Just before I started to write this, I finished cleaning two guns – a very therapeutic reminder of how well the weekend went. It was a great weekend, but, as with all good weekends, it had to come to an end.

Below, I’ve outlined a few thoughts and realizations I learned or witnessed during the past two days:

• It’s very small world.  At an outdoor hunting show you can run into a tiny little girl you used to know, who is now a grown woman.  Man….am I old!
• You CAN shoot an arrow through an “iron buck” at 50yds.  Those were two incredible shots gentleman; I was glad I left my bow at home, so I couldn’t be humiliated in front of everyone, and watch my carbon arrow turn into splinters.

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Considering my interest in the Civil War, I suppose it was only a matter of time before my weaponry took a trip back in time as well.  Oh who am I kidding – the only similarity between today’s inline muzzleloader, and the muskets they were using in the 1860′s, is the fact that you have to load them from the muzzle.  But, though they are much different than the flintlocks of old, the thing that makes today’s inlines stand out is this – they’re extremely accurate.

And after making an errant shot on a nice, healthy doe last season, I wanted accuracy.

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It was a weekend spent outside – just how I like them.

While there was some work involved this weekend, Friday night we managed to fish for a bit, enjoyed a family-filled day outside on Saturday, and managed to spend most of the day outside on Sunday as well – by fishing, playing Ultimate Frisbee, basketball, and my favorite of the day, shooting pistols.

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Life is a very diverse thing, and, lately, has been a very busy for me. Added job duties at work, and the stress of not knowing from day to day if I’m even going to have a job, have made life quite interesting. Then, if you throw in the miserable turkey hunting weather we’ve had, you can see why I’ve been stressing.

Now, while many would drown their troubles in an alcoholic beverage, or look for comfort by enjoying a quiet evening at home, my stress relief was found in target acquisition and blowing clay pigeons into dust – with both a shotgun and a pistol.

It – really – was quite therapeutic for me.

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It started as a normal family birthday party celebration – burgers and hot dogs were grilled, food was consumed, presents were opened, and cake was eaten – but it turned into something much more.

Justin, one of our Pro-Staffers, had purchased a Hi-Point pistol and really needed to shoot it.  Of course, as with all things in our family, we had to turn it into a competition:  20 oz. pop bottles were set up on a stump, and each of us had one shot to break some plastic.  Now, while I was having a great time shooting Justin’s 9mm, I still felt a little empty inside; my pistol was sitting at home on the dresser, and I felt like I was cheating on it.  Plus, I couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn with the Hi-Point.

With that in mind, it didn’t take much for Justin to convince me to jump in his truck, stop at Dunham’s to pick up some ammunition, and then head to my house to retrieve my pistol from its dormancy.  The Taurus 24/7 didn’t even put up a fight, and gladly came along with us; I’m sure she was happy to be out of the house for once (I just don’t shoot her enough).

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