HOW LONG YOU'VE BEEN HUNTIN/WHAT GUN??

[dwhunter]

My brother, Harry1, bought me my first gun, a Daisy 102 BB gun at Housel Hardware for $7.95! That was probably 1966 or 1967..I was probably 5 or 6 years old I guess. Most won't believe this but you could buy BBs at every store in town! Everyone had BBs, no joke!

When I was 6 going on 7 I got a Stevens bolt action .410 for Christmas. Still HAVE it! Still have the store tag, again Housel Hardware and the price was $36.95! Either that year or the next I shot my first doe with a .410 slug while on a stand with my Dad...I shot her in the neck and she went down like a ton of BRICKS! When deer season wasn't in we always dove hunted starting the first weekend in Sept and then squirrel hunted starting every October 15...

We hunted EVERY weekend as a family up until I was probably 22-23 years old or something like that...and here I am still at it! :lol:

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Chuck my first gun besides BB and pellet guns was a Stevens bolt action .410. It was also my dad's first and I still have it today.

 

[Loggy]

Larry, I got my first gun when I was about 14yrs old and it was a 22LR Semi-Auto JC Higgins from Sears. After that I bought a Savage 110 in a 30/06 when I got out of the Marines as well as a Itahca 12ga Deerslayer.

Ed

UMM, started out with a Squirrel Rifle! Things are startin to make sense ...finally!! :lol:

 

[doggzoe]

My huntig story begins with a Crossman pump BB gun. Then came a Stevens 410 for rabbits me and my brother shared. Then one Christmas came a Glenfield tube feed 22. Shorty after that came a 20ga 870 and waterfowl. About 1970 I bought a 20ga 1100 Rem. At 16 or in 1974 I bought a T/C Hawken 50 cal. and did a little deer hunting. then back to waterfowl. My next purchase was around 1978 or 79, it was a 3 inch 12ga 870Wingmaster. Then in the early 90s I bought a 870 Express and a 3 1/2 835 Mossberg. Sold it and the 1100 to buy a Benelli SBE. In 2000 purchased a Browning Gold in 3 inch and in 2005 my ML II. Most of my hunting career has been chasing waterfowl with a few trips up by RAF's country, but a little east over by Wadena in Sask. With a little ML deer hunting back in the late 70s and a few years of bow hunting in the early 80s but then back the the marsh until this year with the Savage. For some reason unknown to me that gun is just loads of fun to shoot. And I also have an itch to start chasing biggame animals now. Have still got the bug for ducks and geese though and have another trip to Sask in 06 but hope to go after Caribou in 07 and chase some whitetails around too.

Don

 

[flatland hunter]

Started with a Crossman pump pellet gun as a kid... a big crow, lots of sparrows, coupla quail, and other birds with that. Still have it! Got my grandpa's Rem 870 Wingmaster at 13, never hunted with it until my twenties.

Didn't start hunting until I was 24, started with my FIL's Rem 700 .243... FIL intorduced me to deer hunting, got my first deer with that .243, acutally 2 deer. A 7-point and a button (thought it was a big doe) within 10 minutes of each other. Been hooked ever since. Love my FIL!!

Bought a Browning A-Bolt .270, traded with the FIL for the .243; should get the .270 back, FIL stopped deer hunting this year... he says he's getting old.

Since then I have mainly used ML's, Whites, Knights, A&H.

 

[user 70]

I got my first BB gun when I was 5 in '67. Didn't shoot any game with it, mostly sparrows, mice and rats. Dad started me hunting pheasants with a .410 single shot when I was 13. I bought a Winchester model 37a 12 gauge at 14 (still have it) and it opened up whole new worlds. Dad wasn't a deer hunter, so I had to discover that for myself, taking my first deer at 16. I used to hunt pheasants constantly but now find myself going out once or twice a year. I haven't shot a rabbit or squirrel in probably 20 years. Besides a few turkey hunts, my focus has shifted to deer, whether with a bow, muzzleloader or shotgun (though I carry my Savage ML10II during shotgun as it is a legal weapon). With Iowa's deer seasons (and being a landowner), one type of season or another is open for deer from Oct. 1 through late January.
I have two boys, ages 10 and 12 showing an interest. The younger wants to bow hunt, the older isn't real particular. They have joined me a few times in the deer blind this year. I'll get them through hunter safety certification this year so they can get a license and see where it goes from there.

 

[schoolmaster]

My first "hunt" was when I was 4 and we had moved out of the city onto an old farm. The front yard was grown up with grass and weeds and I was climbing on an old board fence and saw a rabbit sitting there. I promptly threw the stick I had with me at him and missed but at least I scared him. After that I shot home made bows and arrows at everything that was around. Got my Red Rider BB gun at age 7 and took it out and shot a rabbit right in the eye and killed him dead. A semiload of guns, bows, traps, ect have been bought, sold, traded, ever since. Hope to keep at it another 54 years. Have 3 sons and a daughter that hunt and fish and am working on the grandkids (8) When they are old enough there will be a gun for them. My grandfather gave each of his grandkids a gun and I intend to keep the tradition going.

 

[alleyyooper]

I was 6 when I got my bb gun. One of those Daisys with the roll sight on the rear, so you had the choice of peep or buck horns. Shot bunches of frogs with it and since daddy said we ate what we shot, I still love frog legs. Daddy had a awful time getting me to shoot rats and mice in the hog house, :lol: :lol: I ain't eatting that I told him. He gave me an old Ivers Johnson 410/44 lug in one to use on small game, :? took bastard 2 1/2 inch 410 shells. Never did shoot any 44's in it. It was also my first deer gun with slugs. Used it one year then was given dads 16 ga Stevens with a plastic stock and forarm. He and an uncle got two in 1949 at Simms in Pontiac Michigan. The next year I got a Win. model 94 30-30. I've shot so many deer with it in nasty rainy weather it is knowen as my slumming gun. I still own it 48 year later.
Upgraded to a Remington 700 BDL 243 but didn't have faith in it for deer so got a Remington 700 BDL in 308. Today I have shot more deer with the 243 than the 308 after finding my sweet load for it. I own 6 Remington 700 now from 300 win mag to 7MM08.
I have a T/C Hawkins in 50 cal my first Muzzle loader. Still have it but because my old eyes arn't what they were I installed a T/C peep sight on it that I was given. I also Have a T/C plains rifle in 50 and a Remington 700 in 54 Cal I really like a lot.

So many shot guns I lost count of what is in the safe. A pair of Silver Snipes in 20 and 12, Ithca 12 & 20 pumps featherlites, A pair of Charlies Dailies 20 & 12 OU and a SKB 12 OU to name a few.


I figure I been hunting some type of meat for 53 years. I don't plan on ever quiting for old age. If I can crawl to the field or woods I'm goin. I could care less if I shoot some thing ain't what hunting is about now any way.

I wrote a story about the Ruger 243 My dad gave me when he quit hunting at 89. I told him and wrote in the story as long as you have friend and family you can hunt. The story was in the December 2004 issue of Michigan out of Doors.

Dad is gone now & I miss him.

Al

 

[clint]

started going with dad at 6 or 7 got to take a real at 12 savage 311 20ga deer at14 got first deer &buck at 16 used dads brown a5 12ga that buck was a 9 pt with 18"spread and my biggest to date . 1997 got to go moose &mule deer hunt in alberta 3 of us when we got 3 moose and 3 mule deer 1885lb cut and wrapped meat most of my big game has been shot with a rem 700lh that started as 270win later rebarreled 3006 and know is a280rem. got a savage ml1 in may.05 was able to shoot 4 does thisyrs withit clint

 

[MK85Shooter]

Started plinking sparrows and blue jays in the back yard with an old pump action BB gun around 6 (in 1975). So I've been "hunting" for 31 years. Shot my first squirrel at 8 with my dad's Winchester .22 bolt action. Got "my" first gun at 11. It was used Rem .22 bolt action, (still have it & still use it for squirell). Got my first shotgun at 13. It was a used Ithaca M37 20ga. Shot my first deer (doe) at 13. Used the 20ga (put a slug barrel on it when I was probably 16 or 17) for deer until I was 23. I still use it for rabbit. At 23 I bought a new 12ga Ithaca M87 Deerslayer II w/the 25" rifled barrel. Have taken probably 25 deer with that gun in 13 seasons. Man I love the way that gun shoots!! In 1992 or 1993 I bought my first MK85. 50cal, blued, laminate. Two years later I sold it and bought another MK85...50 cal, SS, synthetic. Probably killed a dozen deer with it. I would use it more but it's hard to leave the Ithaca sit in the safe during the regular firearms season. Also have a Win M1300 that I use for turkey. I killed my first turkey 2 years ago.

 

[HokieHunter]

Started when I was about ten with squirrel hunting. My gun was my dad's Marlin bolt-action .410, and I eventually got a J.C. Stevens .22 semi-automatic.

My first deer rifle was a Winchester M94 .30-30. Wish I still had all of my old guns, but the ignorance of youth and the quest for ever-more money sent them by the wayside.

 

[jims]

I got a BBgun for my 8th birthday. I bought my first shotgun when I was 10. I bought my first centerfire rifle(that I still have) almost 44 years ago at 14. It is a 25-06, it was a wildcat then until Remington made it legitmate some years later. It still shoots well.

 

[elkstalkr]

9 or 10, went on my first real hunt like most texas boys. dove hunt with a single shot .410. still don't how i was actually hitting birds with that thing, couldn't do it now

got my first gun at age 6. chimpmunk .22 shot several rabbits at about 8 years old with it.

 

[Underclocked]

Whut wuz tha question? :wink:


'bout 50 years I reckon. .22 pull-cock JC Higgins single shot on loan from an older brother until I was about 9.

Think I gave up drinkin fer awhile that year, saved some of muh blackjack money an bought muh own. :wink: Just kiddin really, ah didn't give up drinkin.

 

[Loggy]

UC,

Where the heck did all those JC Higgin's go anyways?? The ole 12 Ga JCH Pump my Dad bot me when I was 12 back in 1963 is one of my most treasured guns.

 

[Redclub]

Loggy
I believe that the J.C. Higgins was made by Winchester for Sears .There were a ton of them sold. Western Field was made by Remington for Ward's
These guns were very popular as was Steven's, Heck thats all we could afford. They were well made guns.
Redclub

 

[Loggy]

Loggy
I believe that the J.C. Higgins was made by Winchester for Sears .There were a ton of them sold. Western Field was made by Remington for Ward's
These guns were very popular as was Steven's, Heck thats all we could afford. They were well made guns.
Redclub

Thanks Redclub. Mine must be at least 50 or so years old. When I compare it to my Browning 3.5 12 Gold Stalker Semi its a no brainer which one would go on the auction block first if required! Hey, those Belgium/Portugal assembled Brownings are a dime a dozen anyways. A ton of them sold plus a ton more to be sold. :lol:

 

[jaybe]

Started with BB gun at about 9; shot lots of sparrows, frogs & chipmunks.
Graduated to pellet gun and .22 at 12; crows, squirrels and rabbits became fair game.
First deer season was with a borrowed 30-30 - missed a nice doe at 15 yards because I figured I didn't need to use the sights
Bought my own Rem. 30-06 Auto. in 1967, then switched to a Ruger M-77 in 1978 and have been putting venison in the freezer ever since with it.
Also began Muzzleloading and Archery in the early '70's - more venison - Mmmmmm Good!

IM jaybe

 

[gshunter]

Started when i was 10 (31 years ago) with a H&R 20 ga.

 

[Cal45]

My first gun was a Marlin .22 at 12. Used it for small game. At 15 got Glenfield 30-30. Shot first deer/buck with it at 16.

 

[Wolf_River_Mike]

Interesting thread

Shooting sparrows and stuff with a BB gun before I was 10. Dad gave me a used full choke, 20 ga. bolt action J.C. Higgins when I was 10, I believe. Still have that old shotgun somewhere. Bought a Winchester 1200 pump shotgun when I was 16 with lawn mowing/paper route money. I still have that shotgun too. Started deer hunting in 1975 at the age of 18. Killed my first deer (4 point) opening day of 1976 with a Winchester 30/30. Bought my first muzzleloader, a TC Hawken, probaly in 1978. Best I can tell I killed my 42nd deer this past season with a Ruger 77 in .270 caliber. I've got this shiny new Savage MLll now. I'm looking forward to getting some blood on it come November. :wink: