When I was growing up (and in the background you hear, “Were you young once”?) there were challenges that we all looked forward to meeting and age played a big factor as to us being able to meet them.

For instance, 15 1/2 was the age to get a learners driver permit and then at 16 you got your “real” license!  21 was a biggie and we all know about that.  18 was the age to be able to vote and of course when we could legally leave our secure little nests at home.  But earlier in our years we had to be of a certain age to be “trusted” with big people things….like bb guns, bikes and knives.

I think I was 8 years old when somehow I came to be the owner of a nice little folding pocket knife.  I remember being out by the coal shed making an arrow from a stick.  I was trying to make the notch for the bow string on one end of that stick, when the knife suddenly came into contact with my left thumb, cutting it to the bone from the end, down past the joint.  My sister Dee happened to be home tending me and my siblings at the time and she rushed me to the hospital for stitches.  I don’t know whatever happened to that knife, but I still have the scar.  So, in my mind 8 years was too young to have a knife….let’s save that until you are 10.

Bicycles are a different thing.  As soon as you can master the balance and peddling you are good to go.  That is, as long as you know when and where you can ride safely, watch for cars etc.  Oh, and be able to endure the scrapes and bruises that come with a fall or crash.  Fixing flat tires will be left for the older kids who have access to flat blade screwdrivers and wrenches.  Where did my 7/16th inch wrench go anyway?  Brandon!

BB guns!  A sure sign of a trusting age!  BB guns can hurt and break windows and cause you to lose a lot of privileges if miss handled.  And of course you need to know what “targets” are ok to shoot.  Some parents did not like you to shoot certain birds, while other parents really didn’t care what you shot as long as it wasn’t another person, or any of their windows.  Of course, as a young man there was always some sort of trouble lurking around the corner…or on the corner….that street light was just too tempting most of the time.

I was out shooting birds in the orchard one day, when the neighbor kid came running and grabbed my bb gun and started shooting another neighbor kid with it.  I was trying to get my bb gun back from him when suddenly a huge rock bounced off my head.  The kid getting shot, threw the rock to hit the other kid and missed him and hit me.  I was out like a light and woke up in the kitchen being tended to by mother and dad.  Later that kid came and apologized for hitting me with the rock.  He had a lot of welts on his face from being shot several times and the kid doing the shooting ended up moving out of town.  Whatever happened to that bb gun?  Oh well, let’s move up to a pellet gun, I’m old enough for that now.

16 was the age to be able to go hunting!  Pheasants, ducks, geese and deer!  YES!  What a great age to be.  Not only could I drive without having an older person in the car with me, but I could carry a gun and go hunting by myself!  Hunting safety was taught by my parents and other family members.  Don’t aim at anything you don’t intend to shoot.  Above all else, don’t aim at people (rocks can come falling down on you).   Don’t shoot at anything you don’t intend to eat.  Don’t shoot things that are not in season.  Always keep your guns muzzle pointed in a safe direction, away from other people, usually pointed upward.  Short people have another thing to worry about with that one.  When hunting with a buddy, always hand him your gun before crossing a fence or jumping a ditch.  Make sure the gun is unloaded when you put it in the car or take it into the house to be put away or when the day’s hunt is over.

There were a lot of  “rules” a 16 year old had to know before being trusted with a high powered rifle or shotgun.  And with so many of us “baby boomers” coming of age, the state of Utah officials decided that a hunters safety course would probably be a good investment.  Not only for the good of the youngsters, but also for other family members and people in general.  Not every young person was being given the necessary safety talks before being turned loose in the woods.  So it was about 1963 or so, when I first heard about this safety course thing.  A flyer was being passed around at school and me and my buddies all decided to take the course to see what it was all about.

I was 13 at the time and of course I knew “everything” about the safe handling of a high powered weapon.  Afterall, I did own a pellet gun and had taken some pretty big game with it.  My marksmanship was superb with that gun and could occasionally hit a flying bird with it.  I took the course and was humbled by the things they taught me that I did not know!  The guys from the Utah Division of Wildlife really thought that class through.  We learned a whole lot about the safe handling of guns.  They even threw in muzzleloaders and how to be safe with them.  My buddies and I took the course seriously, which we thought everyone was.  When the written test was taken all of us scored 100%.  Then out at the range, shooting 22 cal. rifles, we all scored perfect bulls-eyes with all 20 shots.

They gave each of us a little card that said we passed the course and even though we did not need it to buy our hunting licenses, we still had the card.  Mine is somewhere in the house and signed by Lee Robertson, the man who spearheaded the program in Utah!  Thanks Lee!  I know you are long gone from this earth, but your program is still very much alive and doing well.

Yesterday, my grandson, Conner, finished his hunter safety course with honors!  And here is the proud owner of his certificate and his first hunting license!  Congratulations Conner!  A job well done!

In today’s Utah hunting world you can hunt small game at any age, but you need to first pass the hunter safety program.  Conner is 10 and he is ready to take on a wild turkey!  I hope the Gods of game give him that opportunity in a few weeks.  For sure, his father and grandfather will be with him trying to get that job done!

Bears Butt

April 1, 2012