|
Jesse's Hunting > Hunting Articles > Hunting Articles Archives > Keeping up the Tradition - Dove Hunting
Keeping up the Tradition - Dove Hunting
Xavier Limon - JHO ProStaff
- Southern California
September 26, 2005
Dawn of another season
For many hunters around the country, the fall dove opener heralds the beginning of the hunting season. It has become a grand tradition for both family and friends. |
For most hunters, dove season was where they wet their feet. Perhaps, they started off as the “bird dog” when they were too young to get a license or shoulder a shotgun; nipping at dad’s heels, anxious to start shooting doves. Perhaps they have a start similar to mine.
I wasn’t raised in a family that hunted. I grew up in your typical suburban family not exposed to the outdoors. Our family participated in some trailer camping, but there was nothing beyond that; no hiking, no fishing, no shooting, no hunting. I still get into debates with my father about whether or not people should own guns.
Fortunately, I married a woman whose father hunted since childhood. However, it was through my wife’s cousin’s husband (for all intents and purposes – he’s simply my cousin) that my life has forever been altered. A life filled with fishing, hunting, and everything associated with it. Although my father in law wasn’t able to hunt much during my wife’s adolescent years (for which he has profusely apologized!), once my cousin introduced me to hunting several years ago, he has jumped back into the sport full tilt.
Every single one of my dove openers I have spent with my cousin Zach. For me, this is exactly what dove opener is about. It is about the time you spend with family and friends. It is a time of year that you don’t really need to ask about whether somebody is going or not – you simply know that they are. I’ve also had the privilege to spend every dove opener with my buddy Drew. Through him, we’ve had wonderful shoots at our legendary honey holes. Places like “the line of trees”, “quail valley”, “B-S-T”, and “the triangle field”. It may be late in the season, but we know that we can always go back to these spots and get our birds.
Our dove opener has always been a two or three day affair. This year was no different. I had hunted the opening day over a wheat field with my friend Eric. I had scouted the area the week before and knew that this would be a promising area. The first 45 minutes were fast and furious at times, but was generally hot and cold. I bagged half a limit and Eric had two, so we decided to move south. While driving south, we saw a fellow hunter with a JHO sticker on the back of his truck. I slowed down and he was able to see my sticker, and we both had a sparkle in our eyes (romantic music playing in the background).
Um, okay that was weird. Anyway, we introduced ourselves and asked how his shoot was moving along. He already had his limit and invited us to finish ours. It was a mere 25 minutes before we had filled our bag.
A day's bounty
A good harvest is always reason for cheer, but the opportunity to share the field with friends and family is what the hunt is really about for many hunters. |
The second day of dove season I hunted by myself. About an hour before sunrise, I arrived at the same spot I finished on opening day. The sky was pitch black, and if not for some distant lights, my own hand would have been invisible in front of my own eyes. During mornings like this, I just love to turn off all the lights and look up at the stars. I live in suburban Orange County where stars do not exist (unless you count Dennis Rodman). It’s such a wonderful experience to witness first hand the marvelous creation that surrounds us. A half an hour before sunrise, I bag my first dove and witness another marvelous creation being dropped into my game bag. I scratched out 8 doves that day and called it a morning. Time to head home and finish some errands, and have a nice dove kabob lunch.
Day three I was finally with Zach and Drew. Just like it seems to happen every year, the birds were flocking to Drew; it must be his magnetic personality. He was the first to limit while Zach had half and I had a measly two. The hot Imperial Valley sun was draining our endurance by the minute, and we finally decided to call it a day, head back to our hotel and clean up for a luncheon at noon. On the way back, Drew mentioned that one of our spots was nearby and it might be worth it to check out. As Zach and I jump shot our spot, our footprints were the first of the season. With our honey hole still untouched, we were able to get two shy of our limits at the infamous “Line of Trees”.
One of the most important assets to our group is that we don’t really care about who does or doesn’t get a limit. We all know that we’re out to have fun and are not concerned about the bag. Do not misunderstand me, we love to shoot doves and make an earnest attempt to accomplish that, but it’s not our first priority.
More importantly, our group fully understands the importance of introducing new hunters to our sport. Without hunters there will be no hunting. Every year we try to bring new friends into our sport, and I encourage every one of you to do the same, introducing a junior to the sport will allow it to continue.
|
