Another First Dove Hunt

[sm]

Rumour spreadin' a-'round in that Texas town
'bout that shack outside La Grange
and you know what I'm talkin' about.
Just let me know if you wanna go
to that home out on the range.
They gotta lotta nice girls ah.

Have mercy.
- La Grange, ZZ Top.


Ladies and kids I assited with went on their first dove hunt, for some their first hunt period.

Private spot, just us with a few parents and grandparents. I did not even bring a personal gun, nope left my NEF Youth 20 ga single shot at home.

This was about passing forward, tradition, and making memories. Felling a dove just a bonus for me.

Now these kids mostly been shooting .22 single shot rifles, some are just not really bid enough to shoot a shotgun by themselves, one is not really even big enough to shoot a gun yet - being only 2 1/2 , but she felled ...oh dear me did she ever! Then she took that twenty dollar bill grandpa could not get over to her fast enough to give her.

The ladies, well now, all this shotgunning started with Red Ryder BB guns and ping pong balls.

Something about a lady yelling out after a great shot "got that bad boy but good!"
When congratulated on a fine shot, she thanked folks and added " just lead 'em about 3 ex husbands lengths , keep a swinging and slap that trigger!"

Sounds about right to me...

--

As all dove hunts start out, folks a bit antsy the night before, seems the big question who is the more antsy? The Mom or the kid?

Normally a kid does not want to wake up early, when they do, all sleepy, shuffled footed with slippers that look like dawgies, or furry purple monsters, or the NASCAR slippers on the wrong feet.

Not when a first hunt is about to happen. "I laid in bed, waiting for the alarm to go off, I would roll over, then roll back and the stupid clock had only moved 2 minutes, it was worse that waiting for the last bell at school saying it was time to go home."

One mom and kid each popped into the hallway at around 11pm, they just had to go look at the stuff in front room all ready to be tossed in the car one more time.
"I guess that means we each got caught sneaking out of bed - huh?"


HBR and I showed up early to make sure everything was set. We made the do-nut run, with plenty of do-nut holes for sure.
We had a box of beef jerkey too.

Shop rags in gray already out for distance markers, still we made sure all was set, then we waited for the other to arrive.

New LLBean rubber soled boots with leather uppers, kahiki britches, charcoal oxford shirt - and the biggest smile from a kid. "I'm Ready!"

Two and half year old was like "Okay, I know you people, but I was sleeping real good, so whatever I am here for better be good".

Do-nut holes and milk convey to a 2 1/2 year old , "this is gonna be good".

Skeeter dope, coffee, juice, do-nut shop goodies, and all the normal morning rituals and smells.

One more safety lesson , buddy system, about being safe, having fun and taking birds just a bonus.

Then we headed out...

 

[sm]

...gotta have shootin' music to get you woke up, and get the juices flowing.

I had ZZTop a going, others found the same station as we cranked it up and head bobbing, air guitars, and steering wheels were thumped - folks were pumped.

First thing I wanted to do was let that 2 1/2 year old to collect that $20 bet. What grandpa don't know, is that kiddo , mom and me gotta plan. Safety all observed and all, but kiddo and I been practicing.
Kiddo weak side on my hip, and I use a single shot shotgun one-handed, we took 15/15 taking clays from a thrower the other day.


Now HBR , I have shared about her learning and all well, she bet me I could not do that with her on my weak side.
Yep, she lost that bet. 1100 in 28 ga will take a pair of clays shooting one handed...

So she don't know the other ladies and kids gonna put money in a pot for me to hold her weak side and pop a dove, or two.

Grandpa is watching this, grandma telling him " Pa, you gonna lose" and sure enough I pop the first one, thumb action open, hull ejects, as practiced the kiddo inserts another shell and we take another dove.

"Gimmee hands" at grandpa who could not get that kiddo fast enough. Wadded that twenty and scrunched it deep in them pockets, then she wanted to do it again and collect more money.

"You teaching that child to be a bootlegger?"
"Not me, enterprising perhaps". I corrected.

Had a four year old, be five shortly, not quite big enough on his own. Our teamwork as practiced was he shouldered the gun, and slapped trigger. I hold forearm and assist in holding and swinging.

"Shoo" don't work on a dove on a tree limb, getting grandpa to fire a shot to get dove to fly works, and we were ready. I bet that dove did not get a 1/4" off that tree limb, but "in flight" is "in flight" .

Young man waited, and waited, and then finally when I said "now", he took a textbook low incomer.

Then HBR was pushed up towards me, ladied and kids snickering and all. They had a cigar box of coins, and some dollars.

"You have to be kidding me?"
"Nope, come here and let us give the kids what they want".
1100 in 28 ga handed to me, while HBR on on my weak side, and we took 2 doves.

That was that cheer ya'll heard in case ya'll were wondering.

Now with the promised stuff out of the way, time for the folks to spread out and let them shoot.

HBR was biting at the bits, "birdy" does not describe her. Only I dumped 15 shells in her pouch, and said "get a limit, and bring back some empty shells doing it".
She has this grin she does, and she was game.
She limited out using 13 shells.

She shoots low gun, had 3 crossing, two nose to butt, and the lead bird. She was fast and smooth, taking them last pair first with one shot, shucked, dropped stock a tad, re-mounted gun to face and took that lead bird second.


"Damn I'm good!" She hollered out and headed to downed birds. I had spotted the pair, she had spotted them and the lead.

We look over and one of the other ladies took a pair with that 1100 in 28 ga.

It seemed as if everytime we heard a shot, a bird was falling. Ladies remarked how doing them practices, and all sure did help.

So the ladies shot really well, had a great time. Kids hollerin' out "mom get that bad boy coming right..."
"Little help with a cripple..."

Kids got to shoot, folks taking turns and being buddies. I went group to group, as did HBR [she limited out early, I told her that "T" was a prime spot] and Grandpa and Grandma assisted.
Grandpa and Grandma sharing a 28 ga SxS, it was his gun, until about an hour after he brought it home, She claimed it, and lets him borrow it.

Sound familar anyone?

Both Grandparents can shoot, it was fun watching them two share a gun and they looked like a couple kids on a date or something.

Beef Jerky, oh yeah, back pockets stuffed all right. Kids made sure everyone had plenty because "jerkey makes one a better shooter".

Had a few dawgs out, none hunting dawgs, but they have natural instinct...and since we had peppermint, they put on a show for peppermint, do-nut holes and jerkey.

--

We cheated on the BBQ, we had it already there, and just had to heat and eat. Main thing was vistiting, being with folks and watching the kids.

Kids had a good time. Seems my blue jeans gets dove feathers off fingers better than kid's own britches.
No whining, not upset about the cleaning, and the two and half year old just pointed out what dove needed to be done next.

Them kids, they felled some doves. I mean they kept safe, and kept eyes on birds and they mounted them guns to faces real smooth, swung guns and followed thru.

" I did it!" I did it just like I did on a clay, only a dove!"

Heard that more than once, sure like the sound of it too.

 

[sixgunner455]

Gotta get my kids a single shot shotgun. Daughter loves to go with me, but can't shoot her .22 at the doves.