The opening day of dove season doesn't only mark the start of a new hunting season; it serves as an unwritten holiday built on a foundation of informal formalities, timeless rites of passage and, most importantly, community-wide congregations of desirous hunters. When Academy Sports and Outdoors planned its “Cast & Blast” event, it stayed true to both dove hunting tradition and its own Texas roots. On the eve of opening day, I arrived in El Campo, Texas, where I would meet up with other media members and a handful of delightful Academy folks. We caravanned to Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar in Katy, where we would exchange personal anecdotes, abridged media backgrounds and upcoming plans for the season. The food—mouthwatering and plentiful—set the tone for what was about to an incredible dove opener. Once we were done feasting, we devised a plan for the following day. We woke up early enough to beat the morning rush at the nearest Academy store, where we would gear up and go over each new Academy products we’d be using (I’ll be diving into the products we used in a follow-up article). We then rendezvoused with the rest of our hunting group, which would comprise a total of more than 50 camouflaged gunners eyeing the same prize. After driving about an hour and a half down to the El Campo area, we spotted a fleet of lifted trucks, a sure sign of fellow Texas hunters. Correctly assuming we were at the right place, we started unloading trucks and picking out shotguns before hitting the field. I went for the Yildiz SPZ ME/12 TX 12-gauge over-and-under, as I'm a sucker for a pretty double-barrel (maybe it's the upland hunter in me). This thing was no joke, though, as not only did it feature epic Texas markings and beautiful craftsmanship at a low cost, but it also shot like a top-shelf bird gun. A vast cornfield gave us plenty of room to spread out and place decoys between each line of hunters. The sun was brutal, however, prompti