KEWANEE, Ill.—Head lamps and flashlights dotted the predawn as hunters walked along a cornfield to sunflower field on Day 2 of Illinois dove hunting at Johnson-Sauk Trail State Recreation Area.
“This is strange,” a guy in front of me said.
Typically, dove hunting the first five days at Illinois public sites is noon to 5 p.m. A dawn hunt is vastly different, ending at 11:30 a.m.
It was 10 minutes past dawn before the first shot, unlike noon hunts where first shots come at 12 sharp. Fifteen minutes after sunrise, rays cleared the corn to our backs and slowly lit standing sunflowers.
“Originally, the Johnson-Sauk Trail dove hunt was a morning hunt, but around eight years ago it was moved to the afternoon,” site superintendent Jolyn Jackson emailed. “When I started at Johnson-Sauk, I had a number of dove hunters request that we move back to a morning hunt to avoid the hot, afternoon temps. I can certainly understand that request since a morning hunt would be much easier on the hunter and their dog. . . . My staff was very receptive to the time change and felt our program would benefit from it. It took a few years to get the paperwork through.”
About 10:30, the heat built and hunters packed up.
It was time.
Count me in. Time is invaluable on Labor Day weekends.
