Sunday, February 2, 2014
My First
I shot my first dove on Sunday morning. As a matter of fact, that was the first time I ever killed anything, besides ants and cockroaches.
I pulled the trigger... Bang! And a small mass of beak and feathers fell out of the sky. It landed with a thud, a sound so faint and soft in the earth below it. It surprised me. I quickly got up from my chair to see over the mound of dirt that separated the empty hay fields. There it was... I saw its body twitch as I approached. For a brief moment, I had a thought. Do I dare pick it up? Oh my God! I just killed a bird. Before, I didnt know how I would react when the moment came. Hunting sounds so cool. But for a woman who didnt grow up with hunting, I think its different. You dont really know until you actually get there, when you come face to face with what you just killed, and deal with it.
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| En route: San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm |
By the time I picked my dove up, he was already gone. Im glad, because I want him to go quick. I stroked his soft feathers and carefully held him in my hands. I looked back at Rick and he was grinning. "You drew blood, Dear." I replied with a nod and a smile. Quietly, I was proud inside. But what about cleaning it? I dunno. The sight of knives cutting into flesh and the sound of crackling bones never really thrilled me. You put a piece of meat right in front of me from the store and it wont bother me. By then, it doesnt even look like an animal anymore. But to take apart something that looks like the neighbors pet bird is an entirely new experience.
But I had to suck it up, and I did it. To my surprise, it wasnt so bad. At the end of the day, I was taught to twist one of its wings off, pluck its chest feathers, feel under the rib cage and peel the breast away from the body.
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| Fellow hunters Max and Matt with rabbit |
I also had an opportunity to help clean a cottontail rabbit. It was dark and we had to do it by moonlight. The weirdest part was pulling the fur away from the flesh. Sounds nasty, but if you treat it like food, its not so bad anymore. And thats what it is. Food. Some may say hunting is "unnecessary," but those people forget: you cant eat chicken without killing chickens. And you know what? I worked hard for my dove. And cleaning that rabbit was a lot more work than peeling away cling wrap. Having come face to face with the process, I appreciate what animals provide. Its funny. Most people know where hamburger comes from, but it doesnt really register in their minds that Bessie had to die.
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| Floating in the river... |
Overall, Im thankful for my experience, although I got chewed up by mosquitoes and felt like a raisin in the sun. I also need more shooting practice. Those damn birds fly so fast. It was frustrating, but Im not going to be hard on myself. Im just glad that I went out there in the first place, and did all that I did.
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| Beer with the guys |
And thank God for the Colorado river and ice cold beer! 117 degree weather is no joke.
On the way back, we had to stop by the famous Hadley Fruit Orchards shop. Rick hasnt been there since he was a kid. I go there every time I come back from Joshua Tree, but its been awhile. We stretched our legs, sat down and had lunch by the window while it sprinkled outside. After being in the sun all weekend, it was strange to see the world outside become so dark and gray. Hadleys brisket sandwich was fantastic, so was my buffalo burger. We were so hungry that we scarfed down portions we wouldnt normally eat. With all the heat and the sun, eating was a challenge out there. (By the way, the freeze dried food came out fantastic. Rick was skeptical, but became very impressed. The chicken was actually chicken, texture and all.) We brought some Hadley dates back for Ricks mom to enjoy. And a bottle of Elderberry Wine, just because it sounded interesting.
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| Colorado River |
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