Here’s to the True Originals: Father’s Day Stories from Benjamin
It’s time to raise a cheer to the men who made us who we are and who taught us all they know. Happy Father's Day!
At Benjamin, this holiday means a lot to us. Many of us learned our love of airgunning and hunting and plinking at our father’s side. Our dads passed their wisdom and experience down to us, and we’re working on handing it down to our kids in turn.
So for those of us who were lucky enough to have a dad worth celebrating, and for those of us who are doing our damnedest to be the best dads we can be: gratitude and respect.
One way we’re marking this occasion is by sharing some stories from our staff about their experiences with fatherhood.
Getting Initiated into the World of Hunting, with Mike
Mike Rougeux, Director of Manufacturing at our Bloomfield factory, has been relishing his time outdoors since he was a kid. As he says, “I’m not afraid of commitment; I’ve been hunting all my life.”
And he learned that way of life from his father. He recalls the day his parents gave him his first air rifle. He was about 10-years-old and had been working on the farm across the street from his house, where he took care of the calves. Mike’s father, an outdoorsman, surprised him with a Crosman 760.
And that was how Mike got initiated into the traditions of hunting.
Mike’s father took him out on his first hunt, and Mike did the same for his son, Cody, taking his boy to sit in a tree stand when he was about 8. It’s a tradition, and a generational thing, for the Rougeux’s. Getting out the air rifle and going hunting is how they celebrate being together on Thanksgiving Day. Mike and his son have done that every year for the past decade.
For Mike, there’s something spiritual about the practice: respecting the integrity of the animals you’re chasing, honoring the traditions of the hunting camp, and bonding with your kin.
Today, Mike uses a Marauder that’s he’s specialized for predator hunting. He put a Boyd stock on it and got the line leaders in the factory to tune it for him. He also spent a week last year in Florida harvesting a boar with his customized Airbow. Those are some of the perks of working at Benjamin!
And Mike passes those perks and that respect for hunting on. He does a lot with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, taking youth out to hunt turkey and deer. He’s rightly proud of being part of the honorable work of getting kids involved in the outdoors.
Right on Target with Phillip
Senior Product Manager Phillip Guadalupe first got into shooting when he was growing up in Virginia Beach. That first air rifle he got might have been the initial step on a path that eventually led him into the Marine Corps and then to Benjamin.
Today, as a father, he’s done his best to get his kids into the sport of shooting. Every time he’d bring an airgun out they’d want to see it and learn from him. Because we’re talking about Benjamin airguns, adjusting them for little hands was straightforward. Phillip would tailor an airgun for his sons as he taught them safe weapon handling.
Phillip first brought home a Marauder Pistol with the intention of introducing his boys—Cameron and Dominic—to the satisfaction of precision shooting. The variable pump gun had a heavy trigger, which isn’t ideal for a young kid. So Phillip adjusted it for a lighter pull, added a stock and red dot sight, and got them working on targets.
As a Marine, Phillip used to shoot competitively, and he still enjoys long-range precision shooting. Cameron—his oldest—has tried his hand at a number of different Benjamin and Crosman airguns, with Dominic not far behind. Phillip’s plan is to gradually train the boys—and his younger twin girls—in the fundamentals with an Armada as they work their way towards using a traditional firearm.
Even his girls, Emery and Ellie, who are still just five, like to plink tin cans. Phillip will hold the airgun for them and let them sight it and pull the trigger. It’s quality time with dad, doing what they all enjoy.
What are your memories of dad? How will you celebrate Father’s Day?
From all of us at Benjamin, we wish you the best.