It was Christopher and David’s first time to shoot a rifle and their first time to hunt deer and squirrel. They were so excited to have been given the opportunity to do this, thanks to the generous offer of our friends, the Hickmans. After the four hour drive north to the Louisiana/Arkansas border, we unloaded the car at the church where we were to lodge and headed out to the lease site. I was proud of my boys when they passed the gun safety quiz with flying colors. Their practice shooting rounds were bang on, too, satisfying the instructor that they were indeed ready to hunt.
Although they didn’t get a deer this time around, David’s three bagged squirrels and Christopher’s five, are nothing to sneeze about. And with Mr. Bill’s educator-like “savoir faire”, skinning and cleaning the squirrels turned into a real anatomy lesson as well.
A speaking engagement in which the guys helped me to present a missions message was also a part of this trip. And on the way home late that night, we had the privilege of spotting a big doe “in the wild.” Unfortunately, we ran over a rabbit too that darted across our vehicle’s path. Fresh road kill, anybody?