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Sunday, September 1, 2013

Dove Hunting Season

Heading around the south side of Tortugas Mountain
Yes, today was the first day of dove hunting season, and all the loons (not birds) eager to get out and kill something were behind the mountain taking potshots like rabid kin in the Hatfield/McCoy wars.  I'm not sure why the Bureau of Land Management allows shooters to "hunt" so close to the lower loop road around the mountain, but Dr. K, Becca and I actually had to alter our track because we could see hunters in the arroyo directly below Tortugas, and we were going to pass too close to them.
A large Collared Lizard (so named because of its collar)

Heading down into a low valley

Still a ways to go

On the far east side of Tortugas (Tortoise) Mountain

4 comments:

JACQUELINE said...

Dove hunting???

Each bird would be barely a mouthful, wouldn't it?

Dr. K said...

This is a "sport" I don't get at all.

Scott said...

I've got to agree, Jacqueline and Dr. K.: why even bother? Perhaps the doves make a challenging target as they try to escape in terror, but couldn't the yahoos get the same practice by shooting clay pigeons? We'll never understand their thinking.

packrat said...

Jacqui and Scott: If you want to know my feelings about the "sport" you can check out an article I wrote back in 2007: "Since when did hunting become target shooting?" in High Country News:

http://www.hcn.org/wotr/17388

You might take note of the follow-up comments, too.

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