Hunting and Cooking with Julia & Savannah
- Thread starter Brobee
- Start date
Introduction to her first centerfire hunting rifle:
I'm a pretty big fan of the CZ527 Carbine, and when I found out that they made a youth version I started looking and looking for one. If you've been following our youtube channel you'll know that my daughter has aspirations to go deer hunting when she finally meets the Alberta minimum age requirement of 12. She just turned 11 and I figured we better get started on learning a centerfire rifle that she can take hunting.
It took a while to find one, but when I did I pounced quickly and a couple days later I was giddily developing some low-recoil handloads that I'd feel comfortable using to introduce my 4 foot tall 75lb tiger to her first centerfire rifle. It did not take long to find a good load, and I set the rifle up with a Leopold VX2 2-7x33 in medium rings. She's been dry-firing it in the basement, and then this afternoon we got the chance for the first time to head out and fire it for real.
I brought out my iron-sighted CZ527 carbine, and she discovered the CZ527 Youth Carbine. We took turns ringing an 11 inch AR500 steel gong we set up at 100 meters. It was a TOTAL RIOT!! I've had trouble wiping the grin off my face all afternoon/evening.
I'll keep her using the reduced recoil loads for the next year while we work on her positional shooting and rifle fundamentals, then next summer I'll start bumping up her charge weight and get her used to the stouter recoil of a proper hunting load. The plan is to limit shots to 100 meters or less, and as her confidence grows I'll gradually decrease the plate size to 8 inches.
I thought hunting/shooting was fun before - but then I had kids and can't tell you how much more fun it is to share it with them...
Thanks for watching!
Cheers,
Brobee
I'm a pretty big fan of the CZ527 Carbine, and when I found out that they made a youth version I started looking and looking for one. If you've been following our youtube channel you'll know that my daughter has aspirations to go deer hunting when she finally meets the Alberta minimum age requirement of 12. She just turned 11 and I figured we better get started on learning a centerfire rifle that she can take hunting.
It took a while to find one, but when I did I pounced quickly and a couple days later I was giddily developing some low-recoil handloads that I'd feel comfortable using to introduce my 4 foot tall 75lb tiger to her first centerfire rifle. It did not take long to find a good load, and I set the rifle up with a Leopold VX2 2-7x33 in medium rings. She's been dry-firing it in the basement, and then this afternoon we got the chance for the first time to head out and fire it for real.
I brought out my iron-sighted CZ527 carbine, and she discovered the CZ527 Youth Carbine. We took turns ringing an 11 inch AR500 steel gong we set up at 100 meters. It was a TOTAL RIOT!! I've had trouble wiping the grin off my face all afternoon/evening.
I'll keep her using the reduced recoil loads for the next year while we work on her positional shooting and rifle fundamentals, then next summer I'll start bumping up her charge weight and get her used to the stouter recoil of a proper hunting load. The plan is to limit shots to 100 meters or less, and as her confidence grows I'll gradually decrease the plate size to 8 inches.
I thought hunting/shooting was fun before - but then I had kids and can't tell you how much more fun it is to share it with them...
Thanks for watching!
Cheers,
Brobee
Hunting and Cooking Squirrel Pot Pie
Daughter: "Dad! Do you think we could make squirrel-pot-pie?"
Dad: "Ummm....well....oh hell yes lets try! I'll go grab your gun, you get the dog."
And with that my daughter's quest for her own hunting and cooking show continues. We've been hunting on a large tract of private land and my daughter's noticed that we've been having to hunt harder and further to fill the game bag - she's understanding that her hunting influence is having an effect. So based on obvious territorial markers such as massive maddens and signs of high squirrel activity, we've been watching and have identified 6 squirrels (5 females and one male so far as I can tell...I never thought I'd be studying squirrels private areas through the spotting scope!) that get the free pass.
Hunting the rest of the property we've been having to work pretty hard, so this is likely her last squirrel episode until next fall/winter so the little suckers can, in her words, "re-populate" a bit.
Thanks so much for watching, she and I both get a big kick out of reading all your comments together.
Cheers,
Brobee
Daughter: "Dad! Do you think we could make squirrel-pot-pie?"
Dad: "Ummm....well....oh hell yes lets try! I'll go grab your gun, you get the dog."
And with that my daughter's quest for her own hunting and cooking show continues. We've been hunting on a large tract of private land and my daughter's noticed that we've been having to hunt harder and further to fill the game bag - she's understanding that her hunting influence is having an effect. So based on obvious territorial markers such as massive maddens and signs of high squirrel activity, we've been watching and have identified 6 squirrels (5 females and one male so far as I can tell...I never thought I'd be studying squirrels private areas through the spotting scope!) that get the free pass.
Hunting the rest of the property we've been having to work pretty hard, so this is likely her last squirrel episode until next fall/winter so the little suckers can, in her words, "re-populate" a bit.
Thanks so much for watching, she and I both get a big kick out of reading all your comments together.
Cheers,
Brobee
Hunting and Cooking Shake & Bake Squirrel
Was blessed to share another afternoon with my daughter on an epic squirrel hunt...this time the ladies are proud to present their recipe for Shake and Bake Squirrel:
It took us a couple of tries to get the recipe right - our first couple of attempts were a little heavy on the chilli powder. I thought it was the tastiest squirrel I'd ever eaten, however the kids vetoed what they called "dragon-breath-squirrel" and we dialled it down to what they present above.
On our hunting adventure, we were almost derailed when she stumbled over a creek crossing and got really wet. Disaster was narrowly averted by having a spare change of cloths handy in the car.
Best days of my life!
Cheers, and thanks for watching.
Brobee
Was blessed to share another afternoon with my daughter on an epic squirrel hunt...this time the ladies are proud to present their recipe for Shake and Bake Squirrel:
It took us a couple of tries to get the recipe right - our first couple of attempts were a little heavy on the chilli powder. I thought it was the tastiest squirrel I'd ever eaten, however the kids vetoed what they called "dragon-breath-squirrel" and we dialled it down to what they present above.
On our hunting adventure, we were almost derailed when she stumbled over a creek crossing and got really wet. Disaster was narrowly averted by having a spare change of cloths handy in the car.
Best days of my life!
Cheers, and thanks for watching.
Brobee
Hunting and Cooking Salt & Pepper Squirrel
So I was reviewing YouTube comments with my daughter the other day...some folks were commenting that they'd like to see how she cooks her squirrels. Well, here eyes popped wide with enthusiasm and she looked over at me and pronounced "Dad...we have to go squirrel hunting RIGHT NOW."
Sweeter words have never passed my ears, so off we went at the first opportunity:
Hope you enjoy her hunting/cooking video! She was choked about how she missed a squirrel a couple of times...maybe we can do another video where she shows us her new jungle-lane-squirrel-training-practice regime.
Cheers,
Brobee
So I was reviewing YouTube comments with my daughter the other day...some folks were commenting that they'd like to see how she cooks her squirrels. Well, here eyes popped wide with enthusiasm and she looked over at me and pronounced "Dad...we have to go squirrel hunting RIGHT NOW."
Sweeter words have never passed my ears, so off we went at the first opportunity:
Hope you enjoy her hunting/cooking video! She was choked about how she missed a squirrel a couple of times...maybe we can do another video where she shows us her new jungle-lane-squirrel-training-practice regime.
Cheers,
Brobee
Hunting and Cooking Chukar Chicken Fingers
[youtube]jmYwmbA18h0[/youtube]
Here's my 10 year old daughter as she tries hunting/cooking/tasting chukar partridge for the first time. She's pretty excited to have tried her hand at her first cooking show!
Me...I was relieved when the kids decided chukar chicken fingers are tasty! Now they want to come hunting some more for the ruffled grouse that run around the woods of our farm property. They were choked when I told them they had to be a couple years older before we could legally go hunting for wild birds instead of farmed/released birds, but it will give them a bit more time hone their skills and maybe get started in the wing shooting department.
Cheers, and thanks for watching,
Brobee
[youtube]jmYwmbA18h0[/youtube]
Here's my 10 year old daughter as she tries hunting/cooking/tasting chukar partridge for the first time. She's pretty excited to have tried her hand at her first cooking show!
Me...I was relieved when the kids decided chukar chicken fingers are tasty! Now they want to come hunting some more for the ruffled grouse that run around the woods of our farm property. They were choked when I told them they had to be a couple years older before we could legally go hunting for wild birds instead of farmed/released birds, but it will give them a bit more time hone their skills and maybe get started in the wing shooting department.
Cheers, and thanks for watching,
Brobee
First Experience Hunting Red Squirrels
I am a lucky man!
We eat a lot of venison in our house, and I've had both my daughters out deer hunting with me since they were about 4 years old. My eldest's deer hunting interest has since been growing and recently she's taken to checking it out on youtube.
Sometime not too long ago she discovered Eva Shockey's "Squiggle" adventure, and immediately asked if she could shoot her own whitetail too. I broke the bad news, and she's now choked that she has to wait a couple more years until she meets the minimum age requirement in our province. I told her that until then she should hone her hunting skills on squirrels and pigeons.
She was also wondering how long it would take for her to have her own hunting show and I told her that if she was hunting squirrels or pigeons she could start her show today!
So out we went to the farm and we bagged enough squirrels for dinner. We're also excited to send off their pelts for tanning.
Her gun is a Chiappa Double Badger over under (.22lr and .410 shotgun) we bought this winter. To try and make it fit her better I cut a large piece off the back end of the stock. The LOP of the gun is now 11.5 inches, and I'll add pieces back as she grows.
She's super pumped about her first hunting video, so if you've got a favourite type of hunt please let her know in the comment. And if you're a hunter and are looking for absolute happiness, try taking a kid hunting!
BEST.
DAY.
EVER!
Cheers,
Brobee
I am a lucky man!
We eat a lot of venison in our house, and I've had both my daughters out deer hunting with me since they were about 4 years old. My eldest's deer hunting interest has since been growing and recently she's taken to checking it out on youtube.
Sometime not too long ago she discovered Eva Shockey's "Squiggle" adventure, and immediately asked if she could shoot her own whitetail too. I broke the bad news, and she's now choked that she has to wait a couple more years until she meets the minimum age requirement in our province. I told her that until then she should hone her hunting skills on squirrels and pigeons.
She was also wondering how long it would take for her to have her own hunting show and I told her that if she was hunting squirrels or pigeons she could start her show today!
So out we went to the farm and we bagged enough squirrels for dinner. We're also excited to send off their pelts for tanning.
Her gun is a Chiappa Double Badger over under (.22lr and .410 shotgun) we bought this winter. To try and make it fit her better I cut a large piece off the back end of the stock. The LOP of the gun is now 11.5 inches, and I'll add pieces back as she grows.
She's super pumped about her first hunting video, so if you've got a favourite type of hunt please let her know in the comment. And if you're a hunter and are looking for absolute happiness, try taking a kid hunting!
BEST.
DAY.
EVER!
Cheers,
Brobee
Firing a shotgun for the first time, April 2014:
Was contemplating trying to get her cheek onto the buttstock but decided not to, instead just letting her run with it for maximum FUN FUN FUN (and safety) for her first outing. Lots of smiles, laughs, and yes I bought her that ice cream she mentioned....
What a great afternoon!
Cheers,
Brobee
Was contemplating trying to get her cheek onto the buttstock but decided not to, instead just letting her run with it for maximum FUN FUN FUN (and safety) for her first outing. Lots of smiles, laughs, and yes I bought her that ice cream she mentioned....
What a great afternoon!
Cheers,
Brobee
A preference for the .22
To this day Savannah prefers to shoot her .22 as in her words "it's not a kicker dad!"...so much so that she rarely wants to handle a shotgun or anything bigger. She also prefers to be "the scout", as she feels bad when she does the killing. I'm just happy she still agrees to come along. What is alarming though its the pleasure she takes in winning when we have "the steel challenge shootoff" as our family weekend event.
While she does not like the killing part, she does like the eating part. Maple deer breakfast sausage is her favourite, followed closely by deer pepperoni. I secretly hold hope that she loves these two things enough to maybe one day come deer hunting, but will let her make that choice. She's also right in there when it comes to cooking our small game.
To this day Savannah prefers to shoot her .22 as in her words "it's not a kicker dad!"...so much so that she rarely wants to handle a shotgun or anything bigger. She also prefers to be "the scout", as she feels bad when she does the killing. I'm just happy she still agrees to come along. What is alarming though its the pleasure she takes in winning when we have "the steel challenge shootoff" as our family weekend event.
While she does not like the killing part, she does like the eating part. Maple deer breakfast sausage is her favourite, followed closely by deer pepperoni. I secretly hold hope that she loves these two things enough to maybe one day come deer hunting, but will let her make that choice. She's also right in there when it comes to cooking our small game.
The best part: friends off sharing adventures
What I love the best though is that we're off in the woods sharing all these adventures together. I get to watch my girls explore their friendship, and am blessed that I get to participate in something I love too.
These are precious days, thanks for letting me share our hunting stories with you all.
Best,
Brobee
What I love the best though is that we're off in the woods sharing all these adventures together. I get to watch my girls explore their friendship, and am blessed that I get to participate in something I love too.
These are precious days, thanks for letting me share our hunting stories with you all.
Best,
Brobee
Hi there!
Over the Christmas break, Julia passed the Alberta Hunter Education Training course...she turns 12 this year and will meet the minimum age requirement to go deer hunting here in Alberta....woohoo! Last summer, the plan was to get her practiced up with a CZ 527 Youth Carbine in 7.62x39, but as we explored that rifle there were a couple of things that revealed themselves as somewhat wanting...high bolt throw requiring higher-than-optimal optic mounting, somewhat awkward safety and set trigger configuration, protrusion of magazine interfering with support hand placement, and limitations of 7.62x39 trajectory.
She's also been lamenting a lack of new content on the YouTube channel we share (Brobee223) fearful in her exclamation that "Dad, our fans will abandon us if we don't have regular new content!" So when I sold some stuff and used the $$ to get a Browning X-Bolt Micro Midas in .243 for her to try as as a contender for her first rifle, just the suggestion that we go try it out while making a new video brought on a big smile.
So despite nasty weather on the weekend, we bundled up and headed out to one of our shooting spots not far from the house. As we were zeroing the rifle, the trip instantly paid off as she spotted a rabbit and enthusiastically began to inquire as to it's eligibility as table-fare and the ethics of taking it. After a good discussion, she decided she wanted to try and take it. She put together a stalking plan to get to within what she felt was comfortable for range, and even brought her 5 gallon bucket along for use as a rest....
As soon as the rabbit was in the bucket, we headed home where I tried to talk her into making bunny burgers to no avail. She was determined that we would make rabbit stew as it is a staple in her video game minecraft and she wanted to try it in real life. *sigh*...bunny burgers will have to wait for another episode
A couple days later she wanted to complete her rifle review, so we headed back out. A happier kid I haven't seen for a while, and I think we like the Micro Midas better than the CZ Youth Carbine. The rifle seems to fit a bit better, there is no monkeying with a set trigger, the tang safety is intuitive for her, she is able to get better head placement/scope alignment, the rifle beats her up somewhat less, the bolt is easier for her to cycle and put into battery, and we will have less worry about trajectory.
Will try to get a couple more practice episodes in before the deer season this fall,
Thanks for watching!
Cheers,
Brobee
Over the Christmas break, Julia passed the Alberta Hunter Education Training course...she turns 12 this year and will meet the minimum age requirement to go deer hunting here in Alberta....woohoo! Last summer, the plan was to get her practiced up with a CZ 527 Youth Carbine in 7.62x39, but as we explored that rifle there were a couple of things that revealed themselves as somewhat wanting...high bolt throw requiring higher-than-optimal optic mounting, somewhat awkward safety and set trigger configuration, protrusion of magazine interfering with support hand placement, and limitations of 7.62x39 trajectory.
She's also been lamenting a lack of new content on the YouTube channel we share (Brobee223) fearful in her exclamation that "Dad, our fans will abandon us if we don't have regular new content!" So when I sold some stuff and used the $$ to get a Browning X-Bolt Micro Midas in .243 for her to try as as a contender for her first rifle, just the suggestion that we go try it out while making a new video brought on a big smile.
So despite nasty weather on the weekend, we bundled up and headed out to one of our shooting spots not far from the house. As we were zeroing the rifle, the trip instantly paid off as she spotted a rabbit and enthusiastically began to inquire as to it's eligibility as table-fare and the ethics of taking it. After a good discussion, she decided she wanted to try and take it. She put together a stalking plan to get to within what she felt was comfortable for range, and even brought her 5 gallon bucket along for use as a rest....
As soon as the rabbit was in the bucket, we headed home where I tried to talk her into making bunny burgers to no avail. She was determined that we would make rabbit stew as it is a staple in her video game minecraft and she wanted to try it in real life. *sigh*...bunny burgers will have to wait for another episode
A couple days later she wanted to complete her rifle review, so we headed back out. A happier kid I haven't seen for a while, and I think we like the Micro Midas better than the CZ Youth Carbine. The rifle seems to fit a bit better, there is no monkeying with a set trigger, the tang safety is intuitive for her, she is able to get better head placement/scope alignment, the rifle beats her up somewhat less, the bolt is easier for her to cycle and put into battery, and we will have less worry about trajectory.
Will try to get a couple more practice episodes in before the deer season this fall,
Thanks for watching!
Cheers,
Brobee
So I was lucky enough to get out this weekend with my oldest. Her birthday is quickly approaching, and that means she will be legal to hunt deer this coming season...WOOHOO! She is as keen as I am, and what is even better is that her preference seems to be to come shotgun deer hunting in the awesome foothills deer season we have here in Alberta.
We figured we better get her shotgun squared away, so our previous range session was to investigate slugs and a bunch of different buckshot. She did not care for the slugs at all, so we tried out 4 different types of buckshot to see which one pattered best. After choosing the best patterning one for her gun, we've moved on to getting to know her range limitations which is what her current episode is all about:
Thanks for watching!
Cheers,
Jason
We figured we better get her shotgun squared away, so our previous range session was to investigate slugs and a bunch of different buckshot. She did not care for the slugs at all, so we tried out 4 different types of buckshot to see which one pattered best. After choosing the best patterning one for her gun, we've moved on to getting to know her range limitations which is what her current episode is all about:
Thanks for watching!
Cheers,
Jason
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
14 frames between gun discharge and first feathers visible off bird.
14/240 frames per second = 0.058 seconds from discharge to first-feathers.
low-recoil/low-noise shell velocity = 950fps
950fps * 0.058 seconds = 55.1 feet from shooter to target at impact.
55.1 feet = 16.7 meters total range.
I recognize that the shot starts slowing down right out of the muzzle, so the calculation will err on the side of close range - my guesstimate was it was about a 20 yard shot. Also interesting to me is the apparant 1 complete downstroke of the birds wings in the same time interval, and that you can clearly see that the bird travels forward a couple feet within the interval thus the need for lead.
That is the best series of photos that I've seen in a long time. That kid looks like a damned statue...she hardly moved from the trigger pull through the final photo.
Great form and follow-through. She obviously had a good teacher!
