From Ricky Roman
So close yet so far from the shot!
Branches are part of the game, and they may be in my way, but that's ok, as that is what the owl is used to. They may obstruct my shot but that is part of the fun.
Barred owl
My parents and grandparents were into hunting and shooting sports, so I have always been around them and learned how to use them responsibly from an early age, so I used to think it was something everyone did.
I used to shoot 5-7 days a week. Ammo was dirt cheap so I have some guns that used to be really fun, but are now too expensive to use all that much, so I hunt one week a year and go skeet shooting a few times, and occasionally plink at targets with one of the 22s or 38 Specials that I have a pile of reloading stuff for.
It doesn't excite me as much as it used to either, as gun ownership has become more politicized for everyone, so it's also hard to find anyone I want to shoot with other than my brother. It used to be a fun hobby where people would just shoot the breeze more than the guns, but now clubs here are filled with MAGAs and plastered with Republican propaganda so I don't feel as welcome as I used to.
I spend a lot more time watching Forgotten Weapons and C&Rsenal than I do shooting these days. Still get the mechanical bits and history stuff and they don't typically talk political stuff, which is probably good.
Karl of InRange does get political when I am in the mood for that, and he's a good guest occasionally on Behind the Bastards as well.
It would be nice if local clubs could be more like that, but at least there are a few avenues left.