Kaboom!

 I've never shot a gun in my life. Except one small time. At a girl's camp. It was a fact that I was sad to admit. Although there are gun restrictions and control in Canada where i'm from, we still owned a gun as a farming family. It was part of the culture.

That being said, it was Dad's job to take us all out and teach us how to shoot the gun. All nine of us (me being the second youngest) were obliged to at least learn how to shoot it, to protect the farm from any encroaching ruffian animals (particularly of the furry, rodent type)

This happened to everyone. Except for me. Somehow I was missed. Awesome. Not.

It's curious to me. To this day i'm not sure why it happened. (Although I still tease that it was a matter of child preference.) :)

So, I spend this thanksgiving with a family of one my good friend who lives here in Utah. His family is excited about my visit, and one of the activities they deem necessary is that we go shooting.

I couldn't hide my excitement about this...Although I was slightly worried that I might fail, and epically.

Luckily I was in good hands. Two in the family, including their dad, were certified gun trainers. I was taught the rules and ropes of shooting a gun, and then we drove out to the range.
The youngest brother began. To my shock, this was not target practice as I expected it to be. A clay, disk like apparatus, (later I learned they were called clay pigeon) was shot out of a house into the sky at the press of a button. My friends little brother aimed, fired, and kaboom! The clay pigeon shattered.

 Left: Clay Pigeons. These would be flung into the air like a Frisbee by a machine and would fall in a projectile. It was my job to aim and shoot before it fell.








Soon it was my turn. I knew I learn fast, but I wasn't sure how well I would do at this particular task. I took up my newly learned form for my practice shots.
I was ready. "Pull!" I called out, and the button was pushed. Aim and fire! Miss.

 I proceeded to miss all my practice shots. Yet I was reassured I was close. I expected this result....but at the same time the competitive part of me wanted to be as deadly of an aim as everyone around me.
Soon it was my turn. Again. My friends father gave me the advice to start my aim more to the right, to compensate for the wind. I nodded, adjusted my aim, paused, then "pull!"

Another clay pigeon projected into the air, until BANG! It exploded.

I lowered the gun, happily. I did it! Yet I put it off as luck. Until, in my next shot, I hit it. And then again. And again. And again!

To this day I don't know how I did it, but on my first try at shooting clay pigeons, I was able to hit 20/25 of my targets after my initial shots. My friend's family, impressed, regarded me as a natural. I was honored - but attributed it to the fact that I had excellent teachers.

Yet, not gunna lie, it was pretty fun having that much success during my first try.