Those who participated in the hunt in the early morning hours Saturday, along with the volunteers who helped run the event, pose together after the hunt ended and before lunch was served.
Savannah and Elizabeth Strickland out in the field during their first dove hunt.
Aidan McRae shows off the first dove snagged during the hunt Saturday.
One of the hunters, Bryan Strickland, out in the field hunting for doves.
Liam Strickland, one of the kids brought to the dove hunt, plays with the ring game set up. The point on the game was to get the ring on the string to land on the hook put into the post.
Liam Strickland checks his scope as he participates in a gun shot contest for kids under 10. Each kid had the chance to earn up to 10 raffle tickets based on where they hit the target.
The Dove Hunt at Kitty Fork Outdoors Farms took place Saturday, marking the seventh year the event has been organized and offered by Jeff and Dana Jones. The annual event was created to allow veterans, first responders and the disabled to enjoy time with their family and have a safe environment to go hunting and enjoy time together.
As it is every year, the hunt brought joy to all those who attended.
“In the opening (of the hunt), they did a safety meeting and Jeff was like, ‘oh yes, just make a memory. You know, just forget all the problems and just enjoy your day.’” said Dana Jones.
And enjoying the day is exactly what happened.
When not hunting, kids could be seen running around, playing a ring toss game, petting the only cow on the property, and enjoying the food prepared by volunteers. Groups of adults were sitting around the furniture, the tables or standing on the yard as they talked about their life and shared other stories.
But even out in the field, families entertained each other while on the lookout for doves. Stories were shared, and members of the Jones family and other volunteers also took time to talk to all of the hunters when they could.
Aidan McRae, a 16-year-old hunter, was participating in the dove hunt for the third year with her father, Thomas, a triple amputee, and their friend Steve Sutton.
“It’s fun,” Sutton said about the event. “(The Jones’) are hospitable. Makes us feel like family. In fact, they tell us that. They tell us we’re family all the time.”
But for both Sutton and Aidan, they’re favorite part of participating is being able to hunt with Thomas.
“Being here with Aidan, and Tom getting to watch his daughter do this stuff (it’s my favorite thing),” Sutton said.
“He gets really excited,” Aidan said about her dad. “He’s not like that normally. And he doesn’t show it.”
Aidan also enjoys being able to tag-team birds with Sutton.
“Any time the dove comes in range, we shoot it together. So, you know, it’s something that I get to share with my friends here,” she said.
And there’s a lot that goes into the event to make it memorable, and a good time for those who participate.
“Dana and Jeff do a lot through the year to get ready for this, and they have a lot of volunteers that obviously is willing and able to help out, and it’s just a blessing for us that we get to do this every year and for the people that serve us every day and keep us safe,” Tom Stafford, one of the volunteers for the event said.
The dove hunt takes place at Kitty Fork Outdoors, a farm the Jones family inherited from Dana’s late father Ronnie Jordan. The farm has been in the family for over 100 years. Dana said the event is held every year now in honor of her father.
An email from Jeff Jones stated that this event could not happen without their sponsors, which he listed as “Ag Carolina Farm Credit, Dr. Tim Smith (Quick Med Urgent Care), Red Door Homes of the Carolinas, Star Communications, Minuteman press of Clinton, Pope and Son, Carolina Comfort Air, Parker Bros. Insulation, Carolina Specialties Inc, Clifton Seed Co, 84 Lumber, Parks Building Supply, Carlies Cs, Carolina Pawnbrkers, Quality equipment (John Deere), Case tractor, Southeastern Metal Buildings, Hamburg Plumbing, Hunters Landscaping, Dark Horse Dumpsters, Perfect touch, Avian Addicts taxidermy, 5 Bridge studios, Graybray farming, Spell Farms, Chris Matthis Farming, Making Berries LLC, Sandpiper restaurant, Burneys, Ritchie Holt Grading, Part Perfect Rentals, Mach Ag, Haywood Bass, Jason Harris and family, Woodland building solutions, Wesley Herring Farms, Charity Baptist Church, Kitty Fork Community and KBA Naylor Farms.”
He also said, “there were too many individuals to list who helped with their time before, during and after the event, but we certainly can not do this without them!”
You can reach Alyssa Bergey at 910-249-4617. Follow us on Twitter at @SamsponInd, like us on Facebook, and check out our Instagram at @thesampsonindependent.