It was a made-to-order dove opening weekend at our goose lease property. The record-setting relentless string of 90+ degree days gave way by Sunday, our first chance to hunt. It was sunny and breezy with a high of  just 70. The doves weren’t plentiful, but enough for some good retrieving by our Labs and a chance to get some rust off our shooting. Tom provided a spacious new tent for his Pop and his father-in-law Dick for an overnighter nearby. We almost felt like kids again. Labor Day the shooting was slower, so we spent the middle of the day relocating to our traditional area near Last Chance. Again, the birds were sparse. We gave it a good try but decided not to see it through until sunset. Even on slow days I always find reference that can be put to use in a painting and this time was no exception. Regretfully,we won’t have another opportunity for doves this season. Interestingly, a third of our birds were Eurasian collard doves, a substantial increase over last year. After a couple of  days of fishing still scheduled, ducks will be next. We did some blind maintenance while we were at the lease.