Foundation of Bad Habits

Found some time to slip out to the Sharonville DNR shooting range on Saturday. Haven't done much of this sort of shooting this year -- not very pleasant when it's 90 degrees and dripping humidity.

After about a half-hour a Dad and two teen-aged kids show up. Everyone seemed to be in a frenzy, first to set targets, then re-set to get on the bench they son had set-up on. It was evident that Dad had squeezed this little field trip into a busy day. He was trying to get the kids an opportunity to shoot shotgun slugs at deer profile targets. But at every turn he was yelling at either the son or daughter and continually pressing them to hurry up. It became pretty annoying pretty quickly, and more importantly illustrated a key point. What's the rush? Safe shooting and hunting DO NOT happen at a compressed pace. You need to be aware of your surroundings and in tune with what you're doing. Having your ranting father in your ear all the while certainly does little to foster learning.

The son seemed completely rattled by all this. Every time Dad started yelling, his fumbling only increased. The daughter, however seemed much more able to focus and complete tasks. But none of them looked to be having any fun. Which causes me to ask -- why bother? If you're just going to turn it into a task for the kids, suddenly it's like taking out the trash. In this era where kids exposure to the outdoors is so reduced and the major industry groups are bemoaning declining participation in hunting and fishing this type of interaction will only turn the next generation off.

Just my observations. I wish I could say I'd never seen this sort of thing before, but sadly I have.

-Sean-