Hunting Traditions
Hunting Traditions ... my family loves hunting. What's interesting about that is we're pretty much first generation hunters. I was the first to hunt, the first to love firearms, shooting trap, sporting clays, whitetail hunting, even squirrel hunting. I have four sisters and one brother. None of them hunted until years after I had started hunting. I was quite surprised when I found out that my brother took up deer hunting. Surprised because we're a close family, I would have though he'd mention his desire to hunt to me. Then my two younger sisters got hooked. Primarily bird hunting, but some deer hunting as well. It's just so interesting because they didn't really have any interest in hunting at all growing up. I did, but I was fascinated with Cowboys and Indians when I was a kid, and I loved Davy Crocket and flintlock rifles, deer hides, rattle snake belts, and all that stuff. I loved it all, the outdoors was fun from sun up to sun down and even in the dark.
My parents were not outdoors people. My dad didn't hunt or fish, he didn't really like cars and didn't seem to have my curiosity about mechanical things. I was fascinated by guns, but didn't own a real firearm until I was nearly 20 yo. I did have a bb gun by the time I was 12 though, and I was proficient with it. I could shoot a flying barn swallow out of the air with it. I've even downed a barn swallow as it flew out of view by pushing the gun stock away from me while pulling the barrel towards me slightly, with the end of the gun out of my view. It was a swinging action move, I was as surprised I hit it as my good friend who was with me when it happened. We had no influence from our grand parents, either. They were not outdoors people either. Although my gramps on my dads side did own some handguns, they were never used by him. Is it strange that 4 out of six of kids who grew up in a non-hunting, non-firearm owning household got into guns and hunting after moving out of the house? Well to be correct I was still in the house when I first started hunting and when I bought my first firearm.
At this time all six of us kids, who are adults now and all have our own kids, own firearms and are proficient with them. We did not go shooting together, or hunting. We each came to the lifestyle independently of each other. We've had a few near-traditions, but life and timing prevented anything concrete from occurring. Each of us have started our own hunting traditions separately from each other. Again, that's just strange considering we all feel we're a close family. We do hunt together, especially upland bird hunting. There are some traditions building there I think. In a weird way I think the size of our family is working against us. Not everyone likes big hunting parties, and although we do manage to get a few hunts in like that almost yearly. Now I'm married and have a young son. My wife's father has a long-time tradition of pheasant hunting. I've been going with him on and off for 20 years now. Lately I'm going every chance I get. It's great fun, and really nobody else is going so I get some good quality time with him. He's a great hunter, easy to get along with and doesn't sweat anything. We do what we feel like doing, sometimes that means coming in an hour after going out and getting a coffee. He's been doing his pheasant hunts for well over 50 years, maybe longer. He's in his eighties now, but still we limit out and he has a great time.
Our families and friends accounts of great adventures in the outdoors. Our mission here is to record the great traditions of regular Americans who love the outdoors, hunting, fishing, and adventure.
Traditions in the United States include hunting and fishing. Living off the land is a rich part of our history. Don't forget that.
PETA - People Eating Tasty Animals. Boy oh boy it is tasty. One time my cousins wife, she's from the city, overheard my wife talking about getting a cow from the farmer next door. Every year we buy a cow for the freezer. Our farmer neighbor raises his beef on grass, with some corn supplementation. The taste is incredible, btw. So cousins wife hears my wife say we're getting a cow and she's was perplexed. She came over and said "you're getting a cow? What are you going to do with it?" My wife said "I'm gonna cook some for dinner and put the rest in the freezer". Cousins wife was aghast! She couldn't believe what she was hearing. My wife asked her without hesitation if she like filet mignon, to which cousins wife said "oh, that's my favorite!", and my wife reminded her that was beef, from a cow. It was a true learning experience for everyone. We were exasperated that anyone could be so disconnected from what they eat as to not realize what a steak was, and cousins wife was completely shocked that we would buy a cow and have it butchered. We explained that her cow was raised in a 4x8 stall, injected with antibiotics and hormones, while our cow was grazing in 300 acres pastures. She still doesn't believe any of it. She'd probably be shocked to find out we also have coyotes, foxes, skunks, raccoons, opossums, and even some birds of prey. We don't leave puppies outside and even if we're with them, we keep them very close. One neighbor lost her young corgi taking it on a walk, an owl silently swooped in and flew off with it. She was mortified, and ran after it yelling. The poor pup was never seen again of course. The lady neighbor didn't get another corgi. She chose a Chesapeake Bay retriever. No owl will ever swoop in and fly away with that dog. | 
