I set up a rest. They liked the scope and did well with it. When Adam turned seven, I asked him if he wanted to tag along with me groundhog hunting some evening. Of course I told him he could not shoot the rifle, but I gave him binoculars and told him it was his job to help look for groundhogs. I told him we were a team and any groundhogs we shot, we did it together. It was his groundhog as much as mine. The first time we went out, I got off some shots but missed and we went home emptyhanded. I wasn’t sure if Adam liked hunting groundhogs or not because he’s a quiet fellow. One evening we went AARON with his first groundhog courtesy of the .17 Cal. at 75 yards. again and I shot one at 300 out again. I told Adam to put the yards and when we went up to see crosshairs on the groundhog’s neck it, Adam wanted to hold it and have and squeeze the trigger. He did it like his picture taken with it. From that day on it has been a tradition to take a pro and down went the groundhog. Adam picked up his groundhog and a picture of him holding up every we started taking pictures. I know groundhog we shoot. he was proud, but not as proud as his As time went on Adam became grandpa. aware of other animals. We saw One day I took him to the range turkeys, foxes and sometimes deer. and set him down on a bench for One day we even saw a big coyote. 200 yards and put my .22/250 on the I showed him different tracks in the sandbags. I let him look through the mud and told him what they were. It scope and asked if he wanted to shoot looked like I had a hunting buddy. it. Of course he did. When we walked The next season when he was eight I bought him a mentored youth down to the target he had five holes in less than a 2-inch circle. I told him permit. I got him a Savage 17-calihe could now hunt with the .22-250. ber varmint rifle, and the first time I It wasn’t until late August until we took him out, we saw a groundhog 85 yards away. His first shot went over it got out again. I took him up to a farm in Perry County where the alfalfa was and it went back into its hole. A few just cut. He missed one high at about minutes later the groundhog came 24 GAME NEWS