re: How much freedom did you have with guns/bows as a child?

Grew up in the early 50's and 60's. My dad bought my brother and I a BB gun when we were 5 or 6. Gave us a 15 minute course in how to use it and what not to do with it and walked away. He would check on us every few days to see how our marksmanship was coming along.

Later on we graduated to 22s. They were our passion. Saved our pennies from cashing in coke bottles to buy shells. I think a box of shorts was 15 cents. Long rifle was a quarter a box but we usually opted for the shorts so we could afford more rounds.

Started duck hunting or trying to duck hunt with a 410 around 7 years old. Then he bought me a used 16 gauge Browning A5 when I was 10.

Our mother passed away around that time and supervising a bunch of kids was a struggle, especially during the summers when we were out of school and he was at work. So when I was around 12 or 13, he started turning us loose in a boat to keep us occupied. He had an old 18 ft wood and fiberglass runabout with a 40 horse pull start Merc on the back. He would launch us on his way to work and tell us to be back at the launch before dark. We would run the river all day unsupervised with 22s, always on the lookout for somewhere to hunt or explore. Never came back with an ounce of gas. Always putted in right before dark on fumes. We were very capable and confident young men by 16. We were hellions, but we were confident and capable hellions....lol.

I grew up in the 90’s in a rural area. We had free range with that kind of stuff. When we were 8-10 we had pellet guns around the house. Then about the time we were 13-14 and I showed I was responsible enough they let me have my shotgun. We would hunt squirrels and shoot doves behind the house.
Heck we used to get all the kids around together and have squirrel hunting tournaments. lol

About the same age 14 or so I would also bow hunt behind the house also. When I was 16 and could drive I would go bow hunt Sherburne after school in the evenings.

I think this whole helicopter parent thing is making kids take way longer to mature. instead of dealing with danger and learning lessons they are forced out in to the world with no knowledge of how to cope. yeah, letting some kids out on a boat all day is dangerous but how valuable was what yall learned about it? my dad let us use his boat as soon as i was old enough to drive. I remember we couldn't figure out what was wrong with the motor and turns out it was because we didn't pull the anchor up in big lake. drug it for a few miles. We also launched at west cove in a 16 ft skiff and since it was calm we went out to the short rigs. my brother and i were 15 and 16 when we did that.

yup. a lot of the dumb shite i've seen my buddies do as adults was because they didn't have the chance to do that dumb shite as kids.

quote:

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I shot squirrels right out of neighbors' trees with my Benjamin

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The Benjamin that I used to shoot squirrels out of the neighbor's trees still gets used to shoot them out of my own yard today. Sweet little pellet guns. It's a .20 though and those pellets are tougher to find these days.

shite. My dad would leave me alone on 1000 acres of land with my pellet gun and a full gun rack of rifles (that I would get my arse tore up if I ever touched) for hours at a time.

I was a lizard killing, bird sniping son a bitch at 7 years old

Mid 90s

idk how many thousands of robins i ate as a kid. we ate pretty much everything we shot

Well, that's the way it's done, or should be done. Good on you.

Grew up in Vernon Parish 70's graduated in 86. We had free reign, started early with bb guns and moved up to 22 & 12ga. soon after. Showing off your 12ga. in your trucks gun rack at school is what you did then....before I had a drivers lic. we would walk through the neighborhood to the woods carrying our guns we often hitchhiked on the way back home after walking in the woods all day. We always got a ride from some random farmer heading into town.