After cat fishing my dad came down to the river with the blue rock thrower and we did a little target shooting. As usual I let the little guy win. But hey, I can still beat him in a bike race... On a good day... If I get a headstart... Jeeze, that kid can shoot!
Guest speaker, Nebraska Game and Parks Officer Murray Johnson shares experiences and advice with students.
Congratulations. Good luck and best wishes to all the graduates.
Practice the skills you've learned on both the range and in the field.
They are an outstanding group of outdoors men and women. And will be a valuable addition to the sport.
I couldn't be prouder of the individuals that took this weeks class.
If they were going to shoot around me they had to be safe. And when I one day saw one of them shooting off his back deck at a can in their yard and pointing toward our house I was more than happy to have him join us for some lessons on firearm handling.
I thought that if I’m going to be showing these kids how to shoot, I’d better make sure I’m telling them the right thing. I signed up to become a volunteer Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Firearm Hunter Education Instructor.
I have since taught in St. Libory at the Catholic Church and Palmer at the firehall with Arlo. In Grand Island with Mel and the others at the Grand Island Rifle Club. In Cairo and Boelus with my dad, Dave, Harold, Larry, John, Heath, Rick, Paul, and several others. In Seward at the Efree church, and in Lincoln at the Hunter Ed office and classroom.
Being an instructor has been a way I can give back to the sport and teaching with so many other instructors during the last 4 years has given me a wealth of knowledge and forged friendships with some great hunters. It has also served as a constant reminder that I need to conduct myself in the most positive light in the class room, on the range and in the field.
Nebraska is in need of more instructors and I encourage you to check out the game and parks website to sign up and become a certified instructor. Hunting has benefited wildlife in so many ways! But the number of hunters is dwindling as hunting and shooting are in competition with T.V., video games, and the over scheduled lives that our kids are faced with. It’s a great way to help insure the future of the sports we love and teach our youth about being safe, respectful and responsible outdoors men and women.
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.
