The intricacies of dove hunting
I placed the poppers on the grill. They were done in about ten minutes and letting me work the temperature of the grill back to just over 300 degrees. I pulled off the poppers and put the breast meat wrapped in bacon on the grill Nothing special in this cooking just a little salt and pepper, bacon, and smoke. You can’t get preoccupied with an adult beverage or a conversation because they cook fast.
The wild rice was warmed and sitting next to the poppers when I brought the breast in. Jalapenos are a vegetable, cream cheese is dairy, and bread crumbs are a carbohydrate. Combine that with the protein and it’s a balanced meal in and of itself. At least that’s the way I see it.
I’ll back this up a bit. The alarm rang at 0500. Half the week I’m in the home stretch of a twelve hour shift at that time. Converting back to civilian time means that getting up at 0500 either happens naturally or it feels like a freight train driving over you. This morning it felt like a freight train.
By the time I made it to my field I was running about fifteen minutes late, so I set up where the decoys and blind (lawn chair) were five yards from the back of the truck, and I could pull the truck away after setting up. That would save me the time to carry all of that 200 yards into the field.
I still wasn’t completely ready until five minutes after shooting light. I loaded the old Fox 20 gauge and sat back in my chair waiting. I waited and thought that the birds should have been here a while ago. I wondered if they were early and I moved the first flight to another part of the field where I couldn’t see birds landing. While thinking about this, the first four birds landed before I could react. They were concealed in the cover while they fed. A minute later four more came fluttering in and I managed to down one bird with two shots. I spent ten minutes finding it and kept muttering to myself that having another retriever would be real nice, especially since I spooked off probably a hundred birds while looking for that bird. Had I brought Allie along, the search would have been easy and short, but turning a setter loose alongside a corn field, even an easily handled one, and trying to make it hold still when it wants to run and hunt doesn’t sound like a relaxing time. But after this I might wise up.
The morning flight was just about down when I was ready again. I made a mental note to shoot a bird over the thickest cover. I ended up with nine birds. The bag limit is 15 and this was my best day in our area.
I quit about half past seven. What still amazes me about dove hunting is the sheer number of doves that there are. They are the most plentiful gamebird in North America with a population of 194 million doves. Heavily steeped in tradition in states just south of us to the deep south, dove hunting remains a nonevent in Wisconsin. More are killed by cats any day of the week then hunters by far. Nesting pairs raise three broods a year and as explained to me the earliest clutches started migrating south a while ago. Some stay year round but most migrate south.
I have been on dove hunts in the southern part of Wisconsin and literally had thousands of doves streak past me in a field within 30 yards the first 15 minutes of shooting light. A box of shells later and I had like one bird on the ground. Dove hunting contributes a lot to the Pittman-Robertson Fund.
In our area its small flocks and I prefer shooting decoying doves because I can actually hit them. I’ve had a few days like this and most with just two or three birds bagged. They never make it to the freezer.
For me dove hunting provides fast action in a short time and isn’t complicated to set up for, its relaxing, its challenging wing shooting, and it can be a social hunt. What I like most about dove hunting is the meal after the hunt. Doves are delicious.
Good luck to the bear hunters and please remember, safe hunting is no accident!
THROUGH A
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CHUCK K OLAR LOCAL OUTDOORSMAN
