Narrative by
Granny Oakley
My
Name
is
Gerry
McCann
and
here
is
the
story of how I took up hunting and
shooting sports. I never grew up in a
household with firearms however as long as I’ve known my husband he has
loved
to hunt and has owned firearms. After we
were married he encouraged me to shoot and hunt with him.
Like many other women my one thought was on
the poor animal. However Chuck (my
husband) showed me an article on the importance of hunting for
conservation
complete with pictures of animals suffering because of over population. So I thought what the heck I’d give it a try
once – with the thought I’d probably never do it again.
We hunted ducks and geese and then went on to
hunting white tail deer. That was over
30 years ago and no one was more surprised than I was that I’d enjoy
the
experience and would continue to hunt. I
might add at this point that one of my sisters also hunts and very much
enjoys
it. One of the perks now is that my
son
and grandson also hunt with us. I get to
spend quality time with all 3 of the important men in my life. We have an awesome time not only hunting and
enjoying the sounds and sight of nature but also having end gate
picnics while
discussing and re-living these same sights and sounds and the eventual
success
of our hunt for that day. I wouldn’t
trade these special times for anything, or the memories we have of our
times
together! I have another grandson coming
up and I look forward to watching him get his first deer as well. We have hunted with other friends,
unfortunately none of them women. All of
them have been very accepting of having me along. On
one
occasion
I
did
have
to
let
one group
know I wasn’t only there for an extra deer tag or to push bush!! Although I did take my turn too.
I
have also started hunting with a muzzle loader in the fall. Nothing quite compares to sitting in a stand
or by a tree watching the animals prepare for a long winter. We’ve had animals come in to us that are
close enough to touch – what a sight and experience that is. If you sit very quietly they will continue to
eat or go about their business. What a
thrill.
We
have
3
children
and
4
grandchildren. All
of them have grown up with firearms a part of their lives.
They learned to respect them and when they
were old enough learned how to use them safely.
Although our two daughters and two grand-daughters do not hunt
or shoot
they don’t feel in the least intimidated or fearfull of guns because of
the
proper respect they have been taught and the safe handling training
their dad
(grand-dad) insisted they get.
A
couple of years ago my husband started talking about the sport of
cowboy action
shooting. I went out to the gun club
with him the first Sunday he tried it and the rest is history as they
say. I was invited to give it a try as
well and
although I had never shot a pistol before I was assured by the other
people
there that no one was there to judge my shooting. Since
then
I
have
come
to
enjoy
this
sport as
much or more than my husband. The other
members of the club are very helpful.
They are always eager to help or lend a firearm to any new
comers. Never have I ever felt that they
were judging
my shooting or me. When they can they
have always been encouraging. I’m
fortunate that there are a couple of other women who love the sport in
our club
as well. Part of the enjoyment is the
friendships we have formed with the other members of the club. In the winter we meet regularly to stay in
touch and some of us go to the indoor range and practice with our
handguns for
the upcoming outdoor cowboy action season.
My husband is very supportive and has purchased and registered
to me a
couple of firearms! For me when I get
something new and shiny it isn’t diamonds but a new firearm! Also son and grandson also participate
and
come out to shoots so again it has also become a family outing. Another perk is we get to play dress-up, what
a lot of fun that is at our age!
Since
becoming
involved
in
the
sport
of
Wild
West
shooting I have applied for and
gotten my restricted FAC and have also become a certified SASS range
officer. My CAS alias is Granny
Oakley. I picked that name because my
oldest grandson always called me Granny Oakley when we were hunting and
it just
seemed appropriate to use it for my alias.
I think it is important for women to do those things so they can
own
their own fire-arms and also so they can be there to encourage other
women to
shoot and become involved in a sport that can be exciting as well as
challenging. Maybe some of the
unnecessary fear of firearms and of the unknown would also be
alleviated. Most of the men that
know I hunt and
participate in shooting comment on how they wish their wives would give
it a
try as well. My husband and I spend many
happy hours together sharing a sport we both love – one that we can
share with
good friends and other family members.
We have travelled to shoots in Alberta as well to other shoots
in Sask
where we have made many new friends. My
hope is that more women will come out and participate in this wonderful
sport.
I’ve
learned
that
when
my
husband
invites
me
to
try out a new gun or a new sport
that involves firearms not to say, “I’ll try it but I won’t like it”
and lucky
for me he keeps asking and he keeps me supplied with firearms and
bullets to
put in them!