In the Deep South, dove hunting is not just an outing with the boys. In many instances, it’s a family affair. The men, women, children, friends and neighbors, and family dogs all head out to the dove fields together.

  For those of us who partake, this old and venerable tradition is deeply ingrained in our culture. It’s hardly ever a solitary hunt. Many times it’s a communal event involving picnics, barbeque and post hunt cocktails. To many Southerners, the dove opener signals the end of summer even more so than the back to school rituals and football.

  Dove hunting is as Southern as bourbon and pecan pie. We celebrate the arrival of the season with old and enduring rituals. The hunt doesn’t simply end with the participants gathering up their bag limits and heading home to prep the birds. No sirree!

  Likely as not there’s been a big ole 120 pound hog roasting to perfection in a smoker for the past 24 hours and tables loaded down with side dishes like corn bread, greens, desserts, sweet tea and pecan, chocolate and sweet potatoes pies.

  There’s even a bar set up under a copse of spreading live oak or pecan trees. The children are running around laughing and squealing chasing one another while the hunters, both men and women, recount for the umpteenth time, stories of hunts from years past as well as a retelling, with embellishments, of the day’s outing.

  The evening cools from the three digit heat and humidity to a more tolerable 80 degrees reminding all that autumn is upon them.

  The groups reluctantly begin to say farewells and slowly drift off to their cars and trucks, another rewarding and memorable time spent with friends and family and those doggone little hard to bag birds.

  The Labor Day weekend is the “last hurrah” of the summer boating season. Here are some safety tips that anyone who operates a boat or personal watercraft (jet ski) should know. Stay safe and vigilant on the water!

  * Don’t drink and operate a boat. You can be arrested for boating under the influence (BUI) just like DUI in a vehicle.

  * Take a boating safety course. You’ll learn the rules of the road, boating laws, to stay safe. Yes, there are laws governing boating.

  * Always wear a lifejacket. It floats, you don’t. Plus it can’t work if it’s not on.

  * Have a throwable floatation device on board. This is a law on boats over a certain length but it’s good to have one regardless of the size of your boat.

  * Remember, youth under age 13 are required to wear a lifejacket while the boat is underway.

  * Have patience and be courteous on the ramp and water. We all want to have a good time.

  * Get a weather forecast before heading out.

  * Keep watch for other boaters, swimmers, skiers, debris or other obstacles in the water.

  * Have a fully charged, usable fire extinguisher. Another law.

  * Maintain your boat trailer (lights, wheel bearings, tires). Just plain ol’ good sense.

  * Have a working horn or whistle. Another law.

  * Prepare your boat in the rigging lane prior to launching.

  * Don’t operate in a careless or reckless manner.

  * Don’t violate buoys, as they are the road signs of the water.

  These are just some guidelines to go by wherever you boat. Remember that each state can have their own rules and regulations so if you’re not sure about something, error on the side of caution and/or check with your state’s DNR or Conservation department for specifics.

  You can find links to all of the state’s DNR’s/Conservation departments at www.backwoodsbound.com/stgamedepts.html to help you get more information on your favorite boating spot.

  I believe Nature does not seem to have any hurdles it cannot conquer. For mega-millions or billions of years Nature has gone over, around, under and through any hurdle it has encountered. I believe Nature does not waste time looking back, it just keeps going forward.

  I have noticed that some people have a tendency to build hurdles that are really not there with words like “what if”, “it could be”, “in the past”, etc.. I wonder what it would be like if we learned from Nature to cross the hurdles as they are given us and keep going forward. We would have more time to think about the hurdle we have rather than the one that might be. Devote more time to the actual hurdle and go forward.

  Would we have a simpler life, one with more direction and be better at handling the hurdle we are faced with? I believe we would all be happier.

  Once again, look, listen and learn from Nature. Face only the hurdles you are dealt with, not the ones that might be. Nature is a great teacher if we take the time to learn from it. Don’t build things in, don’t live in the past!

  I don’t believe this Alaskan Bear is concerned about the downed tree. He is just stepping over the hurdle and going on his way.