Dove, Dogs, and Shotguns

Today, in central and north Texas, thousands of hopeful dove hunters seek to bag their 15 dove. Stores like Academy and Bass Pro have pallets of shells and dove decoys on the floor seeking to entice last minute buyers and me I’m stuck at work.

A mild cool front set the mood this morning on my drive in, as I remembered small tid bits of opening days in the past. My 1st chocolate lab, Scooby, taking off across the field seemingly deaf to my commands, my cousin Billy bitching about a slow start, my dad waking me up and an ungodly hour to get the best spot. All these things are what make hunting so addicting. The good days and bad fade away but the memories last. So as you come in from the morning hunt, telling stories of near misses and hits, take it all in, because it just doesn’t get any better than waiting for the sun to rise on opening day.

As for me, I’ll get my chance this weekend, as I suspect many dove hunters will. I’ll give you a full report of the hunting on a new dove lease in North Texas. I would love to hear from you on where you hunted ( you don’t have to be to specific) and how the birds were flying on this September 1st.

Be careful, and remember “Safeties ON!”

• Walking the field Perhaps my favorite way to hunt dove is to walk the field for those dove that  have lighted in the field. Of course, if you are in a big shoot with many other shotguns, you can't do this for obvious safety reasons.  However, later in the season this method can be......
• Upland Bird Country Review Recently my brother did a little quail hunting courtesy of the folks at Upland Bird Country. He had a blast and I asked him to write up a review for all you bird hunters who live near Dallas, TX. Thanks bro. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Upland Bird Country Review Location: Corsicana, TX (~60 miles......
• TPWD Offering 'Big Time' Hunts  In the mail yesterday I received Texas Parks & Wildlife Department's special drawings magazine. Right inside the front cover was an advertisement for 'BIG TIME Texas Hunts'. There are seven 'Big Time' hunts you can put in for. They all start with Texas, e.g. Texas Premium Buck Hunt, exotic safari,......

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On our first trip to South Texas dove hunting my dad, brother, and I had a hair-brained idea to head south at 8:00 P.M.. The plan was to make the six hour drive, get four or five hours of sleep and hit the field for the morning hunt. Let’s just say the ride was almost as spectacular as the hunt was.

We arrived in Donna, TX somewhere around two in the morning and that is where the fun began. We thought we would find the lease and get a nap in the truck. Finding the lease sounded easy enough, but turned out to be no small feat. We drove up and down the roads looking for an entrance to the Longoria Unit. We were suffering from sleep deprivation and the TPWD map just didn’t have enough details on it to navigate in the dark.

Meanwhile, there was another sub-plot going on that would turn out to be one of our fondest memories. As we drove up and down the streets in Donna there were several questionable activities going on in this not so good neighborhood. Dad was driving his truck and my brother and I were in mine. So, for the banditos (as they became known) having two vehicles passing back and forth seemed to bother them. They started changing their locations, which made us paranoid, thinking they were looking for us. At one point, Dad stopped and got his 12 gauge out and loaded it. I followed Dad’s lead and did the same.

By now a good hour and a half had gone by since we came into town. We were ready to give up and would have killed for some sleep. Alas, we found it, on the same dirt road we had been on twenty times and just didn’t go far enough. We pulled up, stretched our legs for a minute, and with the thought of the banditos fresh in our mind, laid back for a two hour nap.

As my brother and I drifted off into neverland, BOOM, BANG!! WERE UNDER ATTACK!!! I jumped up hit my head on the top of cab, tried to grab my gun, and almost messed in my pants all in a split second. Luckily my shotgun was on safety, because I would have blasted a hole right through my transmission. 

As for the attack, it was my dad dropping his tailgate and letting his dog out of the kennel. I just knew the banditos had found us and my adrenalin and lack of sleep caused a pretty serious over reaction.

Dad laughed so hard he almost fainted. I have to admit, it was pretty funny. Now every year there is at least some mention of the banditos on our dove hunting trips. A memory that will be with us long after we forget about all the good or bad shots we made. 

I think that anyone who is against hunting should try it. Whether it is dove hunting or any other type of hunting, the time spent hunting makes for some great times with friends and family. That’s what it is all about for me.

Sure, I’ll be the first to tell you how much I love the sport of dove hunting. But for me the sport is so intertwined with the times with Dad and my brother and now my two oldest sons. Three generations of my family will be in the field this year and for years to come. That is big.

The hunt is always fun, but remember the ride there, the hotel rooms and everything in between. It’s a package deal and it’s all worth it’s weight in gold.

Time to RELOAD!

Dove, Dogs, & Shotguns

• Finding Good Dove Leases - Easier Said Than Done There are hundreds of dove leases advertised on the Internet and in newspapers. Just about everyone tells you that they have the best dove hunting in Texas. How do you know which ones actually have dove on them? IF you have a large bank account and can afford to hunt on......
• Shooting, mind over matter        Shooting a shotgun is as much mental warfare  as it is fundamentals. This past Saturday my brother, my dad, my two oldest sons, andI went to the skeet range. We decided to shoot a round of trap since the skeet range was packed. All of us ,except Dad, had......
• And the Season Begins Today, in central and north Texas, thousands of hopeful dove hunters seek to bag their 15 dove. Stores like Academy and Bass Pro have pallets of shells and dove decoys on the floor seeking to entice last minute buyers and me I'm stuck at work. A mild cool front set......

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