Getting up early used to be a chore, but as I've grown older, it seems my body needs less sleep, so getting up at 2:30 in the morning makes it a tad easier knowing you're off dove hunting.
It's that time of year and the first weekend of dove season
On the other hand, my daughter is struggling to wake up since she only slept a few hours, due to getting off work late. So it looks like I'll be driving as she can take the needed rest on our two-hour and forty-five-minute drive to the San Joaquin Valley of California.
Many of our family members arrived earlier in the morning and had already settled in at camp. We planned on leaving at three in the morning, for an estimated arrival time of 5:45 am, but it looks like we are on a late start and will arrive just when shooting hours begin at 6 am.
The abundance of Mourning dove
The San Joaquin Valley is a large producer of agriculture for America. This season we will hunt a field adjacent to almond tree orchards. Almonds are one of the top 10 producers in the State and, for 2020, racked in 5.62 billion dollars in sales. Almonds are also a favorite among mourning doves, which is the reason for the abundance of doves.
This year's harvest of doves produced many young birds, an indicator of a good hatch for this year. The population of doves in the United States for the year 2020 was 194 million and will continue to grow as long as humans have an appetite for almonds, pistachios, and walnuts.
Hunting in California continues to decline as few hunters enter the fields
Sadly, (depending on your opinion on hunting) hunters are declining in America, as a whole, and specifically here in California. There was a time when kids were taught how to shoot a BB gun, but that has changed. We now live in a culture that demonizes guns and gun owners, and it's become a chore to get kids who prefer video games and social media to play outside.
The next generation of hunters usually comes from families with a hunting culture. Families that expose their kids, nieces, and nephews to camping, fishing, and hunting, are more likely to continue the tradition. But, those who are never exposed to hunting are less likely to start unless they have friends that will introduce them to hunting.
Hunting in triple-digit weather
We arrived just in time as some of our family members were waking to the dawn of a new dove hunt. Of course, every hunter knows that nothing is guaranteed, but on this hunt, it was guaranteed to be over 105 degrees - and it held true to the digit. These temperatures would hit us later in the day, and its effect would drastically slow us down during midday.
We are all prepared and walked a short distance to our hunting spots with our shotguns, shells, portable chairs, and water. As we set out our chairs and conspicuously hid in the cover of felled almond trees, we scanned the skies for flying birds. To our dismay, we've been sitting in the field for two hours and have only bagged a few birds.
My thoughts at the moment were to scout for another location that could yield more birds. But to our relief, as soon as we saw the first large flock fly by, the birds continued to fly for another two hours or so non-stop. Most of us managed to get our limits of dove; many of the doves from this morning would be used for our evening dinner.
As much as I love hunting, hunting would not be the same without family and friends
Around 10 am and with the temperature at 90 degrees, we head back to our camp to clean up the birds we shot earlier in the morning. After cleaning, we all hunker down in our cots and chairs, riding out the heat for the evening hunt. But in the meantime, one of my nephews makes fresh ceviche from white seabass from his recent spearfishing trip. A cold zesty ceviche on a tortilla chip brings a refreshing relief for lunch.
After our short break was interrupted for lunch, we headed off under the almond trees doing our best to avoid the sun and heat; to our satisfaction we have all rested and napped. As we prepare for the evening hunt, to our surprise, as in the morning, we bag plenty of birds.
Tomorrow is not guaranteed
As evening rolls in and after cleaning the birds, my nephew has stepped in as the chef for tonight's dinner. The menu is medallion cut dove breast (two deboned dove breasts) with bacon, jalapenos, pineapple, and apples with baby Yukon air-fried potatoes. I couldn't resist and had to help myself with three servings.
I know hunting will become more difficult in our State of California as gun laws and hunting regulations change. But for the time being, I will continue to enjoy the rights and freedoms given by our country. By the grace of God, I will enjoy it with family and friends who love the outdoors and hunting because tomorrow is not guaranteed or promised.
Don't brag about tomorrow, since you don't know what the day will bring.
Proverbs 27:1
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