Our shooting friends from our previous experience came along to give instruction and to keep us company. They also provided the guns and ammunition. A specially light shotgun had been picked out for me, since I have to do it with one hand. These guns are not light! Shotguns shoot cartridges full of shot, which I know is pretty bloody obvious, but I had never really thought about guns or bullets before. Unlike the cartridges we shot from rifles, these spray out and cover a small area with lots of little pieces of shot. So you've got more of a chance to hit something. It also accounts for all the nasty little pieces of shot you can get if you are eating a pheasant or the like.
The first thing that happens is we are clad in luminous orange, vest and hat, the idea being we avoid shooting each other. We have to get licensed to kill and agree not to sue in case of accident. I sign my life away for a tiny piece of paper.
We started off practising with clay pigeons. These are shot out at a tremendous speed from a suitably placed contraption. My instinct was to try to aim and then fire, but actually it all happens so fast if you stop to aim the thing has come and gone before you shoot. You have to almost let your instincts take over and shoot the minute you see it. A lot harder than you would think. My friend, who has shot before, brought up on a farm in Canada and has two good limbs!! turns out to be a natural. I hit one. I retire quite pleased that I managed that.
Lunch is pulled pork on rolls. Pulled pork is very big here. It is like flaked cooked pork in a sweet, almost chutney like sauce. Alright in limited doses. A bit too sweet. We drink iced tea, despite the fact it is jolly cold and we could have done with hot tea. The water is iced too.
The afternoon is for the massacre. The quail are brought in crates to be put out in the undergrowth, in tiny individual cages.
They are very pretty, but I also know they will taste good! They are not really in with much of a chance, even with those who can't hit anything. We go out in pairs with a hunting dog. When the dog sets, that is he sniffs them out then stands completely still. They are let out of little shoe box like cages and you have about 2 seconds to get em. The odds are very much in our favour and it is very different from hunting them in the wild, when there are lots of them and they shoot off in all directions confusing the enemy. Between the two of us we get a shot at 6 birds. Between us we get 4. I actually hit 2, one I just clip and my friend finishes. The other we both got him at the same time. Instant death. One, I missed and my friend had a gun problem, the last refused to fly. Shooting etiquette, you are not allowed to blast them when they are on the ground. This one just ran and refused to fly- so he got away. Sounds gruesome, but I think you should be prepared to kill what you eat.
This is the hunting dog. Just to make you feel it's the real thing.
Just got it: It's rather small, but I am holding a quail!
It was a very interesting experience, although a bit artificial. This is how you learn. I found shooting the real thing easier than the clay pigeons. It would help to have two good arms and hands, but it's also a good excuse. This is no place to be shy. You have to shoot in front of everyone else.
My friend did not want her share of the day's work, so I have 4 tasty quail, plucked and ready for when our visitors return from their trip down south. Yum.
Did I have qualms about killing nice little fluffy birds? No, not really. Killing a deer might be different.
The weather continues to be mad. This was the beginning of the week in Fulton:
This was two days later, the temperature has risen dramatically and the creek round town is over flowing.
It's hot and we are applying sun cream. We have lunch outside.
Roland and his brother surveying the mighty Missouri at Herman.
Next day, we are back to winter coats in Arrowrock, an early settlement to the north.
This is the gun shop.
On the way home we visit Ozarkland. Possibly the biggest collection of crap ever found under one roof. A wonderful place to visit.
We fancied this table!
The temperature hits 80 again and all the students are in their tiny shorts and flip flops. Tomorrow, it will be 40. This is apparently typical of Missouri weather. Unpredictable.
With all the concern over nuclear power and earthquakes, I was feeling very smug and safe here in the middle of Missouri. I was talking to the archivist and she said haven't you heard of the new Madrid earthquakes of 1811 and 1812. I hadn't, but I googled them and was rather taken aback. The tremors were such that they made church bells ring in Boston and what is now Toronto. Pavements cracked in Washington DC.
New Madrid is in south east Missouri, near the Mississippi, which is said to have flowed backwards for several days. It is considered one of the biggest earthquakes to have occurred in America. They estimate them all to have been 7 and above. 10 times greater than the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The zone is still active.......
The moral of this? Do your research before you go round feeling smug!
I will leave you with our college's mission statement heard today in an address by the president:-
Mission Statement: It shall be the mission of Westminster College to educate and inspire all its students through a distinctive liberal arts curriculum and a dynamic developmental experience; to challenge them to be critically aware, life-long learners and leaders of character, committed to the values of integrity, fairness, respect and responsibility; and to prepare them for lives of success, significance and service.
I don't remember my university having any such aspirations. Too cynical maybe, or just realistic.
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