Youth Hunt Preparations

I'm taking #2 out. He's psyched. Saturday we went into town to get his youth tag. We spent Sunday afternoon getting his rifle sighted in.

It's funny how a reloader marks the passage of time and the growth of his son. This year we finished shooting up the original batch of reduced 30-30 loads. I noticed he fits the Marlin perfectly. His group is adequate for a supported shot at reasonable range. The new loads are a bit hotter from the ones we had loaded before. He can take a full 30-30 load now. He's also ready for loading the magazine, so it was time to start adding a crimp.

Monday night we went shopping for pants; he'd outgrown everything he'd worn turkey hunting. He said he wanted to hunt off the ground. I've got several permanent ground blinds and a portable, so we're all fixed.

He hunted two years ago in the early youth hunt, and had to miss last year. I couldn't negotiate the change of visitation with his mom. In the mean time, he's grown considerably mentally and physically. Two years ago, he was kind of along for the ride. He seems a lot more into it now.

He is much more aware of the process. Deer hunting is no longer just something you go do early in the morning, but a string of related events that take place all year round.