A 410 Single Barrel Shotgun
The week after Daddy took me squirrel hunting with my newly gifted 12-gauge single barrel shotgun that kicked like a mule on steroids, I set out on my own one afternoon when school let out. I put a handful of 12-gauge, hi-power shells in my pocket and walked to the nearest patch of woods.
Suddenlly, I saw a squirrel, and my pulse raced, and my arms trembled and when the squirrel was probably 40 yards away, I fired, and it hurt. I ended up shooting at distant squirrels on 7 occasions that afternoon and when I got home that night, I could barely raise my arm. On the next few hunts, I prayed that I would not even see a squirrel so I wouldn’t have to shoot, but I did, and it was always painful.
As my 13th birthday drew near, Daddy asked what I wanted and I said, “A shotgun, but maybe not such a powerful one.”
We went to the hardware store and there was a shiny new 410- single barrel Stevens shotgun on the rack. I raised it to my shoulder, and it came up perfectly. It wasn’t a youth model but had a standard stock with a full choke and a 26-inch barrel. The clerk rang it up for $49.
That very afternoon, I returned to my hunting grounds and saw a squirrel returning to his den tree right before dark. I got within about 20 yards away this time and shot him. My first squirrel! My first anything! I was in love with my new shotgun.
A few weeks later, quail season opened, and I killed 2 quail on my first hunt.
After a few hunts, I learned to shoot quickly, because if I didn’t, Daddy or his hunting partner, Melvin Crantz, would shoot the bird and I didn’t have a chance. So, I shot almost instantly, faster than my adult partners, and I became a very good shot.
The little shotgun gun wasn’t fancy, and I don’t think they even make Stevens shotguns anymore, but I wish I still had it. What memories it would deliver.
