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My son's first quail and intro to handgun hunting!
Friend called and asked if I'd like to come over and go quail hunting this afternoon. It was a nice warm "spring day" in December.......why not!?!
Arrived with my boy and my Ruger Charger Pistol to be introduced to a new form of Quail Hunting I'd never experienced..................driving the dirt roads in an ATV shooting them off the ground with a pistol! Well, being the controlled environment that it was, I asked my boy if he'd like to shoot some. He'd already had a lot of practice shooting my Charger, so he said, "Sure!"
We drove around not having much luck until later in the evening when we rode up on a deer feeder and saw a huge covey of Blue Quail run from the feeder and into the brush. We stopped the ATV and waited a few minutes. Finally, a couple quail darted out of the brush and into the open. I told him to aim for the center and he aimed in...................

At about 20 yards, he popped one and it fell over in a poof of feathers. Score!!!! His first quail and his first animal with a handgun!!!!


I can't express the pride and humbleness all mixed up in one great emotion. To be standing there next to my boy when he accomplished this first. It was too cool to put into words.
We rode around and the shooting got hot and heavy. Running birds.............distance shots (50+ yards)..............through brush...............I made some pretty good shots. None of them matter and hold a candle to my boy's first bird and handgun kill.
I owe a debt to this man I can never repay. He has afforded my boy a lifetime of experiences this year.
His first deer with a rifle.

His first quail with a handgun or anything!

And the list goes on and on. Gratitude...................my heart is full.
We ended up with a pile of quail and two rabbits. Not bad for an evening's ride.

On our way home, I asked my boy if he'd like to shoot another deer this season. "Yeah! I like shooting animals we can eat."
The words every outdoorsman and father want to hear from their son.
Yes............my heart is full.
Arrived with my boy and my Ruger Charger Pistol to be introduced to a new form of Quail Hunting I'd never experienced..................driving the dirt roads in an ATV shooting them off the ground with a pistol! Well, being the controlled environment that it was, I asked my boy if he'd like to shoot some. He'd already had a lot of practice shooting my Charger, so he said, "Sure!"
We drove around not having much luck until later in the evening when we rode up on a deer feeder and saw a huge covey of Blue Quail run from the feeder and into the brush. We stopped the ATV and waited a few minutes. Finally, a couple quail darted out of the brush and into the open. I told him to aim for the center and he aimed in...................

At about 20 yards, he popped one and it fell over in a poof of feathers. Score!!!! His first quail and his first animal with a handgun!!!!


I can't express the pride and humbleness all mixed up in one great emotion. To be standing there next to my boy when he accomplished this first. It was too cool to put into words.
We rode around and the shooting got hot and heavy. Running birds.............distance shots (50+ yards)..............through brush...............I made some pretty good shots. None of them matter and hold a candle to my boy's first bird and handgun kill.
I owe a debt to this man I can never repay. He has afforded my boy a lifetime of experiences this year.
His first deer with a rifle.

His first quail with a handgun or anything!

And the list goes on and on. Gratitude...................my heart is full.
We ended up with a pile of quail and two rabbits. Not bad for an evening's ride.

On our way home, I asked my boy if he'd like to shoot another deer this season. "Yeah! I like shooting animals we can eat."
The words every outdoorsman and father want to hear from their son.
Yes............my heart is full.
"To Hell with efficiency, it's performance we want!" - Elmer Keith
Replies
"The Un-Tactical"
"Nothing is safe from stupid." - Zee
Quail with a Charger - that's on my list now!
Tastes like quail!
Really good. Better than chicken by far.
Yeah yeah smart ones
Imagine chicken with better flavor.
All the quail I've shot were white meat, breast and legs--they tend to be dry so care must be taken not to dry them out----they could be greasey if cooked in grease.
bottom line is they taste like quail,
I have only had bobwhite and California varieties.
It does remind me of when I was in basic, first time I ever had an MRE, Drill Sergeant Harris - I'll never forget that name. Passed 'em out, we were all sittin' in the dirt, breaking open the MRE and all this. After a minute of eating, Harris yells out "How's that grade A cuisine taste, fellas?" I yelled back "Tastes like puke Drill Sergeant!" because I was apparently glutton for punishment. Harris crouches down in front of me goes "What's wrong, Jack rabbit? Just imagine it tastes like chicken. Except better."
"The Un-Tactical"
I think we all have stories about our kids first. But with a pistol, that's special.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
This...:agree:
Eggs and Lima Beans? Now that right there is Strange brew Ned. Did you ever try em with Pinto Beans?
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
To me it taste like chicken with enhanced flavor. It can be a little dry if you don't know how to cook it, but breaded in flour and fried it is wonderful. Whup you up some mashed taters and good country gravy and you got a meal fit for a king.
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
Hey Sarge, I think your Drill Sargent was a very benevolent feller, cause if that woulda been my oldest nephew, I think you would still be doing pushups, LOL!
Son that's somebody with nothing to do with his time but keep me in trouble with mom.
Oh I had the pleasure of pushing the ground while attempting to eat my MRE. I was told that if I was hungry, I could push and eat at the same time. That was quite fun. Basically every time I went down, I'd grab a bite to eat with my mouth. He was driving home the point of all the way down, all the way up, too. Then of course I stood up after we were finished and had food all over the damn place. So then another Drill Sergeant got me because I looked like a slob. He got me with jumping jacks, though. Then Harris got me again because I had got some of the food on the ground, that I shouldn't be wasting his grade A cosine that he had provided for all of us. So back to pushin' I went. Fun times!
Yeah see, I was a bit of a smart arse, and had my fair share of run in's with my Drill Sergeants. Sometimes I just couldn't help myself! On graduation day, my family was there - my siblings had attended, well who could get leave. Harris comes up to me, I didn't even see him come up behind me, right? He yells my last name, I turn around, pretty sure I was pale in the face. "Start pushin'!" I dropped right down in my dress blues, "One Drill Sergeant! Two Drill Sergeant! Three Drill Sergeant!" Harris goes "I meant, your hand in mine, jack rabbit." Told me "You're a fine soldier, and it won't be long before you've got an arm of stripes of your own. Maybe even some bars."
Last I heard, that satanic man had him some captain's bars and was back in the infantry leading a company with the airborne. Guess what they say is true. Blood of the infantry runs deep.
Oh, and color me impressed twice over: you can't fit a lot of shot in those CCI .22 shotshells. :tooth: