Home Forums Birds & Dogs Upland Game My son's hooked...

Last weekend, the local conservation club I belong to and the local Pheasant's Forever chapter hosted a youth day. Big thanks to them for hosting that. Once enrolled the youth go to shoot all the trap and skeet they wanted for free with provided ammo, then they got to hunt 2 roosters over a dog. Last year we missed out, but this I was able to get my oldest a spot. After the introductions and safety meeting we headed to the shooting ranges. He missed his first few clays as it was the first time he ever shot at a moving/flying target. With a few tips from those there, he started getting the hang of it and by the end of the day it was not a surprise for him to break 5-6 in a row! All told I think he ended up shooting over 5 boxes of shells and had a bit of a bruise to show for it the next day. Being a LH shooter, it was also nice as some folks in attendance allowed him to borrow their O/U shotguns for a few shots. He got to shoot a budget OU and a "B" brand OU that was probably worth as much as my truck. Luckily for me, he liked the budget brand as much as the "B". I hadn't really considered a O/U shotgun for him as I didn't think he'd like one, but now he really wants one!! I like the simplicity of it, easy of operation for him, and my ability to see if it's ready to fire at a glance.

If you click on these two it should take you to the short videos.
DSCN2366 by Tyler Staggs, on Flickr

Untitled by Tyler Staggs, on Flickr

Right before lunch we headed to the field to get his chance at two roosters. They hunted in pairs and he was paired with Drew. Once the bird was pointed they took turns as a primary shooter and back up. He ended up with his two birds! THe first was a bit anticlimatic as it just didn't want to fly, so he shot it after it being tossed in the air to fly. The second he missed out of as he forgot to take his safety off! In his defence, the safety on a RH 870 is not in an easy location for a LH to reach and I was glad to see him err in that way than the other. We were able to relocate the bird along a woodline, where it flushed directly over his head and he made a pretty darn good shot dropping it! Once back at the clubhouse, he got to use the pocketknife he bought himself to help me clean the birds before getting to dig into the provided lunch.
DSCN2390 by Tyler Staggs, on Flickr

First pheasant
DSCN2380 by Tyler Staggs, on Flickr

Untitled by Tyler Staggs, on Flickr

Since Sunday, he's been asking often when we can get back to the Club for some shooting and more questions about bird hunting. I'm thinking and Hank will have a few adventures together as I think he's hooked on bird hunting and shotgunning. I'm not sure who had more fun, him doing it, or I getting to watch him experience it for the first time.

Well done to both you and your son!

Excellent!

Well done. That’s a hunt he will remember the rest of his life. Great memories for you too. Hasbeen

I am the President of our local chapter here. We have done 17 youth hunts and we taken 20 kids each time. It is my very favorite thing we do. Well done to Pheasants Forever !

Thanks for the kind words. He had a blast and is itching for some more shotgunning. I just wish we had some wild birds to take him after next fall...