Says Me: Life is Short. Buy the Gun.

When I was growing up scenes like the one above filled my head. It’s a photo of a guy named Murray in hunting camp, and by the looks of it I’d say it was taken in the 1960s or ’70s. Scenes like this evoked such a sense of nostalgia in me—I didn’t know the word or what it meant, mind you, I just knew I had to become a part of “it.” But even though I lacked the wisdom to articulate something like nostalgia, I knew intrinsically I needed experience in order to say I belonged. So I set out to get some. Gun purchases became part of that experience.

Surely I am not alone. Who can soak in this photo without dreaming of his first deer camp, and the years of experience he’s gained since? Who can gaze at a hunter caring for his rifle without dreaming of guns he’s owned, or still wishes to acquire?

A few things date the photo of Murray. For starters, the hunter is wearing an orange vest—you can tell even if it is a black-and-white photo. Orange vests didn’t start to take off until the early 1960s; by the time I started deer hunting in the 1970s they were required in many places. He’s cleaning a bolt action rifle with open sights that does not wear a scope. In the 1970s most hunters didn’t trust riflescopes to remain fog-free. I was one of them. So, like many hunters, in poor weather I covered my riflescope with a plastic bag.

Oh, how times change. I can’t remember the last time I worried about my scope fogging or my gun rusting—such is the quality of gear available today. Some old sports may complain about all the whiz-bang gadgetry today but I’m not one of them, as I’m more apt to hunt with a 6.5 PRC or 7mm PRC I’ve purchased recently than with Dad’s old Marlin 336 in .35 Rem or with the first bolt-action rifle I ever purchased, a Winchester Model 70 Classic Featherweight in .270 Win.

If that describes you, too, check out our new gun guide on p. 38. It’s chockful of rifles and shotguns ready for hunting season. The overwhelming thought we had as we gazed at all this eye candy was, you guessed it: how times change. So many guns leave the factory these days fitted with upgrades that just a few years ago were available only on custom guns. Hunters benefit, and hunting is better for it, I think.

Fifty years from now the nostalgic scenes our heirs will conjure will be photos of us carrying guns supremely upgraded from the likes of Murray and his lot. Call it hunting, evolved.

-Scott Olmsted, Editor in Chief

NRA Hunter’s Code of Ethics 

1. I will consider myself an invited guest of the landowner, seeking his permission, and so conducting myself that I may be welcome in the future.
2. I will obey the rules of safe gun handling, and will courteously but firmly insist that others who hunt with me do the same.
3. I will obey all game laws and regulations and will insist that my companions do likewise.
4. I will do my best to acquire those marksmanship skills which ensure clean, sportsmanlike kills.
5. I will support conservation efforts which can ensure good hunting for future generations of Americans.
6. I will pass along to younger hunters the attitudes and skills essential to a true outdoor sportsman.

The editors welcome your letters. Mail them to:

Says You, American Hunter, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030-9400.

Or email us at [email protected]. Letters may be edited for the sake of brevity.