I grew up in rural N. ID, where, particularly, big game hunting was (still is) a way of life! Of course, there was waterfowl and grouse thrown into the mix, but not much in the way of pheasant or quail, unless one traveled south 80-90 miles.
My father who ranched, initially, his father's land after WW2, fed the family on deer and elk mainly (butchering a beef in those days cut too much into the profit)well into my teens. By then my older brother and I added game to the family larder.
His main hunting guns were a Browning A5 12 which he shot very well, and his Win 270 which he made 1 shot kills with that I wouldn't attempt to try. The old adage "watch out for the person who shoots only one gun" held true for him for both the shotgun and the rifle!
My passion for hunting and guns came naturally from being around the two all my life. He used to take my older brother and I with him on most of his daily forays after big game, waterfowl, or grouse before we were old enough to hunt legally.
Many mornings, I remember him waking me up when I was as young as 7-8 years old to the smell of bacon and eggs frying at 4-4:30 am, before heading out to the duck blind or loading up his GSP to chase grouse, same with deer hunting. Nothing like sitting in a duck blind before sunrise listening to the marsh sounds and the whistle of duck wings.
Although he doesn't say much, I don't believe he sees the necessity of my owning as many firearms as I do. To him, the reasons for owning guns was the harvesting of game, and you don't get good with one, if you divide your time between a bunch of different ones.
I think my fascination with doubles came mainly from an uncle who was a bit of a "horse trader." He would always have something new in his display case, which seemed to always include a double of some sort, which he would drag out to the duck blind with us. He also would have the latest Gun Digest, Shooter's Bible or other trade magazine lying around. I would gravitate to the sections that advertised the doubles and look at them and think they were the coolest gun! Doing the same thing I did as a kid, only through the internet led me to this forum!
