I grew up in the suburbs of an extremely rural coal camp where most all the local boys were 2+ years older. We somehow spent our entire youth in the Woods or slap in the middle of Tug river and none of us could say that we knew a grown healthy man that did not hunt or fish to some level of proficiency. Hunting, fishing, Trapping, gigging ,trotlines and various things across the line of the law were normal in the setting of my youth. Before my Dad left home I managed to receive a healthy dose of the 2nd hand teachings of Uncle Sam that he had absorbed. He spent 3 Yrs in the Marksmanship Detachment of the 3rd Ad, where he competed across Europe on the Battalion and Division Large and small bore Rifle and small bore Pistol Team. His strong influence very early along with being constantly surrounded with guns, gave me the hand up on most everyone in the crowd. Back then we were always shooting stuff, anything, game bottles ,rats,cans Syccamore balls in trees.....anything daily. Looking back through old family pictures, one common item was a gun.
Fast forward to becoming a Dad: I try my hardest to instill the things of my youth (The Good Things) in My kids. The 2 oldest shoot well enough, understand the basics, can load develop, can catch bait and fish, set traps (both leg and connibear). Both have taken nice Deer with Gun and Bow, They split wood,build fires and were forced to learn to sharpen stuff with a simple file and stone to the point of shaving. But somehow they still don't fully understand the path. They never spent years with a Stevens Crack shot , 61 Winchester or a 74 where you were lucky if all the 22 shells would go bang. Not one single animal has fell to either by iron sighted rifle fire by them. They never had an old 37 Winchester with tape holding the forearm on as the "Good "shotgun. She started with a Browning A bolt 7-08 and a win Mod12 20 ga, His was a mod 7 260 and an 870 Youth 20g.They know nothing of the necessity of keeping a shotgun shell dry at all cost due to the hull being Paper, they never tried to keep anything but the best carbon steel sharp. Has giving them the best from the start taken away from the Art? They were running systems that they routinely made 1k yd hits, years before the thought of a drivers license was birthed. The Baby who is now 8 can strip down an AR to the Firing pin and reassemble it, and hits the 700 yard IPSC with a 300 wm more than she misses( Both on Video at 7 yrs). Has this easy route been the wrong one? With them missing all those years of the learning curve is there things that they will not send on to the next generation? My fear is I have led them down the easy road and they cant appreciate the journey. So many distractions confront today's kids from life.
Their rebuttal is "Dad, Carmen(the 8yr old) has to set the remote up on the Big screen for you, We will be OK"
The girls Kills this year:
He was 8 on his first Gobbler
And yes that Possume is alive!
ASC with Dad
Fast forward to becoming a Dad: I try my hardest to instill the things of my youth (The Good Things) in My kids. The 2 oldest shoot well enough, understand the basics, can load develop, can catch bait and fish, set traps (both leg and connibear). Both have taken nice Deer with Gun and Bow, They split wood,build fires and were forced to learn to sharpen stuff with a simple file and stone to the point of shaving. But somehow they still don't fully understand the path. They never spent years with a Stevens Crack shot , 61 Winchester or a 74 where you were lucky if all the 22 shells would go bang. Not one single animal has fell to either by iron sighted rifle fire by them. They never had an old 37 Winchester with tape holding the forearm on as the "Good "shotgun. She started with a Browning A bolt 7-08 and a win Mod12 20 ga, His was a mod 7 260 and an 870 Youth 20g.They know nothing of the necessity of keeping a shotgun shell dry at all cost due to the hull being Paper, they never tried to keep anything but the best carbon steel sharp. Has giving them the best from the start taken away from the Art? They were running systems that they routinely made 1k yd hits, years before the thought of a drivers license was birthed. The Baby who is now 8 can strip down an AR to the Firing pin and reassemble it, and hits the 700 yard IPSC with a 300 wm more than she misses( Both on Video at 7 yrs). Has this easy route been the wrong one? With them missing all those years of the learning curve is there things that they will not send on to the next generation? My fear is I have led them down the easy road and they cant appreciate the journey. So many distractions confront today's kids from life.
Their rebuttal is "Dad, Carmen(the 8yr old) has to set the remote up on the Big screen for you, We will be OK"
The girls Kills this year:
He was 8 on his first Gobbler
And yes that Possume is alive!
ASC with Dad
