Two of wifers sisters (and their kids) stayed with us Sunday and Monday. Besides visiting, two of the goals were to introduce some young nephews to shooting (never having shot any rifles before) and to take two of the larger nephews hog hunting.
Monday morning we set up a BB gun range in the backyard. With temperatures in the mid 40s we set up in the sun. With a few rules and fundamental shooting skills explained everyone took turns shooting. Two nephews, 6 and 8 yrs old, and three Moms had never shot any guns before-even BB guns (including my wife Pat). After a little while, everyone shot pretty good and I was impressed as the Moms hit the small targets consistently. Even 3 yr old Kaitlyn hit the target with some help from dad.
After lunch of BBQ hog, we packed up to go to my Hunt Club, near Bronson Florida, to fire some 22 caliber rifles. Before we started shooting, Casey was given a Youth style 22 rifle for a birthday present (Rouge Chipmunk in a green laminate, 30 inches and 2.5 lbs-neat LITTLE gun). With my assistance, the 4 young kids took turns firing Caseys new Chipmunk, while the 3 Moms and a couple of nephew teenagers fired a second 22 caliber rifle at swinging metal targets. The kids had fun working on their shooting skills by exploding soda cans and even shooting a TV that someone had left down range. We stopped shooting with a little over an hour of daylight left and I worked with Bobby, a 14 yr old nephew, shooting a Marlin 336 lever action 30-30 deer rifle in anticipation of his taking a hog stand that evening. With not enough time to tighten up his grouping we left for the hog stand with his brother, Jamie, the designated shooter (18 yrs old). Bobby & I will tighten up his shooting in the near future.
With 40 minutes of daylight left we quietly slipped into the stand area and Bobby climbed up the stand as Jamie and I sat on the ground 40 meters away from where we anticipated the hogs to come in. Just after dusk and with 15 minutes of light remaining 4 hogs slipped into the feeder and began rooting around. Jamie and I stood up and he picked out a hog and waited for the hog to be clear of the others. With his shot he dropped the 70 lb hog where it stood (40 meters). The three of us went to see the hog and to take a few pictures. After that Jamie carried it to a clearing where we discussed how we should be appreciative of the animal and Jamie got his hands bloody learning how to field dress a large animal. With a little bit of instruction he cleaned the hog by himself (excellent experience for him!). At the house Jamie watched as I butchered the hog and we packed it up for their trip home.
It was a great weekend and a full day of outdoor learning experiences for some young lads (wifers too). Ive included 2
low-resolution pictures of our hunt.
Brian
(L to R: Jamie, Bobby, and I)
Jamie & his 70 lb boar hog
