I lost my shooting buddy.

Star43 said:

As mentioned before, he is my next door neighbor and I see him every morning. Right now it is about 8:15 AM and I will be taking my little dog Lucy for a walk soon and he will be outside in his front yard puttering around. Every day is the same. We exchange pleasantries, I go for a little walk and he sees us coming back down the street and meets us at his driveway and pets Lucy. He really likes her. Then we talk a little bit about what's wrong with the world and then I walk home next door and he goes inside. Every day same, except in the past we would talk about shooting and when we would go next, and what day and time......and we always had fun going. Now he doesn't want to talk about it at all. He talks to people fine, but it's just different now

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Well not wanting to go deaf will make a person "different". Feeling you have to quit something you liked will make you different. Getting old makes you different.

He is a grown adult and he is as well versed on options and alternatives as any one in this thread. Do you really think he hasn't considered all this before deciding he doesn't want to risk what he has left? Lighten up a little. Sometimes ya just don't want to hear about it every freaking day and every time you turn on the TV they are selling hearing aids to old people and then the doctor says this or that and the wife is constantly telling you the same thing all day long and now even the neighbors dog is nagging at ya and just not hearing a squirrel hop through the leaves ever again is PITA enough. He may be wishing he'd never said a word about it to anyone by now.

johnp said:

Pick him up, go eat breakfast or lunch, do your wives shopping and enjoy the time. It doesn't have to be about shooting.

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He lives right next door !! I see him every day !! We talk about everything, what the crazy neighbor is doing, the darn liberals, etc.....he just doesn't want to talk about shooting.....

Jack Ryan said:

Well not wanting to go deaf will make a person "different". Feeling you have to quit something you liked will make you different. Getting old makes you different.

He is a grown adult and he is as well versed on options and alternatives as any one in this thread. Do you really think he hasn't considered all this before deciding he doesn't want to risk what he has left? Lighten up a little. Sometimes ya just don't want to hear about it every freaking day and every time you turn on the TV they are selling hearing aids to old people and then the doctor says this or that and the wife is constantly telling you the same thing all day long and now even the neighbors dog is nagging at ya and just not hearing a squirrel hop through the leaves ever again is PITA enough. He may be wishing he'd never said a word about it to anyone by now.

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I hear what you are saying and I know you mean well.....but you are wrong in saying I am bugging him at all about anything.....I do not bring it up at all, and in the past, HE would bring it up more than me....NO, I am not bugging him about it. I am not dumb enough to try to do that. I NEVER bring up his hearing. Never. Sometimes he brings it and I listen.i just try to be supportive. That's it

Star43 said:

I hear what you are saying and I know you mean well.....but you are wrong in saying I am bugging him at all about anything.....I do not bring it up at all, and in the past, HE would bring it up more than me....NO, I am not bugging him about it. I am not dumb enough to try to do that. I NEVER bring up his hearing. Never. Sometimes he brings it and I listen.i just try to be supportive. That's it

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I do hear you about watching TV and watching all the commercials about old people. Hearing and the yellow pills or the blue pills, or my favorite one, "Help me, I can't get up". All day long. I only watch very liitle TV and that's all I see. I realize it is on the channels we watch that are meant for folks in their 60's and 70's. You know, the old westerns , or the old comedies we grew up with.

Star43 said:

Smack dab in the middle between Fresno and Modesto. The Central Valley otherwise known as the San Joaquin Valley.....and it is Hot today. Just finished mowing my large lawn......

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My mother lived in Clovis and is buried in Fresno. My sister raised her kids in Lodi and is still there. My sister and I were raised in Santa Clarita.

foolslife said:

My mother lived in Clovis and is buried in Fresno. My sister raised her kids in Lodi and is still there. My sister and I were raised in Santa Clarita.

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Isn't Santa Clarita that very small community near Dos Palos, right off of Hwy. 152 Between Dos Palos and Los Banos ??

I just looked it up. Santa Clarita is down by LA. But I know where the Clovis and Lodi is. John Fogerty and the Credence Clearwater group came from Lodi ...Hence their song: "Lodi".

Gary Lee said:

Some of us simply prefer peaceful solitude regardless of our age or health conditions. But others are envious, and often go out of their way to disturb us because they lead miserable lives, are never satisfied, and they don't want anyone else to be content with their orderly, and comfortable lives.

Personally, I'm a thoughtful, creative introvert and I have no desire to mix with supposedly 'nice' people that prove to have the minds of programmed children, and the conduct of incorrigible adolescents.

Due to the increasing number of these pathetic malcontents, and gossip mongers, locating in our neighborhood, our private suburban sanctuary (Literally an oasis from the madness surrounding us.) is virtually a fortress with stockade fences, security cameras, motion detectors, floods, and one-way window applications to help us maintain our security, privacy, and peace of mind that such stressful situations can eventually destroy.

Oh, and we still go shooting whenever we feel like it.

(Forget about about seeking help from lawyers, or LE. We've tried that. They will only get involved after the harassment and verbal threats erupt into physical violence. )

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Sounds like you need a good shooting buddy !!

Star43 said:

Isn't Santa Clarita that very small community near Dos Palos, right off of Hwy. 152 Between Dos Palos and Los Banos ??

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It was actually Saugus in the 60's, then it became Canyon Country, then the entire area was Santa Clarita Valley.

foolslife said:

It was actually Saugus in the 60's, then it became Canyon Country, then the entire area was Santa Clarita Valley.

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Yeah, the area I was thinking about is Santa Rita Park, I think it is called, right near Dos Palos.

Star43 said:

That is very true as real pals are far and few between for sure, and when they are gone, it is not good.....I think his shooting days are done, from what I see now, but a main reason of starting this thread was to remind folks that if they have a "good shooting buddy", to enjoy it and have a good and safe time, to keep it going for as long as possible. We have to be thankful for what we have in life. Our families and our health.

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So very true

Interesting thread.
I got my hearing aids about five years ago from the VA. While talking with my doctor- and good friend - he suggested that I check with the folks in Audiology. I told him that if I did have a hearing loss it wouldn't be covered as it wouldn't be service connected. Most probably Harley Davidsons... He told me that I did have a hearing loss, that he knew better than I and wrote the scrip.
That evening I discussed it with my wife. As we were talking I realized that I was reading her lips as well as listening...!
Yikes!
Well, the hearing aids are great. They help with my tinnitus, are quite comfortable and do improve the quality of my life. A lot.

I'm glad my doctor kicked my butt in the right direction! Hard to believe, but he really did know better than I did...

Well, I saw my buddy this morning and while he was petting my dog. He asked me when I was going to retire, & if I was looking forward to it. I said yes as it will give me more time to do things around the house and hopefully go shooting more. He chuckled and then I told him straight that I had been a couple of times since he stopped wanting to go, but admitted that it wasn't the same as he wasn't there. He agreed it was fun but brought up his hearing again. I told him I agreed with his concerns and told him I didn't want to lose my hearing either. I asked him just to think about it if we got some new real good ear protection, and we could go when we thought it would be not busy at all, and even if people were there, we wouldn't shoot in the stalls at all. We could always use the other 2 ranges right side by side. In other words, we would try to keep away from the loudness as much as possible. It seemed he listened more when I told him I didn't want to go deaf either......He didn't say no and I could see he was at least partially open to the idea. The best part is I ended the conversation very casually saying we had a few months to go as that is when I was retire. It seemed positive.

Really?
Maybe there are other reasons but he doesn't know how to tell you. And he's using one that works and doesn't hurt.
Regardless, he gets to choose what he does.
Sad for you, sorry.

hike said:

Really?
Maybe there are other reasons but he doesn't know how to tell you. And he's using one that works and doesn't hurt.
Regardless, he gets to choose what he does.
Sad for you, sorry.

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Please read my post just before yours.

Very simple solution. Get a suppressor and shoot standard velocity ammo. Quiet as a mouse poot. Pistol or rifle. The sound of the action going back and forth is louder than the report. If bolt action shoot long CB's with no muffler. You won't believe it.

WAYNO said:

It's interesting the choices folks must make.

I also have a life long friend, flew for the airlines his whole life, has terrible tinnitus, and will not go shooting, regardless of layers of ear protection.

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Tinnitus I can relate its terrible and it is never ever shuts off!