- It's going that way first or you shooting
a different one now?
Ok.
Pull!
(machine noise)
(shotgun blasts)
Oh wow!
It's been awhile.
- BRYAN FRNKA: It's not what we want on the hunting channel.
(laughter)
- NARRATOR: The opening of dove season in Texas just
a few hours away, and James Montgomery getting
in a little shooting practice.
- I haven't shot a gun in two years so I've got
to knock the rust off here.
Pull!
(shotgun blast)
There we go!
I think I hit about, maybe, five percent,
but I hit my last shot.
So I'm going into tomorrow good.
It's gonna be a good day.
- NARRATOR: This is James Montgomery.
Austin resident.
Businessman.
Family man.
Father.
Coach.
Dove hunter.
(gun shots)
- JAMES: It's definitely the whole experience.
Getting away from the everyday hustle and bustle
of going to work.
Leaving the job behind, leaving soccer practice behind.
It feels good to get away and just experience nature.
So they're scared of me now.
- NARRATOR: James didn't grow up in a hunting family,
so he came to hunting in a round-about way.
- JAMES: You know I grew up playing soccer and football.
I missed out on Boy Scouts.
Never got involved in the outdoors.
Didn't find hunting until my mid 20s or so.
- NARRATOR: That's when a friend invited James
to go dove hunting.
(gunshots)
- JAMES: And I think I bagged maybe two birds.
Yeah, I got a sore shoulder and a great experience
out of the deal.
Ever since then I've been hooked.
- The great thing about dove hunting
is you don't need to grow up in it.
As far as having a place to go, there's a lot of public
opportunities available for dove hunting that Texas Parks
and Wildlife provide.
- NARRATOR: There's right at a million acres of public hunting
land available through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's
Annual Public Hunting Permit program.
- HUNTER: What about the water?
We got a little bit of water over here.
- NARRATOR: That land includes Wildlife Management Areas,
state parks, and land leased from private landowners
and companies.
- SHAUN: For the most part, you just need some shells
and a shotgun and a hunting license.
You can be good to go and have a great opportunity to get in the
outdoors and get an experience and get the introduction
to hunting in Texas.
- Good boy.
- JAMES: Hey James, let's work this pole a little bit buddy.
- JAMES, JR.: Mom I saw one!
- NARRATOR: While James didn't discover the outdoors until
he was in his 20s, he's starting his kids out early,
hoping to instill in them at a young age, a love for nature.
- JAMES JR.: Why is it heavy?
- Why is it heavy?
Because they are tugging on you.
- JAMES: So my kids are four and six years old.
I believe that they, they're a little young for hunting.
I think fishing is probably one of the best ways to introduce
kids to the outdoors because it's a safe sport and it helps
them appreciate nature.
- I think I...
(scream)
What was that?
- It's a butterfly buddy.
You're alright.
Watch your bobber.
Well more than anything I want another reason to go out
and hang out with my boys as much as possible.
There you go!
Look at that!
There's too many gadgets and devices that keep our attention
and keep us focused on being inside the house.
- Put it down, on the bench!
- JAMES: I want another reason to come outside
and enjoy nature.
Want to watch a twerking video real quick?
- NARRATOR: For James, this hunting season starts inside,
on his iPad.
- I am purchasing my hunting license online.
Combination hunting and fishing.
Super combo.
Beats going to the store, especially when you don't
have time to go down there and stand in line.
All done.
That was easy.
(music)
(crickets chirping)
- NARRATOR: The opening day of dove season finally arrives.
James is ready.
He's got his license.
He's had some practice.
And he's got a case of shells.
- JAMES: A case, I plan on shooting a lot of birds,
or missing a lot of birds, one of the two.
(laughs)
Go!
The opening day hunt, it was a little rough for me.
I missed the previous year.
It was almost like it was my first hunt.
Shot at a bunch.
(gunshots)
I missed quite a few birds, but yet we had a good time.
At this rate we're going to be grilling hamburger.
- NARRATOR: James is hunting with friends on the
Byrd Family Ranch in Fife, Texas.
Bryan Frnka is the leaseholder.
He's been hunting here for about five years.
- JAMES: Got wings here.
On opening day you know people were all around the field.
There were probably 15 or 20 of us.
(gunshots)
I thought I picked the wrong spot.
I thought they put me there for a reason.
(laughs)
This is why they put me here because the birds
don't fly this way.
Across the field you could hear gunshots after gunshots.
It's like, wow I've got to move around.
Eventually you know the wind shifted and the birds
started coming my way.
(gunshots)
Oh wow!
It got a lot more exciting really quickly.
(gunshots)
- HUNTER: Good shot dog!
- That makes it all worth it right there.
- Did we each get one out of that group?
- Yep.
- NARRATOR: Dove hunting has always been a family affair
for Bryan.
He's brought along his son Tye...
- BRYAN: I don't go hunting without him.
- RANDY FRNKA: Son...
- NARRATOR: ...as well as his dad.
- RANDY: ...don't you go out there and take my bird.
(laughs)
- JAMES: Bryan's dad is great to have out there when
you're hunting.
He is everybody's spotter.
- RANDY: Hey go!
Over your left shoulder!
- JAMES: When he sees a bird...
- High!
- ...he's gonna let you know it.
- Coming between you Mike!
- He's gonna call your name and you're going to hear him.
- Jimbo, Jimbo!
Bryan, Bryan, Bryan!
Justin, Justin!
- JAMES: Even through your ear protection.
- RANDY: James, straight at you!
(gunshots)
He got one.
(laughs)
- He's great to have around, just makes it
that much more fun.
Right there Tye.
Right there.
(gunshots)
Tye's 10 years old, I'm three times his age at least,
and he was making me look bad out there.
Good shot Tye.
Initially I was trying to put the bead right on the bird,
and you have to realize these things are fast,
you have to lead the bird as Tye pointed out.
(gunshot)
- Got to shoot a little in front of it!
- JAMES: You got to leave your ego in the car when you
go hunting and just take all the coaching you can get.
It was slow at first, and then it picked up.
It made it all worth it.
You just got to have a little patience.
Bryan, how many you got?
- BRYAN: A lot.
- JAMES: A lot!
(laughs)
Bryan realizes that he has probably 10 times more
experience than I do at this.
- Take em James.
- JAMES: He'll let some birds fly by him to help me out...
- BRYAN: Take em.
- JAMES: ...to make sure we're all having a good time.
- BRYAN: There you go James!
- JAMES: The good news is that I didn't limit out this morning
so I got to come out again to shoot some more.
I got four birds in the bag, and we're having a good time, so.
Not at work.
It's going great.
I didn't grow up in a hunting family, but I'm glad I found it.
I cannot wait to take James and Noah out hunting,
fishing and camping.
All the things that I experienced late in life,
I want to start super early with them.
Just doing fun things, and connecting and having some
good quality time together.
- NARRATOR: Now, about that case of shells he needed
for opening day.
- JAMES: Maybe one box of shell left.
(gunshots)
Hey it's great for the economy, keeping Academy in business.
(gunshots)
Alright.
- BRYAN: That last one was a tough shot.
It's a coin flip on who got it, me or you.
- JAMES: I'm pretty sure that one was mine.
- BRYAN: Oh really?
- JAMES: Yeah.
I felt it.
We'll flip a coin.
(laughs)
(music)