Sept. 1st is the start of our hunting season. Early geese opens up in TN and Dove in both KY and TN.

I detailed our Sept 1st opening morning Goode hunt.

That afternoon found Gunner 2, his Son, and myself found out myself on a small feed lot with a field of corn with two rings cut for silage. The remaining corn was standing.

As we pulled Omni, doves were just buzzing as thick as flies.

We hit two spinners set up on the edge of the feed lot and silage cut. Doves were dive bombing in as Gunner 1 and Son tried to set up Chris and load guns.

I had the Upland by RFM loaded. I swung and broke the first dove.

Boom! Son, had joined in. I knocked down a second. Two more shots by Son welding a Winchester SX4 and two more fives on the deck.

Now, we had two small problems. We really could not shot doves over the standing corn for loosing them. We could not shoot doves toward the 10-9 o’clock position due to houses across the road. Son, had to be reprimanded by Gunner 1 for violating this free air zone.

I got a little chuckle when Son’s semi auto refused to cycle. While, he is damning the bolt froze in battery, I killed two more doves. I did lighting bolt a slow crosser about 8 inches over the standing corn. Boss, a British Red Lab, found him w no fuss.

The SXP was just very dirty. It is Gunner 1’s backup waterfowl gun. It had not been clean in Archer two years. Luckily, I had some Balistol in my pack. I was able to get the body of the bolt to retract just enough to spray up into the bolt head and down through the cut in the receiver to break the bolt lose. Back in the game, Son was simply murder on dives. They were coming from front, back, side, in packs of 4-10.

I killed 10 dives straight.

Son killed 13, and Gunner with his 20 was at 10.


The problem was black carpet was being pulled across the ski. The wind was picking up the whole time. We got caught in a sideways, cascading waterfall of rain. We rushed to pick up birds. The gates to the feed lot were like pushing on the stone in front of the Messiah’s tomb in the wind. Gunner 1 kept his 20 in his hand and killed two more doves.

Boss unfazed retrieved every bird.

Now, hats I am with a bespoke stocked double in a rain storm more like a hurricane. I figured this is bad. The good part, the rain cleared relatively quickly. I rubbed the gum dry w a towel from my bag, and then painted it with Balistol.

The black cerekote finish and Regal wax did wonderful.

We set back up. I killed a pigeon.

We ended the day with 43 doves (me being two shy) for a three gun limit. I was not upset. It was the most birds I ever had a chance at. It was also the best shooting I ever had only failing to kill two I shot at.

Now, it got little scary. Gunner went for the truck. I was getting my hulls up. This was not a task thanks to extractors. The extractors did not slow me down shooting. Gunner 1 and Son were using semis. Those Winchesters launch the brass. I know, one hit me in the side of the nose hard enough to break the skin.

Hulls from the delivered everywhere. The rain had turned everything into mud. Son, was trying to get up hulls.

A few of these hulls had ejected under these home made hey, feed steel frames. They were stacked on top of one another. One d no idea how much they weighed, but north of heavy. Son apparently, held the top frame by both hands and swung himself in between to get the hills. This caused the top frame to fall over on him. I caught the sight of the top frame coming off. I ran. When I got to him, I saw the top frame push him to the ground at the hip. He was on the ground underneath it.

I came to him. The frame had knocked him down, but there was a 6 inch gap between his hip and the frame. I lifted it up to allow him to clear.

“How did you not get pinned.”

Son was quite. I could not set the frame back on top of the other. I pushed it down and let it set flat on the ground against the other.

What had happened to keep Son from being pinned is he had set his SX4 Winchester standing up against the other side of the frame unloaded. The frame when it came off, pinned the SXP bending the frame and stick. I pulled it out just as Gunner 1 came around.

I explained to Gunner 1 that the gun getting crushed saved Sin a trip to the ER if not worse.

We three came back the next day. It was not as “good” as the day before. I missed more. Made a wonderful high, fast going left kill to finding 8 doves. This was tied for my second best day.

We three killed 73 doves in two afternoons of shooting.

Day 1, I made dove risotto and used the doves to make the stock to finish the risotto. The entire cook was eaten in one setting.

Day 2, I made dove breast kabobs over a charcoal fire mopped w brown butter that had sweated chopped garlic, and chalets. Kabobs were breast lobes, jalapeño, red, green, yellow bell pepper, mushrooms, and fresh insole.

Great meals.

I am loving this new double.

Next is pheasant in Iowa on the first Saturday in November, but first I got to chase Chamois in the Italian Alps, and spend some days being a tourist w Wife.

Well, color me impressed with that level of shooting on doves.

I usually miss at least once for every one I hit… using a 28 ga o/u.

Oh, I put in a lot of work the last couple of spring and summers. I mean 1k rounds each.

The gun does shoot fantastic.

The first day. I tried steel 7 shot. I was not impressed. It put down bids, but one I renner being hit right at the neck, bleeding, and still alive with head yo when Boss brought him over.