October 1966, it was a cool day with a clear blue sky. My Dad and I drove up near Marianna Fl (Ocheessee) to shoot dove. The field was about 120 acres of harvested corn, and there were doves over the field all afternoon long. It wasn't quite S. American style dove hunting, but I don't think more than a minute passed without someone, somewhere in the field shooting at a bird. I was 14 and had just graduated from a single shot JC Higgins .410 to a 12ga Winchester Model 50 semi-automatic. I burned up the shells that afternoon.
My dad and I killed our limit and went and sat on the hood of the car to watch the shooting. A neighbor came up who was shooting his dad's 12ga LC Smith. He had only killed 2 birds and had run out shells. He said the barrels were warped on the gun which was why he didn't shoot better.
My Dad passed away in 2014 at the age of ninety one years and five months. The same neighbor came to the house to pay his respects and he still remembered that dove hunt. We laughed about the warped barrels excuse, which he also remembered. That day, nearly 50 years ago now, was just about perfect. Of course looking back, any day that I got to hunt with my Dad was a blessing.
Last edited by steve f; 07/14/16 10:57 PM.
