Saturday the 19th the Ruffed Grouse Society (Grand Rapids, MI chapter) sponsered a youth hunt for kids ages 12-17 held at the Fruitridge Pheasant Farm (http://www.fruitridgepheasantfarm.com/index.php?id=1). i've always been interested in this sort of thing but was born into deer hunting only. Naturally, I pounced at the chance. we ended up with about 12 boys with a variety of ages, guns, and skill level. most of us were brand new and a lot of them had just completed hunter's saftey one month prior. Congrats to these boys for entering the best sports there are.

We started off the day with some skeet practice and were coached by a nice old man who has been shooting in competitions at the state level. after that we hit the fields.We set out in groups of two plus a mentor and a dog handler.When everybody got back there were two boys who hadn't nailed a bird so the guys at FPF and RGS were kind enough to take them out for another chance.We all went home at least one bird happier.

I had a few flush but they were low-flyers so i passed up the shots. Our handler told me to flush it at a different angle so it'd gain more altitude and it worked. one shot, one birdthat was a day to remember

here's a picture of me with my pheasant.

HEY MAN THATS GREAT!!! CONGRATS!! when I was 16,17,18 I was in my waterfowl stage. I went through an upland obsession when I was about 9-12. I have gotten back into it this year. Got a dog, Got a double and cant wait to go.
Stick with it, practice and if it ever gets more frustrating than fun, take a step back and relax!
very cool man
Be safe