How many here...

[Bow Walker]

...have been lucky enough to have had the benefit of a mentor to show them the ropes as far as shooting and/or hunting are concerned?

I mean younger and/or new hunters or shooters?

I believe that it's really important to mentor someone or as many "someones" as a person can. That way a newer person to the outdoor sports has the benefit of the mentor's accumulated knowledge and experience.

It's a shortcut on the learning curve. The "rookie" doesn't have to make all the same silly mistakes, that everyone seems to make, on the way to getting to know the ins and outs.

I was mentored by my Dad and his hunting buddies. Great fun for me when I was 9 yrs old. Even greater fun when I was allowed to carry a gun and Dad bought me my first rifle for my birthday.

[Elkhound]

I was lucky enough to have 2 very good friends show me the ropes. I will be forever grateful.

[Phil]

I've learned more from the advice of an experienced hunter than from all the books I have read since.

[rishu_pepper]

As a first-year hunter, I have had the privilege of having the guidance of half a dozen seasoned hunters (you guys know who you are :smile:) to show both my friend and me the ropes. Undoubtedly these learning experiences have furthered my hunting knowledge immensely in ways that books and videos could never have. HBC is such a closely knitted community that I feel grateful to be a part of.

[Wildman]

I was lucky enough to have 2 very good friends show me the ropes. I will be forever grateful.

Same here, two really good friends have shown me the ropes and my old mans wisdom. I have found that there are many ways to learn on top of having a mentor. Reading (hunting mags, books, internet - including here on hbc), talking to fellow hunters, trial and error - make mistakes and learn from them, even playing video games (like h1947) no kidding, it helps.......I am positive that is why I never get buck fever, from playing Dangerous Hunts before I even obtained my PAL. Laugh all you want but I'm sure that it helps. Quickens your reflexes etc...

[jrjonesy]

Mentored by my Dad and oldest brother since I was a kid. I often think of how lucky I am that I was always exposed to hunting. There's so many people out there that have never or will never get the benefit of that type of exposure (hunting) and are missing out. As I'm sure people on this forum can attest to, it's much harder to get started and interested as an adult, especially if you don't have someone to help you along.

I'll always keep the options open for my kids but as of now they're a little nervous about being out in the bush (although I had a great trip with my daughter last year). I'm looking forward to mentoring one of my nephews who at 8 is starting to show some real interest in hunting.

[Mr. Dean]

Can't say that I had a mentor.

For as long as I can remember though, it was something that I wanted to do. I used to look at family friends and schoolmates that did, and boy did I ever envy them.

I had this one good friend (Tommy), and we used to hang out fishing the Bow in Calgary, on weekends and after school. We mostly caught Suckers and Rocky Mt. Whitefish, with the odd Rainbow and Brown in the mix; if we were lucky enough.

One day there was a change in Tommy's life. His dad moved out and not long after, his Mom started seeing this fella a few doors down, and this dude was a Hunter. The next thing I knew, my best friend was also.

I vicariously started living my life through his. Not much work got done on Mondays at school, we'd be FAR to busy chatting it up about the trip he did on the weekend and the # of Trophy Suckers I caught down at the river.

It was both an exhilarating time in my life, and a sad one also. At any time if there was an invite to tag along on a trip, it was struck down HARD by my parents. Mother had a distain for firearms and I think it was something that was easier for my Dad to just 'go along with', rather than to deal with the consequences.

Other things that contributed to me becoming a Hunter, when I was young:

- My family did like getting out and enjoying nature. Camping, fishing and wildlife viewing were BIG on the list.

- I also grew up attending Cubs and Scouts. I learned lots about survival and how to use a compass there. Funny, I don't know of ANY kids participating in this now... Then again, I don't have any. Maybe I'm just out of the 'loop'.

- Field and Stream were without a doubt, one of THE best choices in the school library.

- I was once lucky enough to find a SIR catalog. It quickly became mainstay reading material. I had that thing for years, cruising through it reading about all the offerings for the hunting enthusiast. Good times!

- Air guns were permissible. I'd spend countless hours plinking away at various targets set-up in the backyard or.... That was COOL.


For me, hunting remained nothing more than a dream; It wasn't until I was in my late 30's did I decide to "take the plunge". Since then, these last few years have been the best yet!

- BIG thanks out to Marc, and his Brain-Fart of the founding of HBC... For it and its members has been my best mentor to date!!! :mrgreen:

- Not to mention Tommy's Mother, for taking up a new bedmate... :rolleyes:


GREAT THREAD!

[Wild one]

I was shown the ropes by my dad and grandpa.After there teachings I found my own style of hunting by talking with other hunters and just getting out in the bush.

[newhunterette]

for my beginnings I was mentored by a family friend who got me interested in fishing and fly tying when I was 5 years old

I didn't know there was a such thing as hunting until my uncle shot a cougar and had it mounted - I was 8 years old when I saw that cougar on his living room floor - I vowed to never hunt because it was disgusting killing such a fine wild animal and animals become extinct (so I thought to myself remembering dinosaurs disappearing from stories in school)

into my teens I started dating this guy named Peter and he had the love of fishing just like me so was a good match - then he started hanging with another crowd of people (the guys he fished with were also hunters) I spoke to one of his best friends about my views (shallow views) on hunters and hunting and he decided to take me to his family's shop and show me around, and explain things to me and show me pictures of his past trips (he is a taxidermist) - signed Peter up to take his CORE and FAC and he became a hunter - next came the kids interst in bow shoots - and then when our middle daughter took an allergic reaction to store bought and processed meats - the gloves came off and I signed up for my CORE with my oldest daughter - we decided we would help this family keep a freezer full of venison

My mentor is now my son Braydon's Godfather and because he took a interest in changing this anti's way of thinking and looking at things - I have taken his knowledge he gave me and hope I am giving an open and informative view to others who have closed minds like mine was

plus Peter was away from home so much fishing or hunting I figured I best get with the program if I wanted some time with him too

Alison

[Bow Walker]

There certainly is no teacher substitute for experience. If you can soak up someone else's experience - or a bit of knowledge rubs off on you - well then, you've got a leg-up over everybody else.

[BCbillies]

No mentor just a whole lot of passion and time spent making mistakes and hopefully learning from them. Still learning and sometimes that's that only or the best way to really learn. Would have been nice to have a mentor or a guide as a Dad but like anything in life success is often achieved by those with the most desire. I believe in mentoring and find a lot of personal satisfaction taking young guys out and showing them some of the ropes. Still find they need to make a few mistakes to really learn. Loved taking my three year old son out looking for bears last spring and going for hikes. I look forward to the years ahead.

[bsa30-06]

I was lucky enough to have 2 very good friends show me the ropes. I will be forever grateful.

And i was lucky enough to have Elkhound show me the ropes.......which probably explains all the nil seasons.:-P All kidding aside i didnt have a mentor to teach me or show me the ropes.....which probably really explains all the nil seasons.:sad:

[betteroffishing]

like it or not , you are all actively mentoring me every time you post a new thread, let me see a picture, argue about the finer points of hybrid identification , or talk about the time well spent in the great outdoors.
the role of the mentor is more one of instilling an attitude by which we wish to aproach situations, and the passing on of shared best practices.so... thank you all for posting

[tuom]

For me hunting became a passion when I was 16. Me, my dad and his friend went to Nimpo lake (region 5) for a few days. We would hunt the swamps in the morning, fish in the afternoon and hunt again in the evening. The one night we stayed out til the moon was up calling moose. What a thrill to call out and have a big angry bull call back and hear it crashing thru the bush busting branches, kickin up rocks.
The next morning we came across 2 bulls scrapping. To make a long story short, the first moose I seen in the wild I shot. It's rack measured 48 inches across and according to buddy weighed about 1200 lbs. I shot it once in the neck and once in the head, just about blew the horns right off. 8-) Beginners luck for sure, but what a rush for a new hunter.

[bsa30-06]

like it or not , you are all actively mentoring me every time you post a new thread, let me see a picture, argue about the finer points of hybrid identification , or talk about the time well spent in the great outdoors.
the role of the mentor is more one of instilling an attitude by which we wish to aproach situations, and the passing on of shared best practices.so... thank you all for posting

Wow...he's pretty smart.Well said.

[model88]

I was mentored by my best friends dad. He taught me the basics. When his son's moved away, I unfortunantly didn't hunt with him as much.

When my current hunting partner and I hooked up some 15 years ago, him and his brothers showed me the rest.

My partner and I were mentors to a youngster who was a friend of my buddies son. We started taking him when he was about 8-9, he shot his first buck with us when he was 11 and by 16 he was hunting with older buddies of his. Was very satisfying watching him develop and learn. Kinda sad when he didn't want to hunt with the old guys anymore.....lol

[Bow Walker]

like it or not , you are all actively mentoring me every time you post a new thread, let me see a picture, argue about the finer points of hybrid identification , or talk about the time well spent in the great outdoors.
the role of the mentor is more one of instilling an attitude by which we wish to aproach situations, and the passing on of shared best practices.so... thank you all for posting
I'll echo bsa30-06's comments regarding betteroffishing's post. Well thought and right on the mark.

Take the thread about "what would you bring with you?" http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=18208&highlight=bring

I have taken a few things from that thread and put them in the back of my mind for later. Some thoughtful suggestions in there. Who'da thunk it?:cool:

[trail blazer]

I didn' have a mentor but it was in me from the start.I came from a small isolated village back east. Not much of anything except hunting and fishing, (unlimited). Moved to BC when I was 18. Made a good friend and started hunting out here when I was 20. I'me 44 now and we're still best of friends and hunt together every single year. We were learning by trial and error, for example, our first backpack trip we brought along a sling shot and 2 lbs of marbles for grouse. Lots of things like that. I believe we worked out most of the kinks. I've heard good luck is the residue of hard work, I believe that. We have had tons of success since that trip.(skunked on that one though) Anyhow, my son who is 8,and loves the outdoors has a mentor.I took him out hunting for the first time in oct. and shot a good eating 2 point. He can't wait until next season.

[Schutzen]

I have mentored a few, mostly relatives and friends. Find it a very satisfying passtime.

[Allen50]

Are mentor was are Dad and uncles, they all hunted for years, and it was for food, not head mounts, they ment nothing, but deer hunting, well that was something else, we went hunting long before we could carry a gun, we taged a long behind and watched and learned to find are way in the woods etc, then I got my first gun, WOW,, it was a 308 where the bolt worked stright up and it looked like the stock was made out of a 2x4 or something, wow my first gun, could not wait for hunting to start, First time out we went to a spot my DAD knew were deer there, and there were 5 deer in this bason area, so i went on one side and he went to the top area, said when the deer pass you, you shoot then, i was ready, Well here comes the deer and i shoot and shoot and shoot, well dad came a long and asked well what did you get, I looking down to the ground kicking the dirt, said nothing,,,, he started to laugh, said how many shells you got left from that box i gave you this morrning, i checked, i 5 left out of a box of 20, wow did i shoot that many, DAD was to busy laughting when my uncle came a long and said wow it sounded like a war here, what did you get, i looked up said nothing, and he starter in as well, then DAD said well now its time you learned to shoot proper, and i have never looked back, and i still have the 308 as well..

[BigBanger]

This is my first season
I havent had a chance to hunt with a mentor
I feel ive learned some pointers here and in some mags
My friend and i got into hunting together
We were skunked together as well
I feel we are getting closer and closer every time we go out

BB

[Stone Sheep Steve]

My father was a logger and shot most of his game on the way home from work. As far back as I can remember I was out there in the shed watching him skin out deer. I liked going grouse hunting with him but didn't think I could shoot a deer.
All through my teens I was too busy playing sports to show much interest in hunting and my Dad worked long hours and was away a lot in camps.
I finally started showing a stronger interest in hunting whan I was 19 and took the CORE with a friend.
Got out a few times with other rookie friends but don't think we even saw a deer:roll:.
Started hunting with my GF's Dad and brother and I started having a "little" success. They were great guys and we had some fun times they were but basically road hunters and I knew there was a lot more to hunting than what I was seeing. I slowly started changing their ways and it became a little more rewarding but still not much success.
After ending that long term relationship I started hanging out more with some friends from high school that had been hunting from an early age...guys that shared my growing passion for the outdoors. We mostly flyfished together but, of course, I picked up many tips about gear and other info about hunting along the way. They showed my that hunting could be a year-round passion.
For me, that was the turning point and my success rate went up soon thereafter.

I wished I could have hunted more with my Dad but between our work schedules and his health we never spent much time together hunting, although we BS a lot about hunting.
I hope to get him out for a couple of more seasons before he packs in his rifle but my work keeps getting in the way:icon_frow.

SSS

[J_T]

My Father, my numerous uncles and my grandfather mentored me in my youth. Many of my peers mentor me now. I'm always learning.

At 78 my Father sits around camp and is a mentor of men and youth still. Ask Hermit, Onesock, Rainwater, Franko Manini. My Father shot an elk this year :)

I have no idea how many youth my father has mentored. Over the years young men would come to him and ask him to teach them to hunt.

I have worked hard to follow in my father's footsteps.

It is harder today to mentor someone than it was back in the day. Gov has instilled barriers to successful mentoring.

[.303]

Hi all, this is my first day on the forum and everything looks great so far. This will be my third season this year. I never really got into hunting when I was a kid, more so just observing.

Through a great chain of events, I was able have my Father's (passed away) rifle given to me. It is old and a little worn but brings home the meat.

My wife and her Dad are really into Hunting. He has been great in showing me the ropes in regards to Scouting, tracking, the 'harvest', and processing your own meat.

[FlyingHigh]

My grandfather and uncle hunt. Neither have mentored me. No one has. I've read books, articles, forums, websites, everything. I'm working off that knowledge and from the experiences I get. I did the same with fishing, and I turned out to be an above average fly fisher. I'll try to do the same with hunting. Although, having a mentor to take me to productive places would be nice. It's a bit of a leap of faith going of hear-say

[115 or bust]

I was one of the lucky guys who grew up with a dad and uncle who walked talked and breathed deer hunting. I have pictures of myself riding in the truck from the time I was 2. I got to shoot my first grouse when I was 6 and I may never have been so excited. After writing my core when I was 9 I had to wait a whole year to get out and get my first deer. "On opening day my dad took me out and we were hiking up into a slash and I saw a buck and was so excited I shouted "Buck" I managed to get it (a nice 2x3) but scoped myself really badly I should probably actually have had stitches. I was terrified of the gun but after we dragged the deer out we continued down the road and spotted another 3 point. I was absolutely terrifed of the gun and didn't want to shoot but my dad made me get down he put the butt on his shoulder and let me look through the scope and shoot. Every shot after he coached me until I respected the gun but didn't fear it any more. Just one of the countless lessons I learned that I might never have learned without him there to guide me. ( oh and we saw 21 bucks counting the 2 I got that day :smile: gotta love the good old days eh;-) For all you guys out there who do take someone who isn't lucky as myself out and teach them to hunt you are doing them a great service and I hope you all realize how important you are to those people. It took me years before I thanked my dad for all he tought me and even longer to realize how important that time is.

[tuchodi]

My mentor's were my Dad and Uncle. We lived in Northern Alberta and they were both farmers so after the harvest was done which usually was in Nov up there we would go hunting for moose for food for the next year so we wouldn't have to shoot one of our cows on the farm which could bring us some milk or money from offspring. My Uncle was also a trapper in the winter to help out with farm expenses and he always shot his moose with a 22 behind the ear from very close range. When ever I went out with him as we got close to a moose by tracking him in the snow my Uncle would make me stand still and stay at a certain point and would continue on to get the moose. I have tried to sneak up on them many times like he showd me and told me but with no succes, at least not close enought to use a 22. I shot my first moose with my uncles 270 when I was 13 and both my dad and uncle were more exceited than I was. I have mentored or help mentor some young hunters in my life and they all still hunt and now have some of their kids hunting also. This is a great site and I still learn something new all the time from these postings.

[Iron-Head]

I was very lucky, I had Elkhound along with a few other friends including MichelD, They have all contributed to my love and knowledge of the outdoors, I know the real reeson Dave did it is so when hes old and cant pack his meat out he'll have me to bribe into doing it, I can see it now "But you know Symon I did get you on your first spring bear!".
Thanks guys!

[Elkhound]

:mrgreen: He is a smart Grasshopper:mrgreen:

[Kechika]

No one in my family hunted.I was fortunate enough to have 3 people really help me along.First there was BRNO375 who got me started on the whole shooting thing.He dragged me along on more than a few uneventful trips.We've chased evrything that walks together,had laughs.Never matters if theres game on the ground.Secondly there was the man that really got me interested in hunting.Will was a man from South Africa and had shot the game we all dream of.We started talking about the hunting here in B.C and got each other worked up.We took our C.O.R.E together and had many memorable trips and chats around the camp fire.Sadly he passed away way before his time.I now hunt with his two boys.Not a trip to the bush goes by where I dont think of the man.Finally theres my freind George...this man has done more for my hunting career than I can even say.He puts his buddies first,shares all his 40+years of hunting information and never expects or wants anything in return.Ive been lucky and despite my"Image"here on the site,I try and give back what I have taken.

[BCJunior]

My dad, and his 2 best friends (our hunting group). Tought me everything I know.

[Leaseman]

My great grandfather is one of the founders of the Douglas Lake cattle Ranch.... one of his sons, my great uncle was the last to run a company sanctioned trap line on th property in the late 70's before he died.... he passed on his knowledge to my Dad and was with us when I shot my first moose in '75....

I spent lots of time with him in the late seventies hunting out of one of his cabins on Salmon Lake and on his trapline until his demise in the early 80's

My Dad and I, along with friends have hunted moose south of Vanderhoof since the mid 60's, our first trip as a family was in 1970, we still go to the same area with only 2-3 years being skunked....

I also have a great, great grandfather who was the founder of Lewis Creek....

Hunting has been in my family since the early 1800's and my son, who turned 13 on opening day, is continuing with the tradition as he took his first mulie this last November.....

I started shooting at the ripe old age of eight.... this year marks the 40th year of shooting and hunting...I couldn't be more proud of any other accomplishments outside of my kids.....:cool:

[BCSteel]

Not me. I fish like a crazy man. I hike and camp when I'm not fishing. Most of my friends look at me weird when I say I'd like to get into hunting. I dont have a pal, or a gun or anything. I dont even know who to talk to or what questions to ask. Will probably go into the hunting store and get started there then start small and see what happens.

[Schutzen]

"My Dad and I, along with friends have hunted moose south of Vanderhoof since the mid 60's, our first trip as a family was in 1970, we still go to the same area with only 2-3 years being skunked...."

Not Chutanli Lk by any chance?

[Leaseman]

No, farthest south we would venture, at times, was Tatuk Lake.... most hunting was done from Tatuk Lake turn off up to Frank Lake turn off.... when we first started hunting in the area, there was only one road that run north/south down to the big farm and family sawmill....

[Wolfman]

I've been out of it so long I might as well be a complete newbie ;-)

But the first time I was taken on a hunt was for deer when I was barely 20 - long time back ;-)

I've had one or two good folks show me the ropes in various areas though I'm still learning.

Done a fair bit more fishing than I have hunting over the years...

Actually, this site is pretty awesome for information and everyone I have met here has been very generous with their knowledge and sharing of experiences.


I am glad I found my way here.


Wolfman

[wsm]

a friend got me into hunting. my family did a little hunting when i was very young, but not much because of how they thought my gandmother would react.(my uncle was shot and killed while hunting by another hunter ).i pretty much had to learn with my friend as he had not tagged anything yet. since then we have learned by leaps and bounds. hunting has been one of the greatest expieriences of my life , and i hope to share them with my little one.