So my son has been delivered to the Boy Scout camp this week. He attending it all this week at Horseshoe Bend at El Rancho Cima Boy Scout Camp with his Troop 500. I’ll drive back on Saturday and pick up a smelly, sunburned 13 year old boy. Aside from the camping he’ll be hard at work earning at least four merit badges. Horsemanship, Veterinarian medicine, Rifle and Shotgun shooting.
He’s pretty adept on the first two. This is all thanks to his Uncle Martin and Aunt Trish who live in Stockdale Texas. As a youngster he’s been exposed to those “big dogs” out in the country and is not afraid of them.
So I decided to lean on my brother again to help us with the Rifle and Shotgun merit badges. I don’t own any guns (real ones) and asked if he could help Joaquin be less “gun shy.”
On Thursday, my Brother Martin picked up Joaquin and took him to his Ranch in Stockdale. I left work and showed up later. We drove out to the “back 40” of their 104 acre ranch.
Martin showed Joaquin the safety portion of the rifles and then let him shoot. He fired a 22 semi-automatic Ruger (with the scope) a 30-30 Winchester, a 12 gauge pump shotgun and a hand gun.
It was a fun experience for Joaquin and he got used to the recoil of the different rifles. He even got to shoot his Uncle’s 45 Colt pistol – a cowboy gun. That was fun to watch. I even got to fire off a couple of rounds on the hand gun but then my brother showed us both up by having me throw up a water bottle and watch him hit it three times with the pump shotgun.
You couldn’t wipe the grin off of Joaquin’s face.
Click to view the images below:
Joaquin and I left later that evening, chattering like chipmunks the whole way home about shooting. What a great day.
Thanks Uncle Martin and Aunt Trish.
Beto