Discovering Bow hunting later in life

[Lastcast#1]

Curious as to how many folks who frequent this site have discovered bow hunting later in life, like myself, and are just beginning thier journey as a whitetail hunter. How were you introduced to it? I will assume if your on this site you were bitten badly , as I have been..Infact it has become my number one pursuit in the outdoors for the forseeable future. Like to hear from some of the new hunters out there on the Beast, about the how and why, and the challenges your facing in your neck of the woods.

Regards

Chad

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[Jackson Marsh]

I started when I was around 30, I had a friend and my brother telling me stories about how much fun they were having bowhunting. I finally gave it a try and am now completely hooked. I wish I would have started as a teenager.

[ Post made via Android ]

[Singing Bridge]

I think it's great, no matter the age, to see a person get bit by the archery bug. I started shooting a bow at a very young age.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[ontario farmer]

I started at age 56... am 58 > I had no time to hunt until I scaled back the farming, especially the livestock. I also I need a new sport because hockey was getting too difficult. Hunting and bow hunting is great even when you start late

[Lastcast#1]

In many ways I am glad I started late. I began at the age of 41. Last year was my first season. I have been involved in the outdoors my whole life, fishing and sailing since I was knee high to a grasshopper. Steelhead fishing was a serious addiction for 20 years. My activities revolved around the water rather than the woods. I was glad when deer season began because it put guys in the woods instead of on the pier or in the river! Although later in life, its cool to have a brand new adventure.

Everytime I read a post by Singin Bridge I think back to the first steely I caught up stream from the Singing Bridge off Turner rd many years ago and the passion for fishing that ensued. I get that same feeling in the woods..

I do kind of feel like I am making up for lost time though, and I think that drive fuels my desire to become a good hunter which will take time. The beast has been an incredible discovery in helping me begin.

[ Post made via Android ]

[moog5050]

Started at 41 years old. Now at 45 I have a whopping 4 seasons under my belt. But good mentoring (thanks Phade) and good land has yielded 18 deer, including 3 mounts, most with a bow. I am a bit obsessed. This site has helped tremendously. Even worse, I was bit by the trad trend. Got two with the barebow recurve last year and plan to stick with it exclusively next season. I must be in the method phase already because I am prepared to let the biggest buck I have ever seen walk if he isn't in my limited recurve range (about 30yds or so).

[Lastcast#1]

Moog5050 thats a heck of a beginning. Having a good mentor is invaluable. I am lucky in that regard as well. I passed alot of deer last year to increase the number of encounters and learning opportunIties. I probably should have let some arrows fly, but thats how my approach was. I think I will be better for it down the road. My mentor keeps telling me "dude your going to be a killer" this season, no doubt". Means alot coming from him.

I have also found that I just enjoy archery, love shooting and I can certainly see the appeal of shooting a traditional bow. Obsessed is the appropriate word. I kind of feel that way myself. Well I know I am. Otherwise the steelhead rods wouldnt be collecting dust. It is a healthy obsession though.

[ Post made via Android ]

[Crazinamatese]

I started shooting bow when I was 9 years old back in the early 90's. The little town I lived by opened up an archery shop so my parents and I all had bows and we would do family night shoots once a week. My first bow was a Pearson Equalizer, then outgrew that and got an Alpine Colt. I even participated in youth tournaments. I won 2nd place in one of the tournaments. I never hunted with a bow in those years, just target shooting. I quit shooting bow through my teenage years and early twenties and got back into it in my mid-20's. Bought a couple of bows during that time and finally stuck with one I really like. I been bowhunting for 8 years now. Feels like Im a late bloomer and I missed many crucial years of bowhunting. Thats life though.

[moog5050]

Moog5050 thats a heck of a beginning. Having a good mentor is invaluable. I am lucky in that regard as well. I passed alot of deer last year to increase the number of encounters and learning opportunIties. I probably should have let some arrows fly, but thats how my approach was. I think I will be better for it down the road. My mentor keeps telling me "dude your going to be a killer" this season, no doubt". Means alot coming from him.

I have also found that I just enjoy archery, love shooting and I can certainly see the appeal of shooting a traditional bow. Obsessed is the appropriate word. I kind of feel that way myself. Well I know I am. Otherwise the steelhead rods wouldnt be collecting dust. It is a healthy obsession though.

[ Post made via Android ]

Agreed - hands on mentoring is very helpful. You will learn 10x faster. I enjoy archery too. I shoot arrows daily. In fact, I get a bit twitchy if I don't shoot at least a few arrows in a day. Traditional makes it even more interesting because, like golf, it seems impossible to perfect. Good luck and be happy you found this great hobby when you did.

[oldrank]

I think its pretty cool you guys are picking it up later in life.

I was shooting a bow at about 6 or 7.. I would make em out of tree limbs n make arrows out of golden rod staves. I would hunt frogs n birds. I got my first real bow at about 10. My Dad bought it at a garage sale for 1 dollar. Its an old indian recurve. I still have it and shoot it here n there. I have never killed a deer with it. Some day I would like too.

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[Lastcast#1]

It certainly is cool. I refer to it as a gift really. Thats exactly how I look at anyways. Thanks guys for sharing.

Chad

[ Post made via Android ]

[ThePreBanMan]

Started at 36. I'm 39 now. It's been very humbling but I've been bitten by the bug... I love being in the woods. Always wanted to get into hunting but had no one to show me the ropes. I was intimidated in all honesty. Finally convinced myself to dive in. Man - I look at all the things I did wrong my first year... How little I knew... Still managed to harvest a couple deer. They must have been really unlucky because I didn't know what I was doing... I probably know marginally more now then I did then. But the learning experience is a real blast. It's so much work - at least it is for me- and when you're successful... I can't describe the feeling. But you know what I mean..

[Josh_S]

I started hunting at 25, I'm now 32. Being the 25 year old sitting in a hunter safety course with a bunch of 12 year olds is a humbling experience. My dad passed away when I was young, so I never really had anybody to show me the ropes at a young age. I've always loved fishing and still do, so I guess that's where my passion for the outdoors began and eventually translated to hunting. I have nothing against rifle hunting, but it just never appealed to me, and to this day I have yet to put a deer in the cross hairs of a gun. I'm all about the close encounter with the bow and hunting deer in their natural patterns without the gun hunting pressure. Unlike the majority of hunters in Pennsylvania and probably everywhere else, I started out hunting archery. Although a late start to hunting is an obvious disadvantage, I feel starting with the bow gave me a clean slate to learn how to get within bow range of deer...I can't even relate to gun hunting tactics such as driving. I'm fortunate to have friends who took me under their wing to show me the ins and outs of bow hunting...the first few blood trails would have been rough without them taking charge. Now my off the beaten path mobile hunting style has taken on a characteristic of its own and lead me to the hunting beast. I'm here to soak it all in...you guys are the real deal

[Hawthorne]

My dad did'nt start bowhunting till age 45 when I was old enough to go. He still loves it 25 years later although now he hunts with a crossbow. He rifle and shotgun hunted since he was a kid. He always said he wishes he would of started younger.

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[Singing Bridge]

This is a great hunting dynamic to hear about. Most of us assume that a relative got everyone into it early on or that we took it upon ourselves while fairly young. Good stuff...

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