50 years of bowhunting

[far rider]

Wow Don, I hope I can say that some day! Pretty darn great.

[Chumster]

Stepped into this arena at 22 and my first bow being a Bear Super Kodiak Magnum was a bit of a challenge.
Stepped away for awhile, raising a son and other lifes adventures.
Having the time of my life right now, hunting with stick and string could not be any more enjoyable.
Forty years later, so many opportunities have come to pass and so many yet to appear.
What a trip this has been and continues to be!

[Chumster]

Stepped into this arena at 22 and my first bow being a Bear Super Kodiak Magnum was a bit of a challenge.
Stepped away for awhile, raising a son and other life adventures.
Having the time of my life right now, hunting with stick and string could not be any more enjoyable.
Forty years later, so many opportunities have come to pass and so many yet to appear.
What a trip this has been and continues to be!

[joe ashton]

It is a great life style.  
22 years and counting.

[jonsimoneau]

That's good stuff Don. I hope I still have the passion after all of those years.

Congrats to you! I hope I get to make a thread like this someday! I also agree with your take on it! It does just keep on getting better!

Bisch

[turkey65]

Don I know where you're coming from,been at it for sixty years and the fever has never slowed down. Shot a doe last week and the feeling and fun is unbelievable,never found a sport so life consuming,congradulations and many more years of fun.

[Kevin Dill]

Congratulations Don!      

What will you do when you grow up?

   

[Timbuck2]

Congrats on your 50 years of bowhunting.

That's awesome!    

[Charlie Lamb]

Happy birthday Don. 51 years here and like you it's been more fulfilling than I could ever have imagined.

There are some who think of the early years of bowhunting in this country as the "good old days" and in so many ways they were.
Not many understand how scarce big game could be in many of the states.
Even in a 3 month season seeing a deer a month was pretty darn good for years.

May your arrows continue to fly to the mark and all of your blood trails short ones.

[Bowwild]

Congratulations Don!

Great points about the "good ole days" too Charlie. In Indiana where I started one was doing unusually well to have 1 bow-range opportunity per season.

I bowhunted pests beginning at age 14 in 1968. I've been bowhunting seriously since I killed the first live whitetail I ever saw at age 16 with a Pearson Cougar. This is my 44th year bowhunting big game.  

I left the curve in 1975 and went with compounds through 2009.

Like you Don I am having as much fun as ever and have never wavered in my love of archery/bowhunting.

I sure wish I knew in the early 1980's what I know now. I had the best hunting spot of my life during those 5 years and while I killed deer and passed on nicer bucks than I have ever killed (still)I made a lot more mistakes than I do these days (I still make em though).

Ironically, I could still be hunting that location (extreme N. IN)but I stopped because my exclusive access ended. I'm not much for "strange" company.

[Don Stokes]

Woke up this morning to go out, looked at my radar app, and rolled back over. My property in MS has a late rut, and it should just be getting interesting out there. Haven't hunted it at all yet, and it should be prime. Been concentrating on MO, where the deer are bigger. This is the home ground, though, and I'm looking forward to renewing the relationship. My favorite stand is about 150 yards from the back door. I've taken several deer there.

It took me a while to get here, folks, and I intend to fully enjoy the fruits of my labors, as long as this well-worn body holds up. Now my goal is to make it to 60 and beyond, like Turkey65!

[Don Stokes]

I'm really enjoying the stories I'm hearing here, by the way. It's great seeing how this sport has enhanced other lives like it has mine.

[Hoyt]

Been at it a long time too..nothing like climb n' trees, hid n' in the bushes, sneak n' up on critters, get n' dirty and drive n' big trucks, little buggies, wade n' around in the water and shoot n' wild animals..just to mention a few.....

[Zbone]

Chased tweetie birds, grinnies, and any other small critters around I could find with self made bows and arrows from green switches and kite string from about 4 or 5 years of age. What I remember about my age was it was before they made me go to kindergarten...        and I'm now 54, so I'm right around 50 years a bowhunter too...

Grew up during a great period...

My first real bow was a yellow (with black grip) Pearson Jet bow my uncle bougt be for my 6th or 7th Christmas... Graduated to a #45 Ben Pearson, Cougar a few years after that. Things are starting to get foggy in this old age to remember exact dates...