THE DOVE HUNT

LOOK OUT HOMER, HERE COMES ONE STRAIGHT AT YOU! HOMER DROPPED THE DOVE HE HAD BENT OVER TO PICK UP AND STRAIGHTENED UP JUST AS THE DOVE WAS 15 YARDS IN FRONT OF HIM. HE THREW UP HIS DOUBLE BARREL AND TRIED TO GET A BEAD ON THE FAST FLYING DOVE. BUT BY THIS TIME THE DOVE WAS PAST HIM AND OUT OVER THE RIVER. "HECK, I CAN’T SHOOT THEM ALL." HE CALLED.

ABOUT THAT TIME DENNY HOLLERED "LOREN HERE COMES TWO, HIGH UP." "THEY ARE TO HIGH DENNY, " I CALLED BACK. "MAYBE FOR YOUR LITTLE 410 BUT NOT FOR MY 20 GAGE." HE SAID. I WATCHED AS HE LEANED BACK ON HIS CAMP STOOL AND TOOK A BEAD ON THE TWO HIGH FLYING DOVES AND PULL THE TRIGGER. BY THIS TIME THE DOVES WERE RIGHT OVER HIM AND HE WAS SHOOTING ALMOST STRAIGHT UP. WHEN HIS SHOTGUN WENT OFF THE RECOIL KICKED DENNY OVER BACK WARDS OFF HIS STOOL. THAT WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN SO BAD EXCEPT DENNY WAS SITTING IN ABOUT 12 INCHES OF WATER.

HE HAD PUT HIS CAMP STOOL OUT INTO THE EDGE OF THE RIVER AS FAR AS HE COULD AND STILL HAVE THE SEAT ABOVE WATER. THIS GAVE HIM JUST A LITTLE MORE TIME TO SEE THE DOVES AND GET OFF A SHOT BEFORE THEY WERE ON HIM. THE DOVES WERE COMING OFF A FIELD WHERE THEY HAD BEEN FEEDING AND WERE COMING IN, IN TWO’s AND THREE’s

VERY REGULARLY. THIS FIELD WAS UP ON THE SECOND BANK AND AS THEY FLEW TO WATER THEY WERE FLYING RIGHT OVER US. WE COULDN’T SEE THEM UNTIL THEY FLEW OVER THE HIGH BANK AND DROPPED DOWN OVER THE SAND BAR WE WERE STANDING ON. THE SAND BAR WAS ONLY 30 YARDS WIDE SO IT MADE FOR SOME FAST SHOOTING.

WELL AS I SAID DENNY’S GUN KICKED HIM OVER BACKWARD OFF HIS STOOL. NOW DENNY’S GUN IS A VERY NICE LITTLE 20 GAGE DOUBLE BARREL MADE IN BELGIUM. IT HAD LOTS OF PRETTY ENGRAVING ON IT AND A FANCY WALNUT STOCK. DENNY DIDN’T WANT TO GET IT WET. AS I LOOKED OVER, ALL I COULD SEE WERE DENNY’S TWO LEGS WAVING IN THE AIR AND ONE HAND ABOVE THE WATER HOLDING HIS SHOTGUN. I DIDN’T THINK DENNY COULD DROWN IN 12 INCHES OF WATER BUT I BEGAN TO WONDER, AS LONG AS IT WAS TAKING HIM TO GET HIS HEAD ABOVE WATER.

DENNY FINALLY GOT HIS FEET UNDER HIM AND GOT UP. HE TURNED TO ME AND SAID, ‘THANKS A LOT." I ASK, "WHAT FOR?" HE SAID, "FOR HELPING ME UP!" "DENNY, YOU WERE ONLY IN 12 INCHES OF WATER, I DIDN’T THINK YOU NEEDED ANY HELP." ABOUT THAT TIME I SAW A DOVE COMING AND I TURNED AROUND AND SHOT. "HA HA" DENNY SAID. "YOU MISSED." "OK FOR YOU BUSTER, I’M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU WHEN THE NEXT ONE IS COMING." AND SO IT WENT LIKE THIS ALL AFTERNOON. THAT WAS A GOOD HUNT AND WE HAD A LOT OF FUN. WE ALSO EACH KILLED OUR LIMIT.

AT TIMES THE SHOOTING WAS SO FAST THAT THE BARREL ON MY REMINGTON 1100 410 SHOTGUN WOULD GET SO HOT THAT IT WOULD BURN YOUR HAND IF YOU TOUCHED THE METAL. BUT THAT’S A WHOLE NOTHER STORY FOR A DIFFERENT TIME.

ALL THIS TOOK PLACE ON THE BRAZOS RIVER, SOUTH OF MINERAL WELLS. THERE WAS A PLACE WE COULD WADE ACROSS THE RIVER AND WALK DOWN THE OPPOSITE BANK TO A SAND BAR. THIS SAND BAR WAS BELOW A HIGH BANK AND RAN 100 YARDS ALONG THE RIVER. WE WOULD STRING OUT ALONG THIS SAND BAR AND AS THE DOVES CAME TO WATER IN THE EVENING HAVE SOME OF THE BEST DOVE HUNTING ANY OF US HAD EVER HAD. WE ALWAYS KILLED OUR LIMIT WHEN WE WENT UP THERE.

HOMER MY WADE FISHING BUDDY AND DENNY AND I ALL WORKED AT THE GENERAL MOTORS PLANT IN ARLINGTON AND WE WOULD HAVE JUST ENOUGH TIME TO GET TO THE RIVER FOR THE EVENING FLIGHT TO WATER AFTER WE GOT OFF WORK. HOMER WAS A FULL BLOOD CHEROKEE INDIAN AND HE HAD SOME STRANGE WAYS ABOUT HIM. WHEN WE WOULD WADE BACK ACROSS THE RIVER TO THE CAR HOMER WOULD ALWAYS CLEAN TWO OF HIS DOVES, BUILD A FIRE AND COOK THEM AND EAT THEM RIGHT THEN AND THERE BEFORE WE GOT IN THE CAR. I ASKED HIM ONE TIME WHY HE DID THAT AND HE TOLD ME I WOULDN’T UNDERSTAND. IT WAS AN INDIAN THING. OK. DENNY AND I WEREN’T INDIANS BUT WE TOOK TO DOING THE SAME THING AFTER THAT, AND YOU KNOW DOVES NEVER TASTED SO GOOD AS THEY DID WHEN YOU ATE THEM OUT LIKE THAT.