whiskey

  I took mine in 1987 and I am in their system. Back in those days it was really dependent on how well your instructor kept and submitted records. 

Probably depends on how long ago you took it. I suggest you go online to the TWRA license purchase system and attempt to order a duplicate card. Assuming you took the class in TN. Yup.

Too bad he's gonna get my bad influence before you have a chance to work on him. :) Should be a decent hunt tomorrow of anyone else decides to drive out. They cut a lot of corn there earlier this week. Saw a few birds this afternoon. Only problem is how wide open it is. Not much to corral the birds. Yup.

The beauty of dove hunting is in the simplicity. A bucket, a shotgun and a field. No special carbon filled scent free under garments, no red hot doe pee captured at the peak of breeding cycle, no bang whizz latest gizmo gun/ammo combo or any other hunting contraptions required. Double check for a magazine plug, no more than 2 in the mag, or a total of 3 in the gun. You will likely get your license checked, so double check you have it and it contains the migratory bird stamp. Dress cool. Shorts and a camo tee shirt are fine. I recommend a hat to keep the sun at bay. Sunglasses are good too. They protect your eyes from the sun and the peppering shots. Yup.

PM sent Yup.

Saturday. Sunday too if there are plenty of birds. Yup.

I will be dove hunting this weekend. Robertson Co. Public field. You or anyone else is welcome to come sit on the tailgate with me. Field opens at noon. I have a silver Toyota Tacoma crew cab with a matching camper shell. I will be sitting at the truck since I am still on crutches. More than likely I will be parked near the tobacco barn. You need a shotgun and a free migratory bird stamp, and some water/sunscreen/stool. If you have #8 field loads, bring them. If not, I have plenty of 12ga to share. It's on Lee Jones Road near Adams, you can't miss it. Lee Jones road isn't very long. It's also called Sadlersville Road on the Montgomery Co. Side. PM me if you plan to come so I don't get lazy and stay home. Most likely I will be there either way. Yup.

Met her. Decided to reenlist to go to Alaska with her, got stationed 300 miles from her. Twisted her arm to marry me and save me from Fairbanks. She reluctantly agreed. We've made it 17 years this month. Yup.

It should really depend on the maximum distance that you are proficient with the rifle. A .44mag is plenty deadly at 150yards, but that doesn't mean you should shoot that far. I'd recommend going out and shooting offhand, no rest, or with only a shooting stick that you've committed to always use. If you can hold 3 shot within a 4" circle, you should not have worries about hunting at that distance. When the group goes to 6 inches, you may want to reconsider. Most hunters struggle offhand at 100 yards, yet they readily attempt much further shots in the woods. I don't like to shoot past 50 offhand. 100 with a stick, maybe 150 with a solid rest. I just don't get to shoot further than enough to be confident. Yup.

True... Unless you are on a TWRA leased dove field. They usually post a notice on the field that states something like, "doves are the only legal game on that leased field." I doubt you would get cited for shooting pigeons or starlings, but I'd avoid it on leased dove fields. Yup.

I have seen them on most TWRA lease fields. They check license, take bird counts, and just talk to hunters. Sometimes they sent office personnel to help with counts and parking and answer questions. Yup.

While sitting on the dove field today I had the opportunity to talk at length with TWRA officer Mike Murdock, Robertson Co. During the course of our conversation, the topic came up of a dove hunter inadvertently shooting the wrong species. Officer Murdock stated that he understood that it's usually just a mistake, but that he does write tickets for it. He feels that, as a hunter, you have the responsibility of being able to positively identify the species you are hunting. I agree, and this is also especially true when duck hunting.    As we were talking, a kid, probably 16, shot a bull bat by mistake. It dove into the standing corn. The officer and several others saw what happened. Officer Murdock shock his head in disbelief and headed off into the corn to attempt to recover the bird. We were packing up to leave and drove off before they came out of the corn, but I am sure the kid got a citation, and rightly so.    I have seen it happen many times on dove fields. Swallows, larks, starlings, kestrel hawks, and now bull bats, all fall pray to untrained hunters. I was hunting today with a broken leg, on crutches, really just to supervise the two kids I had out hunting with me. I don't have any doubt that my kid hunts safe and smart. She has had it drilled into her since before she ever went afield. I guess I just don't understand how a hunter makes these mistakes. Why don't they take the same due caution?   We also had a young woman shoot at a low bird that was between us and her. Thankfully we were just far enough apart that we didn't get peppered. Her husband walked over and explained to her not to shoot at low birds. She didn't do it again. I am sure it was a case where no one had explained the situation to her. However, it was a situation that could have ended with another hunter with a face full of 8 shot. I can't imagine taking a new hunter out and not stressing the importance of safe shooting beforehand.    Please, if you take a new hunter out, make sure you take the time to teach them the importance of being a safe and responsible hunter. Don't be responsible for creating another "Bubba" hunter that doesn't respect the sport.      BTW, Officer Murdock seemed like a helluva nice guy. Glad to have met him today. 

Well I missed a great dove shoot yesterday. Apparently the Robertson Co. Field hit hard yesterday. I spoke with the game warden today and they had a great hunt opening day. Something like 500 birds taken. Of course we were a day late... Still had a good time. Few birds, but enough to keep us awake. Yup.

Love the Mad Platter. Flemings beats Ruth Chris for me. Stony River is a good step down. Hattie B's for some hot chicken. South Street is a decent place Whiskey Kitchen is uppity ultra cool.

Not many birds on the Robertson co. Lease field. Certainly not enough to sweat for. May go late evening or wait till early Monday.

Hahaha, love that pizza. Yup.

I have some info I need to look up, then I will send it over to you. Check you PM's.

Good luck. I remember when there used to be private hunts all over. People would put up signs and charge a small fee per hunter. I haven't been on a good private hunt in over 10 years. We have had to resort to TWRA lease fields the past few years. They are usually hit or miss. I haven't had any trouble with the idiot factor on any of the hunts. Of course, we hunt lease fields that aren't near the big Metro. 

I carry when we canoe/kayak. Just incase the Natty Light crowd gets a little out of hand.

All that cool weather we had earlier in the month, now we are back to heat and humidity. Even if my leg wasn't broken, I think I would be waiting till we had a frost. I know that it's safe to cut out the wolves and eat the meat, but I don't like the idea of doing that. So, I would rather wait till they are gone to get a mess of squirrels. 

We ate at Kohana's today. It's pretty good. I didn't grow up here, so I do have a good sushi knowledge base. I don't like the sushi at shogun or Hananoki. Hananoki has good is good, but not sushi. Fujiyama and Kori are both decent.

East TN is the most scenic, but also many counties are economically depressed. Job wise, middle TN is your best bet. Clarksville to Chattanooga has lots of businesses popping up. Tennessee has been aggressive at attracting new business, and it is paying off. Nashville is the convergence for 3 major interstates, that attracts businesses too. The beauty of your situation seems to be that you could find a job first and let that drive where you live. Like mentioned above, it's hard to go wrong any place east of Memphis.

Note to self: don't go to IGA without riot gear. P.S. I do have a percolator pot in the garage. Enjoyed the post.

Another vote for the Henry lever action. My daughter loves shooting ours. She takes it over bolt guns every time.

Customer is always right as far as I am concerned. Not to mention the PC bull crap about hostile work environments nowadays. If I carry at work, which isn't expressly prohibited, I do it so no one knows.