How old were you when you first shot a bow and arrow and who taught you?

Do you remember when you first shot a bow and arrow? 

For our November 2018 Jig contest we asked our fans:

How old were you when you first shot a bow and arrow and who taught you?

The responses were so amazing we just had to share. Thank you for participating and sharing your passion for archery and bowhunting with us.

For more opportunities to win a brand new shiny fletching jig please follow us on Facebook. We run a new contest every month.

Enjoy these posts from our readers:

• I was 15 and bored during the summer but got encouraged by Hedley Omant to give it a go. Still enjoying shooting (mostly haha) over 10 years later! ~ Josh M
• 16, self-taught ~ Jeff B
• Bill Anderson Probably started teaching me how to shoot around 12 years old. Thanks to the Anderson family, I always had the opportunity to be around archery. Bitzenburger is truly the world’s finest fletching jig made. ~ Jason B
• 5 and my father Mike Wright, but he doesn’t have Facebook ~ Chris W
• I was around 5 or 6. Nothing but a bent sassafras limb and a piece of cord my papaw made me…that was enough to start my fire. ~ Josh T
• Probably around 6, with one of those old Walmart, 10 lb pull, Bear bows lol. Stepdad got it for me. He doesn’t Facebook. Actually still have the bow and it’s the first bow my son ever shot as well! ~ Keith J
• I was in high school when I first shot. Have been hooked since. Happy to say I introduced my 11-year-old to it and now we spend way too many hours at the range with a fire pit and a bow. Making memories. Love this sport…. ~ James B
• I was nine my dad’s friend brought a youth bow over that his kid outgrew and he and my dad taught me to shoot it. ~ Joseph D
• 7, basically self-taught. Got started from my local shop. ~Wyatt M
• 17 taught myself by reading books and taking advice from people at the range. ~ Greg M
• Early 20’s … self-taught initially ~ Dan L
• I can’t ever remember not shooting some type of bow .. very young age with toy bows .. soon will be 58 and as crazy about bows as I ever was! Self-taught.. with years and years of experience .. love working and tweeting on them including fletching arrows! ~ Tim C
• I was about 10 and my grandpa showed me the ropes on an old English longbow that was way too big and the arrow rest was your hand! ~ Michael B
• 6 years old and taught myself. My aunt gave me a target bow (left or right hand) and had a guy that ran an archery shop at his house down the road that I got arrows at, he helped me a lot. Been shooting ever since, that was in the mid-60s ~ Greg F
• 6 or 7 and self-taught until age 12. Then my dad’s friend and neighbor worked with me. Found my old bear while helping clean the garage. Been shooting ever since. ~ Dan B
• 13 years old and my uncle taught me with a little Fred bear recurve ~ Russ J
•  I was 22ish shooting my Dad’s old Herters (I still have) ~ Mark T
• 21. Self-taught. Lots of input later and classes. ~ Bill L
• 28 and my fiance proudly taught me! And I’ve loved it since he put the right bow in my hands!! Chris Wright ~ Amanda O
• 5 by my grandfather and I appreciate it more than he knows ~ Brandon A
• Was 25 when got serious about archery and shooting a real bow taught combo self and neighbor/bow shop ~ Jeremy H
•  I was 36. My dad taught me. I treasure that time. My dad passed away earlier this year. ~ Pat C
• 12 yrs old my. Dad with a recurve I taught myself on compound ~ Calvin T
• 11 years old, back when you had to be 12 to bow hunt in Michigan. My brother bought my bow and taught me everything. Within a couple of years, we had our own Bitzenburger™ making our own arrows. ~ Duane T
• I was 8yrs old, no one taught me! Dad wasn’t around so I rented hunting VHS tapes and watched how they did it! ~ Ed S
• 10 years old, my Stepdad taught me. ~ Justin R
• About 10 and Grandfather! ~ Duane H
• 22 and I learned on my own ~ Pete G
• In my late 20’s, wanted to start bow hunting the owner at the local archery shop, set me up and gave me a lesson, and been hooked ever since, love shooting a bow.  A big thank you to Stewarts Archery. ~ Eric W
• I was 14, my father bought it for me, an old Bear Whitetail II, Webb Babcok of Webb’s Sporting Goods set it up for me and too me. Missing old Webb, at 48 I am not coaching a NASP school program, CenterShot Church Program, and a JOAD program. Better to pass it on, than to hold on to it. ~ Chris N
• I didn’t pick up a bow until I was 40 years old….and an employee at the local archery shop gave me a 1/2 hour lesson and I’ve been hooked ever since!!! Many thanks to the guys at Archery At The Glenn!!!! ~ Adam K
• 7 years old my grandfather taught me. ~ JD B
• 4 years old, my dad taught me. ~ Ben W
• “Old” at 37-ish and I went to a local club ( Detroit Archers, Inc. ) where they had open shooting for the public and bow rentals. ~ Tony L
• I was 38 and was hooked from the 1st time! My husband, Wayne Wood, taught me! Now we do it as a family with our 2 girls! ~ Michelle W
• School Day Camp when I was about 10. ~ Monte G
• 10 years old with a Sears & Roebuck fiberglass recurve. 45-pound pull, my dad showed me, but I read Howard Hill books and learned his ways. ~ Jesse F
• I believe about 14. My brother taught me. ~ Wayne W
• 5 years old, my Dad taught me archery has been part of my life many hunting and archery trips together. ~ Daniel R
• I’ve been shooting all my life. Too young to remember the first time. My Dad and Grandpa taught me. ~ Matthew W
• 10 years old. A gym teacher in elementary school. ~Raymond R
• 12 years old, my brother was 8. We learned ourselves. The Bear Whitetail ll. For Christmas. ~ David B
• 47. Self-taught from videos and magazine articles. My first shot was from a compound bow was at Bass Pro when I purchased one…very.nervous. ~ Tony M
• My grandfather, when I was 2. He was a Cherokee and believed it was a necessary part of my education about hunting. ~ Jimmy J
• 11 years old. I made it myself. ~ Vijendra C
• I was 11, my two older brothers taught me and we all shared the same bow. It was what we could afford at the time. I shot my first deer with it the next year! ~ Dan S
• My dad, I was 15 Fred bear recurve 45-pound draw weight ~ Daryl F
• 2/3 years old….grandfather Jim Dyer ~ Tom D
• 16, and my high school art teacher taught me. ~ Russ H
• I was 6 years old and at a Cub Scout camp called dad and lad. A camp counselor taught my dad and me how to shoot. ~ Kyle A
• At 16 just took up archery on my own ~ Derrill O

Thank you to everyone who responded. It doesn’t matter how old you are, if you start on your own, have a teacher, make your own equipment or whatever. It just matters that you start! Let ’em fly!

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