“It’s Fall… baby!”
Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2022 6:30 pm
“It’s Fall… baby!”
In the south, we have our priorities straight. We enjoy good food, good football, and good hunting! Its no huge secret that the fall brings forth a new life to it. Much like the agriculture crops that are cultivated in the spring, the coming of fall has the same excitement and life about it. It’s a time southerners get together to fire up the pits, grills, and even stoves to fix their “famous” dish. All the while bragging, contemplating, and arguing over their favorite SEC school. What would bring the food and sport together? Well easy…Dove hunting! You read that right, the opener of dove season is magic to our area. It’s brings us together, and US being a huge word, as us is anonymous amongst a many of individual. But, if you get an invite to partake in a southern dove hunt, you should take the opportunity with an open heart!
Dove hunting is something we did much of growing up. Tailgates, dogs, cold drinks, men laughing and acting like they know how to socialize… It’s an event that just has some extra life about it. The ironic thing is you may have Fred who is a white collar boy, Frank who’s fortune is simply unknown, and John’s lifestyle makes you wonder “how” that are all involved. No one is judging, no one is sizing each other up, and simply put, no one cares! The food served is delicious and should be put on some line to sample the “Great works of Protein”. The laughter and conversation… Well, you just have to be there. Everyone is happy to be there. In short, it ain’t no Monday morning at the office with ‘corporate’ coming tomorrow. No… It’s dove hunting!
So, what is it? What makes a hunt special? Well it’s people congregating around conversating over life. It’s folks, like you, me, and anyone else that have an idea to throw into the pot and others that’ll listen. It’s food cooked with love. An extra spice I have found out only a few know. It’s all of that, prior to the actual hunt. It’s the good times. It’s the fun times. And most importantly, it’s the times leading up to the hunt that just makes your heart beat an extra beat. I’ll interrupt there, if it starts beating too many call 911, but’s it’s close!
The actual hunt? It’s over a food plot that the dove love. It’s a clean field that’s been properly cared for that one can enjoy oneself. It can be milo, corn, a spread of wheat, or sunflowers! It’s hunting next to someone you’ve never met. It’s the anticipation of the next flock. It’s the shotguns roaring off south of you as you stand on the northern border. It’s the “Bird” yelled out by the 8 year old that somehow found himself next to his “Paw” in the field. It’s the “Back” as the Labrador retriever takes a line not even an architect could print nor a writer could use words to describe. It’s all about the fun. The empty shotgun shells on the ground. The smiles from 100 yards as someone picks up their first bird! These moments, are what us, we, or me describes as life moments! These moments are when you tense when you here “Ditch” “River” “Wood line” and they have meaning. Because any second, any moment, a small grey dart ‘may’ appear!
If you’ve dove hunted before, the last few paragraphs may make sense. If you haven’t, well…It won’t. I could put it like, we placed our stuff, shot birds, dogs retrieved, and we ate good! Naw, that aint it! It’s not just sit down and kill. It’s a social event that not only provides happiness, but provides food for those that enjoy the little morsels we call dove breast. It’s the dog work, the gun work (yeah it’s work), and even the grill work that brings it all together. So the next time you see someone look toward a ditch, a river, or even a tree line, you’ll know! As the 75 year old man came by me holding his dove proudly, and yelling “It’s fall, baby!”, well, it’s more than just killing a small bird! It’’s more, a lot more!
In the south, we have our priorities straight. We enjoy good food, good football, and good hunting! Its no huge secret that the fall brings forth a new life to it. Much like the agriculture crops that are cultivated in the spring, the coming of fall has the same excitement and life about it. It’s a time southerners get together to fire up the pits, grills, and even stoves to fix their “famous” dish. All the while bragging, contemplating, and arguing over their favorite SEC school. What would bring the food and sport together? Well easy…Dove hunting! You read that right, the opener of dove season is magic to our area. It’s brings us together, and US being a huge word, as us is anonymous amongst a many of individual. But, if you get an invite to partake in a southern dove hunt, you should take the opportunity with an open heart!
Dove hunting is something we did much of growing up. Tailgates, dogs, cold drinks, men laughing and acting like they know how to socialize… It’s an event that just has some extra life about it. The ironic thing is you may have Fred who is a white collar boy, Frank who’s fortune is simply unknown, and John’s lifestyle makes you wonder “how” that are all involved. No one is judging, no one is sizing each other up, and simply put, no one cares! The food served is delicious and should be put on some line to sample the “Great works of Protein”. The laughter and conversation… Well, you just have to be there. Everyone is happy to be there. In short, it ain’t no Monday morning at the office with ‘corporate’ coming tomorrow. No… It’s dove hunting!
So, what is it? What makes a hunt special? Well it’s people congregating around conversating over life. It’s folks, like you, me, and anyone else that have an idea to throw into the pot and others that’ll listen. It’s food cooked with love. An extra spice I have found out only a few know. It’s all of that, prior to the actual hunt. It’s the good times. It’s the fun times. And most importantly, it’s the times leading up to the hunt that just makes your heart beat an extra beat. I’ll interrupt there, if it starts beating too many call 911, but’s it’s close!
The actual hunt? It’s over a food plot that the dove love. It’s a clean field that’s been properly cared for that one can enjoy oneself. It can be milo, corn, a spread of wheat, or sunflowers! It’s hunting next to someone you’ve never met. It’s the anticipation of the next flock. It’s the shotguns roaring off south of you as you stand on the northern border. It’s the “Bird” yelled out by the 8 year old that somehow found himself next to his “Paw” in the field. It’s the “Back” as the Labrador retriever takes a line not even an architect could print nor a writer could use words to describe. It’s all about the fun. The empty shotgun shells on the ground. The smiles from 100 yards as someone picks up their first bird! These moments, are what us, we, or me describes as life moments! These moments are when you tense when you here “Ditch” “River” “Wood line” and they have meaning. Because any second, any moment, a small grey dart ‘may’ appear!
If you’ve dove hunted before, the last few paragraphs may make sense. If you haven’t, well…It won’t. I could put it like, we placed our stuff, shot birds, dogs retrieved, and we ate good! Naw, that aint it! It’s not just sit down and kill. It’s a social event that not only provides happiness, but provides food for those that enjoy the little morsels we call dove breast. It’s the dog work, the gun work (yeah it’s work), and even the grill work that brings it all together. So the next time you see someone look toward a ditch, a river, or even a tree line, you’ll know! As the 75 year old man came by me holding his dove proudly, and yelling “It’s fall, baby!”, well, it’s more than just killing a small bird! It’’s more, a lot more!