Texas Wing Shooting

I have been mulling over what to post and it would seem that an explanation of Dove hunting would add nicely to my blog.
So what type of bird is found on a Texas Dove hunt? There are 3 major types that are seen statewide. First and most prevalent is the Mourning Dove. A smallish fawn colored bird with black at the wing and tail tips. Next is the Mourning Dove's larger cousin the White Wing Dove. This bird is the same shape and general color as the Mourning Dove but overall slightly larger. As the name suggests it has white patches on the leading edge of the wing closest to the body. Lastly we have a newcomer which is actually an invasive species from Africa I believe. Known as the EurAsian collared dove. This bird has the fawn coloring but in a lighter hue. and a distinctive black ring the almost encircles the neck. This bird is larger still and approaches the size of a pigeon. Dove of these variety have some preferences for food which makes finding a good spot to hunt easier. Dove seem to thrive on wild Sunflower, and seem to engorge themselves on it's seed in the morning. As the day progresses they move to roost in a shady spot and late in the afternoon come to water.
The Texas season for these birds begins on the first day of September. Shooting begins at sun up and is quite a thing to behold. If a good spot has been selected and enough guns are present. the sky will teem with their small bodies like miniature fighter planes buzzing all about. Maneuvering and darting quickly they are indeed quite a hard target.
I have always tried to put any game I harvest on the table. The thing that puzzles me is that for the expense and effort the Dove is almost not worth the effort. The only part of the bird that is big enough for any yield is the breast. As with many birds the Dove has all dark muscle which is somewhat hard to make palatable. The most popular method of cooking is to take 2 breast halves and season with salt pepper and garlic and place a fressh jalapeno slice between and wrap with bacon and secure with a toothpick. then grill over mesquite wood. This is quite tasty but a full limit of birds can be consumed as a snack.
My estimation is as with most hunting sports it is the gathering of friends and family makes the hunt worthwhile. I was started on the path of wingshooting at a young age. I can still remember chasing down my fathers birds and being too small to handle a shotgun. In later years I was given a single shot .410 which was quite ineffective but which I enjoyed nonetheless. I think about the time I started high school I got a birthday present of a new Remington 1100 12 gauge. I still use that same gun to this day.
So why do we do it? Why waste time driving all over the state trying to knock down an almost worthless bird. I would suspect that for most just like myself it is a part of who we are, a piece of our heritage. A gathering for the beginning of the fall harvest. A time to share our love of the hunt.

Random thoughts

Although the first entry in my blog was --- shall we say deep I think it to be a success. I am attempting to load a slideshow at the bottom of my blog. I am under construction.
It is the off season for hunting right now (waaayyyy too hot)but as it starts to cool off we know the season is not far off. For those of you outside Texas cool weather here is anything below 90 (no joke). The traditional season opener is September and Dove season is the first.
My goto dog is away in Mississippi with Mark Hairfield, who is one of the premier pro trainers of Springers in the South. He says that he and Dolly get along real well and he thinks highly of her. Time will tell. She will be going to a field trial with him in September so all I will have is our pup Ellie.

In the beginning

So where do you start when you make your first blog?
I wanted this to be a journal of my adventures hunting and training my dogs. Possibly someone out there likes the same types of recreation I enjoy. So what better than to share your thoughts with those of a like mind?
I would have to say without hesitation that first and foremost it is a love of outdoors and nature. Some out there would say that because I hunt and fish that I am destroying what I love most. I would retort that through hunting and fishing I immerse myself within the soul of the outdoors and bring the inner animal even closer to its roots. Animals of the wild partake in the hunt and in doing so they must learn the habits of their quarry and learn the surroundings and how best to blend in order to get close to their intended harvest. The hunter of the bipedal nature is blessed with a logical reasoning, supposed higher inteligence. Nature in it's wonderful ways is full of contradictions and mystery that more often leave the human gray matter in a quandry. In order to hunt you must check your humanity at the forrest door to think and feel and sense like the animal you wish to bag. It is in this way that in becoming lost in the senses you find the animal.
The animal is you.