Dove hunting holds a very special place in my heart and life. Hope everyone as a great opening day and gets a chance to reconnect with friends and family.
Amen, brother. Dove shooting is just part of who I am, taught and instilled in me by my Grandad, and encouraged by my Dad. This opener will "mark" my first dove shoot 64 years ago at age 8, and I remember it vividly.
I remember my first dove hunt as well. I may have been 8 or maybe just 6, but I recall we met up with the crowd at a honkeytonk south of Thomaston and hunted somewhere close to the Flint River. That was the first time I had ever entered a honkeytonk, but I knew what one was. The lady inside was nice to me and offered me a coke. I've noticed that women in places like that all seem to be quite nice.
I sat first with my Dad and searched in the woods until I found a dove he had shot. Then after the shoot my Granddaddy relented to my desire to shoot a real gun. He handed me his 16ga A-5 Browning and told me to aim it up in the air toward the river. He had to show me how to release the military style safety on it. I did as told and when I shot it kicked me, the gun that is, flat on my back in the middle GA red clay. It was an autoloader of course and I never saw my Grandfather move so quick when he realized I was still holding the gun and it had self loaded a second shell. No problem there, I certainly wasn't going to fire it again!
I inherited that shotgun as well as his love of dove hunting, as passed both along to one of my sons. I passed the love of dove shooting along to all three of my boys and I'm working on two sons-in law as well...Geo
