The Mississippi Delta has always been regarded as an outdoorsmen’s paradise. Often this is discussed in conversation following a deer hunt from one of the many extravagant clubs inside the levee or after a morning of shooting ducks in a cypress swamp. While these are very worthy candidates as to why the delta is special, there is another hunt that I hope everyone has the privilege of experiencing at least once in their life.
Recently I found myself in a familiar situation. I was sitting on a stool in a long narrow row of sunflowers with my shotgun in hand awaiting a dove to fly within range. However, this time, I wasn’t wiping the sweat from the sweltering September heat off my brow while trying to stay focused on the first hunt of the year. Instead, I was enjoying a pleasant October breeze hitting my face as doves came by the dozens at such a rapid pace it was hard to comprehend. Many people forget that doves migrate just as our beloved waterfowl and when they find a food source along their flyway they tend to hold up in high numbers. You see, by this time of year the only crop left to harvest across much of the Delta is cotton. And with the fading smell of defoliant in the air, the sunflowers which were once surrounded by grain now stand alone as the key food source for the migrating groups of doves.
I don’t think I have ever seen a hunt happen so fast. It was literally sit down, shoot your limit and head to the house. It was actually hectic at times because you simply could not turn away without being bombarded by another group. But even with all of the chaos around me, I could not help but watch as a good friend, Ramsey Russell, sat some 200 yards away and enjoyed the same fast paced shooting as I was. Watching him and his dog works together like a well-oiled machine was every bit as fun as pulling the trigger myself. I actually said to myself that I wish I had a group of non-hunters with me so that they could have seen the entire show take place from where I sat. To see a grown man grin ear to ear as swarms of doves filled the sky and his four-legged companion bring each bird to hand, that is a memory I will hold on to forever and one that I hope everyone is given the chance to experience.
There is incredible beauty in many things that take place in the Mississippi Delta and fall dove hunting will always be at the top of my list.
