Smiling Doves

At home every morning and evening, the smiling doves trustingly gather on the telephone and power lines above, as I distribute their favorite seeds on the pavement below.

That made this article in the "Living Here - Food and Wine" section of the Sacramento Bee somewhat jarring to read:

Doves, the fast food of the hunting world, become an afternoon meal in a matter of minutes.

Pluck, marinate, grill, done – instant, tasty gratification.

The hunt for those doves, however, lends itself to the exact opposite of the fast-food concept: a large social gathering that unites family and friends for the kickoff of fall bird hunting.

That's a recipe for the first feast of fall.

Andy Donald of Woodland usually goes out on "dove opener" with friends from his duck club.

"It's pretty social," he said. "You don't have to do a lot of camouflaging and hiding – it's pretty much stand around and talk. And shoot."

Having so many hunters around also means that cleaning is a breeze.

"If your group shoots 30 birds or more, you can sit around on the tailgate of your truck and clean the birds in another 30 minutes," he said.

...For Brad Ostman of Mountain View, the tradition of family and feast for the dove opener goes back to his childhood when he, his brother and his dad would go out with their cousins and uncles.

"It was the more, the merrier," he said. "We would have eight, 10, 12, 15 guys out there shooting."

...For Ruth Dwight Adams of Sacramento, everyone in her family seems to have a recipe for dove, but she likes to keep it simple: "We pluck them, stuff them with a chili pepper, wrap with bacon, put them on the grill and have a glass of wine," she said.

"I think the flavor of a dove is so unique. I just call it a flying backstrap."

For Adams, everything about the dove hunt is special.

"I enjoy the flavor, the hunt, the challenge, being outdoors. Having your shoot, then enjoying it. It's so fresh."