1 September was the dove season opener here in North Dakota. Took Remy (my ~1 year old Weimaraner) out to the field to see how he would do. It was my first hunting experience ever, so it was sort of a case of the blind leading the blind. The wifey came along, too, though she was content just taking pics and not shooting anything.
We saw four or five pairs of dove while we were out and I managed to get 6 shots off during the day... not exactly a target rich environment. It was cloudy and cool when we first got there (about 10am), but it was nice and sunny by the time we left (around 2pm). We should have hunkered down and waited for the birds to come to us, rather than walking all over to look for them (we kept seeing them "over there"). Probably also had the wrong color on (hadn't planned on hunting dove before grouse and pheasant openers). But it was a great opportunity to explore some private land I had never been on and to let Remy enjoy the field, so now I'll have a better idea what to expect the next time we're out there. Remy did really well - stayed near me (within 20 yards) the majority of the time and came right back when he was called when he did get too far out. Certainly wasn't the least bit concerned about the 12 gauge. He'll be a fine huntin' dawg.
Below are some pics from the day. It was a lot of fun and I'm eager as heck to get out there again.
Cheers,
~ Greg ~
