sm
member
Dove hunt for a little gal.
The Mom and daughter showed up for the fun shoot we were having for the kids at the club. They showed up because the Mom’s brother had invited her and daughter to attend. The brother had a son of similar age and the families had been spending a lot more time together.
See the little gal’s father had survived Desert Storm, only to return home and be killed by a drunk driver. Life ain’t fair, life sucks, and bad stuff happens to good folks.
So I had bought a 28 ga single shot for the purpose of teaching kids. Had a mild loading of chilled shot and would bust clays on Low 7 all day long. This little gal with that attitude, smirk, excitement to learn…yeah I fell hook line and sinker. Being the gentleman I am, there was no ulterior motive about the mom. This was made clear by me and the ladies I set her up to learn from - confirmed…â€yeah Steve is a relicâ€.
Hot dogs , hamburgers, lemonade and junk food. Safety lessons and all the kids took home a kit with eyes ,ears, safety info and the like.
Little gal was attentive and asked good questions. Took notes during the Eddie Eagle video, asked more questions. Yeah, she had the outdoor and shooting gene from daddy all right
So I decided to take this gal under my wing. Mom would show up and learn from the ladies and it was good for her. Sometimes she didn’t shoot, sometimes just being around a supportive group of ladies is what she needed – shooters are good folks about this.
Little gal started with a BB gun and no sights shooting ping pong balls. Peaked mom’s curiosity and she too became involved in learning as well. Quality time, mom and daughter , being there for each other…healing.
Well that 28 ga. , and little gal took a shine to each other. Many a clay broke on Low 7, we moved on to other types of shots. The 28 ga went home with the little gal and she with mom’s supervision practiced mounting the gun everyday, safety was stressed and they critiqued each other.
We had already decided a kid’s dove hunt was in order. We had a field of Milo and Sunflower we had not hunted on purpose, with a farm pond in close proximity…oh yeah it was a covered up in doves.
Mom had to work that morning, had a chance to make some extra money - but the kid was going on her first dove hunt. Her male cousin was going for his first hunt as well with his dad. I was going to have the honor of coaching the little gal. Oh yeah, she had her little rubber soled boots with leather uppers like mine. Had a pair jeans and khaki cotton shirt with shooting patch like mine too. Insisted on wearing the same bandana and floppy boonie hat like me as well . LL Bean appreciated the business I’m sure…not as much as a certain giddy excited gal when I presented it to her. Guess whom had to run to the washer and get that shirt done up…forget the fact mom needed to launder other stuff…that shirt was gonna get washed ASAP. Boots and all were well broken in before the hunt…not sure if she didn’t sleep in this stuff the first few days.
Mom said the kid probably didn’t sleep a wink the night before…yeah I know that feeling myself. I pull up and she throws the door open and has her gear ready…..you think she was excited? So we get the official dove hunt breakfast food…coffee, juice, beef jerky and donuts. Everyone knows the tradition involves hitting the Quik –Mart in the wee hours while still dark. Sheesh…had the clerk laughing, she is used to me doing this …a bit obvious what I was doing to the gal….one couldn’t help but laugh. Ice chest was loaded with water, lemonade , sodas , and moon pies. Hey, got to teach the gal right – right?
We meet the other folks and gather around the trucks. Review the safety and instructions. We also being around Rice country that the skeeters drink bug dope and has no effect. I use a concoction of olive oil and garlic oil in a pump sprayer…she had not problem with this. Only concern I had , she was the only girl, the guys just went behind a truck to pee…[ tug on shirt , I bend down] “ I gotta pee tooâ€. Okay we move my truck away and I turn the other way as she goes behind the truck. That was easy enough.
She slings the only gun between us with the rawhide sling slip knotted after we head out and park the trucks. Five gallon buckets hold the burlap , shells and water, these will double as stools. I choose a patch that is a “Y†of the farm roads, we discuss the fact doves are easier to find if they fall in the road and not in the field. Some have dogs, we will have to share dogs with another fellow nearby.
Well it is shooting time, sitting on a bucket with burlap loose over legs and the skeeters are buzzing, but not biting. I can sense her excitement as she sees the birds flying…they haven’t come our way yet, they will, she is antsy , she has heard the shooting start. One dove breaks away and is coming right toward us. I whisper “ wait till it comes to you , then rise slow and focus on the birdâ€. [ due to gun repetitions of gun mount I ain’t worried about that part] – she proved me right. In fluid motion she rises ,the burlap falls away , the hammer is cocked and when the butt hits the shoulder she fires and follows through. Textbook perfect!! Gun is broken open , shell pops out , she hands the gun safely to me and then only does she shake with excitement. I yell “Clear†and off she goes, out runs the dog and in the middle of farm road a little girl retrieves her first dove taken by her first shot ever out hunting. She is giddy, raising the dove in the air “Got itâ€. Oh yeah my chest is swollen, I’m grinning ear to ear. I walk out to meet her…oh and to pick up shells that flew out of the shell pouch as she ran. I don’t care about the shells really, I don’t care much about anything at that moment, experinceing this has no words. Those that have been through this know of what I trying to convey. I tagged this bird with a twist tie.
We continue, and she takes more birds. Even when she misses , she asks if her assessment why she missed is correct…she is learning and having a ball.
No problem getting her hands dirty and breasting the birds…I have taken a few with the 28 ga myself…she doesn’t know one bird has not been breasted * grin* the one with a twist tie.
We go out to eat BBQ and she falls asleep on the way home. I forgot how heavy a nine year old is that is sleepy, groggy and limp can be. Mom opens the door and the LLBean boots get pulled off. Mom puts a blanket down and daughter smelling like olive oil, garlic, BBQ , doves, dust and sweat gets put down. “ My birds…momma I had fun…thanks Old Fartâ€â€¦little gal is out like a light.
Yeah well , maybe having a taxidermist do a gals first dove with first shot sounds stupid to some…not me, talk about a gal going nuts and hugging a guy to the point of passing out…
Since moved away the Momma and daughter are close to parents / grandparents. Better job opportunities, familial support and the like. She still has the dove I had mounted up, she has the 28 ga too. More recent she has on of my old Target Grade SX1 with Trap and skeet bbls. She has run a straight in skeet…she prefers skeet, but I figure it won’t be too long she gets past 88/100 in trap.
Grandpa said I was a influence with that gal, she is a shooter, enjoys bird hunting with Grandpa. Imagine if you will Grandparents, a daughter, and granddaughter out on the property on the opening day of dove season.
It is not about the guns, or the limits we take. It is about passing it on, the good folks we meet , the memories we make and share.
The Mom and daughter showed up for the fun shoot we were having for the kids at the club. They showed up because the Mom’s brother had invited her and daughter to attend. The brother had a son of similar age and the families had been spending a lot more time together.
See the little gal’s father had survived Desert Storm, only to return home and be killed by a drunk driver. Life ain’t fair, life sucks, and bad stuff happens to good folks.
So I had bought a 28 ga single shot for the purpose of teaching kids. Had a mild loading of chilled shot and would bust clays on Low 7 all day long. This little gal with that attitude, smirk, excitement to learn…yeah I fell hook line and sinker. Being the gentleman I am, there was no ulterior motive about the mom. This was made clear by me and the ladies I set her up to learn from - confirmed…â€yeah Steve is a relicâ€.
Hot dogs , hamburgers, lemonade and junk food. Safety lessons and all the kids took home a kit with eyes ,ears, safety info and the like.
Little gal was attentive and asked good questions. Took notes during the Eddie Eagle video, asked more questions. Yeah, she had the outdoor and shooting gene from daddy all right
So I decided to take this gal under my wing. Mom would show up and learn from the ladies and it was good for her. Sometimes she didn’t shoot, sometimes just being around a supportive group of ladies is what she needed – shooters are good folks about this.
Little gal started with a BB gun and no sights shooting ping pong balls. Peaked mom’s curiosity and she too became involved in learning as well. Quality time, mom and daughter , being there for each other…healing.
Well that 28 ga. , and little gal took a shine to each other. Many a clay broke on Low 7, we moved on to other types of shots. The 28 ga went home with the little gal and she with mom’s supervision practiced mounting the gun everyday, safety was stressed and they critiqued each other.
We had already decided a kid’s dove hunt was in order. We had a field of Milo and Sunflower we had not hunted on purpose, with a farm pond in close proximity…oh yeah it was a covered up in doves.
Mom had to work that morning, had a chance to make some extra money - but the kid was going on her first dove hunt. Her male cousin was going for his first hunt as well with his dad. I was going to have the honor of coaching the little gal. Oh yeah, she had her little rubber soled boots with leather uppers like mine. Had a pair jeans and khaki cotton shirt with shooting patch like mine too. Insisted on wearing the same bandana and floppy boonie hat like me as well . LL Bean appreciated the business I’m sure…not as much as a certain giddy excited gal when I presented it to her. Guess whom had to run to the washer and get that shirt done up…forget the fact mom needed to launder other stuff…that shirt was gonna get washed ASAP. Boots and all were well broken in before the hunt…not sure if she didn’t sleep in this stuff the first few days.
Mom said the kid probably didn’t sleep a wink the night before…yeah I know that feeling myself. I pull up and she throws the door open and has her gear ready…..you think she was excited? So we get the official dove hunt breakfast food…coffee, juice, beef jerky and donuts. Everyone knows the tradition involves hitting the Quik –Mart in the wee hours while still dark. Sheesh…had the clerk laughing, she is used to me doing this …a bit obvious what I was doing to the gal….one couldn’t help but laugh. Ice chest was loaded with water, lemonade , sodas , and moon pies. Hey, got to teach the gal right – right?
We meet the other folks and gather around the trucks. Review the safety and instructions. We also being around Rice country that the skeeters drink bug dope and has no effect. I use a concoction of olive oil and garlic oil in a pump sprayer…she had not problem with this. Only concern I had , she was the only girl, the guys just went behind a truck to pee…[ tug on shirt , I bend down] “ I gotta pee tooâ€. Okay we move my truck away and I turn the other way as she goes behind the truck. That was easy enough.
She slings the only gun between us with the rawhide sling slip knotted after we head out and park the trucks. Five gallon buckets hold the burlap , shells and water, these will double as stools. I choose a patch that is a “Y†of the farm roads, we discuss the fact doves are easier to find if they fall in the road and not in the field. Some have dogs, we will have to share dogs with another fellow nearby.
Well it is shooting time, sitting on a bucket with burlap loose over legs and the skeeters are buzzing, but not biting. I can sense her excitement as she sees the birds flying…they haven’t come our way yet, they will, she is antsy , she has heard the shooting start. One dove breaks away and is coming right toward us. I whisper “ wait till it comes to you , then rise slow and focus on the birdâ€. [ due to gun repetitions of gun mount I ain’t worried about that part] – she proved me right. In fluid motion she rises ,the burlap falls away , the hammer is cocked and when the butt hits the shoulder she fires and follows through. Textbook perfect!! Gun is broken open , shell pops out , she hands the gun safely to me and then only does she shake with excitement. I yell “Clear†and off she goes, out runs the dog and in the middle of farm road a little girl retrieves her first dove taken by her first shot ever out hunting. She is giddy, raising the dove in the air “Got itâ€. Oh yeah my chest is swollen, I’m grinning ear to ear. I walk out to meet her…oh and to pick up shells that flew out of the shell pouch as she ran. I don’t care about the shells really, I don’t care much about anything at that moment, experinceing this has no words. Those that have been through this know of what I trying to convey. I tagged this bird with a twist tie.
We continue, and she takes more birds. Even when she misses , she asks if her assessment why she missed is correct…she is learning and having a ball.
No problem getting her hands dirty and breasting the birds…I have taken a few with the 28 ga myself…she doesn’t know one bird has not been breasted * grin* the one with a twist tie.
We go out to eat BBQ and she falls asleep on the way home. I forgot how heavy a nine year old is that is sleepy, groggy and limp can be. Mom opens the door and the LLBean boots get pulled off. Mom puts a blanket down and daughter smelling like olive oil, garlic, BBQ , doves, dust and sweat gets put down. “ My birds…momma I had fun…thanks Old Fartâ€â€¦little gal is out like a light.
Yeah well , maybe having a taxidermist do a gals first dove with first shot sounds stupid to some…not me, talk about a gal going nuts and hugging a guy to the point of passing out…
Since moved away the Momma and daughter are close to parents / grandparents. Better job opportunities, familial support and the like. She still has the dove I had mounted up, she has the 28 ga too. More recent she has on of my old Target Grade SX1 with Trap and skeet bbls. She has run a straight in skeet…she prefers skeet, but I figure it won’t be too long she gets past 88/100 in trap.
Grandpa said I was a influence with that gal, she is a shooter, enjoys bird hunting with Grandpa. Imagine if you will Grandparents, a daughter, and granddaughter out on the property on the opening day of dove season.
It is not about the guns, or the limits we take. It is about passing it on, the good folks we meet , the memories we make and share.
