Funny how we advance

[Wolfdog91 7,346]

You guys ever look back on how y'all used to do things and how difficult they seemed compared to now that your older? Kinda thought about this the other day when I popped a crow. I remember killing a crow used to be one of the hardest things for me , I remember being 12yr stalking up on my hands and knees through a open cow pasture for about 100yd with my daisy 880 to try and get close enough to put a pellet in one of the ole black birds. 9/10 time I failed but when I did get one it was an accomplishment lol. Then I got my little crack barrel .410 made shooting them on the fly a possibility but again 8/10 times it was a faliure, one shot with some random upland shells from the feed store in the hands of a 14yr can only do so much usually but still fun. Then got the .22lr extended my range a good little bit and moved up to about 5/5 times being a hit but without knowledge of how to properly account for bullet drop and wind I ended up educations them to stay outta regular range and kinda went back to square one , spotting and stalking through the cow fields. Well now I'm 23 got a much better hold on ballistics, marksmanship, better gun and glass and gear. Can pretty easily keep a beer can hopping at 100yd if I do my part. But I've gotten a way from the ever elusive crow. More paper punching and gong slapping than anything.

Well I step out on the porch yesterday and there's a crow out in the pasture. Was asked to shoot crows this time if the year because apparently they harass the new born calves. Well I see ole boy out here be-bopping around and decided he's gotta go.

Walk to my gun room grab a few things walk back out .Check the range finder, 75 yd, not too far , used to could never range like that, 2mph 5 to 11 o clock wind according to my little wind meter , never was good at reading wind till now since I can double check, check my ballistic app +1.3 MOA for elevation .2 MOA for windage. Dial in on my turrets and turn to 10x outta 14.5 , a world of difference from iorns or the little 4x32 scope I had years back. I prop up In a good cross legged marine style position and rack in a thunder bolt. Used to shoot anything but now I only use what the gun likes. Plant the cross hairs on his chest, little on the high side ,check my cant bubble , I'm level and as soon as he stops I let a breath out and squeeze. Shot rips out and 75yd away, what used to be almost a mythical shot for me, a crow flipped kicked once and was dead. Just like that. I looked at my gun and all I could say was " well that was easy". As I walked out to pick him up I couldn't help but just kinda laugh a little bit thinking how less then 4 years ago I would have killed to have some of the gear I have today 6 years ago I wouldn't have even tried that shot and before that I would have probably been out here crawling through cow patties for 10min with a $50 pellet gun just to get busted and see him fly off. Funny how we advance over time and how what used to be a challenge just becomes easy as pie lol.

[Stavross 16,160]

When I started out as a kid it was just rat shooting with an old spring air rifle but quickly moved on to stalking rabbits, having to get so close to kill them I could almost kick them, ( failing many times) when I got one the buzz was amazing, been able to take it home for the old man to do a rabbit stew was almost as good as the hunt, getting older and moving on to bigger things with better equipment I still take with me the things I learned crawling around in fields after rabbits 

[Wolfdog91 7,346]

17 hours ago, Stavross said:

When I started out as a kid it was just rat shooting with an old spring air rifle but quickly moved on to stalking rabbits, having to get so close to kill them I could almost kick them, ( failing many times) when I got one the buzz was amazing, been able to take it home for the old man to do a rabbit stew was almost as good as the hunt, getting older and moving on to bigger things with better equipment I still take with me the things I learned crawling around in fields after rabbits 

Yep always seems you can take from the smallest things you used to do as a kid

[Stavross 16,160]

26 minutes ago, Wolfdog91 said:

Yep always seems you can take from the smallest things you used to do as a kid

I’m out after rabbits now, this time 30 years older and with a .22lr, no crawling up to them now

[BenBhoy 4,706]

34 minutes ago, Stavross said:

no crawling up to them now

Is that more to do with operator diameter rather than diameter of the rifle barrel?? 

[Stavross 16,160]

Just now, BenBhoy said:

Is that more to do with operator diameter rather than diameter of the rifle barrel?? 

[BenBhoy 4,706]

18 minutes ago, Stavross said:

Disappointing; I was expecting more along the lines {best geordie accent} "Haway man like, it's cos every time your bonny lass let's us like do her oop the hairy biker like I get a pie & bottle of newky broon like, fog on the tyne little fishy on a dishy byker grove like man" 

[Stavross 16,160]

1 hour ago, BenBhoy said:

Disappointing; I was expecting more along the lines {best geordie accent} "Haway man like, it's cos every time your bonny lass let's us like do her oop the hairy biker like I get a pie & bottle of newky broon like, fog on the tyne little fishy on a dishy byker grove like man" 

How dare you, you sheep bothering gonk, I’m from the finest Yorkshire stock, although I do like a pie and a bottle of newky

[shovel leaner 7,650]

“Fishing , Ferreting and football”. My mum used to say hat was all I was interested in . And being a Gloucester boy , football was second to Rugby, so my football career never took off . So I pursued fish and rabbits, and anything that  flew or scurried around was fair game . My first gun , if you can call it that was a Gat gun . I soon learned about bullet drop using one as you could see the pellet leave the barrel and plop about 20 yards . Then I got a BSA meteor and that rifle shot 1000s of pellets. I  had a paper round and I think I spent most of my wages at Fred Harvey’s or Allsports or Fletchers in Gloucester on Pellets . I would like to say that I was a superb marksman and missed nothing, but just like Wolfdog , I missed lots . But when I did connect it was fantastic. I stalked rabbits and pigeons and Magpies were a particular favourite I remember. I was never bothered by anyone and never had the police bother me , even though I walked down our road with a rifle and all over the fields behind the houses , nobody gave it a second glance . I don’t think it’s like that now . Now I’ve got shotguns and rifles and if is like Wolfdog says , so much easier. But for my part I still find if as enjoyable as I did back in the 70s .

[shovel leaner 7,650]

2 minutes ago, Stavross said:

How dare you, you sheep bothering gonk, I’m from the finest Yorkshire stock, although I do like a pie and a bottle of newky

I think Bens been in the beer garden all afternoon.

[BenBhoy 4,706]

1 hour ago, shovel leaner said:

I think Bens been in the beer garden all afternoon.

Chance be a fine thing!! As a judge mate! 

[Meece 1,958]

Is it a ability or expectation.?  I would just freehand that crow at 75 yards without giving it a thought and expect a result.  In fact I'd be surprised if I  missed.  Even when I was a teenager I never did the cowboys and Indians stuff. It wasn't what we did. IF I had done that I would have told to get up out of the dirt. And we shot at tin cans at about 50 yards with our air rifles. This Increased when we were told about putting a drip of red diesel Into the piston  port of the rifle. So is it a case of ability or expectation.?

[Tyla 3,179]

6 hours ago, Meece said:

Is it a ability or expectation.?  I would just freehand that crow at 75 yards without giving it a thought and expect a result.  In fact I'd be surprised if I  missed.  Even when I was a teenager I never did the cowboys and Indians stuff. It wasn't what we did. IF I had done that I would have told to get up out of the dirt. And we shot at tin cans at about 50 yards with our air rifles. This Increased when we were told about putting a drip of red diesel Into the piston  port of the rifle. So is it a case of ability or expectation.?

When I was crawling about learning to stalk there was no one there to tell me to get up, I just did what I wanted (no much changed in that respect) I think ive used things I learnt then throughout my hunting life. I used to be jealous of lads who came from hunting families but now I think learning from my mistakes on my own wasn't a bad thing. There are plenty of preconceptions out there, not all of them are based on anything much.

[Stavross 16,160]

6 minutes ago, Tyla said:

When I was crawling about learning to stalk there was no one there to tell me to get up, I just did what I wanted (no much changed in that respect) I think ive used things I learnt then throughout my hunting life. I used to be jealous of lads who came from hunting families but now I think learning from my mistakes on my own wasn't a bad thing. There are plenty of preconceptions out there, not all of them are based on anything much.

Spot on that, I did it the same way, no one else in my family shoots, I started on my own, learned from my mistakes and from people I met along the way and now I think I’m pretty good at what I do and I’d still have no problem crawling to get at what I wanted to shoot

[shovel leaner 7,650]

11 hours ago, Meece said:

Is it a ability or expectation.?  I would just freehand that crow at 75 yards without giving it a thought and expect a result.  In fact I'd be surprised if I  missed.  Even when I was a teenager I never did the cowboys and Indians stuff. It wasn't what we did. IF I had done that I would have told to get up out of the dirt. And we shot at tin cans at about 50 yards with our air rifles. This Increased when we were told about putting a drip of red diesel Into the piston  port of the rifle. So is it a case of ability or expectation.?

I’d be interested to put some money on you missing that crow . Really Meece ? we are just having a bit of a nostalgic walk down memory lane.  And I think  most of us are ..... as kids say nowadays “ keeping it real” . It’s not a dick  measuring competition FFS .