Don’t remember my age when I was first taken hunting, 10-12? We were visiting my uncle and cousin, and they took my dad and me hunting rabbits. I was stood atop a stump, given a .410 to hold and directed by my year-younger cousin not to move. Everyone else went off to follow the dogs. Cold, boring. It sucked. Same scenario a couple of subsequent years. Found no joy in it.
Had a Daisy BB gun as a kid, don’t recall the model. Didn’t think highly of it then nor now upon reflection. The only good to come from my rabbit hunting experience was that I found an abandoned .22 rim fire single-shot rifle leaning against a tree, the barrel full of water, my first ‘real’ gun. Cleaned it up and put a lot of rounds through it plinking. That was back in the day when a kid could walk into the hardware store on his own and buy a box of .22s no questions asked.
My dad did not hunt otherwise. I didn’t hunt again until in my late 20’s when I went with coworkers. Hunted steadily after for the next 25 years or so, waterfowl, pheasants, deer. Came to love the outdoors experiences, the taking was always secondary. Also shot trap and skeet in our company-sponsored league. Life changed and the hunting/shooting stopped.
Picked up a real airgun last fall to shoot targets for something to do when life changed again. Still don’t hunt, home bound for now so not an option. Retired and moved a few years ago, live in the woods and on a lake so being outdoors is covered.