Fall 2024
Article and photos by Capt. Cefus McRae
For me, opening day of dove season marks the beginning of the fall hunting season. There’s something magical about sitting behind a freshly cut roll of hay; or enjoying the shade beneath a huge live oak that stands guard over a field of millet or sunflowers. It brings back fond youthful memories, and the promise of bacon-wrapped dove breast on the dinner plate.
Some would say squirrel season really kicks off hunting season in the south, and they would be correct. But I just can’t muster up the moxie to hunt in August’s 95 degrees and 90-percent humidity. I much prefer squirrel hunting with less foliage on the trees, and a cooler climate to walk the woods.
Of course, opening day of dove season can also be hot and humid. But you don’t absolutely have to be on the field in the heat of the day. Many times, we will hang around under the shade until late afternoon when things begin to cool down a bit. And quite frankly, late afternoon is when the larger groups of doves start to dive into the fields. So, it all works out.
One thing I should mention before I go any further, is this. I’m an outdoor guy, but I’m a whole lot better at fishing than I am at wing-shooting. I have a high degree of respect for hunters who can calculate flight trajectory, speed and distance, then determine amount of lead necessary, properly shoulder their shotgun, pull the trigger and knock down a dove in less than a second or two. I’m not always that proficient. For me, dove hunts are as much about the camaraderie and overall experience as they are about taking home a bucket of birds.
Opening day is also a ritual in many areas. It always starts with the “gathering” around 9 o’clock in the morning. All the hunters show up to claim their spots on the field by placing a bucket or chair along the edge or next to a hay roll. Then it’s time to re-connect, tell fishing and deer stories from last year, and ultimately line up for a huge lunch. And lunch comes ear at about 11 o’clock. Traditionally, it must include barbeque, baked beans, cole slaw, dill pickles, banana pudding and oatmeal cookies, with lots of sweet, iced tea. You load your plate, find a tree to lean against, or a tailgate to sit on and fill your belly. A little before noon, you make your way to your spot and start gazing upward. Careful to distinguish doves from “tweety birds.” If you’re lucky, you’ll have an hour or so for shots at a few birds that chose to hang around the field since morning. But by 2 o’clock the action starts to wane. Time to find some shade and more iced tea.
The wardrobe for dove hunters covers the entire gamut, from simply jeans and a camo t-shirt to the full ghillie-suit and camo face paint. I usually just go with something lightweight and cool, with a camo that is more reminiscent of duck hunting patterns than deep woods foliage. In my opinion, it tends to blend better with the fall colors of millet, sorghum or corn stalks. Bug spray is a must, and good boots keep the freshly cut grain stalks from digging into your shins. Polarized sunglasses, and a hat with a longer brim round out the ensemble.
Now for the big question. What do you shoot? That’s a question that is regularly debated, and one that will probably never have a definitive answer. When someone asks me, I simply say, “Shoot what you’re comfortable with,” and leave it at that. If you’re pretty good at sporting clays, then you ought to be pretty good at dove hunting. The key is getting on the bird early, set your lead, and swing through with your barrel as you pull the trigger. And I still miss a lot of birds. Doesn’t matter if I’m shooting a 12-gauge or a 28-gauge. These critters are usually on afterburners when then swoop down into the field, and you have literally a second to find the bird, line up the shot and pull the trigger. On the fields I hunt, most birds run the gauntlet and make it through the volleys unscathed.
This year, I decided to do something a little unique, at least for me. I swapped out the 12-gauge for a .410. And here’s the twist. The gun I chose was a Henry .410 lever action shotgun. Yep, a cowboy gun. I acquired it at the Georgia Outdoor Writer Association auction last year, and wanted to see how it would do as an upland shooting iron.
The Henry .410 reflects the classic lever action look and feel. Mine has the 24-inch barrel, tight-grained American walnut stock, sling studs and a very comfortable integrated recoil pad. The tube magazine can hold 6, 2 1/2-inch shells. This length shell is not the most popular .410 round and can be a little harder to source. But the shorter shell enables more rapid cycling and a short lever throw. As I shot a few rounds, I found cycling the lever equated to the amount of time it would take to cycle a pump shotgun. I could fire two shots as quick as any pump shotgun. And the looks I got from fellow hunters as I ejected and loaded the next round was remarkable. I was actually shooting doves with a cowboy gun!
The 2 ½-inch, .410 shells give greater capacity in the magazine and offer a short lever throw for a quick second shot often needed for fast-flying doves.
The Henry shouldered as nicely as any upland over-under or automatic. The balance was spot-on and the sight picture was like most shotguns with a flat top rail and one bead at the end of the barrel. The barrel is threaded for invector-style chokes and I shot with an improved-modified, which had no problem reaching birds at distances I would normally take with a 12-gauge. I did have to create a makeshift plug to make the gun “bird-legal” with only 2 shells in the magazine (Editor’s note: The legal maximum capacity for shells for migratory birds is three). And with the tube load/feed magazine, it was a bit awkward; but there were very few times when I needed to be in a hurry to reload as the birds weren’t coming in hot and heavy.
Overall, for knocking down birds (within the range of a .410), the Henry held its own. I did shoot my 28-gauge for a while and missed just as many birds. I was pleasantly surprised how quickly I could follow up with a second shot. Not as fast as an auto, but fast enough. And honestly, I probably wasted fewer shells as a result.
Everything about this gun said quality too. It shows in the workmanship, in how it feels, and how it shoots. The checkering on the stock and forearm was crisp and precise. So high marks there as well. Henry simply makes a great long gun. The current iteration of this model now features side gate loading, thereby eliminating the need to slide the tube out to reload. And it will make using a plug for hunting birds a lot easier as well.
The .410 lever action is just one in a storied line-up of Henry rifles and shotguns. Each one is made in the USA, and that means a lot to me. I own several Henry’s and this one now holds a special place in my gun safe. I’m looking forward to taking it on a squirrel hunt, and maybe even a quail hunt. But, for the moment, the best thing about this gun – and that day – was the “cool” factor. I mean, when would you imagine walking on the dove field with a lever action cowboy gun? I did and it was a hoot.
Capt. Cefus McRae of Hartwell is the star of the television series Nuts & Bolts of Fishing on CarbonTV and a number of other cable and internet outlets. Cefus also is a member of the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association. He can be contacted at cefus@nutandboltsoffishing.com.