Well, Chuck, I grew up in the Chicago suburbs, having been born in Chicago. My dad was an Illinois State Police Captain and a crack pistol competitor. He brought me into the gun-loving fold by teaching me safety and care in the handling of firearms. I recall that as a child he let me examine his Smith and Wesson service revolver whenever I wanted to. He wasn't a hunter. But I sure was. With slingshots my buddies and I hunted cottontails in the undeveloped fields of an Elmwood Park Cemetary. We bagged squirrels, too. My mother demanded that we dress our game and then she would cook it for us. Never has food tasted so delicious as those rabbit and squirrel stews with parsley laced dumplings and brown gravy. My dad often dropped us off at a friendly farm where we'd hunt wild pheasants, rabbits, and the occasional pigeon that came in range of my 20 Ga. Mossberg 185K bolt action twenty gauge or my buddy's 28 ga. Iver Johnson Champion. When I graduated to an Elsie 12 bore double I was in seventh heaven. I am now 72 years old and have Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia and am a diabetic to boot. In March of 2007 I had a slight heart attack and got 5 bypasses. I am still on my hind legs and hunt at a private club (the Pintails) whenever I can still walk a few hundred yards. My grandkids are being brought up the same way I was: gun safety and good manners. My grand daughter is itching to go hunting and she is just 9 years old. She is a pretty good shot with the .22 S/W model 17 we bring to Michigan every year. So I guess you might say I am helping to bring to the fold a couple of new hunters. Their dad is a policeman in Highland Park, Illinois and was not a hunter until I brought him into the fold. He is teaching his children respect for game animals and firearms. Anyway, that is the story of how I came to be an inveterate hunter and gun lover. I only wish there were entry level doubles around like when I was a kid. Sorry for the long post. but thankful that we have such forums. Chopperlump, AKA Ed Dvorak Jr.


Last edited by chopperlump; 06/13/08 01:53 PM.