The 2005 dove hunt was not just another season. As we left the field on opening day, I realized this season marked the passing of a tradition from father to son.

I've shared various fishing and hunting seasons with my son Chris, but dove season is the most special. For us, each Sept. 1 dove opener is a memorial.

His mother died on Sept. 1, 1989. To honor her memory we selected the North Star as Mommy's Star because it is always visible and has served well as a guide to travelers.

When he was 7, Chris joined me for his first hunt, and in the darkness before dawn, we took a moment of silence to gaze at Mommy's Star and remember her.

It's something we've done nearly every season.

For the first few years, Chris acted as the bird dog, but soon he earned his Hunter Safety Certificate and got his chance to swing a youth 20 gauge as the flocks of dove arrived from their desert roosts with the first light.

He enjoyed the hunts, but dad always outshot son.

This year, that changed. He was eager for the field, attentive and aggressive as the birds began arriving. When the hunt was over, he had earned bragging rights by really outshooting his dad.

I was proud of him but didn't think too much about it until he told me he was going to head out again the next day, and again on the third day of the season. In between, he was learning to cook and enjoy the game he had bagged.

I've always hoped I could pass along my love of the outdoors and the many positive lessons that hunting and fishing bring. It appears that I have done it.

As I take comfort in the autumn of my life, and Chris is blooming into his summer years, I guess I've learned there really is a season for everything.

Dove report

As usual, the best opening day hunting seemed to be the desert fields of Imperial County.

Game wardens reported good hunter numbers and lots of limits. Leon Lesicka, founder of Desert Wildlife Unlimited, said hunter numbers were down in the public fields of Imperial County, but those who did show up had plenty of action. The mid-week opening combined with high gas prices may have slowed things somewhat.

Don and Donnie Teufel of Ramona headed east of El Centro for opening morning. This was the first hunt for Donnie, 12, and he downed five birds when the shooting stopped. Dad had his limit and said there was steady action. Their group of five bagged 43 birds.

Don Teufel also has a special way of cooking the birds. The meat is marinated in teriyaki and then a chestnut, and the dove is wrapped in bacon and baked.

My son Chris Cowan of Escondido hunted the California Department of Fish and Game San Felipe Wildlife Area on the desert fringe northeast of Julian and reported light hunting pressure and plenty of birds.

"There were times I couldn't reload fast enough," Cowan said.

Hunters on My Country Club Hunting Ranch in Santa Ysabel had varied success, with some limits, but lots of game bags averaging five to six birds each. Bird numbers seemed well below the banner flights of last year.

The first half of the split dove season continues daily through Sept. 15, with a daily bag limit of 10 birds, 20 in possession.

Surf fishing

The usual mix of perch, corbina and croaker wasn't good enough for a couple of Oceanside fishermen. Larry Alonzo and fishing buddy Chris Campbell were tossing artificial lures into the surf at the south end of town trying to entice a halibut when a 12 1/2 pound striped bass grabbed their chrome/green mackerel Krocodile.

The fish was taken to Pacific Coast Bait & Tackle in Oceanside to be weighed. According to owner Hugh Cobb, stripers are unusual in this vicinity, but they are taken from time to time. Almost all are big fish.

A few small halibut and leopard sharks to five feet are being taken at the beaches and the pier, Cobb said. Anglers are reminded that leopards under 36 inches must be released.

Ernie Cowan is the outdoor writer for the North County Times. If you have an item of interest, please call (760) 518-8050 or e-mail ernie@packtrain.com.