| It was a Saturday morning in the fall. It wasn't | | | | during duck hunting season. I used Jeff's dads 20 |
| raining, but it wasn't real warm either. After all, | | | | gauge and Jeff was nice enough to use the 12 |
| summer was over, the days were getting shorter | | | | gauge even though he knew it would really kick. I |
| and the leaves were starting to fall. It wasn't cold | | | | really liked the 20 gauge. It had very little kick and |
| enough to go skiing. In other words, I had no idea | | | | was light, so it was easy to carry. |
| what I was going to do that day. Just when I | | | | We walked around the field and shot pigeons |
| feared that my mom was going to ask me to | | | | whenever they flew by. Most people that shoot |
| rake the leaves, the phone rang. It was my friend | | | | at birds make the mistake of shooting right at |
| Jeff. He wanted to know if I wanted to go | | | | the bird, but I had some experience at shooting |
| hunting that day, naturally I said yes. | | | | skeet, so I was familiar with principles of lead. |
| Jeff's dad was an avid hunter who had plenty of | | | | After we took a few shots, I was really glad that |
| guns and two hunting dogs. Both dogs were | | | | I didn't have the 12 gauge. Jeff was an |
| German Shorthairs, which is a good breed for | | | | experienced shooter, but his shoulder was turning |
| hunting. Sally was the older dog; she could barely | | | | red, even though he was wearing a coat. |
| walk, so Jeff and his dad didn't usually take her | | | | As we walked around the field, we had to go |
| out hunting anymore. Betsy was young and hadn't | | | | around a large batch of blackberry vines. As we |
| been on very many hunts, so she still had a lot to | | | | walked around the vines, a flock of quail surprised |
| learn. | | | | us by taking flight right in front of us. They were |
| I went over to Jeff's early on that Saturday | | | | way too quick for me, so my shot missed. Jeff's |
| morning not knowing what to expect. As soon as | | | | shot, however, got one, so I got to see where |
| I arrived, Jeff got out two shotguns. One was a | | | | experience helps. |
| 12 gauge and the other was a 20 gauge. Sally, the | | | | One time we spotted a pigeon sitting in an oak |
| oldest dog, absolutely went nuts as soon as she | | | | tree. We both threw rocks at it because we |
| saw the guns. I couldn't believe it, Sally was | | | | figured it wouldn't be very sporting to shoot a |
| running all over the house like a puppy. There was | | | | pigeon that was just sitting there. Rocks didn't |
| no way that we could leave her behind as we | | | | work and yelling didn't work, so I shot it. Neither |
| originally intended. We loaded the guns and the | | | | one of us wanted to take it home though |
| dogs into Jeff's car and only had to drive about | | | | because we were afraid that maybe it wouldn't |
| three miles to the field where we were going to | | | | fly because it was sick. The dogs performed |
| hunt. It was a field then, but 40 years later the | | | | about like we expected. Sally was good at |
| only crops in that field are office buildings and | | | | fetching downed birds, but Betsy didn't know |
| parking lots. | | | | what to do. She would pick up the birds and run |
| After we got to the field I noticed three or four | | | | around. We ended up retrieving a lot of the birds |
| duck blinds around the field's perimeter. I figured | | | | ourselves. At the end of the day, we had 15 |
| that the farmer must rent the field to a hunt club | | | | pigeons and Jeff had gotten a couple of quail. |