Big & Small Game Hunting
Hell! My name is Brianna Giancola. I live in Liverpool, NY (a suburb of Syracuse). I'm 14 years old. I have two younger sisters named Brittany and Brooke. Britt is 12 years old and Brooke is 10. My parent’s names are Craig and Gina. My Dad owns a couple of small businesses. My Dad has also been my hunting companion since he introduced me to the sport. My Mom home schools my sisters and I, which leaves a lot of room for baking and crafting together.
My Dad slowly introduced me to hunting by taking me into the woods, we usually would go scouting or shed hunting. It sure did not take me long to get hooked! I received my very first bow when I was only 6 years old and I could not put it down! Dad took me to a ton of bow shoots and we always had a blast.
Right after I turned 12 (in July) I took the gun hunters safety course. That fall I shot my first turkey! Once I shot my first bird I was not about to stop so my Dad took me squirrel hunting and muskrat trapping and of course more turkey hunting. In the spring of '03 I shot a big tom with a 9 inch beard. It was one of the most exciting hunts ever!
The next year Dad started preparing me for deer hunting with a bow, and he surprised me with a compound bow as a late birthday present. Boy it took me quite a while before I could hit the kill zone! (It takes a little while to get used to a compound when you have been using a longbow all your life!) I did not have a lot of time to practice with my new bow before deer season came. I took the bow course that New York Bowhunters sponsored (NY Bowhunters is a great organization!). I had an absolute blast! The bow safety course was held in Cortland, NY at the Cortland Rod and Gun Club. We got to camp out for the weekend in tents while learning all about bowhunting and safety. At the end of the course every body had a chance to win a free hunt at White Lake Hunting Preserve in Pompey, NY. To win you had to pass the bow course test, shoot your bow really well, and well just be your friendly self! I just happened to win! The hunts at White Lake are hunts I'll never forget! I didn't shoot anything (because nothing came into range), but just hunting with Dad and hanging out with the friends I made was worth not getting a chance at a deer.
I was hoping that my first deer season would be as great as my first turkey season, but it turned out quite the opposite! Even though my Dad said it should be great with all the deer sign he saw, it turned out to be really tough! I saw about three deer in one day but they were what seemed to be a thousand yards away. The squirrels, birds, and wildlife provided entertainment in between my naps! I'll have to admit I caught up on a lot of sleep!
My outdoor hobbies are hunting, fishing, and well just messing around outside with friends and family. I also love playing lacrosse, which is indoors, and outdoors. Indoor activities I like to do are drawing, playing cards, and all sorts of crafty stuff! On top of that, I love to go to 3D bow shoots in the summer and fall. Oh, I forgot swimming! You could definitely qualify me as a "fish out of water", I absolutely love to swim! We have a boat that we enjoy each weekend during the spring and summer months. In the winter I like to ski, go sledding, have snow ball fights and watch movies by the fire place with a nice hot cup of hot chocolate.
