Over the years of doing my radio show, Hook’N Up & Track’N Down, we’ve had some great outdoorsmen who have shared their expertise on both hunting and fishing. They have come from all sorts of backgrounds across this great country. With each guest we have always made a point to ask one specific question: “Who had the biggest influence in you becoming an avid angler or hunter?” Most have said either their dad or grandfather, but some have named other important people in their lives who are responsible for their passion of the great outdoors.
Today, we’ll step back in time and look at how and who is responsible for my passion of the outdoors. At the age of 8, I was first introduced to hunting by my best friend’s dad. Tracy Owsley, or Uncle Tracy as I referred to him, was an avid outdoorsman who took the time to take his son Kevin and I on our first squirrel hunt. It didn’t take long for each of us to inherit the nicknames lead foot and stumblebum. Not sure who was which, but I’m sure we earned those nicknames based on our inability to navigate through the woods quietly.
First, he taught us the importance of gun safety. We learned what direction to point the gun when hunting with others, how to leave the gun on safety until time to shoot, how to properly load a gun, how to cross a fence with a gun and to never point your gun at another person no matter what. These are just a few of things he took the time to teach us.
Today’s young kids and teenagers are not as mature as my generation of the ‘70’s. By the age of 9, I hunted or fished by myself more times than I can count. I can’t imagine a 9-year-old kid heading into the woods with a shotgun or rifle today without supervision. Parents of my generation allowed their kids a lot more freedom than parents of today.
This freedom allowed us to grow up and develop life skills quicker than kids of today. We also had more common sense than today’s youth, a trait which has virtually vanished over the last 20 years. We understood a good idea from a bad one. Now that’s not to say we didn’t do stupid things, because we did. But we knew there was a fine line between dumb and crazy decisions that might not end well.
My fishing background was developed on what is known as farm ponds or tanks, as they are referred to in Texas. Our ranch had a total of 5 fully stocked ponds that became the training ground for my obsession with bass fishing. I also had a cousin who I spent many a day with walking from one farm pond to another all day long catching largemouth bass. He too was an avid angler who introduced me to Bassmaster Magazine. By the age of 10, I was a subscriber to this publication that was full of great tips and techniques on bass fishing. I became a student of the sport and today I still subscribe to this same magazine, along with the B.A.S.S. Times.
Make no mistake, to this day I still have a deep passion for the outdoors, but more on the fishing side since I decided to start fishing tournaments in 1990. I will still make an occasional trip to the woods, but I’m not as hard core on hunting like I used to be.
The problem today involves a time factor. There are just not enough hours in a day any longer to get things done. Today, we are too busy and no longer have the so-called “free time” when the world moved at a much slower pace back in the 1970’s. While I still enjoy an occasional hunting trip when time allows, tournament bass fishing tends to consume a lot of my time since I want to be competitive. And believe it or not, my wife occasionally has a honey-do list of household chores that needs to be taken care of.
It’s always good to take a moment to look back at where we came from. This is how we grow both as people and as outdoorsmen. It’s the experiences of our youth and training ground that help to shape us into the people we are today. Whether it was a dad, uncle, grandparent or a friend, someone took the time to introduce us to the hunting and fishing world. Without these mentors, we would just be lost souls wondering throughout the world looking for something to do.
Till next time, good luck, good fishing and make sure to check out Tackle Talk Live podcast, as well as the Hook’N Up & Track’N Down Show on You Tube.
Steve Graf Angler’s Perspective
