Opening Day of Dove Season

[Buffalobob]

Dove season opened on Labor Day and the weather was hot and clear. That is always bad when hunting a public field. It means that everyone shows up. I went early and got my usual shooting spot staked out so we would have a good place to shoot without fighting with people over who shot the bird. If we do our job we kill the bird before anyone else has a chance. If we miss then they get a chance. It's not the best spot in the field but its good for a person with my temperament who believes in succeeding or failing by your own skill.

I had taken my son and daughter to the skeet range earlier in the week and let them practice being as she had not shot a shotgun in about ten years and he had not shot one in two years. This would be my daughter's first hunting.

Cynthia held her own and hit a lot of birds and killed three or four with the 20 gauge Rem 11-87. I think she was just not quite getting them centered in the pattern. I watched her hit a bird twice in a row and one of the guys back behind her finished it off. He was a nice kid who actually caught the bird in his hand as it fell and then brought it to her as if she had killed it. Clearly, she was doing a lot of things right but was just not completely on target. Phil killed maybe five or six and I might have killed four or five. I doubt anybody did much better as the doves were just not flying in the heat.

For dinner tonight we had fried dove breast fillets, pan gravy, from scratch biscuits and corn on the cob.

The pictures are a little scarce but I got the ones that were important to me. Training a person at the F-class range or at the skeet range is one thing but seeing them perform in the field is great.

 

[AJ Peacock]

Very nice. We aren't 'allowed' to shoot those beautiful birds here in Michigan.

The best I've ever had was winter time dove shooting in Southern Arizona. When the birds fly down there, they can blacken the sky.

Nice job getting the kids out!


AJ

 

[eddybo]

Man will you adopt me....you do all sorts of cool stuff with your kids. I would promise not to beat you at f-class.

 

[J E Custom]

BB

Our season opens sept 20'th for white wing, mourning and white tipped doves
and I cant wait.(But I will have to).

Looks like you had a good spot and a lot of fun.

J E CUSTOM

 

[ollie6x47]

Here in pa my friends and i have shot 54 since monday. With 4 down and lost in the high weeds. Have had a great time we look forward to this every year it is the one season that we can talk and razz each other and not scare away the birds.

 

[Crane]

Opened up in Alabama yesterday. It's more of a social event than a hunt in my neck of the woods. Beverages, bar-b-que, Auburn and Alabama football games on big screen TV's running on generators; it was great. Took my eleven year old son on his first dove shoot. Kind of freaked him out when I handed him a Winchester model 50 12 ga. instead of his single barrel .20 ga. The model 50 is soft shooting with field loads but I worried about the weight a little. I didn't want him to get discouraged missing with a single barrel .20 ga. and figured it would be a little easier to hit with a 12 ga. IC choke; three shots doesn't hurt either. He did very well killing about 10 out of about 4 boxes of shells. That's better than some of the adults. It was a first for me, walking away and leaving him alone with a firearm. I had to drag him out of that field just to eat, then right back in. He got a little life lesson with a wounded bird. I told him to yank it's head off, but he didn't want too. After a few minutes I was becoming very annoyed with my son not doing as I told him. I was headed his way when I remembered a similiar situation I had and my dad was not very understanding. After I dispatched the bird I explained to him why it was crueler to let it suffer and he had a responsibility after wounding it to put it down quickly. I think he realized pulling the trigger is a rather sterile event that could lead to some unpleasant consequences. He had to do it a few times more before the day was done. It was a great day for me and my son had a ball, the birds were flying, the bar-b-que was good and my teams won.

 

[Buffalobob]

I think that is why I like dove season. It reminds me of the good times when I was a kid.

 

[Tracer]

BuffaloBob, great picture and memories that will last all of you a lifetime! Yep, love to dove hunt but will not get to go this season for the sake of a bum foot. Also must babysit a couple of German Shorthair Pointer litters that our #1 & #2 bitch had a couple weeks ago.

Hope things will be lined out for us to go pheasant & quail hunting, when the season opens up this year. We love to watch those dogs work for their keep savvy.