# Perfect storm/Magical day.



## hamernhonkers (Sep 28, 2007)

Well where to start, I guess I'll back track to opening day and brag a little about my wife's shooting as I was really impressed and I'm really proud of having a wife that can out shoot many of the guys I hunt with. Opening morning she went 15 birds on 26 shots with her little weatherby sa08 20 bore. 1.7 shells per dove is some pretty darn good shooting.



Now for today, well it almost never happened for us due to kids not wanting to drive 130 miles back home to sit and watch mom and dad shoot birds. With a little bribing though they all agreed to go and man I was glad they did.

We first headed to our ECD hole where mom and I got a few to pass over close enough to put 8 down. What was funny was we only seen 1 morning dove there and normally there are enough around to pile a few up. Well after shooting them up for a half hour we drove around to check some of our other favorite spots for mourning doves only to find a scattering of birds here and there. As we drove around checking spots shooting a couple here and there my son decided he was ready to give it a go. He had been practicing his clay shooting a good bit last winter and spring and was doing pretty good but hasn't fired a shot since may. Well we bumped a couple off the side of the road and they flew out into some short grain so we decided to go jump them and see if he could hit one (this is his first year hunting age 10). I had him get his gun out of his case and had mom load a single shell in and make sure the safety was on. We then started out to the doves that were about 50 yards out. I had him just in front of me and keep telling him to have the gun ready, to make sure his head was down and to look at only one bird, well we flushed them at about 15 yards, he pulled up and boom, his first ever shot at a live target hit its Mark sending a cloud of feathers floating through the air, he turned to me and jumped in the air yelling, I got him, I got him! What a proud moment for dad and one I've been waiting for, for 10 years now, what a feeling when it finally happens.

After the celebrating we headed up the road to the next spot and boy we're we in for a treat at this one. There were a bunch of birds on the wires and along the road so we got my son loaded back up and headed out to go jump some, what we didn't expect was for the ground to Literally pick up! As he shot (his second shot and a hit again) hundreds of birds came up and were going in every direction. Boy the migration had hit! And We were buried in birds. I got my wife set up in one corner of the field with my 5 year old and two dogs and my son and my daughter set up with me in another corner and boy did the fun began. My son was shooting them and my daughter was working her 9 month old pup she trained retrieveing them(my daughter is 9 years old) and I got to just sit there in awe/celebration/pure happiness at what was happening and what I was witnessing.

This was the day you wait for as a father, seeing your kids loving/doing that which you love to do then to be blessed to such a spectacular show by mother nature on top of it. All I could do on the drive home was replay the shots my son made and the great retrieves my daughters dog made while watching thousands of doves going every direction (yes I said thousands :wink: ) and to top it all off, I never fired a shot at a morning dove and I didn't care! It really was a magical day with the family.

Sorry I can't show you my little man's smile but I'd bet it's pretty easy to imagine.



Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## hawglips (Aug 23, 2013)

Sounds like a blast!

Congrats on a great day with the doves and your family!


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## toasty (May 15, 2008)

I would rather watch my kids shoot any day of the week than shoot myself. I should really practice more with them as they always struggle with wing shooting.


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## richard rouleau (Apr 12, 2008)

congrats on the great day with the family


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## willfish4food (Jul 14, 2009)

That's awesome! Way to go dad! My oldest turned 5 yesterday, but I hope to one day be as proactive as you at getting her out in the field.


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## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

Man, your kids didn't want to watch you shoot birds. You should beat them! haha just kidding...but not really...


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## deljoshua (Jul 29, 2013)

That's awesome! A good day!


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