Bring a Kid Hunting and Shooting

[Dean Romig]

I brought my 8 year-old grandson Cam, to grouse camp in Vt. again this year and he really enjoyed every aspect of it, including the chores involved in keeping a tidy and clean camp. I can't describe the feeling I get when I know I'm instilling in him a way of life, a love of nature and love of hunting that I know nobody else in his family can provide him with.

Grouse numbers are still down and it's been four years now, but we found pockets of as many as six birds in a loose group. In areas where we had found numbers of grouse in the past none were to be found this year and the food sources appeared not to have changed at all. And, not that I'm a threat to the grouse population, I held fire on a few of them when they flushed (and I not so deliberately missed several shots) so I know they will be there next year.

I was shooting my 'new' 16 ga. 0-Frame lifter with 24" barrels (and no choke) and Cam was toting a mock-up gun I made for him from a .22 rifle stock and a make-shift barrel. He practices with it in his back yard in a very populated neighborhood and his Mum insists it have orange on it so that nobody gets the idea he is messing with a "real gun". It's too bad we have come to this. In a year or two he will be ready for his own shotgun but for now he needs more practice on where his muzzle is pointing. "Muzzle Up!!!" I must have said that to him twenty times or more in two days... But he'll learn. I'll make sure of it.

Now I need to get the granddaughters involved before they get too old to appreciate it.




.

[James Brown]

Here you go.

[OH Osthaus]

Looks like a great day out Dean,

I hope to get my grandkids out there in a couple years, I found a nice looking double barrel cap gun to use for safety training. It has dummy shells to load and unload. I had the same idea, to let them carry it around to work on safety

[Dean Romig]

Thanks James. He looks really happy.
The boy in your top photo reminds me of how Cam was holding my 28 ga. VHE last year. I didn't realize it until it was too late and he got a nice shiner when his thumb knuckle came back and smacked him. Man, was I ever embarrassed when I returned him to his parents....



.

[Mills]

Getting them started on 10 gauges . . . and turkey hunting

[Mills]

Trapper in training

[Gary Laudermilch]

My grandson and his friend. This was taken last year(age 9) and this year Seth has become a pretty darn good clays shooter. The second photo is last weekend on kids squirrel day. He has another year before he can hunt grouse with me. Can't wait. His friend I just cannot convince to try shooting a shotgun. She is afraid of the noise. She is, however, a pretty good archer. We'll give her more time. I think she will come around.

[Autumn Daze]

Dean, Look's like Cam grew into that vest very well. Great picture's guy's keep'em coming.

[Dean Romig]

He sure did Dave. Tell Danny "Thanks very much".

[charlie cleveland]

all you fellas ought to be proud of your achivements what ya ll are doing is priceless in my book...charlie