Doves @ the Seager Ranch SAT 03 SEPT 2016

What a fine country morning to be out hunting the mourning dove.  It was 60 F, wet from dew, and mostly sunny with little white cotton-ball clouds.  B-E-A-utiful.  You've seen mourning doves, sitting on power lines or in dead trees.  They are also called Turtle Doves.  And it is said that there are more shots fired on that specie than any other in North America.

My morning started at 5:40.  I rolled out to prepare venison gravy and some biscuits.  Most everyone else showed up right at 7 am, which was our designated eating time.  Of course the Snellenbargers showed up at 7:20.  We ate without them.

We gathered up guns, licences, HIP numbers, plugs, and ammo.  Then we headed out at 7:40.  Upon the first shot, one of our art tiles from Mexico lost its glued-on holder and fell off the wall.  It landed vertically on the sink before changing directions and landing directly on my cell phone.  The tile?  Just a small chip.  My $300 phone?  Destroyed.  Time for a new phone.

We broke up into groups of 3.  Nick, Zach, and Eric walked the CRP.  Alex, Dave, and Craig (Alex's cousin) sat the curve.  Kathy, Tony, and Jerry sat the dead tree in my yard.  Jon, RePhil, and Aaron took the pond.  Me?  I walked between groups, taking pictures, telling lies, and trying to shoot all the doves before they could.

There were not many doves flying.  And most of the ones that were headed SW across the highway.  It was a slow shooting day, but the camaraderie was awesome.  The birds were just a bonus.

It warmed up quickly and folks started ditching shirts and pants in favor of lighter fare like shorts.

We broke for lunch at 11:30.  See the earlier post about Rabbit Stew for Doves.  Excellent.  Some of the hunters had other obligations and had to leave by 12:30.  Davey Jones, who said he was coming, did not show.  Too bad.  He missed a good breakfast, lunch, and a proper hazing.  Aaron had worn a Hunters' Orange shirt under his camo shirt.  He was going to claim he was hot and take off his outer shirt, revealing the orange.  Davey would have come unglued.  It would have been epic.  It was all for naught.

Continue reading the next post for more pictures and a brief follow-on to the day...

The mourning or turtle dove, family Columbidae.


From front to back:  Kathy, Tony, and Jerry.
Sitting in Craig's yard.  Decoys in back near dead tree.

From L to R:  RePhil, Aaron, and Jon

From L to R:  Zach, Eric, and Nick

From L to R:  Alex, Dave, and Craig

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