Before there were Wiis and PS3s, before MotoRazrs and iPods, we had a thing called the Generation Gap. In those days, gray-haired folks lamented that it was difficult to speak to young people. I remember. I was one of those young people.

It was comforting to think that if an older person extended a hand across the invisible gulf that a teenager would grasp it and real communication would ensue.

Sorry grandpa, but you had it easy. Today’s young person has tiny speakers in each ear, a cell phone in one hand and a game controller in the other. They unplug for soccer, basketball and little else. Information streams faster than asteroids in hyperspace. And the kids speak Instant Message, a language we didn’t learn in school.

As a former young person, I remember those people that took the time to reach across the generations. A construction foreman taught me how to pan for gold. An engineer taught me how to run a river in a kayak. And a logger taught me safety with gun and bow. Those shared experiences helped bridge the gap, gave me a frame of reference for communicating with older folks and taught me a sense of history.

Today’s technology has widened the gap. Catch a kid between songs, games or instant messages and you’ve got less time to communicate than grandpa did. Better make it fast. Here are some ideas.

This year, an old-timer has the opportunity to take a young hunter to the woods the weekend before the beginning of the General Spring Turkey Season. Hunters, aged 17 and younger, are permitted to hunt on April 7 and 8 when accompanied by an adult.

Ground squirrels offer another chance to take a youngster afield. Teamed up, two hunters can take turns spotting and stalking. Optics help the spotter direct the shots. Such work makes both hunters more proficient. For the young shooter, looking forward to his or her first big game season, the practice is invaluable.

This is also a good time to teach the novice the difference between legal small game and protected species. Hunters should avoid shooting pine squirrels, golden-mantled ground squirrels and chipmunks, which are protected.

April and May are the prime months for shooting as crops sprout and grow through last year’s stubble. Head east or south to find the best hunting.

The coyote can be hunted from one end of the state to the other. A mouth-blown predator call is easily mastered with the help of an instructional DVD. There are several good electronic calls on the market as well. This isn’t easy. Many adults are still trying to bag their first one, but it’s the chase that makes the memories.

The state of Oregon offers big game hunts designed specifically for kids aged 12-17. See the Oregon Big Game Regulations for details. A youth ”First Time” hunt program guarantees that youngsters will be eligible to receive up to three tags: one for buck deer, one for antlerless deer and one for antlerless elk.

In Oregon, Hunter Education is mandatory for anyone under the age of 18 who intends to hunt anywhere other than on family land. A young hunter must hold a license and a Hunter Education certificate.

Classes are held in the spring. Admission is $10. In Bend and La Pine, call Dan Ramming at 382-7229. In Sunriver, call John Wainwright at 593-6975. In Redmond, call 548-6066 to register.

On May 26, the Central Oregon Shooting Sports Association, in conjunction with the local chapters of Safari Club International and Oregon Hunters Association, will offer a Youth Hunter Challenge course. Kids ages 8-17 (and their parents), will be taught marksmanship with a .22 rifle, a big game rifle, a shotgun and a recurve bow. Shooting at small game, big game and airborne targets, the top scorers will take home gift certificates and prizes for each age division. For information, email mglewis@coinet.com.

Last year, I saw the excitement and satisfaction in the eyes of several new hunters as they made good shots. I saw two young boys take a brace of pheasants home for their first taste of wild meat. Last year, my oldest daughter tagged her second deer – a blacktail – then cleaned it and packed it to the truck. The venison fed the family for a month. You can’t do that with a Play Station.

While the bass line pounds and pixels flash, childhood memories are built in a series of computer-generated images. But real life goes on outside of the virtual electronic world. And real life is the place where shared experiences cross the generation gap and lead to the pursuit of common goals and recollections that last.