Solving The Dove Puzzle

Story by Roy Waldrep

Dove season in Texas opens in September and outdoors writers everywhere are giving advise on how to improve your shooting odds. Take note and remember that you read it here first: Figure out how many shotgun shells you need – and then double that amount.

Even if you don’t need that many shells, your hunting partner probably will and the extra will come in handy. 

I once hit 12 straight doves and almost broke my arm patting myself on the back. After that streak I also remember bragging about being born in an imaginary shooting stance. Then, I missed the next 12 shots. That is Texas dove hunting in a nutshell.

My group of wing shooters will faithfully practice on clay targets in the back pasture this month. The problem is that clay targets fly straight paths while dove juke all over the sky. This may sharpen your hand/eye coordination and help build solid shooting form but those man-made targets just keep flying at the same speed, in the same direction. There isn’t an ounce of juke in them.

Some folks talk about correctly leading a dove and I am sure there is some merit to such a formula. Being a back-to-basics type of hunter I tend to forget the advice of most experts. The longer you track a dove and carefully measure the lead the greater the chance of slowing your swing or zoning out when that dove dips and dives. Get the muzzle out in front and good things have a way of taking place. 

Here is what works for me:

• Swing the shotgun from behind, right through the target, and then ahead of it in a nonstop movement. That means swing out past the bird and follow through with your swing even after the shot – don’t stop swinging when you pull the trigger or run the risk of shooting behind the target.

• A solid cheek-to-gunstock fit is critical to keep your shooting eye straight down the barrel and to avoid shooting over the bird.

• Mind boggling as it may seem, all that talk about picking out one bird instead of merely shooting into a flock is really true.

• Rather than leaping to your shooting stance while the bird is still coming, wait until the target is right on top of you before making a move. Dove flair easily.

• Hunt the grain fields in the morning, the stock ponds in the evening. It works for me.

Hunters in this country harvest about 50 million mourning doves annually and most of us miss 50 percent of the dove shots we take, meaning my best tip is still the part about bringing extra shells.

 In the midst of all this fun some hunters find it acceptable to keep a cooler box of cold beer to help battle the September heat. To those folks I say (again), alcohol and gunpowder still do not mix. That is my story and I am sticking to it.

Feel free to blog in at www.sportseditionmag.com and click on “The Great Outdoors” or email roy@editionmagazines.com to talk about the Great Outdoors in general. Invite us on a hunt we will feature the action in this space. 

Those Pesky Insects

By David Leining, Sr.

I parked my jeep 300 yards from my stand and made the walk to my stand for some late evening hog hunting. As I settled into my stand with windows open waiting for the sun to go down I felt something running down my neck. What I thought was sweat from the walk turned out to be a tick. Although it is not unusual to come in contact with ticks, fleas and chiggers while in the long grass it helps to protect yourself from the disease carrying insects.

Lyme Disease is spread by the bite of a deer tick. Lyme disease has become the leading tick-borne illness in the U.S. The tick normally feeds on the white-footed mouse, white-tailed deer, other mammals and birds, and is responsible for transmitting Lyme disease to humans. Lyme disease most often presents a characteristic bulls-eye rash, erythema migrans, accompanied by nonspecific symptoms such as fever, malaise, fatigue, headache, muscle aches and joint aches.

Ticks can attach to any part of the human body but often attach to the more hidden and hairy areas such as the groin, armpits and scalp. When in a tick infested area a good prevention is an insect repellent. Consider using a product to be applied to clothing rather than your skin. An insect repellent with DEET and or permethrin can be used. Follow the instructions of these and other repellents. Avoid contact with wild animals and birds and stay to the center of hiking paths and avoid grassy and marshy woodland areas.

Fleas are of medical importance because they produce irritating bites and transmit serious diseases. The fleas, which attack man, live chiefly on cats, dogs and rodents. When man is in close association with these animals, conditions are ideal for the occurrence of flea-borne diseases.

Rodent fleas are responsible for the transmission of bubonic plague and endemic (murine) typhus. An infected person may experience high fever, chills, cough and breathing difficulty and may expel bloody sputum. 

Chiggers are found in low damp places covered with vegetation such as tall grass and weeds. The larva of chiggers attach themselves to the body by sticking their mouth into the hair follicle. They inject enzymes and feed upon human cells. After a few hours there will be extreme itching and small red welts start to appear. To remove the chiggers lather several times with soap. 

Brown Recluse Spiders are light yellow to a dark brown body. They are oval shaped, have eight legs, and have a distinctive fiddle shaped mark on its back. The Recluse spider lives in dark places, trash piles, attics, closets and dresser drawers just to name a few they can hide. The sting is almost painless. In 2 to 8 hours pain will occur followed by blisters, swelling or ulceration. In some cases rash, nausea, jaundice, chills, fever, cramps or joint pain. If quick medical attention is not taken weak adults or children have been known to die.

More information on insects and reptiles can be found in the “Camping and Wilderness Survival” handbook by Paul Tawrell. If you feel you have come in contact with any of the above mentioned insects, contact your physician for treatment.