Best. Day. Ever.

I was able to leave work a couple hours early on Friday and head over to Illinois to get in some shooting on our dove fields. I had the place all to myself so I set up in area between the sunflower field and a pond hoping to be in a good cross flight path. When I walked up to set my decoys around 30 dove took flight that were feeding in the sunflowers. Well, that can't be a bad sign can it?

To make a long story short it was a good afternoon. What I was really excited about is I was shooting really well and got five birds on my first five shots. That doesn't last so I took a quick picture and then continued hunting. Well, my luck continued and I soon was seven for seven. I started to think, hmm maybe I can go ten for ten. I've never done that. Well, then I started getting nervous and let a couple birds pass that were longer shots. I would probably have taken that shot any other time. Another one came through and bang I got him. Eight for eight now. Yikes. I'm sweating but it is kind of humid right? Then suddenly... three dove come darting in over the still standing corn and fly across the sunflowers. Bang! I get one about 15 yards from me and the other two dip and then head across to the other side of the sunflower stand. One barrel left on my sxs, I pick the one heading straight away from me. Bang! I see feathers fly but he keeps going...I think damn that reminds me of those pheasant in South Dakota that just seem to shrug and keep going when you hit them. I keep watching the dove which is about sixty yards away now when suddenly he turns, folds up and drops. Down goes Frazier, down goes Frazier! Ten for ten!

There was a lull after that and it was probably fifteen minutes before I got another shot. I missed on the next two and decided to call it an afternoon. Fun day. I'll probably go again one afternoon this weekend and maybe I'll just bring ten shells with me. Nah, I better bring two boxes of shells like always!

Five doves on my first five shots. I went on to get ten out of ten.