A much anticipated September 25th finally came in El Campo. Significant? Yes, because the south zone opened for dove hunters, myself included, and a goatweed field across the road from a pasture we had permission to hunt was holding a ton of birds. But that wasn't what all the rave was about this year. The kicker was that nearly half of the dove population was of the white-winged kind, whose numbers had finally reached huntable levels.

Ever since the freeze and destruction of vegetation in Mexico had eliminated most of their nesting habitat, white wings have been migrating back across the state. More recently, they've been establishing themselves within city limit sanctuaries, and with two good hatches under their belts this spring, they've flourished to record levels.

One day after a thunderstorm blew over and dumped an inch of rain on a pasture next to one of my buddy's house, Galen and I headed afield in the face of a sering 97 degree heat. Luckily, I brought a spray bottle filled with cool water to keep me well soaked. (With my ability to sweat gone with the onset of paralysis, the heat is a big concern whenever dove hunting in the hot sun. Staying wet is sometimes the only thing you can do if you want to beat the heat.)

With some help from my buddy Galen, I happily scooted underneath the barbed-wire boundary of our pasture and set up to intercept doves on their way back to town. It was an early 2:30 pm, and birds were in steady supply.

Ever once in a while, a huge dove could be noticed amongst the smaller flying mourners. I missed my first two opportunities at a white-winged target, but late in the day, I locked in on one that was heading right at me. He quickly met my shot and then the ground. It had been about 14 years since I took my first hunting trip to Mexico on a white-wing hunt, and now they'd come to me.