Texas Holiday

West Texas Holiday by Pat Green

September comes to Texas just one time every year

So we get our guns and our pickup trucks

And a bunch of that Lone Star beer

Well we head out for the open plains

Where the birds they flow like wine

We hunt them up and then we shoot them down

Man it makes me feel so fine

The manly sport is what I'm talking about

So you can grab your pouch of chew

If we get bored 'cause the birds won't fly

We'll shoot rabbits with my .22

Well it is September 2nd and for most people that does not mean much, but for me it means that the 2008-2009 hunting season has begun. Yesterday morning at 7:04 am dove season began.
This year was a little bit of a surprise but we found out a week ago that the Woody, Loria, and Kier dove hunt was on. This is something that we have done every Labor Day for the past 10 years. So on Sunday morning we loaded up the SUV with shotgun and dogs and we headed to Austin. Our first stop was a trip to the rehabilitation facility to go see my Grandmother. The first thing she did was give Kristin a hug and then touch her belly. Her biggest enjoyment was seeing Raider and Ginger. So yes, they let us bring in the dogs and Madre had a grin from ear to ear. It was great to see her smile so much.

The next morning, 5 am to be exact we got up and headed to the fields. It was my Aunt, Uncle, Mom, Dad, Kristin, Ginger, and Raider. So while we were sitting in an overgrown sunflower field before dawn, Kristin and I are trying to clam Raider’s anxiety. I swear she knows what is about to happen and if things go right she will be retrieving birds all morning. Well the morning hunt was great. I got my limit and Raider retrieved almost all my birds. It was great to see both dogs work so hard and now that we are home both girls are passed out. They are just exhausted.
Now I have to admit that getting up at 5 am on a holiday and going to sit in a field or going back out at 3pm in 100 degree heat is not something I would call fun.

There are 2 things that I go for. One is to see my family. I think after these many years, we can now call this a family tradition, all we need are shirts made. Haha. I don’t know how we are going to keep this going for years to come but somehow we are going to have to find a way and continue to recruit more of the family to join in. I go and visit with the family. That is the most important part of this weekend for me. Now my favorite hunting part is seeing my favorite hunting buddy do her thing. She hates to retrieve a tennis ball or a bumper but when it comes to a bird flying from the sky she is the best friend any hunter could ask for. She is always searching for birds so I can shoot them down and she lets me hear it when I miss. I am very proud of her just like I am after every bird hunt. Good job Raider!!!!

Thank you for putting up with my guest blogging. Kristin will take it from here.