1955

I grew up on a farm - irrigated farmland in the Panhandle of Texas

I got my first BB gun at 5.

Killed my first pheasant at 12 with a .410 on the farm. He was a big old cock and it was the first season ever in Texas. I shot him once on the way up and one on the way down and he was dead dead dead! One of the biggest thrills I have ever had was when he folded up after my first shot. He now hangs on my wall. After that pheasant season I would usually have my limit within ten minutes of the opening of season. That lasted until I went off to Texas A&M. Of course I would clean those and go back out to work on tomorrow's limit.

We would drive up and down the county road s(public dirt roads) at night and shoot jack rabbits from the moving vehicle. Usually two in the bed of the pickup and one riding "shotgun" and all of us shooting. We would feed the jacks to the pigs. They were really thick back then and we killed as many as sixty in a night. We also drove up and down the farm roads of our neighbors. This was a common practice back then. I never heard of anybody getting hurt either.

Started hunting BobWhites with my Dad in 1966 North of Memphis, Texas. Between the two of us we had that lease from 1966 until 2002 when the the last of the couple that owned the land died. It had a year round creek on it and during dove season we would fish in the middle of the day when the dove quit flying. We didn't start using dogs to hunt Bobs until about 1995. Before that we walked the Bobs up just like we were Labs with guns. We hunted every Saturday of the season except when my Dad would go off big game hunting and during the sixteen days of Texas pheasant season.

My older brother was crazy about duck and goose hunting and he spent many freezing cold mornings out in the blind and was very successful at it. I never cared for any kind of hunting where you sat rather than walked and didn't go with him. I regret it now.

Chuck thanks for the thread idea - I really have enjoyed it.

Best,

Mike


I am glad to be here.