With September around the corner, I am starting to let dove hunting creep back into my mind. Dove season comes about the same time as our peak exhaustion from the south Texas summer heat. The real dog days of summer.. The kind of heat that even a dip in my swimming pool won’t take my core temperature down. But at the same time as I am sweating through my clothes at a standstill, I know relief is just weeks away. Opening weekend of dove season signals a change in seasons. While it may still be as hot as our shotgun barrels outside, cold beer and groups of low flyers sure can cool things down. This is the time of year you might consider leaving an ice chest, shotgun, bucket, and Turtlebox in the ready position because if you have any good friends (kidding, sort of..), you will almost certainly get a random invite to a farmer’s field in the South zone.
In case you aren’t familiar with what this looks like, let me paint you a mental picture.
After gathering up your necessities: shotgun, ice chest, bucket, Turtlebox, snake boots, and maybe a change of clothes, it’s vamonos! We tend to hunt in the Uvalde or Crystal City area, so it’s about an hour drive. As we are driving down dusty farm roads, we are met at an open gate with a ranch manager sitting in his truck, soaking up the AC while he can. After a very brief conversation at the gate, we make our way into the field. These are usually sunflower fields with the perimeter plowed about 75 yards in. Imagine a high school track field with the center being large, fully grown and dried sunflowers, and the track itself is freshly plowed ground with hay bales placed 50 yards apart from each other all the way around. Of course, on a much larger scale. I always try to choose a bale close to a tree line. But honestly, you never know what spot they will fly the heaviest.. Setting up your spot is pretty simple. Lawn chair or bucket placed on the shady side of the bale with the rest of your gear and hunting buddy, and if you are lucky, a good retriever dog. Usually around that 4 o’clock hour, they start coming in hot and heavy! Some of the best memories made while doing any kind of hunting are made at opening weekend of dove season, when the birds are new and have not been shot at yet. Then comes that special moment when you see a couple groups fly in as you are leaning on a bale enjoying a cold beer, but all of a sudden things completely open up! This is when they can come in so fast, heavy, and unexpectedly that it almost seems like a game. From here, it’s every man for himself! A race to get 15 birds and not be the last guy to do so. A real “Ricky Bobby” kind of moment. If you know, you know. Once things start to settle down and you are working on your last 3 birds, it’s time you can slow down, grab another cold Lone Star, and make some of your better, more calculated shots. I love to really take my time at this point. Afterwards, be a good steward of the land and take the time to pick up all your shells! Not only can leaving them create an issue with cattle and unsightly litter, but it’s disrespectful to the land owner, and you may not get an invite back the next time.
Much like the saying “there is more than one way to skin a cat,” there are several ways to clean these birds. Some snippers and a hose are all you really need, in my opinion. Take the time to wash them thoroughly, if you don’t, you might end up biting down on some dove load and you will regret that decision immediately. I learned that lesson the hard way. There are lot of really delicious recipes for dove, but the most famous is the simple dove popper. Dove breast, bacon, cream cheese, and a fresh slice of jalapeno are about all you need. We like to make a sauce to baste the poppers as they are cooking and dip them in after they are grilled.
I have met some Cajun folks who like to make a roux in the field and cook them as they shoot them, some folks take the time to keep the birds whole and pluck the feathers, and others who clean them like a quail and pan fry them. All of these are great options and will give you the rewarding feeling of a good harvest and a full belly!
For a number of years, we have been hunting with an amazing company and family. The kind of people you refer to as your own family. Luke Bledsoe and his bride Jillian own and operate the outfitter company, Speck Ops. Everything from speckled belly geese, sandhill cranes, ducks, doves, and more. In conjunction with the famous 501 Ranch in Uvalde, they have started Paloma Fest. This is the ultimate dove hunting experience. A 2 ½ day event with 2 dove hunts, lodging, chef-made meals, live music, private bowling alley, skeet competition, giveaways, and a barn burner lazy river pool party! This is for the person who wants the whole enchilada experience. Like me! Paloma Fest is booking spots now for this September. Denise and I will be there representing Cibolo Creek Brewing Company, serving up those ice-cold beers all weekend! If this doesn’t sound like fun, you are reading the wrong magazine. If it does, reach out to Speck Ops and book your spot before it’s too late. You can find them on Facebook and Instagram @SpeckOps, or give Jillian a holler directly at 830-247-4543
I will close with this. Dove hunting is unique. It can become a memory your young son or daughter will keep forever as a keystone to their outdoor journeys. It can be an opportunity for friends to reunite and rekindle old times. Maybe a chance for coworkers to get together and form some needed bonding outside of the office. Dove hunting can become a tradition, and I strongly encourage it. There are so many lessons you can teach your kids in the outdoors that school and a TikTok video can’t. Remember, it’s in our DNA as men to dream of and crave the outdoors. Be a good old-fashioned man and do it the right way for the right reasons! Step away from the noises of life. Phones, Facebook, work, traffic, etc. It is in these moments, outdoors, that you will feel closest to God.
Cheers,
Jed Mazour
