I often wonder who taught people how to shoot. My dad thinks he taught my brother and I how to shoot, but what he don't know won't hurt him. When my parents left the farm for some reason and we knew they were going to be gone for a few hours, my brother and I would grab my dads .22 and go shoot rabbits. We must have been around 7 years old. While we mostly taught ourselves, dad did teach up the finer points of shooting, hunting,and firearm safety around that same age. I still remember the first time he handed me a rifle and let me shoot soda cans with it. I also remember trying to shoot his 12 gauge and nearly getting knocked on my butt from the recoil. To this day, if anyone brings a gun into his house, he checks to make sure it is unloaded. Safety first.

I will always be greatful to my father for bringing me into hunting. Iwillhopefully get to take him on his first elk hunt this fall. I am hoping to surprise him with an Colorado Elktag. He has been asking if I would like to go for the last several years and I can finally afford to make it happen.