Heywood Case
Member
We went for a first shotgunning lesson today at the Pacific Rod and Gun Club in San Francisco. It was a fine Saturday afternoon, with dense fog and a light drizzle.
The range is at a quiet lake near the ocean that is popular with joggers, rowing teams, fisherman, and migratory birds. It's been there since 1928, and the buildings are showing their age. We met Walt right on time and got set up quickly. A big guy, older, with a friendly smile and strong handshake. He took us straight out to a skeet field, and wasted little time in getting to the shooting. A handsome red-tailed hawk joined us, observing our efforts from the duck tower and the skeet houses.
Walt worked with us for about 2 hours, and we spent the whole time shooting. He'd show us where to put our feet, adjust the stance, where to point, then keep repeating the shot until we got the swing right and got a couple hits. If I wasn't getting it, he would repeat one thing to focus on and get me shooting again before I had too much time to think. You could hear a little disappointment in his voice if we missed by not giving full attention to a shot. Somehow, he knew. When we hit the targets, he beamed as if he had just hit his own first target, with high-fives on the tough ones.
Eventually we ran out of ammunition and it was time to stop. While we were packing up, Walt was telling Diane about how much he loves shooting shotguns and how it is what keeps him going at his age. The man is 88 years old.
John
The range is at a quiet lake near the ocean that is popular with joggers, rowing teams, fisherman, and migratory birds. It's been there since 1928, and the buildings are showing their age. We met Walt right on time and got set up quickly. A big guy, older, with a friendly smile and strong handshake. He took us straight out to a skeet field, and wasted little time in getting to the shooting. A handsome red-tailed hawk joined us, observing our efforts from the duck tower and the skeet houses.
Walt worked with us for about 2 hours, and we spent the whole time shooting. He'd show us where to put our feet, adjust the stance, where to point, then keep repeating the shot until we got the swing right and got a couple hits. If I wasn't getting it, he would repeat one thing to focus on and get me shooting again before I had too much time to think. You could hear a little disappointment in his voice if we missed by not giving full attention to a shot. Somehow, he knew. When we hit the targets, he beamed as if he had just hit his own first target, with high-fives on the tough ones.
Eventually we ran out of ammunition and it was time to stop. While we were packing up, Walt was telling Diane about how much he loves shooting shotguns and how it is what keeps him going at his age. The man is 88 years old.
John
