The "How Can Anybody Shoot A Little Dove?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Looking at a large photograph of a dove that was featured on the front page of my local newspaper's "Food" page.  Yep, the food page.  At first I thought it was a joke, but as I began to read the story, which was titled "DOVES ON THE GRILL", I had a hard time realizing that people really do eat doves!  Seems that on September 1 in Pennsylvania, dove season opened.  First paragraph began with...Those who have at least one dove hunt under their belts know what a relaxed trip afield it is.

Could that be because the doves might not even move when they see a human with a gun because they tend to be so passive?  I'll bet they don't realize that someone plans to shoot them as they sit there looking at them with that unknowing look!  Paragraph #2 of the article read...Images of a hunter or two sitting on a 5 gallon bucket or two over a fresh-cut field, or a local power line hunting doves can to some seem "old-timey," like something your grandfather told you about from when no one had smartphones and gas was less than $1 a gallon."

What kind of hunter would sit in wait for an unsuspecting little dove and then shoot it dead as it landed on a tree branch above him...or her?  To me...it's much the same as sitting on your lounge chair in your back yard and shooting your dog or perhaps cat when it saw you and headed toward you with its tail wagging.  These small mourning doves are said to be a rare treat to eat, but how much meat can you get from one of these little creatures?

I know, to many of you reading this think I'm nuts..and it's only a bird and not a person that you might shoot and eat, but to me it is an extremely passive creature of nature that deserves to live just as a human does.  I went hunting with my Uncle Bob when I was 12 years old on his father's farm in nearby Strasburg, PA.  The first shot I took in the cornfield killed a rabbit that was trying to escape from me.  I told Uncle Bob that he could have it.  I had a cage at home that held all my pet rabbits.  I realize that many people rely on hunting in order to survive, but luckily, I'm not one of them.  I never hunted after that day!  So...if you are a hunter and love to hunt, I promise I will not try and scare off any of the natural game that you might hunt.  I believe that what's fun for one person might not be fun for another person.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - Yes...I do eat chicken, ham, beef, etc, but at least I don't shoot them myself.  And, a steer or pig or even a chicken raised for meat isn't the same as a little dove!  I try not to think about that when I'm eating!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.