Okay background. I'm the mom. My main jobs are cook, clean, care for. Not hunt, shoot, or kill. That might be a dangerous addition to my repertoire! I do know how a gun works and what the important parts are and how to make it work. But I'm not sure about which gun shoots how- single shot vs semi-automatic- and which is a large enough gun etc. We managed to get the right gun and bullets and loaded for hunting.
We headed off on the fourwheeler because I didn't want to be on foot and thus prey for the fierce badger. The whole way I was worried about accidentally setting the gun off or one of us getting hurt. Or worse being in an armed standoff with a novice hunter and a big mean badger!!!
I kept telling John you only have one shot if you have to cock that gun it will be on you before you can get it reloaded. Which in honesty it was a semi-automatic gun he just had to pull the trigger not re-cock each time... didn't know that till he was spitting out live bullets with each cock.
Anyway When we got there the badger was throwing dirt out it's hole. John came up trepidatiously. I was of course freaking out... Giant mouse about to eat us up is going through my mind.
A very wealthy neighbor drove by about the time of this picture, we looked a site. Now note in the background this is only about 20 yards from a road which cars drive on often. Not too far from houses which of course bullets carry a long distance thus the chance of shooting a window out on our self-protection effort was a possibility. So amongst the adrenaline of a hunt there was the mom caution of not shooting a car or a neighbors house. So many variables!
So as I'm slightly freaking out and so proud my son can protect me and hoping he can protect me and realizing I didn't bring anything as back-up like a shovel or other gun (we couldn't find the right clip or caliber....) I was scared!! I called my hunting pro neighbors for help, they were gone. John shot once then three times. I forgot to share we had stopped well away from the site, to see if we could make the gun shoot, I figured out how to close, release, and engage all the right pieces. Oh man I'm a wuss, and terrible mom of sons. But I did keep offering helpful commentary like: "John that gun is live stop waving it around and put the safety back on before reloading. John you only have one shot make it count!"
So after a few shots and me feeling terrible for not creating the next generation of backwoods dead shot for future military conflicts-- too much reading war books I suppose, their mother's were so brave.
We had to reload. All the while anxiously watching the hole. Thank goodness the smart badger had blocked it off instead of coming out I may have died too watching it confront my son.
Well the more manly brave half of this family showed up instructing John to go point blank next time, much to my mortification. He was not surprised when I took refuge in the car and sheepishly laughed.
John was thrilled to shoot, he may have got a shot in the badger we'll see what the hole looks like today.
And so after an exciting anti-climatic event we returned home to dinner. I had literally been plating everyone up when the animal was reported and we rushed off to defend home and family.
When our hunting neighbors returned my call hours later my friend suggested I might just be a current day Barney Fife....uhm yes. All theatrics and little knowledge. Carrying a gun without bullets, yes unfortunately that is a pretty accurate account. In self-defense I think it helps my men-fold to fill manly to protect and know so much more than mom. My neighbor and his skilled outdoors loving wife had a good laugh which is fine. And if nothing else it is a memory that will probably last a while. I hope that varment is dead!
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