If you’re ever presented the opportunity to go on a dove hunt in Mexico, don’t turn it down! It’s one of the greatest hunts you’ll get to experience! But a hunt in Mexico is more than just about shooting a lot of doves, it’s also a humbling experience and one that will make you appreciate this great country we live in.
One of the great perks about my days as Louisiana Director of Manufacturing for Holloway Sportswear was the opportunities it presented for taking part in some good hunts, as well as getting to play golf at some of the best golf courses in America like Pinehurst, North Carolina and Old Waverly in Mississippi.
But I’ll never forget a hunt we made at La Paloma Resort in Mexico about two hours south of Harlingen, Texas. You’ve heard the expression, “Half the fun is getting there!” Well, that was definitely the case on this trip.
Just going through gun check at the Mexico border was a little intense and took several hours to get approval. The one thing you don’t want to do is make the border agents mad or question what is taking so long. You’re better off just going with the flow and trying to survive the process.
It’s funny how hard it is to cross the Mexico border from the US side, but so easy to get back into the United States. You would think it would be the other way around! But hopefully our border crises will be solved now that we’ve elected a new President.
There’s only one way to describe a Mexico dove hunt…. unbelievable! For anyone who has ever shouldered a shotgun and shot a few doves, I cannot put into words how incredible this hunt is. Doves fly over, not just as one here and there, but in clouds one wave after another! There are so many doves flying that it can be difficult to pick one out to shoot.
Here's another example of just how many doves there are. It was not uncommon for every hunter in our party to bring in over 100 doves each on a two-hour hunt. During each hunt, every hunter is given two bird boys (or retrievers) to make sure all the doves that were shot are not left in the field. These bird boys ranged in ages from 10 to 18 years of age and will stop at nothing to retrieve a bird.
Each boy was incredible at going and getting every bird that was knocked down. They would go through barbwire fences and brier patches to get a downed dove!
Each bird boy was paid $50 per hunt, and it was encouraged to tip them as well. The impressive thing was that the money paid to them was not for a new PlayStation game, but for school supplies and clothes for the upcoming school year.
No dollar was waisted! So, I made sure my boys were taken care of by tipping them at least another $50 each per hunt since I knew the money was being well spent and they earned it!
Another way to describe how great these hunts are is that each hunter in our party, over three days, went through almost 2 cases of shotgun shells. One case is 10 boxes of 25 shells per box. So, 2 cases would be the equivalent of 500 shells shot over the three-day period. This turns out to be just over 80 shells shot per hunt. You shot so much, that you could not touch the barrel of your gun because it was so hot! That’s why you needed two guns on each hunt so you could alternate guns.
My best advice if you go on one of these great dove hunts is make sure to leave your 12-gauge at the house and bring two 20-gauge shotguns instead. Funny story… as we loaded (owner) Randy Holloway’s private jet in Dallas to fly to Harlingen, Texas, my peers all laughed at me for bringing two 20-gauge shotguns…called me a wuss! But I knew if we shot as much as I had heard we would, that by day two my shoulder would be more than just a little sore.
Well guess how many “sore shouldered” guys in my party came to MY room on the morning of day 2 asking to borrow one of my 20-gauge shotguns? Every one of them! That’s right, I could have auctioned off one of my 20-gauge shotguns for more than the price of a Rolex watch, as each of them finally realized what I already knew. LEAVE THE 12-GAUGE AT HOME!
Turns out, I shot more doves than anyone else in my party over those three days because my shoulder was just fine! Guess I wasn’t the wuss after all! Till next time, good luck, good hunting and stay safe. Remember, that if you were born on or after September 1, 1969, and plan to hunt, you will need to take a Hunter Safety Course.
Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com
