This is the time of year when--for many of us--familiarity with our shotguns is renewed. Like golfers who take their clubs out of the closet in the early spring and head for the golf course; in early autumn, many of us take our shotguns and go to the range or a friend's gravel pit and practice our skills...or lack thereof. Some consider this a fall ritual. I recently engaged in such a ritual with a couple of my friends--call them "Ed" and "Ian" for privacy's sake.
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| "Ed" breaking a clay--"If it flies, it dies" |
As we traveled to the gravel pit where we had permission to shoot, I thought back to 1968. Military "jungle training" instructors taught jungle-bound recruits (i.e. me) how to shoot weapons instinctively. Green recruits we were! We started with BB guns without sights, and shot at tissue boxes, then we moved to discs thrown into the air. Eventually, we were trying for nickels and dimes. The premise was that "the center of any object is the same size as the center of any other". In theory, if you could hit the middle, it didn't matter how large or small the target was. We got pretty "full of ourselves" and enjoyed shooting without sights using our rifles.
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| Moment of impact |
I was remembering those days as I dropped a couple of shells into the chambers. However, 45 years later, I seemed to have lost the "knack". In fact, I was even worse this year than last. My friends were hitting a good percentage of the clay targets, and I was hitting about half of their numbers--or less.
After about twelve or fifteen "instant replays" in my mind, I realized two things: 1) I wear glasses now, and I forgot to put on my shooting glasses which set higher on my face. I would pick up the target with my glasses and as I mounted the gun to shoot, I had to
re-acquire the target because I was now looking over the glasses. I shot low. 2) I noticed that my mind isn't as 'quick' as it used to be. By the time I had mentally acquired the target, it was a
very healthy distance away. Now my main "excuse" is that birds get up slower than clay pigeons ...which slow down after launch. Birds are generally the opposite...unless you're pass shooting some feathered rockets. That's another story.
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| "Ian" busting a clay target |
The truth is that my mind doesn't engage as quickly as it used to. When a clay pigeon flew across my field of view, it took me too long to "zero in" on it. There were no wing-beats of a rising bird to "cue" me. Stopping my swing didn't help either!
If we could practice "catch and release" hunting, I would be one of the first in line. For me, the birds are just a means to be with working gun dogs--not the other way around.
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| Another 'busted' clay pigeon |
My mind just doesn't pick things up as quickly as it used to? "Big deal". At least it's still fun being out there in the sights, the smells, and the exhilaration of autumn. Am I slowing down? You bet! Both physically and mentally! Events seem to keep reminding me that I'm not that much different than one of my friends who often said, "
Well, I'm going to bed now. I'm going to take out my hearing aids so I won't be able to hear you. I'll take off my glasses so I won't be able to see you, and I'm taking out my teeth so I won't be able to chat with you. I'll put them all on the nightstand and go to bed -- a mere 'shadow' of the man I used to be."
So I'll practice a few more times and perhaps tune up a little. And come opening day, if you see a man with his belly in the "first trimester" that has stopped to take a break part-way up the hill, or one sitting on a log talking to his pudelpointer, it's probably me, just enjoying the moment. Please do stop and chat for a minute or two. Celebrate the day with the dog and me. We'll both get as many birds as Providence will allow, and who knows? We may even become friends. Just don't ask me about my coverts!
