The heat from his little body radiated into mine as beads of sweat raced down his cheeks, mixing with the stream of tears carving their course to the tip of his tiny chin. “Hold me tight, Daddy! Hold me tight! Please, hold me tight!” His pleas filled the room as he continued to sink into me, pulling my arms ever tighter around his chest.
Finally, the nurse had her sample; with a little luck, we would have our answer within a week. After all, how long should a father have to wait to find out if his son has Leukemia?
That day I realized there is no lifetime guarantee on tomorrow - what we do today must outlast us. Building my legacy, and helping him begin his own, has become more than just a sappy dad’s goal; it has become the very fabric of our bond.
Just a few nights after receiving the miraculous news our son had tested negative, I tucked my son in with a kiss and headed toward his doorway.
“Daddy?” I watched him search his bedroom wall for the right words. “When I get older, can I have your truck?”
I smiled, “Why do you want daddy’s truck?”
Still searching the wall, he responded with an answer that took my breath away, “So I can take you hunting.”
It never dawned on me, what he was taking from our trips to the woods was something he wanted to give back to me; our trips were really something special to him. I hadn’t realized the most precious aspects of my legacy were being formed in the woods. If you’ve ever wondered what your purpose is, keep reading!
Introspection and outdoor observations revealed opportunities as obvious as the blood-trail of a heart-shot hog. Appreciation for life – including wildlife, love, family, freedom, heritage, stewardship, ethics, integrity, conservation, preservation and yes, even death, all play out here upon the majestic stage of our great outdoors.
The first time my son sat with me in a blind on a hog hunt, we watched several does walk across the field with two fawns in tow.
“Which one would you shoot, Daddy?”
“The big doe in front, son.”
“Why that one?”
“Because the other two are younger and the one in back has those two fawns to look after.”
“Why don’t you shoot it then?”
“It’s not deer season. We have to wait until the season opens.”
In 30 seconds of conversation, he learned I genuinely love both wildlife and the outdoors. It was a lesson in both ethics and stewardship. He also learned about integrity; he’s heard me say many times, “What you do when no one’s looking is what really matters. That’s the stuff character is made of.”
He saw my words in action and they stuck like glue.
Jacob was with me when I caught the biggest bass of my life. You should have seen the look on his face when I pulled the fish from the water. He touched it repeatedly before finally petting it down its slick side. I reveled in his nervous excitement as he watched my entire fist disappear into the fish’s mouth.
His excitement quickly turned to doom and gloom when I told him to say goodbye as I lowered the bruiser back into the water. “Maybe someone else will get to catch their biggest fish now.” He smiled, “Maybe me?”
“Maybe so, he’s in there waiting for you to catch him.”
Purple, gold and scarlet hues of a sleepy sun gave way to silver light dancing on the water as we finished cleaning our fish and stowed our gear. Great memories and another lesson were born; my son understood what giving back to our outdoor heritage is all about.
The opportunities to teach our children the core values our country was founded upon are endless when you search for them outdoors. Whether you are fishing, hunting, camping or hiking, never lose an opportunity to teach your children lessons, they shape the men and women our children become.
To this day, Jacob’s pleas to hold him tight still haunt me; recalling those few minutes still invokes emotions that are tough to swallow back. Yet, my darkest hour gave way to my greatest awakening; realizing I am not promised another day with my son shattered my someday-soon attitude and replaced it with the hope that my legacy will add to a mosaic of memories and actions serving to build his legacy for what I hope is many, many years to come.
My son once told me I was his hero. It wasn’t long ago my words echoed his as we sat and hunted together, watching lessons unfold for both of us. Our outdoor world, whether a stone’s throw from suburbia or seemingly endless miles off the grid, is exceedingly special. Out there, in wild places brimming with untamed creatures and still void of man’s industrial “touch”, our legacies grow together.
And, for this particular dad, the notion that the fabric of his own legacy—woven with mine in those special moments we shared—now veils him in such character there seems little left to teach him, means if tomorrow didn’t come for me, I would be alright with that.
If you don’t have a good spot on opening weekend, your chances of success exponentially decrease with each day that passes. Doves respond to hunting pressure and because opening weekend is crowded and the bag limit is high comparingly to other wing hunting, it is inevitable that dove hunting becomes increasingly challenging.
That is why it is so important to scan your spots a week or two before September 1.
There is no guarantee that last year’s honey hole, especially if it isn’t yours, will still be the sweet spot. Watering holes dry up, farmers switch or don’t plant crops—they may not have cut their field yet, land development and plenty of other factors affect doves’ feeding, watering and roosting grounds.
Typically, dove hunting doesn’t require as much preparation as deer hunting does. Most dove hunters wear drab colors, pack up a chair, ammo and a shotgun and post up in the nearest open field. Even though doves are the most bountiful bird in North America, you still run the risk of not hitting your limit that first day—especially if you haven’t done your homework.
You’re more likely to be successful if you approach your dove hunt like you do deer. An essential step is scouting.
All you need to scout and scan for this year’s dove field is a car, time and some good binoculars.
Doves eat anywhere from 14 to 20 percent of their weight a day. Seeds are their primary diet. They prefer open grain fields, freshly harvested—wheat, barley, corn and sunflower fields are prime feeding grounds. These grain fields edged with tall, sparse dead trees or power lines are where you will find the perch sights doves like. Scan for these entry and exit points because doves use these outlying trees to watch the fields for predators before flying in to feed.
Doves typically fly into a water source at least once a day, usually in the evening right before roosting. Like their feeding ground, doves prefer a flat area with a place nearby to perch and watch before committing to flying in to drink.
Cattle ponds should be easy to find, and the vegetation will already be stomped down. Look for ponds with low banks and sandy areas where it is easy for doves to land and keep watch.
The best time to hunt doves is early morning and right before dusk. However, since this is known to seasoned dove hunters, the fields will empty out from late morning/lunch to mid-afternoon. During this time, you probably won’t have flocks flying in, you’ll spot singles and pairs without the competition of other hunters. If the doves are flying slow, don’t be discouraged. Wait it out. They’ll come back—especially if you’ve already scouted the location.
When scouting, go at the same time you plan to hunt. This will ensure you have an adequate understanding of when and where the doves are flying and their different flight patterns.
Avoid public, popular fields and sneak off to lesser-known, out-of-the-way places. When doves feel pressure from one field, they will push out to other fields. Public hunting land will fill up fast opening weekend. Don’t be afraid to knock on doors, become friendly with farmers and ask for permission to hunt on private land.
There is still plenty of time left to scout out the perfect spots. Don’t forget to clean your shotgun and check to make sure your license is current.
