Hunting Season is Here!

As you step outside in the early morning of south Mississippi, your skin is hit with a cool, unexpected breeze. It’s the kind of breeze that signals change is on the horizon, a new season is approaching. Fall is on its way. My favorite time of year is wrapped up in fall, hunting season. My boys and I find ourselves busier this time of year as we spend every chance we get chasing a dog through the woods.

Dove season is the start of hunting season for us MS hunters. I didn’t grow up doing any kind of bird hunting. In March of 2023, I went and picked up Banks, a black lab puppy. Banks has been my first experience training a retriever, and I have enjoyed every minute of it. Last year was his first full season of hunting. The dove season opener was his first hunt of the year and only my second time to be in a dove field. We got there before daylight and set up our decoys. Then we sat and waited for the birds to fly in. In my short 2 years of hunting birds I’ve learned that my favorite sunrises are in a field waiting on doves or sitting by a frozen pond waiting on some wood ducks to fly in. You won’t find a prettier sunrise than those seen alongside the anticipation of a hunt.

Last year we planted a field for our family to get together and start a new tradition. The same cousins I grew up with now have kids for my children to grow up with. We want to create something for those kids to return home for each year. When the sun finally came up and the birds started coming in, I sat and impatiently waited for a bird to come my way. Banks sat by my side, anxious to do what he loved, to use his training. Suddenly my sister got my attention and said she winged a bird and it flew off into the woods.

This was it for my new hunting partner. Banks’ number was finally called. I sent him into the woods. We knew he was the only chance we had of retrieving this bird. The bird dove into a pretty thick block of woods. It felt like an eternity passed while we waited to see if Banks would come back with the bird. Finally I heard a rustling of the bushes. To our delight (and maybe a little surprise) Banks returned with a dove in his mouth. His first dove retrieve wasn’t the easiest, but he accomplished the goal. My head filled with pride. The little black lab puppy from an ad on Facebook was actually becoming a reliable retriever.

I hadn’t a clue what I was doing when I first started training him. I’d never been duck hunting and only hunted doves once when I was 12 or 13. Even then, all of us walked out to get our doves. This was a totally new venture for me, and I stood there holding the first dove of many that my dog brought back to me. The dog that I spent hours upon hours training. I sacrificed time to work with him. We spent countless hours teaching and molding him into a hunting companion that I could rely on. For a guy who knew so little about retriever training, that first retrieve felt like a very big deal.

Well the morning of that first hunt went on, and we killed a few doves. However, even though killing doves was the goal, it was not the main priority. We started this tradition to establish some roots. We wanted to create a space in the great outdoors for family to spend time together. It’s not very often that you discover something that a whole family can do together, but we’ve found that in hunting. We had 3 generations present at our first dove hunt. Our wives were able to come, the kids came, and everybody had fun. We made memories that will last a lifetime. The doves we brought back were just a bonus.

We all went home, ate some lunch, tried to nap, and then came back that afternoon for another hunt. The morning hunt I used my 12 gauge Remington 870. It’s a gun I’ve used all my life. A gun that was reliable and ready for whatever I asked of it. I’ve used it on hundreds of squirrel hunts and the majority of my duck hunts. This afternoon dove hunt I used a different gun, a borrowed one.

I pulled out my Pawpaw’s 12 gauge Remington 1100. This gun was twice my age. This gun was over 40 years old and was in excellent shape. A gun I was honored he let me bring into the field. We got set for the afternoon hunt and in no time I had a dove down with my pawpaw’s gun. It was an awesome experience to bring home a dove with a gun that had lived much more life than I had. I sent Banks, and he brought that dove back to my hand. That memory will live on in my mind for years to come. I just sat there for a minute and reflected on how blessed I am. I thanked God for the life I get to live. Hunting with a good dog and a good gun.

Well that first hunt went on, and we killed a few doves. Even though killing doves was the goal, it was not the main priority. We started this tradition to establish some roots. We wanted to create a space in the great outdoors for family to spend time together. It’s not very often that you discover something that a whole family can do together, but we’d found that in hunting. We had 3 generations present at our first dove hunt. Our wives were able to come, the kids came, and everybody had fun. We made memories that will last a lifetime. The doves we brought back were just a bonus.