[fabsroman]

I learned from my dad. We started in the backyard with a pellet gun. He held the gun, but let me aim and pull the trigger. For the most part, he was in control of the gun, but I got to do the fine tuning of it. Same thing happened with the shotgun a couple of year later.

The frustrating part came when I was allowed to use the .410 shotgun on my own. He really didn't teach me about lead or any of that stuff. He just told me I had to shoot in front of the bird, so I tried. I finally killed my first dove after a couple of years of frustration and that was only because it was coming into a wire to land. By the time I graduated to the 12 gauge, I had a pretty good idea about wing shooting, but I have gotten better over the years by reading a lot about it and practicing a lot on clays.

Rifle shooting I did on my own. My dad isn't into shooting rifles and doesn't like to deer hunt either. So, I taught myself. Same goes for reloading. I learned the basics from my dad, but all he ever did was load the same type of shell for trap shooting. He had no idea about powder charges and using different components.

Learned the basics about hunting from my dad, but learned the rest from reading.

Women make better learners when it comes to shooting because they are willing to listen. Most men think they know everything about shooting, me included.

Good luck, be patient, and have a good time. However, remember that nothing good comes easy.