[Peake]

Just curious. Hunting is usually a tradition handed down from each generation or between acquaintwnces, but is there anyone here that was essentially self taught through trial and error?

 

[quackerkiller]

i think everyone has had some sort of trial and error when hunting. I mean thats how you learn about how birds work and how set setup in certain areas or situations.

 

[ks_waterfowler]

Nobody in my family waterfowl hunts but me and my little brother. We only live 1/2 mile from the refuge, so it was pretty easy to ride our bikes and figure out what worked and what didn't. That was 10 years ago, and we have the game pretty well figured out now.

The reason my Dad doesn't waterfowl hunt is due to a bad experience on his only duck hunt. His Gradpa took them to the marsh and they got set up. Right at first light some guys opened up across the way and rained shot on them. His Grandpa said lets go and they left and he has never tried it since.

 

[Peerbone]

I would consider myself "selftaught". Nobody in my family had ever hunted waterfowl exept the occasional one they jumped while pheasant hunting. Thats were it started from for me, but I kept going. I remember buying my first dozen decoys when I was 17 and my dad saying to me "Why in the world are you buying decoys, you don't know how to hunt ducks". 5 years later, I still don't know everything about duck huntung but I do go quite a bit, and I even talk my Dad and my little brother into going every so often. I still have alot to learn but I seem to get alittle bit more successful every year.

 

[Fatweed]

heheh thats funny ya mention it... i was taught bird hunting by my dad and grampa... did it alot ever since i could walk... but deer hunting...thats a different story.... LOL..friend taught me sorta on my first rifle hunt.... i learned what buck fever is too...LOL...(missed horribly 3 times first day... LOL.... Now deer bowhunting...is totally self taught.... hehehe and boy do i have a story for you.....ceptin it would take about a day to type out...LOL.... the short of it is...if ya hit a deer with a bow...dont take off runnin after it...cuz youll chase it all over 3 countys in colorado... then hafta drag it three days back..... LOL....and its alllllllllll uphill.... LOL

 

[birdgunner04]

I started 20 yrs ago because I loved ducks. What I know was learned through trial and error all but 1 year on public land

 

[redeyed]

I'm in the learning curve right now! self taught duck hunitng is my newest hobby!!
I started late last year and I've been hooked ever since! whats hard is my step son is as much as a finatic as I am and when he has a question I have to give him my best guess and then of course be prepared to eat crow when I'm wrong! (hate that part)
So.. yup I'm self taught!

 

[jduck1]

A friend took me 7 years ago for the first time. He had only been out a couple times himself. Lots of things to learn and every trip something new. Just when you think you have it, it changes! :tounge: That is why I love it so much.

I found the best part was last year when my wife, 10 yr old boy, and 8 yr old daughter took part in last years Jr. hunters program that CA has the weekend following the close. I acted like a guide for them (taught them what I learned) and the kids still talk about the day with family and friends :yes: :yes: :yes:

I now have a Greenhead mounted and hanging on the wall that was the first duck my son shot! He hit it with his first shot! :thumbsup: I wish I could say he was a chip off the old block but it took me a lot more than that to get my first one in the water. :yes:

Self taught or not I think we all keep hunting for the same reasons!!!! It makes up Happy :smile: :smile: :smile:

Opener is this weekend and the house is busy getting ready for it. It's like Christmas in October!!!!

 

[yellowlab]

i would say i tought myselft i mean i had gone with my much older bro a few times and read as much as i could but other than taht a few trials and ALOT of errors

 

[Snaph]

Self taught could take on a lot of diferent meanings for me. The guys at the shop roped me into duck hunting this year. I am guessing they just wanted me to entertain them when the shooting gets slow. (that and I have two labs) The more I read about duck hunting the more I wanted to go. I will go out by myself to the swamp to watch what the ducks do. I have spent hours trying to figure out what duck you can blast and what is a (is this name right) corpsmen? Can't shoot them. Long skinny necks and tails. Wings flap slower than a Mallard. The more challange I found in duck hunting the more I want to do it. I really don't think you can just start duck hunting on your own without some kind of guidance. The internet is a wealth of info, but when all the ducks look black you need somebody to say... "NO NO NO NO NO!" When you pull up to shoot. I still need my hand held. I can ID a wood duck and a mallard. I will not shoot at anything else until I learn more.

 

[MacAttack]

Last year was my first year and I know I will do be waterfowl hunting for a long time. For right now I am the only person in my immediate family that hunts. I have 1 uncle that hunts deer and elk. My brother is in the process of going through hunters ed, so I will be hunting with him. I have mainly been taught by friends and the net.

It is funny how I am the only one in my family that does waterfowl hunt, but they all like to benefit from it. My dad keeps on calling me asking if I am going to bring another goose for thanksgiving dinner. I know I will pass this on to my kids, and make it a family tradition.

 

[macdaddy]

I essentially taught myself how to hunt. My dad had never been interested in hunting. Well, I didn't argue w/ him (miss him, God rest his soul); I had to learn shooting & hunting on my own. Just read about it, joined two local gun clubs, learned as much as I could from my peers - all this eleven yrs ago. I still have tons to learn; I can't think of a better classroom than the outdoors. Or better teachers than God's creatures.

 

[puddlerjumper]

i am the only one in my household that hunts, i buy a lot of my gear on my own, i hunt alone, i hunt deer alone, i duck hunt alone, and i turkey hunt alone, i do all of my hunting alone unless my dad decides to take a day off, but, i was given a lot of advice and tips by my grandpa about deer hunting and now he is starting to duck hunt with me, back last year, him and i went on both of ours first duck hunt, i will never forget it, but i have a lot of experience and most of it is becausei do most of the hunting alone, so i learn a lot from mistakes, it seems like i learn something new every trip to the field

 

[marsh1buster]

It all started 4 years ago when a friend had some Labs for sale. I brought one home for my daughter (ha ha). i realized how smart he was, when one night on my way to work my wife called and said MY dog was in MY spot on the sofa, with MY remote and wouldn't give it to her and wouldn't get off the sofa (God I love my dog). i couldn't waste a dog like this. i started training him to retrieve bumpers first, then bumpers with pigeon wings, the rest is history. the only time i lose birds now is when he's not there (no gator's gonna get my dog). shooting ducks comes second to seeing Rex retrieve! Oh yea, i now have about 6 dozen dekes (different brands and species), 15 ft. semi-v with a johnson 55, and a mossberg 835.

 

[Cobra]

Basically self taught, father and brother never hunted waterfowl. Was taken to a small farm pond with a friend and his older brother and spent nearly a box of shells in an hour trying to knock down a GW Teal out of a flock that just refused to leave. Did finally bag a male and it's been all down hill from there. Was fortunate to begin at a time when all seasoned hunters would actually talk, show and explain things to you at the access with ethics and sportsmanship being priorities. Read alot, experimented and came up with my basic philosophy for my area. Was also given a great honor of coming to know an very old market hunter when I lived in Connecticut. Spending hours just listening to him was worth it's weight in gold, he'd even watch me in the marsh and tell me what I was doing wrong or right.

 

[duckplucker]

I've only hunted with friends and some relatives for waterfowl, but was taught hunting by my dad since i could hold a gun. We hunt for lots of other game (pheasant quail turkey deer.... etc.)

 

[aunt betty]

Was searching for an old post to dig up and this one caught my eye because I taught myself...
My dad took me duck-hunting about a dozen times and made it extremely hard. I was the dog and the decoy hauler.
Later on in life I found out why. He was forced by the family to take me hunting. He's a rich guy who pays to hunt but took me to public places and made me work just to get no ducks. Hard to believe it but I had fun being his dog.

Flash forward 10 yrs. Got married and my dad re-gifted the gun he gave me when I was 16... as my wedding present when i was 25. Held it over my head all them years. So I finally started hunting again...only without him. Douchebag Dad. He held onto that shotgun and wouldn't let me use it for 9 years. (I snuck it out anyway a few times) Mom covered for me. :yes:

I had to teach myself everything and now that I know a few things...My dad was the most pathetic duck caller I've ever heard. I can't believe I started out by imitating him. "The guy who pays guides to do the calling".

This topic is a good one and I can't believe it never got past page one.

Duck's Unlimited magazine taught me more in one year than I learned on my own in ten. GET IT!

 

[ILgoosehunter12]

Me and my dad used to deer hunt when I was younger, then he passed away when I was 14. I then stopped deer hunting and wanted to start doing something else. So I picked up dove hunting and one of my buddies dads invited me duck hunting and I have picked up duck hunting and started doing it and love it. Everything I have learned, I have learned from him and from here and just from going out and trying stuff.

 

[mike_b]

I grew up in the city and no one hunted etc. I got into shooting sports many years ago especially trap and sporting clays. Friends there led me to hunt waterfowl. On my 4th hunting season now, mostly self taught.

 

[whistlin_wings]

Mostly self taught. No one in my family hunts or owns a gun for that matter. My best friends dad would take us skeet shooting and dove hunting until we discovered at about 13 years ducks were on their private lake. We started out with 12 decoys and not a clue in the world. Still hunt that lake whenever I go in town except we're a little more prepared and knowledgeable.