Dove are the primary quarry for many hunters this month, but those forays afield are also a time to prepare for the upcoming deer season.

by Bob Zaiglin

Situated underneath a sparsely leafed mesquite tree, I avoided some of the blistering rays of the September sun. Beside me were my favorite hunting companions, granddaughters McKenzie and Madison. Watching them preoccupy themselves was amusing as they constructed a castle out of mesquite beans that littered the grayish-colored soil surrounding the small tank where we awaited the evening arrival of mourning dove looking to satisfy their thirst. Without a single dove sighting for the first 30 minutes, the leopard frogs lining the shoreline attracted the girls’ attention, and before long their clean tennis shoes were covered in mud as they attempted to catch a few of the amphibians.
Moments after they figured out the frogs were a worthy opponent, the sounds of a dove approaching could be heard followed by the bark of my daughter Beth’s over-and- under. Before Beth could retrieve her dove, three more birds came hovering over the water, and I dropped one into the middle of the pond. As the gentle southeasterly breeze delivered the bird to the shoreline, the girls were awaiting its arrival with sticks which they employed to flick the bird onto the sunbaked shoreline.

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