Dove Season Memories: Keeping a Family Tradition Alive
When September rolls around in the South, the sight of pickup trucks lining a dusty country road means one thing: dove season has arrived. For my family, it’s always been more than a hunt—it’s a tradition filled with stories, laughter, and gathering around the table.
It’s that time of year in the South when you may see a spot off a country road that is lined with pickup trucks. Follow the trucks and look a little deeper, and you’ll see men sitting on stools holding their shotguns, waiting for the birds to start flying. September means dove season. When dove season opens, it’s a true sign that summer is over and Autumn has arrived.
My father looked forward to dove season every year. After each hunt, he would bring his doves home so Anne and I could help him clean them. He was a great shot and nearly always came home with his limit. It was a tradition that we always enjoyed with him. Then, after the season ended, we would have a gathering at the house, and he would grill doves all night for friends and family. Hunting is a rite of passage in the South, but it isn’t just about the hunt. It’s the camaraderie and the tradition that make it what it is. It’s about the storytelling and the fun to be had while doing what you genuinely enjoy. It’s about the lunch before the shoot and the drinks afterward. It’s about having fun.
Being a good shot and a good storyteller is something that will follow you and your family for generations. Years ago, during a business meeting, a man I had never met before stopped me to share that one of his highlights from his younger days was being invited to a dove shoot with my father. I smiled with pride just like a good southern belle would do. I’ve never hunted myself, but I have to admit knowing it’s in my southern roots does make me smile from time to time.
My husband has always enjoyed dove hunting. When we first started dating, I went to a couple of shoots with him and then would help him clean the doves afterwards. Since moving to Evening Shade, we have started our own dove shoot. When we purchased this property, Philip immediately scouted the dove field. We call the event “Doves and Dinner,” and I love it so much.
Anne, Mom, and I start working on the menu early in the year. This dish always makes an appearance.😉 On the day of the shoot, we set up tables on the porch for everyone to eat. Philip joked that more people come to eat than to shoot. We send take-out boxes home with everyone full of leftovers, and many hunters return the next day for another helping of food and fun. It’s something we look forward to every year, and I know my father would have loved every minute of it. Dove hunting is a tradition in our family, and if Southerners know how to do one thing right… It’s keeping a tradition going. It warms my heart that we are keeping it going.
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