We got our oldest a BB gun years ago, I set up some straw bales against the outside of the garage and soon after got the other two Red Riders. We put a lot of holes in paper targets and pop cans those first couple of years. Then I enrolled our oldest in a beginner NRA youth rifle class held at the Grand Island Rifle Club taught by my friend Mel. And later in his advanced youth rifle class. He joined the Grand Island Rifle Club youth rim fire team and they competed at the annual State High School Rifle Competition. They did great as a team and he did great individually too.
I went on to help Mel teach other youth rifle classes and an adult ladies only class. Preparing for the competition we would shoot at least 3 times a week at Larry’s place outside of Palmer. Our oldest bought a 22ca. Salvage Bolt and put 4 power scope on it. All the shooting was done from the standing position at steel silhouettes. We found our own set of silhouettes on ebay and used them for practice. He was really something. I would shoot too while we were out there. It’s shocking how good you can get when you practice a lot.
Around that same time we saw Tom Knapp live in Norfolk. That was awesome! He’s the Harlem Globe Trotters of shooting. And seeing a show like that just fueled the kids’ interest in shooting. I couldn’t wait to get home and try some of his tricks. There is also a 1 hour long show that airs on the History Channel featuring him and some other sharp shooters. One of the tricks is shooting a playing card in half on edge. After a lot of practice I could cut a card at 25’ with a 22ca. I couldn’t do it now, but when we were shooting a lot I could. The 22ca. has always been my favorite firearm. The guns and ammo are affordable, and there is no kick.
After moving to Lincoln I took a NRA handgun class put on by Lincoln Parks & Rec. at the old indoor range near the old National Guard west of the state fairgrounds. That range is going to be demolished and I think it’s a shame. I joined several others at a city council meeting to speak out against the closing and demolition of that range. But they voted in favor of closing it to put in a housing development. Anyway, it was excellent class that I’d recommend to anyone, you’ll be able to find it taught elsewhere too. Many of the students hadn’t ever fired a gun before the class. And by the end we were all consistently getting good scores on our targets. About 5 years ago I got it in my head that I needed a revolver. So I went to a Omaha pawnshop and spent $80 on a 22ca. Well, I couldn’t hit jack with it. And naturally blamed it on the gun. I knew that my skills were fine, only that I needed to upgrade to a Ruger Single Six. After taking the handgun class, I realized that my cheap revolver shoots just fine, it was me that was the problem. But now I’m without a good excuse to buy a new handgun. The lesson here is, often times the shooter needs improving more than the inventory in the gun safe.
While on the subject of firearms I will tell you that I’ve only got the basics, a 22ca. long rifle and revolver a deer rifle, a 50ca. inline black powder and shotguns. I’ve still got every gun I’ve ever had. Each one is sentimental. I admire guys that have rooms filled with every make and model. But I’m definitely not one of them. I believe if you’ve got a safe, mechanically sound modern firearm and practice a lot you’ll be fine. Don’t get me wrong, Cabelas hates when I go into their gun room, because I drool all over the place and it’s a mess to clean up. But if your not a firearms expert your in good company here. I do believe in keeping your guns in a locked safe separate from your ammunition which should be locked up also. And keeping your firearms clean.
As soon as we moved to Lincoln I was on the hunt for a new place to shoot. I found the Lincoln Ikes Chapter and joined. We really enjoy going out there. You’ll also find other ranges in Lincoln that I haven’t shot at and can’t comment on.
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Just like it was yesterday, I can still hear Todd tell me that if I sat real still at the base of a bush near the driveway I’d be able to get a sparrow. So, I sat there as they moved our furniture in the new house. Sure enough, a flock landed in the branches in minutes and my old trusty Daisy smartly dropped one to the ground as a puff of feathers floated off in the breeze. At that moment, I was convinced we were moving into the Garden of Eden!
We had a lot of hogs and the spilled ground corn and 20 hog sheds provided perfect food and shelter for sparrows. I was really greedy when I was a kid, and when my dad said he’d give me a dime a sparrow, that was all I needed to hear. He claimed they spread disease to the hogs. But I supposed it had more to do with getting me to spend time outside of the house with my BB gun. He had a charge account at the hardware store, so I could charge BBs and later 22ca. cartridges whenever I wanted. He never said a word about me charging to his account till I started throwing in candy with my ammo purchases. Then he only told me, I’d have to pay for the candy myself from now on. He never hesitated to pay-up for the sparrows I got, except a few times when my pay would be over $2 on a good day. I’m sure he knows now that it was cheap tuition for lessons that I’ll never forget.
Besides sparrows, we had cottontail rabbits so thick you wouldn’t believe it! I shot a zillion of them, but never put a dent in the population. I got to where I could clean a rabbit in no time flat. And mom never complained about having to cook all those rabbits.
My first ‘real’ gun dad insisted I buy myself, I was 11 when he sold me a H&H break-action single shot DU greenwing 20 ga. with some gold inlay in the lettering. And not long after that my parents gave me a new pump 22ca.
I took Hunter Education in the basement of the Cairo bank when I was 12 with all my friends and some great instructors that I would later teach with. I clearly remember my first duck off the Platte, my first pheasant and dove hunting with my dad around Dannevirke. My first Deer I got with a new Remington 243 ca. pump Duke gave me for my 14th birthday. I got it on Lucile’s river ground that my parents bought 11 years later. I can still point out the tree I was leaning against when it came by. I enjoyed all of the hunting Central Nebraska offered. But as I got older my interest faded and I pretty much quit for nearly 15 years.
As our kids got older (see the Shooting blog to see how it started with BB guns for them) I got back into it and now we go whenever we can. Our youngest never turns down the chance to hunt and our oldest has had a lot of success in the field. Our daughter and the wife haven’t hunted but they like to shoot targets. Our oldest went rifle deer hunting with me last year on the loup and even though he didn’t get a chance to shoot, he was eager to get out again this last season. This year proved to be better, he got a buck on the 2nd day. Our 11 yr old got to go for the first time this last season since Nebraska lowered the age to 10 from 12 to try to get more kids hunting and bring the deer population back under control. He had a youth permit with two tags and filled them both on the first weekend. It took me 4 days to get one. Ha!
They both have bagged a Turkey during shotgun season and since the 11 yr old has more time to hunt he’s harvested squirrels, pheasants, and chuckers. They’ve both spent some beautiful mornings in duck blinds but are still waiting for their first waterfowl.
Our 11 yr old has gone before, but this month was the first time I joined him and my dad at Bunker Hill east of Hastings. Our 12 yr old went shopping with my mom while the three of us hunted. Bunker Hill releases birds, but if you haven’t hunted a place like this I’m here to tell you it’s far more challenging than you might think. I visualized it as standing over a box of birds and shooting as they fly out. Ha! Not hardly, they release the birds and later give you a vague description of where at in their the vast fields. I can testify that they release more than are harvested thanks in part to my poor marksmanship. Places like Bunker Hill have far longer seasons, can harvest both sexes and have no bag limit. They are also an excellent place to work your upland dog. Hunters still need to be licensed and follow all the other hunting laws. Bunker Hill has turned a defunct military ammunition plant into excellent habitat for both their birds and other wildlife that share the property. As well as populate surrounding fields with upland game. And bring in hunters dollars to the local economy.
