ate them. I put that turtle in there and he never left. But the crawdad fishing suffered hehe. Still, I could go back and see him in that hole whenever I wanted to. Looking back it is amazing he even survived after I jacked his mouth up with those channel locks. I guess we put him where he had plenty of food and easy to catch.

Grandma got me a subscription to field and stream when I was very young and kept it until I joined the military. I think that was a big influence for me. I would read and re read and re read and re read everything in those magazines.

Grandma is 97 according to her birth certificate and older than that in real life. She is a tough old gal. Just a couple years ago she was still making dresses and clothes my hand and sending them to needy families in Africa. Now she can hardly paint a picture but come on shes 97. If I make it that far I hope I can still remember who I am and who my kids are.

I wish everyone had a tough old grandma like mine. I think the world would be a better place.

Sorry it's long. I've had some drinks tonight and thinking about my grandma. I visited her this weekend and she's still a tough old gal.

Cheers to grandma smile
Posted By: Nogalus Prairie

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 04:19 AM

^^^^^^^^^Sounds like a helluva lady!^^^^^^^^^
Posted By: dogcatcher

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 04:40 AM

I started going to Colorado with my parents and both sets of grandparents the year I was born. After my dad passed, that slowly stopped, then my grandma started taking me hunting, mostly rabbits for the table. She was the best shot, my grandpa on my mothers side wasn't much into hunting. I had my own 22 and shotgun by the first grade, taught to shoot by my grandma, must have done alright, I qualified expert on all the ranges in basic training.
Posted By: Jiggamitch

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 11:32 AM

I was chased up a tree by a large hog. I then decided to take action. Even then I wouldn't have considered myself a hunter so much as an eradicator of hogs. I had no teacher other than you guys and YouTube. Once I found Steven Rinella I became more than just a shooter. I started shooting and trapping pigs and beaver for food, and then I added ducks and turkey. I really fell in love with the birds. I think successfully taking a turkey on my very first attempt may have spoiled me though. Added dove this year, and plan to get a bow and try deer next year. Thank you to everyone who helped me along the way.
Posted By: Stub

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 12:04 PM

Growing up no one in my family hunted or had any interest in the outdoors except me until two of my older brothers did a little light hunting when they got in there early 20's.. I was the one that if you could not find me close to the house look for the woods and creeks.
I was very fortunate that my best friend father since 5th grade was the land manager for Ben Carpenter ranch's (Carpenter Freeway Irving) so I was able to Deer and Dove hunt at an early age.
We did not deer hunt very much and it was usually sit here against this tree and wait, dove hunting we did quite a bit.

Mr Chevy was a great man that enjoyed taking us out usually having a great time laughing at our goofiness while he drank beer and smoked his cigs up
Different times and scenarios to be honest I have no clue who is/was more passionate about the outdoors confused2
Posted By: Texas Dan

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 01:07 PM

I feel I'm as good a hunter as those who taught me but only because I benefited from having quick access to the information and more that it took them years if not decades to learn on their own. Obviously, they didn't benefit from all the technology that we have available to us today.

As I have noted in these forums many times, my only concern is that much of what they learned and what I learned from them and through my own efforts carries little value to many hunters today.

Still, there is one thing they had that I and perhaps the vast majority lack today - Patience.
Posted By: redchevy

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 01:41 PM

Dad was my main driver in hunting. Hunted and fished with him and my older brother a lot. I also learned quite a bit from my brother by default being younger. I would say we all share a similar passion and drive for hunting, but different also. Dad always hunted but it was rifle hunting out of a stand. I have definitely had the urge to branch out and try new things, have hunted with traditional cap and ball muzzleloader, bow, pistol, iron sight lever guns, and started sitting trails random corned spots, tripods etc. I also want and am looking to do some public land hunting in the near future and I feel like the rest of my clan isn't as interested in it.

We kind of grew some stuff together also. Dad didn't tackle processing past field dressing and deboning himself and all we ever made out of deer was sausage, fresh or dry. Now we completely process at home cut steaks sausage, jerky, cured meets, summer sausage, hamburger etc. Been a great time, hope it never ends.
Posted By: hook_n_line

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 01:51 PM

My father and Uncle were my mentors. We are surely a different type of hunter. They showed me how to hunt but back then it was more out of necessity
than any type of sport. They taught me the survival aspect and now I've been trying to teach my dad the sporting side of it, My uncle who was the bigger hunter of the 2 has passed on but not before showing me how to get every last spec of meat off of a animal. Me and Dad always talk about how much my uncle would have loved to hunt on my place now. We joke about how he would freak out if he saw a buck like what we have now compared to when he was hunting. My dad still gets excited and I have to get him to hold off on some shots but in the end he's glad he did. We don't have to hunt out of necessity anymore but I have the know how if I ever do. I'm a much more patient hunter these days than they ever were but they have a lot more animals under their belts.
Posted By: Creekrunner

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 02:08 PM

I've talked about Dad on here plenty. His dad died when Dad was a teenager (~1934). Hunting was in the family, but I don't think kids went with "the men" as much as they do now. It wasn't until Dad met Mom and her dad hunted some that he got out and tried. There were leases off and on, Tarpley, Utopia, dove lease in Poth, and my grandfather bought 50 acres out Vance Jackson road before I was born. That's where I killed my first buck - quite a dink. Dad owned maybe 5 firearms total, no pistols. My much older brother really got into hunting and I looked up to him and Dad both, so I got pretty "ate up with it" too. Dad worked hard and a lot, plus, he had other hobbies, so, although he liked to hunt, it wasn't something he focused on all year. His older brother (my uncle Johnny) hunted, out of Austin, with the Patmeckys (sp?), an old Austin name, but he was a simple, but excellent carpenter and really didn't have much money at all. He only hunted with Dad a couple of times, but he was always a happy guy and really loved being outdoors. Another man that helped Dad restore an old homestead, Augustine Lopez, taught me a lot about cleaning, using simple means to attract deer, etc.

As stated above and before, men don't gather around the fire like they used to and I spend (maybe waste) a lot of time trying to recapture that.
Posted By: Mr. T.

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 02:32 PM

My mother...she was born on a ranch near midland not at a hospital....took me out of school to go on a mule deer hunt in New Mexico when I was in the first grade. We drove all the way back to Ft. Worth with that buck
laying across the fender of our 55 Chevrolet Bel Air. She got that buck mounted and I still have it up on my wall today. Annie Oakley would have lost big time in a shooting match with her.
Posted By: wp75169

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 03:14 PM

Dad grew up with hunting as chore to feed the family. As he aged and prospered he never felt the drive. Consequently I’m self taught. He wanted me to own new cars because I could, I wanted the old classics because that’s what he had. I’m 47 now and he’s 74, he still shakes his head at my “antics”. He doesn’t understand why I do what I do but I damn sure understand him. He did what he had to do, I do what he did because I want to. I’m sure the shoe would be different on the other foot. His first car was a 40 Lincoln, mine was a 67 Mustang. Still wish I had my 65 Coupe Deville. You may think I’ve drifted off subject but I haven’t. My dad was my biggest drive, even though I didn’t have to, I wanted to be like him.
Posted By: Nogalus Prairie

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 03:35 PM

Originally Posted by Mr. T.
My mother...she was born on a ranch near midland not at a hospital....took me out of school to go on a mule deer hunt in New Mexico when I was in the first grade. We drove all the way back to Ft. Worth with that buck
laying across the fender of our 55 Chevrolet Bel Air. She got that buck mounted and I still have it up on my wall today. Annie Oakley would have lost big time in a shooting match with her.


Wow. All the Dad stories are great, but that is even more special IMO.
Posted By: driedmeat

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 03:40 PM

Originally Posted by laid over
My grandma was probably the main one that I looked up to, and who fueled it for me. I was mostly just a fisherman growing up to be honest. We owned no land and grandma owned one firearm- a .38 revolver- for two legged vermin. I did kill a ton of birds with a pellet gun, and a handful of other small game. Between my grandma and my neighbors- probably moreso my neighbors- they gave me a nice hit list of birds that had to be gone and probably because they crapped on everything and there were a ton of them. Mostly english sparrows "dookie birds" and any grackle or crow or anything probably resembling one to be honest. We were pretty much surrounded by sunflowers in mesquite in the 80's, and the land was stepped. Tons of dookie birds, grackles, and crows.

My grandma was the best mentor a young boy could have possibly hoped for. We never went on a deer or elk or even a dove hunt but she was the primary influence in my life regards to the value of life and what needs to be killed.

Used to tell us (me and my cousins who she took care of all of us) stories about the farm, killing stray cats with a 12 gauge because they ate chickens, etc. Grandma was my hero.

She kicked a dudes [censored] that tried to carjack and rape her. And about clawed his eyes out. I will never forget it. Also also kicked my (then) stepdads [censored] when I was Probably 3 or 4 for beating me with a coathanger for no reason. And took me in and rescued me from a life that probably would have got me in prison to be honest.

Another funny story- grandma used to tell us stories about life on the farm, eating turtle soup etc. she apparently was fond of softshell turtles. Well, one time I went to pull a stringer of cats up and I could not retrieve it no matter how hard I pulled. I reached around in the undercut tried to untagle my stringer from the roots when the biggest snapper I have seen before or since stuck his head up out of the water with my stringer in his mouth. It was an alligator snapper and It was huge! I am 39 and to this day have never noodled for cats just because of this one incident.
I gave up and left, and on my way back my best bud's dad saw me. He was like where is your fish at Catfish? I told him about the turtle and he gave me his longest pair of channel locks and the biggest treble hook he had. Told me to bait it up with meat and go back, the turtle will take it. Grab him in the mouth with these channel locks and drag him home.

I went home and made a leader from 18 gauge wire my grandma made her electric fence from. I basically twisted that to my new treble hook and twisted a loop in the other end. Put some 25 pound shakespeare omniflex on my zebco 404. And put as much bacon ends and pieces on the treble hook as I could make fit and went back.

I caught that damn turtle. Tried to lift him up out of the water with my pole and it broke right at the metal joint! But that 25 pound line held. I grabbed him in the mouth with those channel locks and drug him out of the water and all the way home, through a good mile of woods and probably at least a half mile of roads and back alleys. For reference my secret catfish hole was near 635 in some woods and grandma lived on Bruton Road. Drug that snapper from 635 on the bank of that creek, past mcwhorter elementary, to grandmas house and I think I was probably in the 3rd or 4th grade. This time fram the sunflowers were all gone and they were putting up apartments and subdivisions. Anyways I was completely exhausted dragging that big turtle that far.

I thought she'd be pround but no sir- grandma pointed at the road and told me to drag that damn turle back to the creek where I found it! She didnt want nothing to do with it! I did not have the strength, I was cashed out. so my 15 year old cousin snagged her car keys and threw the damn thing in her trunk (old pontiac with 5 speed) and drove me to a part of the creek (a gutter) by the road!

We caught thousands of crawdads out of there by dragging window screens through near the gutter. Threw them in fire and raked em out and ate them. I put that turtle in there and he never left. But the crawdad fishing suffered hehe. Still, I could go back and see him in that hole whenever I wanted to. Looking back it is amazing he even survived after I jacked his mouth up with those channel locks. I guess we put him where he had plenty of food and easy to catch.

Grandma got me a subscription to field and stream when I was very young and kept it until I joined the military. I think that was a big influence for me. I would read and re read and re read and re read everything in those magazines.

Grandma is 97 according to her birth certificate and older than that in real life. She is a tough old gal. Just a couple years ago she was still making dresses and clothes my hand and sending them to needy families in Africa. Now she can hardly paint a picture but come on shes 97. If I make it that far I hope I can still remember who I am and who my kids are.

I wish everyone had a tough old grandma like mine. I think the world would be a better place.

Sorry it's long. I've had some drinks tonight and thinking about my grandma. I visited her this weekend and she's still a tough old gal.

Cheers to grandma smile



Love that turtle story. Thank you for sharing. Cheers to Grandma! cheers
Posted By: BOBO the Clown

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 03:52 PM

My dad was a big game guy with a passion for the mountains, My mom was big into upland, and was more of a crop defender on big game(shot, clean and ate deer but not necessarily hunt for them), her true passion is fishing(even today she still fishes 4 days a week)

Me, I’m a combo of both. I was turned loose at 5 on the ranch under my cousins supervision and my love has only grown. I have been blessed to be able to hunt multiple states each year for both. I live for the tidal flats of the coast all the way to the peak of Uncompahgre and more.
Posted By: txtrophy85

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 04:03 PM

The turtles must have been a generational thing.

My grandpa was a trotliner ( didn’t hunt but fished 3-4 days a week when he was able ) and would always set a jug specifically for soft shell turtles
Posted By: unclebubba

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 04:48 PM

My Dad never was a big hunter, but he loved to primitive camp, fish, and hike. He remained close friends with his buddy from HS. His buddy from HS was even more avid of an outdoorsman than my dad was, and is a very passionate hunter. When I was a kid I loved to fish, but I was eat up with hunting. We would go back to his little hometown in Oklahoma, and Mr Jones would take us hunting one day every Thanksgiving. It was always the highlight of my year. As he realized that I was eaten up with deer hunting, he bought me a Remington 788 in .243, and kinda took up hunting himself. He very unsuccessfully took me hunting on a friend's property in east Texas a few times as a kid, and we continued our yearly trek to Oklahoma. He never was, and still isn't what I would consider a passionate hunter, but he did it because that's what his boy loved, and he has showed his love for me my whole life by continuing that tradition.
When I moved to Florida in my late 20's, I was still a very novice hunter, but a very accomplished outdoorsman. I got a deer lease and befriended an old man by the name of Noel. I learned a lot about hunting and processing deer from that old man. Unfortunately, we have lost touch, and I suspect that he is no longer in this world, but he will always hold a fond place in my heart.
Even living in Florida I would make the yearly trek to Oklahoma to hunt with my Family. Through the years my Family and I have many fond memories of hunting and Fishing with Mr Jones, and have some beautiful deer to show, and some even better stories of failure to tell. I am back in Texas now, and to this day, Mr Jones still allows us to hunt as often as we have asked, and has been the main teacher and hunting mentor for me. Me, my sister, my Dad, brother-in-law, son, niece, and nephew are leaving Sunday for our annual trek to Oklahoma.
I have not seen Mr Jones actually hunt in years, but he hosts lots of friends on his expansive property, and pushes very hard to have the kids included. He even has a "kid's pond". Adults are not allowed to fish the "kids pond" unless they are fishing with a kid. Although I am pretty much allowed carte blanch, I am not allowed to bring a friend to the property to camp, hunt, or fish with one exception. If I ask permission, I can bring and Father and son or a Father and daughter for a family weekend. I can not imagine a person with more of a passion for the outdoors than someone who makes rules for his property that is specifically geared to spread the love of the outdoors to kids.
I have two main mentors. My Dad and Mr. Jones. I fall somewhere in the middle of the two.
Posted By: Pitchfork Predator

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 04:55 PM

No one taught me, I had to learn myself. I saved up for a Sheridan Silver Streak and learned how to sneak up on birds, squirrels and rabbits. My dad had no interest in hunting or fishing, was a golfer. Had no grandparents when I was born.

It's been a long enjoyable adventure.........cheers
Posted By: RPG1997

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 05:33 PM

Pretty much just as good of a shot as my dad at this point. I do outclass him with a handgun though. Evidently, I’m a better fisherman than he is, but he has more finesse, knowledge, and experience with all outdoors activities than I do or probably ever will.
Posted By: jeffbird

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 05:42 PM

I relearned deer hunting and deer management from square one from Bill Maltsberger in my 40’s. I am a student still learning many years later. The more I learn, the more I realize there is yet to learn.
Posted By: stxranchman

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 07:53 PM

I was taught to shoot by my grandfather who did not hunt much and only killed one deer in his life during the depression. He taught me a lot of wildlife and farm/ranch lifestyle. I spent as much time with my grandparents as I could my early years. He would take us rabbit hunting when we were around 6 yrs old and taught us how to clean them so we could then cook them to eat. My Dad and my uncle both loved to hunt and fish, so I learned a lot about the outdoors from them. My Uncle was a good deer hunter who preferred hunting on foot vs blind/stand hunting. He killed some really nice bucks in the 40's and 50's using an old open sight 30-30 and only spot and stalk hunting. My Dad was more of a meat hunter and really loved to fish. My Mom loved to fish but did not care much for hunting. When I was young my Dad worked 6-7 days a week for a long time till an oilfield accident forced him into early retirement in the early 70's. After that he would take us along on his hunting or fishing trips if we were not in school. Later on when I was out of high school I was able to take him hunting and fishing a lot. Some of most memorable hunts were with him. As I got older and started hunting our two families were on leases together from the early 60's till the early 80's. Those were fun times when we all could hunt together. I then started to hunt on my own leases and was able to let wildlife teach me a lot about the outdoors. Sitting and observing wildlife as often as I could was as much fun as killing a deer. You can learn a lot by just sitting and watching any chance you get. Later on in life I moved back closer to my parents and took my Dad hunting a few times over the years. I spent a whole season in 2012 trying to get him a really good buck. We were finally successful in late Dec. 2012 taking the biggest deer he had ever killed. Not knowing at the time but that would be our last hunt together, it is a memory that will never be forgotten. I can't say if I am a better hunter or fisherman than any of them today. One thing I do know is that I am even more passionate today than I was back then when they were teaching me about the outdoor lifestyle they enjoyed. Those days are only memories now, but they still bring a smile every time I think back on one of those trips.
Posted By: jadkins

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 09:05 PM

Originally Posted by stxranchman
You can learn a lot by just sitting and watching any chance you get.


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.
Posted By: PMK

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 10:13 PM

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
loser8
Posted By: Creekrunner

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 11:02 PM

Originally Posted by PMK
This might get long … I would have to say without a shadow of a doubt, my dad.


'Read the whole thing. Very well done. up
Posted By: PMK

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 11:21 PM

Originally Posted by Creekrunner
Originally Posted by PMK
This might get long … I would have to say without a shadow of a doubt, my dad.


'Read the whole thing. Very well done. up

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).
Posted By: Creekrunner

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 11:28 PM

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!
Posted By: scalebuster

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 11:45 PM

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.
Posted By: don k

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 11:51 PM

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.
Posted By: Nogalus Prairie

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/20/19 11:56 PM

Originally Posted by PMK
Originally Posted by Creekrunner
Originally Posted by PMK
This might get long … I would have to say without a shadow of a doubt, my dad.


'Read the whole thing. Very well done. up

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).


Great read. I wish I could remember every hunt in great detail like that. up
Posted By: Wilhunt

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/21/19 12:44 AM

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!
Posted By: 10 Gauge

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/21/19 01:17 AM

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

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/21/19 04:04 AM

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.
Posted By: Dalee7892

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/21/19 04:45 AM

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.
Posted By: Dave Davidson

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/22/19 12:59 AM

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.
Posted By: Stub

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/22/19 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by PMK
Originally Posted by Creekrunner
Originally Posted by PMK
This might get long … I would have to say without a shadow of a doubt, my dad.


'Read the whole thing. Very well done. up

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).


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

And thank you Creek for mentioning that in your comment for I usually pass on real long stories.
Posted By: Black02z28

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 11/25/19 09:25 PM

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.
Posted By: cibolo

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 12/01/19 06:32 AM

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.
Posted By: allterrain

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 12/01/19 03:54 PM

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.
Posted By: SlaminEm

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 12/01/19 05:37 PM

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.
Posted By: tlk

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 12/02/19 01:22 AM

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 -
Posted By: Whammer7

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 12/02/19 05:24 AM

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.
Posted By: dkershen

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 12/05/19 09:01 PM

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. up
Posted By: NOCOOLNAMETOO

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 12/07/19 03:31 PM

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.
Posted By: Reloder28

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 12/14/19 01:35 AM

Taught myself.
Posted By: rifleman

Re: How do you compare to the one that taught you? - 12/14/19 05:39 AM

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.
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