School is important but quail hunting is importanter
 

My son and I spent yesterday quail hunting with my Dad, PGCA member John Frierson and several other of Dad’s friends. We can’t do this all the time, but I bet he remembers this day better than another day in class

Harry and I shot two GH 16's on 0 frames. John shot a VH 16 on a 0 frame. The other heathens shot over/unders

Awesome stuff Mills!

Special Day for sure!

What a fine way to spend the day! I skipped class in high school once to go squirrel hunting with my Pop and to pick up seedlings from the Virginia State Nursery. He wrote me an excuse for the absence, telling the truth about the day. I got an unexcused absence and it ruined my perfect attendance. It was one of the best days of my life, and (obviously) I'm still talking about it.

A special day is irreplaceable, and you sometimes discover its value long after the fact.

Garry, were there any quail involved in the picking of those seedlings?

Beautiful. I bet he learned a lot more out there than he would have in class.

Best if all, I bet he didn't have to hear, "Get that mask on, young man!"

Very nice Master Harry ! When I did Rasawek Tuesday a week ago I carried my McKinney VH 16 26” IC/M gun and although I didn’t shoot a great amount there were more hits than misses !

Only thing I see issue with is the gentleman on the far left is wearing a VaTech cap . Not exactly my cup of tea , but to each his own :rotf::rotf::rotf:

Mr. John Frierson is a very nice gentleman. I've met him several times both in person and through articles and stories he has submitted over the years for publication in Parker Pages.





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this hunt of harry missing school reminds me of tom sawyer and huckleberry finn for some reason....great way for father and son and friends to spend a day together...charlie

Great job guys!

Nice!!! Congrats on a great day : )

It is surely important a youngster to coached, taught, mentored, and supervised by qualified authority figures. There are schools, sports teams, and vocations for that.

But it is entirely different for a youngster to experience being included in an endeavor with his father and his friends. He garners many of the same benefits, not as someone’s charge or as a subordinate, but as a member of the group, crew, or team.

He will look back on it with a sense of pride and fulfillment for the rest of his life.

What a wonderful day! And should count as an excused absence in my opinion! Looks like everyone had a lot of fun...

When I was 9 or 10 my dad took me with him to a exclusive quail hunting club in central California. There was a member who was about 60 at the time and was a lover of quality SxS shotguns that was hunting with us. For the first part of the day I walked behind my dad and retrieved birds for him. At lunch, this man came up to me and my dad with a Ithaca Flues 16 in field grade and told my dad this young man needs a shotgun if he is going to hunt quail with us and handed me the gun and said you are going to hunt with us this afternoon. I was so excited and I got to hunt as an equal that afternoon. About an hour later we came into a covey, they rose and I swung and knocked one down. My mentor told my dad “if he keeps this up he’ll be the best wing shooter to ever come down the pike” I had never been prouder of anything in my life.
50 years later and I still remember the day like it was yesterday. That is far more important than another day in school.

It doesn't get any better than that. :)

Back in the day here in NH, the opening day of duck season started at 12 noon. So at 10 am my mom would come and get me out of school so me and my brother could go duck hunting with my dad. That was 48 years ago. And i remember that every opening day. I have some of my dads ashes in a wooden black duck decoy i take out in our late season opener. He loved to hunt the black duck. And by the way great hunt with your son and friends.
Scott

Well done Mills for being an inspiration to others... brings back a lot of memories when my kids were young

Thanks for all of the kind comments!

Wasn't playing hooky, but this was my first time in a duck blind with my dad. 1954 on the Chester River in MD

that must be some memory with your dad....charlie

What I remember about that blind was seeing my dad eating a sandwich when the other shooter says "Birds in the decoys" and seeing him smash the sandwich against the stock of the gun as he shot

John is indeed a very personable gentleman. I recall him referring to S X Ss as "two row guns".

he must have been a farmer calling that gun a 2 row gun...first time I have heard this saying hope he don't mind me using this expression from time to time...charlie