Absolutely no one in my family hunted, despite the circumstance of being born and raised on a farm. However, since my very earliest memories, I have wanted to hunt. I'm sure I was "hunting" in fantasy when I was four years old. Finally got a BB gun at 8, a .22RF at 11, and killed my first deer at 13 -- all despite resistance from my parents.

Don't tell me that certain strong instincts are not inherent in certain people. With me it was hunting. With others it might be music, or art, or the uncontrollable urge to be a member of the opposite sex (really, people don't "choose" to be that way -- they're born that way and nothing anyone can do will change them. As a society, we would all be a lot better off if we quit trying to pound square pegs into round holes.)

My son grew up hunting. He shot his first dove on the wing with a .410 (Win Model 42 skeet grade -- poor, underpriveleged kid!) at age 7 and killed his first deer later that same fall. At any rate, he took to it like a duck to water, but he is not consumed by it as I am. Equally, I encouraged my two daughters to participate, but neither was inclined. Again -- they just weren't born with the instinct. That doesn't make them inferior or superior, just non-hunters.

My granson is about to turn six. He has been sitting in the deer blind with dad and granddad since age 4. He is getting the hang of the BB gun, and has tried the .22 a couple of times. His dad's Model 42 .410 is likely going to be retired in favor of a Charles Daly 28 gauge Baby Frame O/U for his first dove hunt, probably in the fall of '09. His dad's cut down Rem 700 .243 is in the back of the gun safe and will be ready to go when he is.

I dont know how old I was, but I can remember going hunting with my grandmother when I was still in diapers. Was squirrel hunting by my self at about age 9. And for those of you wondering my dad didnt hunt much but my mother and grandparents all did. I started my son on squirrels when he was maybe 6 and trust me he's addicted almost as bad as me.

I had to "carry the lunch" for a few years starting at about age 6, and then carried an "empty" gun for a year or two. That was my Dad's way of teaching gun safety and making sure that I was going to be safe. After that I was given a 20 guage singl shot to hunt partridge at about age 9, and was allowed to hunt with a 30-30 winchester model 94 for deer at age 12.

I started going on mule deer hunts with my dad and his friends when I was about ten. We were pretty much ignored by the men as long as we didn't do something stupid. Occasionally, but not often, we spotted deer first.

I was shocked when I was about fourteen and he told me I was going to get to buy a license and he borrowed one of his friend's .270 for me.

After a few years, one of my dad's friends started calling me "deerslayer" because if anyone got a buck, it was generally me. I had the knack for finding them, and killing them. I loved that reputation. It made me hunt harder. I was a relentless mule deer hunter as a young adult; up and out before anyone, and the last one in if I hadn't knocked one down. Most of the time when I came in it was to get help to drag and load.