Evening star., 1960-11-08

They're here one, split
while you blast the empty
rates In a rain of wasted
seriously that maybe croQuet
Is more rewarding after all.
What are Yankee doves?
They are flights Of gray game
sters that have come down from
the wheat fields and other lush
feeding grounds Of the North
to furnish, continued sport for
gunners In this locality.
With the fall migration well
along, these Yankee doves have
replaced the birds that were
here at the opening Of the sea-
son. They. seem bigger. fatter
and darker. The brown on their
breasts shades to an almost
positive pink.
Fast with Tail Wind
They also seem faster. Shot
ct as they have been, these
feathered tricksters have
learned all the secrets Of er-
ratio flight and with o 35-mile
tail wind. oh myI
A novice soon learns that
dove shooting is q sport in it
self. There's nothing quite like
it. You may be good at skeet
or trap. able to bag your limit
Of ducks and geese. but when
You 60 after doves you're invit-
ing Illustration.
A doves ability to change
course with the speed Of light
is the answer. AS bird flight
goes, doves perhaps are not very
fast-experts say about IS miles
an hour. But II the dove catches
sight Of the hunter first, you
might as well save your shot.
The critter win dip, swerve and
corkscrew out Of range so fast
1t leaves you dizzy.
To help get the jump on the
birds, wear drab clothing-no
bright caps or shirts. Then
pick yourself q field near a
waterhole. It can be q field of
wheat or corn stubble and the
waterhole may be a river or just
a farm pond. If the land Is
posted, get written, not oral,
permission from the owner be-
fore you start hunting.
There are many forms Of dove
hunting. Some hunters conceal
themselves in crude blinds OF
behind trees along the edges OF
the field. being careful to space
themselves far enough apart so
that a haStily-swung gun won't
kill a companion. It's easy to
forget the next fellow while try
ing to take a lead on a swooping
bird.
Other hunters may beat
through a field to jump-shoot
doves they stir up or put them
in the air for other gunners.
The lazy mans way is to park
a folding stool under o conven-
lent tree and wait for the birds
to fly overhead.
Park Under Lonely Tree
| So we parked our stool under
lonely sapling at one end of q
cornf1eld and watched our
companions take their stations
along both sides. It was about
1880 in the afternoon shooting
is legal only from noon to sun
Iset) and if the pattern of pre-
vious days at this field was
followed. the birds would fly
between 2 and 4 pm.
Our companions were Jim
Bugg, president of the African
Safari Club of Washington
(hardly q safari. this), Frank
Abbo. Connecticut avenue res
taurateur, and Mrs. Ruby
Dalton of Chevy Chase.
OF the three, the one we
knew we couldn't hope to beat
IN any sort Of shooting compe-
tition was Mrs. Dalton. Although
she classes herself as second
string" she has won numerous
Skeet events and is the wife of
John c. Dalton, jr., three-times
national champion.
Mrs. Dalton also likes dove
shooting and, toting a quite
fancy aluminium stool with
pockets especially made to hold
the game, she settled herself on
the far side of the field.
This field was on the edge of
the Potomac in the Chantilly
section OF Virginia. A stiff wind
was blowing, curling up white
caps on the river and soughing
through the tall trees bordering
it.
The wind was out Of the
northwest and cold, very cold,
cutting through hunting coat,
sweater and wool shirt with
ease. It also lent added miles
per hour to the first flights
OF doves that came over our
treetop.
. They seemed to come from