Lonely is the Hunter!

Caleb wants to hunt. He's been interested in it for quite a while now and we initially got him started with Hunting Simulator on the PS4. That is no longer good enough and he want's to do the real thing! 

What to do, what to do!?  I do not hunt...  I'm certainly not opposed to it and frankly, killing my own dinner is somewhat of a romantic thought but it's just never been "my thing".  

I was hoping that playing guitar would make me rich enough that I would never have to kill anything to eat, and while I do play guitar, I haven't really made a dime from it but, even so,  I am clearly OVERFED!

Never the less, Caleb wanted to go hunting.

Lesley got the boy signed up for a hunter education class online where he had to do multiple lessons and test at the end of each of those and then attend a 5 - 6 hour class at a location dependent on which day you sign up for.

Well, he's been taking classes online all summer long with the help of mom and dear ol' dad got to take him to the Saturday class up in Ames, IA. last weekend.

I must say,  part of me was hoping that they wouldn't let me stay and part of me was hoping that they would MAKE me stay...  No good.  It was my choice if I wanted to stay or leave since I wasn't registered.

Caleb said he was ok if I left and just came back to pick him up but he wanted his water bottle out of the truck.  So I went out to grab that as he went to find a seat, and when I came back in to give it to him, he quietly (and very cutely!!!)  said, "Daddy, will you please stay?".

I melt and I say, "yes.". 

So that's what I did and I was SOOOOOOO happy that I did!

The first thing we did was get a lecture from a Conservation Officer (Caleb's future line of work!) which included a slide show of the do's and do nots of hunting along with various and sundry photos of acts that have cost various people large amounts in fines.

After that, we went downstairs to the basement of the building where the kids got to shoot targets with a .22.  
 

This is what our front yard looked like when we went out the front door that morning.  Beautiful, but had me worried we'd run into fog on the interstate...  the only place it got heavy was just South of Ames in that low-lying area.

On the left is Caleb's first attempt and on the right is his second after he made his sight adjustment!

After the rifles, it was a 1/4 mile walk down to the skeet range where they got three shots with a shotgun at the clay pigeons.  He missed on 1 & 2, but his the third one!

Then we "undid" the 1/4 mile walk back to the outside of the first building where they went over all kinds of safety techniques.  Here they're practicing safely crossing a fence line with a hunting partner.

After these three practical sessions were complete, it was back inside for one last video, Shoot?  Or don't shoot?  Then a 50 question test that they let me help him understand the questions being asked, but not provide answers, obviously. 

He got 38 out of the 50 which is passing and a couple of those were because I TOTALLY did not understand the full depth of the question.

He's is licensed to hunt and he is EXCITED ABOUT IT!!!