Dove Diary: Opening Weekend!

I just finished a dinner of bacon-wrapped dove, and while I sit here in this food-induced euphoric state, I thought I’d tell you a little bit about our dove hunting experience down on the farm this weekend.

We couldn’t have ordered up a better day. The skies were clear, there was a slight breeze in the air, and we were getting lucky with good aim. Plus, I got to try out my new Prois pro-edition vest, which I ended up loving. Full disclosure, Prois gave me this vest to review here.

After our ranch work was done (see my Instagram for some chain saw action) my mom dropped us off at hunting spots about 100 yards apart along a road.  Our gear had become strewn all over the truck during the course of the day, and so between locating it and deciding where each of us would hunt, we looked like a three ring circus. Cue the Benny Hill music and you have the scene.

Fact: we’ve unleashed a beast in Brandon.  This was his first dove hunt ever, and after three consecutive hits in a row, the man was hooked. Sitting at the spot I had picked out for him below soon came to be too blasé even for his gentle, patient soul. He stood up and took to walking the fenceline that separates our cropland and brush.

As for me, I’d rather sit and enjoy this nice view.

Hence why dove hunting is perhaps my favorite type of hunting. It requires you to park a chair under a shade tree and soak in your surroundings during nature’s finest hour–the last hour before sunset.

A main task in hunting dove is to continually watch the skies, scanning for a flutter of wings or activity on the horizon. With views like this, I certainly don’t mind.

And in case you were wondering “Where was Trooper during all of this activity?” he was perched on the console barking orders at cows and jackrabbits.

When I wasn’t on my stool by a mesquite tree, I was posted up by this fenceline as there were a lot of birds crossing over from the brush into the field on the other side of it.

(By the way–Anytime there is a drastic change in the landscape–such as where the landscape shifts from brush to grass or bare ground, you’re likely to see more wildlife.)

Here’s mom again, with her over and under Beretta.

I was shooting a 20 ga. Beretta semi-automatic shotgun.

Here are my 20 gauge shells. 8 shot is good for dove. 9 shot is good for skeet.

Down at the very end of this road you can see a fleck of grey–that’s Brandon on dove patrol.

I was on cactus patrol and sunset patrol.

I have about 99 million pictures of this same sunset. I can’t get enough of it. Bring on the brilliant hues.

By the end of the day we had under our bag limit but enough for dinner. All in all a productive trip to the “farmer’s market.”