Ask Uncle Grover -- get off couch

"A genius at making you look stupid, that just about sums it up."

The preceding words seemed inappropriate at the time, but in my later years, the association has become somewhat commonplace. I keep telling myself there are more fish to catch, game to hunt and birds to shoot, but with time, it seems the fish are harder to locate, game stays hidden and as far as the birds go, well, they just seem to fly a bit faster these days.

It isn't uncommon for outdoor enthusiasts to excuse missed shots, lost fish or poor game trails; what isn't excusable, according to Uncle Grover, and considered a cardinal sin, is not participating.

Uncle Grover was a bird hunter extraordinaire. He could tell the type of duck by its flight long before I even saw it, and at the time, I was a mere 13 years old. He could quick snap on a dove at 50 yards from a sitting position and have his retriever, Rusty, after it before the spent cartridge hit the ground.

When Uncle Grover's age prevented him from shooting any longer, he would still join us in the fields for our annual dove shoot. He brought along a stool and positioned himself for a full view of the action -- often offering tips for better shot angles and ribbing those who made poor choices by missing a bird or two.

It was Uncle Grover who said the opening words to this column: "Doves are an easy shoot provided you know where they are headed. The minute you begin thinking you know their flight pattern, they are a genius at making you look stupid."

Thinking about it, I don't recall whose uncle he really was -- so many individuals came and went over the years -- but he was the one constant among all else. I have the stool he used to this day, and like Uncle Grover, it is unique as well. It is a three-legged laborers stool from Spain. I know because he told me so, just about the time he began another of his stories.

Looking back, I think the fascination for such shoots evolves more from memory than actual hunting. It's about the experience -- you know that every time you go something will keep you coming back. For me, it is Uncle Grover and my goal to beat him at his best -- which was taken from our last shooting.

Out of 17 shots between the two of us, I felt bad since we had only dropped four birds. At 24 percent I had a right to feel bad. Uncle Grover reminded me that the national average for a bird shooter is only 17 percent, so we did pretty good.

Before time kicks in big time, I want to bring up the average to his expectations.

"As good of a shot as you are now, when you get my age you should be hitting close to 30 percent," he said back then.

Not yet Uncle Grover, and maybe not ever, but if I don't reach the goal you anticipated it won't be because of lack of participation.

Youth invited to Dove Hunts

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources will conduct nine youth dove hunts on the opening day of dove season Sept. 5.

The youth dove hunts will be in the following counties: Abbeville, Charleston, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Sumter, Union and York.

For information on these youth hunts, call the Columbia DNR office at (803) 734-3886.

More on Dove Hunt

Forty-six public dove fields will be available across the state during the 2009-10 seasons through the S.C. Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Management Area program.

The 2009-10 mourning dove seasons will run as follows: Sept. 5-7 (noon until sunset); Sept. 8-Oct. 10; Nov. 21-28; and Dec. 21-Jan. 15.

Legal hunting hours for mourning dove season, except for Sept. 5-7, are from 30 minutes before sunrise until sunset. The daily bag limit is 15 birds per day.

A county-by-county list of public dove fields and special youth hunts can be accessed at the DNR Web site: http://www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/dove/fields.html. Information can also be obtained by writing: DNR, Attn: Public Dove Fields, PO Box 167, Columbia, SC 29202, or by calling (803) 734-3886 in Columbia.

The Public Dove Field List is also available at County Extension Service offices, Soil and Water Conservation District offices, and local DNR offices.