Nice Shootin' Tex

When I was a cub scout, I remember going to Cub Day Camp.  The Day Camp near Billings had a BB-Gun range.  I came home frustrated and upset, because I couldn't hit anything.  I don't remember even having hit the target, let alone anything that would have scored well.

My dad worked with me and helped me realize that although I am right-handed and do everything with my right hand, I'm left eye dominant.  I was shooting right handed, but I should have been shooting left handed.

When the summer was over, I was given the opportunity to buy one of the BB guns from the day camp for something like $20, so I did.  I spent quite a bit of time in the back yard shooting into a little trap target that my dad made.  I started to get good at it, and I also realized that I liked to shoot.  My dad told me that if I worked at it, I'd be a sharpshooter someday.

My first week-long camp for Boy Scouts was called K-M (K bar M) scout ranch near Lewiston, Montana.  I was 12 years old (almost 13) and one of the activities available there was rifle shooting.  They taught us how to shoot in the prone position, laying on our stomachs.  I found out quickly that if I controlled my breathing and if I took my time (sometimes to the chagrin of others that were waiting their turn) I could shoot really well.

K-M had a "sharpshooter" competition.  They would take the best (highest scored) target of the week and they would be named the camp sharpshooter.  I tried my best to shoot as well as I could.  At the end of the week, at the campfire, I was the camp sharpshooter.  My dad's words had come true.  I was a sharpshooter.

Since then I have rarely had the opportunity to shoot.  I had shot a few times at different activities when the opportunity presented itself.

Last week at scout camp, I had more opportunities to shoot.  They had a very excellent rifle range and they let scoutmasters and leaders shoot.  After remembering to breathe and take my time, I started shooting REALLY well.

In addition to merit badges, the range also offered NRA light rifle qualifications.  I worked on those as much as I could during the week.  Later in the week, too many boys were shooting, trying to earn their merit badges, so I couldn't continue, but I ended up with my NRA Marksman 1st Class qualification.  If I would have been able to shoot two more times, I would have earned my Sharpshooter qualification.

One of the most fun moments of camp came on the last day during the camp-wide super activity.  In the shooting sports area, they had a water balloon shoot.  They wanted the scout and the leader that were the best shots to shoot.  One of my scouts had also earned his NRA Marksman 1st Class qualification.  We shot for our troop.

We decided to shoot separately instead of shooting together so we could spot for each other in case we missed.  The scout shot first.  We each had 3 rounds to shoot.  He shot 3 out of 3 water balloons, and it was SO much fun to see the huge grin on his face each time he exploded a balloon.  It was fun to hear the whole troop cheer each time he hit his target.  It was a great moment.  Incidentally, I also hit 3 out of 3 targets, so we ended up with a really good score.