It was eery similar. Refer back to last year's
A Taste of Fall.
De-ja-vu.
A huge thunderstorm had passed in the night and was still spitting when we got to the same location as the year before. Different field, but the same farm, same storm and same feeling that this was going to be a great day.
Dove Opener: September 1st. Labor Day
Everything around us was flooded from the night's storm but Nick put up a round bale with a bunch of square bales brushed out around it, at the highest point in Polk County Iowa.
Once the shooting began it was constant. It wasn't chaos like last year, but it was a constant, manageable number of birds every few minutes.
I don't think one of us thought the day would go as well as it did. We shot safely and efficiently, and not without a goofy grin on our faces.
The best part about this photo was that Nick wasn't just posing for a photo. Seconds later he dropped the incoming bird. You can see it in his eyes.
I even managed a few videos of our fun. These birds wanted on the field so bad but, because of the wind they would drop down as soon as they could into a bare spot in the field. This led to opportunities in which we could flush them like pheasants.
It was beyond fun!
We would alternate guys when birds would land or when there was a lull and a guy wanted to walk around. It made for a lot of great solo birds and fair camera footage.
To put the icing on the cake, on one of these solo pokes, I redeemed myself from some poor shooting and managed to pull a single down with one clean shot.
This bird had jewelery!!!!
I was having some eye troubles...A seed scratched my right eye five birds in and the rest was a blur.
We finished the morning with a limit each. 5 guys: 75 birds
A lot of these birds would not have been found if it weren't for those two dogs. Although they were a little rusty, they were the work behind the scenes.
I have always said that when Nick, Ethan, and myself get together, great things happen. Last year the three of us couldn't dream of such a hunt, and this year we HAD to let some others in on the madness. The photos were a combination of myself, Aaron Steffen, and Ethan Shetler.
I cannot think of a better group of guys to share this experience.
Fall of 2014 is off to a legendary start.
Stay tuned
