By Mike Giles
Shortly after entering the field and taking our stands at strategic locations, doves started lighting on the “dove wires” in the corn field and surrounding trees. But not a shot was fired. As more doves flew in there was only silence; still no shots were fired. Could something be wrong? As soon as the last hunter was positioned properly the answer came swiftly.
The familiar smell of gunpowder quickly appeared as shotgun blasts sent the doves scattering in all directions. As one group of doves flew by, Chase Davis took a fine bead on one and knocked down his first bird of the day. It was the first of many for the young hunter who was joined on the firing line by his friend Peyt Mosley just to his west. It didn’t take long for Mosley to score on his first bird either.
Another group of doves swung in and flew down the line of hunters directly in the line of Davis and Mosley’s fire! They were met with a volley of shots that struck pay dirt. The youngsters were homed in and not afraid to miss. Further down the line Andy Mayatt picked off a dove that survived the young hunters’ volley.
Birds galore!
As shots rang out around the field it seemed they were attracting the birds as they continued to swarm our positions from every direction.
I was situated near the middle of the field smack dab in the hot zone and doves were flying by from all directions. As a group of doves flew by I picked out one and promptly missed, but followed up with a direct hit that sent my first bird fluttering to the ground.
It was obvious by the way the birds were flying they had been hunted in nearby fields previously, as they came in full speed, dipping, darting and diving this way and that. It only took a slight bit of movement for the doves to flare to the side instantly. As they came in groups of four, five or six,
it was hard to pick out just one, and they were easy to miss as well.
In one short flurry of action, I had doves fly over my position from all angles. I pulled up and fired three times and connected on one bird.
Quickly reloading I turned and connected on another dove that hit the water to my south. Before I had time to pick those up another group flew by and I missed a couple more before scoring on yet another bird that hit the drink!
With a couple of birds floating on the water it was obvious that I needed some help. Lucy provided just the help I needed. Lucy is a crackerjack black lab that loves children, people and retrieving birds, be they ducks or doves.
On command
Scott Davis quickly signaled Lucy in the direction of the first dove floating out on the water and a few seconds later Lucy brought the dove right back to him. Yet another bird drifted much further out on the lake and it didn’t take long for Lucy to find that one either. After a refreshing swim while retrieving a couple of doves, Lucy continued on with Davis around the field. She found more in the lake, some in the woods, and some in the corn field, all with nary a sight of the doves falling or hitting the ground.
With a great sense of smell and personality to boot Lucy is just the right companion for Scott Davis and his family. She works the doves over pretty well but is equally at home with his Sara Scott, Gray and Cassie Davis as well. Yes, she’s a very important and talented member of the Davis family.
As our day came to an end all too quickly, all of the hunters gathered at the barn and shared stories and tales of happenings during the day. Several young hunters showed that they were getting the hang of wing shooting as they brought in quite a few birds of their own.
Another fall hunting season had officially opened for many of the hunters and their success provided excitement and anticipation of the upcoming deer season that is soon to open.
