DILLEY, TX — I remember walking behind my father, with my bolt action Mossberg .410 shotgun. I can still see the exact spot, in my mind's eye and remember the excitement of my first hunt. We were after rabbits in St. Charles County, Missouri. I was 8 years old... and I got one!
Fast-forward 52 years and I am the one who handed a different .410 to my little boy, although I still have that Mossberg. We are at the Hiner Ranch, just north of Dilley, TX and my father is with us, as well as my friend Karl Eggers. We're dove hunting and the birds are flying like crazy.
Dove season in Texas can be one of the most exciting times to introduce a youngster to a sport with which many of us grew up. But it's also a great opportunity for a life lesson. Mostly it was about fast-flying, barrel smoking hunting.
Texas Parks and Wildlife estimates there are more than 30 million mourning doves across the state and more than 10 million white wing doves. With those kinds of numbers, it's pretty much up to a hunter's skills as to weather or not they get a limit. This day we were lucky, and we made sure we took plenty of shells, just in case.