For years, Jim Dickerson and I traveled to Remington, VA every September for a great opening day Dove Hunt. The organizers had multiple fields planted with corn, sunflowers, and wheat. We would ride to the fields in open wagons pulled by tractors. Through out the afternoon, organizers would ride by offering cold drinks and snacks. After the hunt, there was always a party at the big barn with plenty of BBQ, beer and a band.
That all changed in the fall of 2016
That year I was looking forward to another great dove hunt with Jim, and my son, Sam. However, Jim couldn't attend, so Sam and I decided it was going to be a great Father-Son day.
We arrived at 10 that morning, paid our fee, and shot a round of skeet to warm up. There must have been 75 hunters participating in the hunt. We started loading into the wagons around 11:30, and headed to the fields.
Our group of hunters was dropped off in a big field of sunflowers, with wide strips bush-hogged through out the field. Sam and I selected a shady spot, setup our chairs, and started to relax until the birds came in.
Since the doves weren't flying yet, I walked over to the next set of hunters and started polite conversation. They both were from Richmond, first time on this hunt. We chatted a bit about the upcoming deer season, then I returned to our spot. Sam commented on a small airplane flying around. I didn't pay it much attention.
The birds still hadn't started coming to our field yet, when shooting in the field behind us cranked up. We decided to change fields. We walked through a small stand of oaks and found a good setup. Before long, Sam and I were blasting away. We must have gone through a box of shells with no luck at all. That was unusual for Sam, he's always been a good shot. It was par for me.
About that same time I noticed a green SUV enter the field and stop at the first group of hunters. They were too far away to tell exactly what was going on, but within a few minutes, the hunters were packing up and leaving the field. That's when it hit me, I knew what was happening.
Undercover Federal Game Wardens
As the SUV was approaching Sam and me, I told Sam to lay his shotgun down and step away. As the two men stepped out of the vehicle, I recognized them as the same two hunters I had started a conversation with earlier that day. However, they were now dressed in their full game warden regalia, and well armed. The tall one said, "We're sorry, we are from Richmond, but we're also undercover federal game wardens." He told us we were being detained for hunting over "manipulated" fields, and that we needed to collect our gear and move to the pick-up point for the wagons. He then asked for our hunting license and any birds we had killed. I told him we hadn't killed a bird all afternoon. He chuckled, then they set off to the next set of hunters.
To say I was mad would be an understatement. And the longer it took us to get back to the barn, the madder I became. Once all of the hunters were gathered in the barn, the game wardens then started calling out small groups at a time. I had never seen so many game wardens in one place in all my life.
As the afternoon wore on I was becoming more agitated. I was pacing back and forth so hard Sam finally asked what was wrong. I told him I'd never been "detained" before in my life. He then looked at me and said, "Dad, it's not so bad, I've been detained once or twice myself." I exploded, "Does your mother know this?" He just grinned.
Judgment Time
Finally, a warden called our names and we went up to the front. He ask if it was true we hadn't hit a bird all afternoon. I told him, "yep, not a single bird." He looked at me for a moment, handed our hunting license back, and said we were free to leave. Just like that, we were heading home. I like to think I made a good impression with the two undercover wardens earlier that day, and they took pity on us.
I later found out the guy organizing the hunt was federally charged with violating the North American Game Bird Treaty by "manipulating" the fields (bush-hogging lanes and throwing out wheat seed.) I haven't been on a paid dove hunt since.
Mike's Hunting Tip - Try your best not to break a game law. Being detained by Game Wardens was a terrible feeling.
Mike Griffin, an old Ludowici boy from way back.
PS - All of my stories are true, mostly true or maybe just made up :)
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