First things first a loud thanks to mike barry of animal crafts and SCI for putting on and allowing these young men such an oppertunity. Even more thanks to the branches hunt club owners and les osterberg for opening your gates to host such an event.These are the times the kids will remember forever.
Okay so a group of us met up Friday 9 am at lake Jennings 7 eleven to hit the road. After some last minute detail we were off. The group consisted of myself and my father in law bill swangel and brother in law tim. Van Johnson and his son hunter. And Mr Jim Richards of South bay rod and gun and Lemon Grove and his son Jim jr.
We headed down to my favorite pigeon spot To warm the kids up and get a little trigger time for the adults. When we arrived the birds were flying and the action was hot. We put the boys in the ditch out front so they could have first shots and they did not dissapoint. These young men all were shooting 870 jr 20 gauges like seasoned pros. The adults were on the canal 75 yards behind and made sure not to shoot in the direction of the boys. Not that it mattered Because by the time the birds got to us they were sky high or dead. I guess the sporting clays paid off because some of the shots the boys made were Spectacular. We ended up with 19 pigeons and the 3 boys killed 13 of them.great job boys.
We left and proceeded to the club where we were greeted with blind assignments and went to scout it out. The club was packed with birds all big birds mainly pintail and mallards. I knew then the shoot would be stellar. We set decoys and went to Set up camp. After Setup we let the BBQ begin. Carne asada pollo asada carnitas and fresh caught Alaska halibut tacos with all the fixins and 8 lbs of fresh salsa with chips. The rest of the group arrived and we all Met shook hands and dinner was served. Delicious to say the least. Afterwards we had a fire drank some red solo cup beverages told lies and got to know eachother. The kids chased muskrats with lights and had a red Ryder shootout. Boys being boys the coyote calls came out And the headaches began. No luck with 8 kids imagine that right but it was fun. After the shenanigans we were off to bed.
430 came quick and after some campfire coffee and donuts we donned the waders and met at the gate at 530. Les osterberg gave a very informative speech to the boys about gun safety club rules bird identification and calling for the new guys.
Once in the blind we immediately saw tons of birds. Swarms as a matter of fact. It was spectacular. There had to be 5000 birds working us at first light. Shooting time came and the guns started barking. The kids I were with stepped up to autoloader 12 s for the first time and The first few shots were enlightening to say the least. After the fear was gone they tore it up. We managed to kill 9 birds and they shot 5 boxes for 2 kids. We saw some excellent kills from adjoining blinds and the dogs were working great. The shoot shut off by 10 and we tried scratching till 12 with no prevail. Some birds worked but wouldn't commit. We packed up and headed for camp for picture time and lunch and broke down camp.
I gave lessons on the plucker and bird cleaning and the boys cleaned them up. We gave recipes and cooking recommendations making sure they knew how important it was to eat what we shoot and respect for the game we pursue.
The trip was world class from all aspects and the men responsible for the planning and facilitation are true men of the sport. The fathers are to be commended also as these young men represented the sportsman community better than most adults I know. They were the most polite kids I've came across and shook hands said sir and ma'am please and thank you and congratulated eachother at the end. I was truly impressed at these boys and feel proud to know that they are the next generation of Americans and hunters. Hopefully we get the invite next year and can somehow someday offer more events like this one. Once again thanks to mike barry and les osterberg. And special thanks to the branches hunt club.
Okay so a group of us met up Friday 9 am at lake Jennings 7 eleven to hit the road. After some last minute detail we were off. The group consisted of myself and my father in law bill swangel and brother in law tim. Van Johnson and his son hunter. And Mr Jim Richards of South bay rod and gun and Lemon Grove and his son Jim jr.
We headed down to my favorite pigeon spot To warm the kids up and get a little trigger time for the adults. When we arrived the birds were flying and the action was hot. We put the boys in the ditch out front so they could have first shots and they did not dissapoint. These young men all were shooting 870 jr 20 gauges like seasoned pros. The adults were on the canal 75 yards behind and made sure not to shoot in the direction of the boys. Not that it mattered Because by the time the birds got to us they were sky high or dead. I guess the sporting clays paid off because some of the shots the boys made were Spectacular. We ended up with 19 pigeons and the 3 boys killed 13 of them.great job boys.
We left and proceeded to the club where we were greeted with blind assignments and went to scout it out. The club was packed with birds all big birds mainly pintail and mallards. I knew then the shoot would be stellar. We set decoys and went to Set up camp. After Setup we let the BBQ begin. Carne asada pollo asada carnitas and fresh caught Alaska halibut tacos with all the fixins and 8 lbs of fresh salsa with chips. The rest of the group arrived and we all Met shook hands and dinner was served. Delicious to say the least. Afterwards we had a fire drank some red solo cup beverages told lies and got to know eachother. The kids chased muskrats with lights and had a red Ryder shootout. Boys being boys the coyote calls came out And the headaches began. No luck with 8 kids imagine that right but it was fun. After the shenanigans we were off to bed.
430 came quick and after some campfire coffee and donuts we donned the waders and met at the gate at 530. Les osterberg gave a very informative speech to the boys about gun safety club rules bird identification and calling for the new guys.
Once in the blind we immediately saw tons of birds. Swarms as a matter of fact. It was spectacular. There had to be 5000 birds working us at first light. Shooting time came and the guns started barking. The kids I were with stepped up to autoloader 12 s for the first time and The first few shots were enlightening to say the least. After the fear was gone they tore it up. We managed to kill 9 birds and they shot 5 boxes for 2 kids. We saw some excellent kills from adjoining blinds and the dogs were working great. The shoot shut off by 10 and we tried scratching till 12 with no prevail. Some birds worked but wouldn't commit. We packed up and headed for camp for picture time and lunch and broke down camp.
I gave lessons on the plucker and bird cleaning and the boys cleaned them up. We gave recipes and cooking recommendations making sure they knew how important it was to eat what we shoot and respect for the game we pursue.
The trip was world class from all aspects and the men responsible for the planning and facilitation are true men of the sport. The fathers are to be commended also as these young men represented the sportsman community better than most adults I know. They were the most polite kids I've came across and shook hands said sir and ma'am please and thank you and congratulated eachother at the end. I was truly impressed at these boys and feel proud to know that they are the next generation of Americans and hunters. Hopefully we get the invite next year and can somehow someday offer more events like this one. Once again thanks to mike barry and les osterberg. And special thanks to the branches hunt club.
