Must have been 12, Dad knew the guy that owned the V-V ranch by Wardlow, 36 sections as I recall. Actually the first big game hunt for both of us, not something ordinary people did in Europe. He did manage to bag a little whitetail in the willows of the Red Deer river. 16 when I struck out on my own, I worked summers for some people that owned a remote ranch near Millarvile, vastly different from today,
Dad insisted no gun for me until I was 16, but 10. wasn't a lot of money, Rib Tor had barrels of LEs and no PAL required. My first sporterization and hid it in my closet.
Came November, I was stalking through the poplar, nice Mule deer buck came out of the trees same time as I did, I still have the mount.
Grizz