On Youthful Innocence and Good Habits

Sometimes I am convinced that the hunting gods purposefully present you with certain situations – we’ll call them ‘teachable moments’ - that both inspire and humble.

Such was the case a few weeks ago. As previously reported, The Boy passed his hunter safety certification course in February and I have been continuing the lessons at home during ‘dry fire’ exercises out on our property. Basically I’m giving him opportunities to handle his new Charles Daly youth model 20-gauge shotgun sans ammunition. We weren’t really dry firing the gun, but basically walking through real life applications involving safety, mounting the gun, swing-through and the like.

My first ah-ha moment was during these little drills out in yard. I would say something like, “Ok, when you bring the gun up, make sure the butt fits in that little pocket between your shoulder and your collar bone.” He would look at me and say, “Ok”, and proceed to do exactly as I had instructed.

“Do it again,” – check

“One more time.” – Right, mark that off the list.

Then we would move onto something else. “Now son, make sure you lean forward, head down, cheek on the butt.” – Ok, he did that perfect the first time.

“Do it again.” – Textbook.

What I began to realize is that The Boy was simply doing what I told him to do, and did so perfectly every time because he didn’t know any better. He had no frame of reference except for my instruction and certainly no bad habits to break.

I thought to myself, “So he can do all this in simulated exercises out on the lawn, but what is going to happen the first time I slide a 1oz. shell of #8 shot into that pea-shooter of his and he gets a dose of reality when he pulls the trigger. Then we’ll see how textbook this little dude ends up being.”

***

Fast forward to the following Saturday and we make plans to go shooting at our favorite local Sporting Clay course. For Jody and Kristine – think of Sporting Clays as a combination of trap and skeet but placed in a ‘natural’ habitat setting. It is designed to offer an array of clay targets send from angles and presentations that are similar to real hunting situations. You shoot at 100 clays over 10 or 15 stations (depending on the course you are shooting).

The Boy is no stranger to this particular activity. He has been my puller – the person who pushes the button that launches the clay target - for a few years. He has enjoyed many warm summer days out at the course watching dad and friends explode clay.

Today would be different. Today I would be the puller/coach and he would be the shooter. I thought he would show some nervousness as we approached the first station, but to my surprise, he was very matter of fact and treated the situation like an old pro.

But, what would he do the first time the gun went ‘Boom’ and he felt that compression against his little body frame? Sure he had shot previously, but that was with a.22 cal rifle, which doesn’t match the recoil and sound of a shotgun.

***

He entered the small metal frame that signifies the place where the shooter stands and I handed him his first shell. I could tell that he was now getting a little anxious in that he fidgeted to get the shell into the magazine and then chamber the round. But he did fine – double checking to make sure the gun was on ‘safe’ and maintaining a proper position with the barrel pointed down range.

Locked and loaded.

As with our practice sessions, I gently reminded him of the basics – stance, lean forward, head down, swing through.

“Right,” was his reply.

“Ok son, whenever you are ready go ahead and call for the bird.”

“Pull!” he exclaimed.

I stood directly behind him to get a view of his mechanics and immediately began a mental checklist of all the things I was sure he was going to do wrong – lift his head, stop swinging, slap the trigger. I had all of the usual sins on the tip of my tongue ready to unleash them as the ‘helpful’ coach.

“Bang”, went the gun and the target disintegrated in the air. “Hmm, well that was sure lucky,” I thought to myself.

“Good job son! Way to go,” I offered enthusiastically knowing that it was likely a fluke. “Let’s do it again. Remember, head down, swing through, squeeze the trigger.”

“Yea dad, got it,” was his reply.

“Pull!”, bang, smash.

Ok, two for two, not bad, but I know anyone can be lucky twice in a row.

I resisted the temptation to repeat my instructional mantra before he readied for the third target.

“Pull!”, bang, smash.

Ok, so now this kid is just pissing me off! How am I supposed to show my shooting prowess and pontificate all of my worldly hunting wisdom if he keeps getting this lucky!

Well the boy would indeed miss a few at that first station, but his pattern of success was remarkable for someone who had never shot a shotgun, let alone shot at flying targets. As it turns out I was able to offer him a few pointers (as if he was going to have a choice) and he did slip on a few of the fundamentals over the course of his round. But, by the time he went on his run of six doubles over two stations, I simply began to sit back and enjoy the experience.

I actually found myself watching him more closely as he shot – instead of watching the target - and was struck at how absolutely relaxed and natural he was in his approach.

‘Step up, load shell, mount gun, call for target, swing, squeeze trigger, explode target. What’s so hard about?’ I am sure were the words running trough his head.

And that is when it occurred to me. He was having success because he simply did what was instructed, and most importantly, had no frame of reference (otherwise known as bad habits) upon which to screw things up. He had a clean chalkboard rather than a portrait of complex patterns and puzzling equations that he was trying to decipher and mechanically fix while performing his task. He just did it.

DOH! Of course, isn’t that how we all do it? Not.

At one point I found myself actually making mental notes about his approach and how I might incorporate some of those tips into my own shooting. Wait a minute! This kid is a rookie, he can’t be the teacher!

The other aspect that struck me was the fact that he was very nonchalant about the whole experience. Don’t get me wrong, he was pleased with how his game was going, but it was clear that I was far more excited about the whole thing than he was. After all, as far as he was concerned, he was simply doing what he had been told were the right steps to take in order to have success. And he was, so what was the big deal? Oh to have the age of innocence back.

In the end, The Boy completed the entire 100 rounds and ended with a very impressive score of 38. That may not sound like much, but I know guys my age who have shot for 20 years that routinely only scratch out a score of +/-50. So for a 9-year old kid who shot 38 in his attempt, I was darn impressed!

We’ve been out again since then and he continues to perform at about that same level. The experience handling the gun and throwing hundreds of rounds of lead at clay before the hunting season is invaluable experience that should pay dividends in the field. I hope it will translate into better success, earlier, and help captivate his interest and enthusiasm for hunting.

Watching The Boy put all the pieces together was an awesome experience. I had a blast and might have even learned a thing or two myself. It is certainly experiences like these that I absolutely live to hunt.

Someone You Know…

If it hasn’t done so already, breast cancer will touch you or someone you know. This was the case in my own life when, seven years ago, my 30-year old wife and I sat in a dimly-lit radiologist’s office with x-ray films illuminated in front of us when we heard those dreaded words. “This is bad, this is really bad.”

Little did we know it, but that moment in time would be the beginning of a journey. A journey that, if someone had described in words, we wouldn’t have believed it.

When my wife was diagnosed, we had only been married five years. We had a two year old son (The Boy you’ve read about) and a six month old daughter (the fish kisser). We were living the perfect life – a wonderful marriage, two incredible babies, a little suburban home - the life fairy tales are written about.

When the oncologist confirmed the diagnosis we both felt like we had been sucker-punched in the gut. That day started a new chapter in our lives, one filled with the expected fears, sorrow, and pain that accompanies such a devastating illness.

I often say that our “faith and family” are what helped us get through those dark days. After dealing with the shock and immediacy of situation, my wife and I made a distinct decision one day. And that decision was that we were going to live with cancer, despite how things may ultimately end up. We had very young family and it would not be fair to let the disease rule our lives while we were engaged on the battlefield of cancer. We chose to live.

And live we did. I am so proud of my courageous wife, for all she endured and the spirit in which she persevered. Seven years later I beam when I tell people that she is living cancer-free and considered to be cured.

If you’ve read this far, I appreciate your indulgence and promise this really does have something to do with the outdoors!

Last week one of my favorite hunting magazines arrived in the mail and as soon as I got in the house I plopped down on the couch and began thumbing the pages like an excited school girl looking through her first Teen magazine. I LOVE it when my hunting and outdoor magazines arrive. They sustain me during the Spring and Summer months when the only thing I’m shooting are clay pigeons at the local Sporting Clays course.

As I turned the pages I came across an article talking about the explosion of pink-colored gear targeted at women in the outdoors. There were accompanying pictures of some very colorful outdoor products – everything from guns to arrows to binoculars and the like.

The fascination with pink products is relatively new, but there has been several writings written over the past year about them and whether outdoorswomen find them attractive or offensive. Some of my favorite blog peeps, like Deer Passion and NorCal Cazadora, have written on the subject.

But what struck home about the story in the magazine wasn’t the pink products – which I honestly don’t get; do woman really look at this stuff and say, “Ohhhh, piiiiinnnnkkkk, must have!”, and buy it knowing that it is pretty much impractical to use in the field. But I digress, that’s another post.

What struck home about the article was the description of a pink product that I can get behind; pink arrows from Victory Archery of San Diego. The reason I was drawn to it was that Victory has a campaign called the Pink Arrow Project. The company makes and sells their VForce arrows in pink, with the majority of the profits going to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Now that is just too cool.

I contacted Bart Lawhorn, Victory’s general manager, and asked him how and why they started the Pink Arrow Project. Bart said the idea came about in 2007 at an International Bowhunting Organization National Triple Crown in Erie, PA where for the first time, his wife of 27 years came to help set up the Victory product booth. Bart had made several pink arrows for a young girl that is on Victory’s National Shooting Staff and when Christa saw the arrows, the idea sprung to mind. As a nurse, Christa has been around cancer patients her whole career so the idea was natural.

When several people came by the Victory booth and asked how they could purchase the pink arrows, Christa quickly orchestrated that they would offer them for sale in October, since October is breast cancer awareness month.

Bart says that he receives hundreds of calls and emails about the project, which now donates a large portion of Victory’s profits to this project. Bart says that anybody can help, even if you don’t shoot a bow.

In fact, yours truly doesn’t archery hunt, but I’d buy a few pink arrows from Victory just to support the cause. I admire any company like Victory for their commitment to making a difference. With funding from efforts like this we have made great strides at increasing the cure rates for breast cancer.

If you know someone struggling with breast cancer or simply want to be part of the cure, there are wonderful resources through organizations like the American Cancer Society, and Susan G. Komen For the Cure. Or, simply buy a pink arrow from Victory and slip it in your quiver or put it on you shelf to show your support.

My wife and children personally thank you.

Wild Duck Lettuce Wraps

One of my favorite annual rituals after the end of the hunting season is to host a duck dinner and invite many of my hunting partners and their significant others over for some wild game cookery. It undoubtedly ends up being as much about good times with outrageous stories from excursions of the past season as well as an introduction to a new way to prepare our favorite quarry.

This year I invited several new couples into the fold so I wanted to do something a little different. Something that would be memorable and, frankly, would impress these newcomers to the party.

After racking my brain I decided to do an Asian theme with Duck Lettuce Wraps being the main entree. This is a simple recipe that can be whipped up relatively quickly. It can also be easily increased to feed a pile of folks at a large party. The result was a hit. Heck, even the non-duck-eating-ladies at the party even gave it whirl. Here’s how it goes…

2 head iceberg or butter lettuce leaves (whichever you prefer).

Sauce: (Below ingredients can be found in almost any grocery store Asian food isle).
3 tbs soy sauce
5 tbs Oyster sauce
2 tbs Hoisin sauce
3 tbs dry sherry
3 tsp sugar

Remaining Ingredients:
3 tbs sesame oil
2 inch-long slices ginger, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 green onions, chopped
½ cup Shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, thinly sliced
2-3 lbs. duck breast meat, cubed
1 ½ red pepper, seeded and diced
1 can water chestnuts, rinsed and chopped
2 stalks celery, diced

Pulling it Together:
Cut the end off the head of lettuce, gently peel off each leaf, wash and pat dry. Set aside. This process is a bit tedious because the leaves are fragile and want to tear. Just take your time.

Combine the sauce ingredients in a glass bowl, stir well, and set aside.

Heat 2 tbs. of sesame oil in wok or frying pan on high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and green onions and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute until fragrant – but be careful not to burn.

Add the duck and cook just until duck is medium rare. Remove the duck from the pan and set aside. Give the duck a few pulses in the food processor to break down into a rough chop. Not quite ground, but nicely broken down from the cubes.

If there is residual liquid in the pan, pour off. Add the remaining tablespoon of sesame oil, the red pepper, water chestnuts, and celery to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the sauce ingredients, Shiitake mushrooms and cook at medium heat. Add the duck back into the pan. Cook for 3-4 more minutes, stirring, to heat through and well combined.

Remove duck to a large platter and surround with lettuce leaves. Encourage guests to spoon a heaping portion of the duck mixture into the middle of a lettuce leaf. The lettuce wraps are designed to be eaten "wrapped," with the mixture folded into a package.

For a side dish I did a simple vegetable stir fry – light and fresh. Serve with a nice bottle of red wine (or two) and you’ll have a party on your hands. The richness of the duck with the Oyster and Hoisin sauce makes a wonderful complement to the red wine. Heaven.

In fact, we were having such a great time that I totally forgot to take the photos I had planned to take while the dish was coming together. I blame it on my sous chef Diana who was making sure that the cook’s wine glass didn’t get below half full. I did manage to pop one shot of the finished product, but it doesn’t do the evening justice. Suffice it to say that a good time was had by all.