re: #139 Walking Spanish Down the Hall

As a 10, 11, 12 year old kid I used to take my .22 out and shoot targets. I enjoyed the destruction at a distance. I also took my bow out and tested my and the bow’s capabilities. I enjoyed making the arrow disappear into the distance.

I remember going squirrel hunting when I was much younger. My family had enough food so I didn’t need to bring home game. .22’s were affordable from my rather minimal allowance.

To make a long story short, I’d sit in the woods and practice my marksmanship by seeing how close I could get to the squirrel without hitting it. There were times when with my bolt action/tube magazine rifle I’d chase a squirrel up the tree with bark fragments urging him on then turn him around and chasing him back to the ground before letting him get away.

Not sure what that says about me, but OTOH, I just couldn’t see killing the critter when we had plenty of beef & chicken (and thus eggs as well) on the farm. I could do what needed be done then but the squirrel was just, somehow, different. Varmints - especially ones that killed the chickens - were a different story.