Friends and Feathers

Written by Mark Carroll, Land and Farm Specialist

Friends and family gather together each year on the first Saturday of September to enjoy an afternoon of dove hunting.  Geared up with shotguns, dove stools, and a good retriever, hunters take to fields full of sunflowers, corn, wheat, and millet to try their hand at wing shooting.  Doves are fast flyers and can be quite challenging to take on the wing.  All the work in the fields during the hot summer days in South Carolina come together on this weekend.

My friends and I prepared a new field this year to enjoy with our friends and family.  As we gather together to head out in the heat to hunt, I am reminded of the new friends and old I made throughout the years that have impacted my life in countless ways.  Here, new friends and old have the opportunity to make memories together and watch their families grow throughout the years.  

This event revolves around the ownership of land and the generosity of landowners and managers who have worked hard to make this day possible.  The dove field is all about tasks coming together for one big event.  Crops in the field, years of practicing shotgun skills, the food, and the event as a whole require a lot of work and preparation.  Sharing this experience with friends and family provides an outstanding feeling pride and fellowship among the participants.  

As we fired up the grill and prepared burgers, brats, and all the fixings, laughter and conversations echoed through the hardwoods and down toward the pond.  After everyone had their fill of burgers and brats, we decided to embark on another tradition.  This year, we posed for our first annual group picture.  This year was extra special for my wife and I as we brought our first born to the cookout after the hunt.  I am looking forward to the years to come as our son grows and one day takes part in the hunt.  The photos and memories gathered here will be priceless one day as we look back and see how we have grown.  

If you would like to begin your own traditions with friends and family on a recreational tract of land, give us a call to help you find the perfect place for you to begin your landowner legacy.