As I recall, I started pretty early hunting with my father & grandfather...probably and 7 or 8. At first, I just tagged along in the car and played in the field while the pheasant hunted. Then I got to walk behind them at a safe distance away from the guns and dogs...as I got older I became one of the dogs, that is I walked/pushed the thickets and briers while they hunted along the edges waiting for birds to flush. I distinctly recall grouse hunting through dense pines and overgrown orchards...while Dad took the easy path outside and encouraged me too keep up with his pace. By 13 (NY passed the law to allow 12+ to hunt), I was legally able to small game hunt with my grandma's single shot 410. At 14, I got the family hand-me-down Bear bow and I was climbing trees and waiting for a deer to come through. When I turned 16, I purchased my first gun...a used Browning BPS 12 gauge shotgun which I paid half and my father paid the other half...because I'm left-handed and needed a gun suited for my needs. Friday after Thanksgiving, I harvested my first deer, a basket 7 point buck.
By 18, I purchased my first compound bow...a new PSE Thunderflite which I paid half and my father paid the other half...because I'm left-handed and the family bow was right-handed. I harvested my second deer, a spike buck that my Dad had wounded the week before and we lost due to rain.
I've been hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, and playing outdoorsman ever since!!