Mike and I have gone shooting at gun ranges before and Nick has been to the BB gun range at Cub Scout camp. I won't go into the politics of gun use, but I will tell you that shooting pieces of paper, soda cans, and bowling pins is fun, lots of fun.
Well, when we were at the Big K Ranch, we went shooting. I knew that Nick would love it, especially since he's asked for a rifle for his birthday. Well, Mike's getting it for him and my job is to call the U.S. Forest Service to get Nick into their gun safety class. The gun's going to be locked up when we aren't at the range, that's for sure.
Now, Mike and I hadn't been shooting for at least ten years. We used to go to the range. There was an indoor range in Bellevue, Wade's, and an outdoor range nearby where we could join and go there to shoot bowling pins and stuff. That was fun, but I had no idea I'd love this as much as I did. At first, Josh, our guide, set up some traps on a distant stump and we took turns using the .22 he brought. It had a scope. God, that was fun. Nick picked off four in a row and was really jazzed. We asked Josh for as much safety and loading training as we could get. Nick was right there, so we couldn't say out loud that it was important because he was going to get one for his birthday.
So then, Josh pulled out a shot gun, a twelve gauge. He said it would have a kick. When he asked me if I was going to shoot, I thought for about two seconds and then said, "Yes!" He showed me how to nestle the stock into my shoulder, not too low. Then he said to grip with my left hand so that the gun was pressed tight into my shoulder. He said you get fewer bruises that way. Then, he said to put my right foot back and at an angle and my left foot forward pointed toward my target and I needed to lean toward the target. So I did. It felt so strange, trying to think of all these separate things at once.
I decided to sight with my right eye even though I'm better with my left, my stronger eye. It stinks to be right handed and left eyed with a long gun. I could barely sight down the barrel in the position Josh had put me in. Then he said just to stay in that position and to look at the clay as it moved. I did it.
Well, I didn't do exactly what he said. I didn't have my left hand pulling tight enough and when I said, "Pull," and shot, the damn gun hit me in the teeth. It was more of a surprise than an actual hurt.
I tried it again, going through the steps Josh had told me to get into position. I also remembered to close my mouth. "Pull!" I yelled even though they were standing right there with me. The clay shot out, I tracked it with my eyes. My body followed in that tight leaning forward position, and I pulled the trigger.
I hit it! It split into two pieces and I had to work to keep the gun aimed down range as I jumped up and down. Crap! I hit a moving target on my second try!
Then, Mike took a bunch of cracks at it. He was good, just as I expected him to be, hitting three out of four from the beginning. Josh kept laughing and saying his stance looked like he was drawing a bow. "Why fix what works?" he said after Mike shattered yet another clay.
Then if I wanted, it was my turn again. I was worried about the recoil with my neck and back. I couldn't afford to have my back seize up on me seven hours from home. Shooting was always hard on my neck.
I wanted to take one more shot. I got set up, right leg back, lean forward, stock pressed into my shoulder, jaw clamped shut. I stopped to think for a second. I was so excited that I forgot the word I was supposed to say.
"Pull," Josh said, laughing.
"Pull!" I yelled. As if anyone couldn't hear me four feet away. And that orange disk shot through the air and I followed it with my eyes, my body following my eyes. I pulled the trigger and that thing shattered into six or seven pieces and fell slowly to the ground. I couldn't believe my beginner's luck.
The three of us got so excited that we decided to shoot again the next day. Later that night, as I sat looking out over the valley, the pink light of the sunset fading, I was still happy about what I had managed, two out of three.
The next day was to be another day of riding and shooting. What else do you do when you go to a dude ranch? Well, you can eat ribs and roasted potatoes, fish in the trout pond, watch for bear and osprey, and swim in the water hole for starters. That whole vacation was way too much fun.
Thank you for listening, jb
Well, when we were at the Big K Ranch, we went shooting. I knew that Nick would love it, especially since he's asked for a rifle for his birthday. Well, Mike's getting it for him and my job is to call the U.S. Forest Service to get Nick into their gun safety class. The gun's going to be locked up when we aren't at the range, that's for sure.
Now, Mike and I hadn't been shooting for at least ten years. We used to go to the range. There was an indoor range in Bellevue, Wade's, and an outdoor range nearby where we could join and go there to shoot bowling pins and stuff. That was fun, but I had no idea I'd love this as much as I did. At first, Josh, our guide, set up some traps on a distant stump and we took turns using the .22 he brought. It had a scope. God, that was fun. Nick picked off four in a row and was really jazzed. We asked Josh for as much safety and loading training as we could get. Nick was right there, so we couldn't say out loud that it was important because he was going to get one for his birthday.
So then, Josh pulled out a shot gun, a twelve gauge. He said it would have a kick. When he asked me if I was going to shoot, I thought for about two seconds and then said, "Yes!" He showed me how to nestle the stock into my shoulder, not too low. Then he said to grip with my left hand so that the gun was pressed tight into my shoulder. He said you get fewer bruises that way. Then, he said to put my right foot back and at an angle and my left foot forward pointed toward my target and I needed to lean toward the target. So I did. It felt so strange, trying to think of all these separate things at once.
I decided to sight with my right eye even though I'm better with my left, my stronger eye. It stinks to be right handed and left eyed with a long gun. I could barely sight down the barrel in the position Josh had put me in. Then he said just to stay in that position and to look at the clay as it moved. I did it.
Well, I didn't do exactly what he said. I didn't have my left hand pulling tight enough and when I said, "Pull," and shot, the damn gun hit me in the teeth. It was more of a surprise than an actual hurt.
I tried it again, going through the steps Josh had told me to get into position. I also remembered to close my mouth. "Pull!" I yelled even though they were standing right there with me. The clay shot out, I tracked it with my eyes. My body followed in that tight leaning forward position, and I pulled the trigger.
I hit it! It split into two pieces and I had to work to keep the gun aimed down range as I jumped up and down. Crap! I hit a moving target on my second try!
Then, Mike took a bunch of cracks at it. He was good, just as I expected him to be, hitting three out of four from the beginning. Josh kept laughing and saying his stance looked like he was drawing a bow. "Why fix what works?" he said after Mike shattered yet another clay.
Then if I wanted, it was my turn again. I was worried about the recoil with my neck and back. I couldn't afford to have my back seize up on me seven hours from home. Shooting was always hard on my neck.
I wanted to take one more shot. I got set up, right leg back, lean forward, stock pressed into my shoulder, jaw clamped shut. I stopped to think for a second. I was so excited that I forgot the word I was supposed to say.
"Pull," Josh said, laughing.
"Pull!" I yelled. As if anyone couldn't hear me four feet away. And that orange disk shot through the air and I followed it with my eyes, my body following my eyes. I pulled the trigger and that thing shattered into six or seven pieces and fell slowly to the ground. I couldn't believe my beginner's luck.
The three of us got so excited that we decided to shoot again the next day. Later that night, as I sat looking out over the valley, the pink light of the sunset fading, I was still happy about what I had managed, two out of three.
The next day was to be another day of riding and shooting. What else do you do when you go to a dude ranch? Well, you can eat ribs and roasted potatoes, fish in the trout pond, watch for bear and osprey, and swim in the water hole for starters. That whole vacation was way too much fun.
Thank you for listening, jb
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