The bird season is finally here. The dove season kicks it off tomorrow and I’m excited about it. I’m not seeing a lot of doves around, but I’m sure there are enough around. It usually goes with out fail that about August 28th or so we get a day or two of cooler rainy weather and it moves the doves on south just before the opener. This year, at least so far, the weather has been consistent and the local doves seem to have stayed.
If you haven’t had a chance to get that new pup around and work with him on birds and give him a proper introduction to the gun, opening day of the dove season isn’t the time to do it. You’d be better off leaving him at home, or better yet, instead of taking the day dove hunting, take him out and put him on some training pigeons and give him a proper introduction to the gun, where there is a positive connection with birds and gunfire. All too often I see young dogs taken straight to the hunting field as their introduction to birds and gunfire. The results can be long-term negative for the dog, and very hard, if not impossible to overcome.
I know I’ll get some negative comments about dove hunting from this post. The answer is, yes I do enjoy shooting the bird of peace. I find them quite a sporting target, as they fly almost 50 mph, and I find them quite tasty. What can I say? This is a hunting dog blog. Tomorrow I’ll post one of my favorite recipes.
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