It is estimated that currently only 5% of the US population hunts, of that 5% of the population about 80% were introduced to hunting by a family member. That means that new hunters, with no family history of hunting account for only 1% of the population here in the US and I’m excited to be a part of that 1%.

I was raised in Southern California in family without any connection to hunting. The only two outdoor/wildlife activities my family would participate in were an annual fishing trip to Mammoth, CA and an occasional beach camp out which consisted of setting up a tent on a 40’-45’ patch of dirt with other campers on both sides. Growing up my family was more involved in organized sports than wilderness activities and we did not own any guns with the exception of a few replica Civil War rifles used for Civil War reenactments. In fact, I did not shoot a gun for the first time until I was 18 years old.

During my childhood I was always fascinated by the almost mythical hunters of the past such as Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett and Buffalo Bill and when I turned 18 I lived for a few months on a 40-acre property just outside of Yosemite National Park where I got my first taste of the experience I had been looking for. During the few months I lived on that property I shot squirrels, rabbits, doves, two turkeys, and countless woodpeckers. Looking back on that time now I think about all of the potentially great meals that went to waste because of my lack of knowledge, I did not eat any of the animals that I shot during that time (except for a few bites of the turkeys which I overcooked). I had never known anyone that had hunted before and was completely unaware that the majority of these animals could be eaten.

My first real hunting experience did not come until 10 years later when I was invited to go out on the opening day of Dove season and that first Dove hunt is what got me hooked and I have not been able to shake the obsession since then. The funny thing about that first hunt is that I only came home with one dove, it would not be considered a “successful” hunt. However, I came away from that hunt with something far more valuable than dove, a passion for hunting and the outdoors.