By Holly Overman
Hunting wasn’t something I did as a child. However, there has always been a strong passion in my heart for the outdoors. I found peace and comfort among nature and wildlife. There’s just something special about being in a tree that takes your problems away.
As a child, I wasn’t interested in getting up early for anything. My father and brother would hunt, so I wasn’t a stranger to it. And I did enjoy fishing with my grandfather on many afternoons. As I grew up, I started to gain an interest for hunting, but by then I was working early hours so I couldn’t.
After meeting my husband, he invited me to go hunting with him for turkeys. I immediately said yes, but wondered what I’d wear since I didn’t have any gear. Luckily I found a pair of faded camo cargo pants and a camo shirt that fit well enough.
It was incredible experiencing the pursuit of wild game and hearing them gobble for the first time. It was even better to enjoy it with someone special. Add that to what I already loved about the outdoors and you could say I was instantly hooked.
That following summer he wanted me to shoot bows with him in the afternoons. He got me a cheap bow to start off with in case I didn’t like it. Sure enough, I ended up loving it. It’s something that challenges you in many ways and best of all it’s something else we could do together as a couple.
After weeks of shooting and him working with me, I was pulling back enough poundage to actually bow hunt. Man was I nervous, but he continued to help me improve my accuracy until opening weekend.
My first deer season was interesting. I hunted from a blind because I was uneasy hunting from a stand at that point. He wanted me to hunt alone for a while because he knew I’d learn more from experience than him just teaching me. Having deer come within 30 yards of me was so exciting.
From there, I upgraded my equipment and created my own techniques. I even began to film my hunts just because I wanted to look back on what I had seen and done. It’s not an easy task for everyone because hunting itself can be challenging. You add a camera to it while trying to be stealthy can make it more challenging, yet fun.
Now besides the bow, what equipment I started out using was mostly my husband’s. After seeing that I was hooked, it was time to get my own. We chose guns for all seasons that would best fit me from size to recoil.
The shotgun we chose is a semi-auto 20 gauge because at the time I didn’t like the pump-action and 12 gauges hurt my shoulder. The rifle we chose is a .243 because it’s an all-around great gun and suitable for my small frame to handle. The muzzleloader we chose was another great all-around firearm as well.
Once equipped with my own guns, I felt it was time to upgrade my bow too. I researched many brands and checked out many in stores. I finally made my choice on a Diamond that has great benefits for me in every way. Not to mention this bow could last me forever if I wanted with a 5 – 70 pound draw weight range.
Everyone will have their own preferences on what they use. It’s best to try a few out to see which serves the user more. What works good for one, might not be best for another.
In hunting, there’s always something to learn from. Whether it be the environment, game behavior, or even your own mistakes. No matter how much I gain, I’ll always keep to my roots of why I hunt in the first place. I will also pass it down to our boys who might one day pass it down to their kids.
The bottom line on how I started hunting was with a simple invite to go. From there I chose the best weapons for me and learned a lot through my experiences. Even till this day, I still learn something from every hunt. Now I can’t imagine my life without hunting.
