First-time hunter David Kiley was all smiles Saturday afternoon as he and friend Colin Chura sat in a field on the opening day of dove season. Kiley is wheelchair bound, but that didn’t matter yesterday — he is decidedly taken with the sport.

“I’m psyched. This is my first time today and I’m hooked,” Kiley said.

The Surry Longspurs and Yadkin Valley Wheelin’ Sportsmen hosted their second annual Dove Hunt Saturday. The group started off at 8 a.m. on King Norman’s property off Ararat/Longhill Road in the Holly Springs community. The group had skeet shoot practice until 11 a.m. when they broke for lunch. After that, Perry Bryant, former president of the Longspurs and current state vice president of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), took the hunters out into the field.

The event didn’t cost the hunters anything but the gas money to get to the shoot, but what it did for their mentality is every bit of what Bryant was hoping for.

“Everything went real well. They all had a real good time. This is a labor of love. I enjoy seeing everybody being able to get out and have a good time,” Bryant said.

Bryant had expected about 20 to 30 hunters this year, but only a handful of men were able to attend. He said many of the men who had planned to come experienced some health issues and were unable to come to the event this year.

Hunter Chad Lopp said he didn’t kill any doves during the first round of hunting on the Norman farm, but he had a good experience anyway.

“It was a very enjoyable day,” Lopp said.

Gary Edwards said he had a good experience as well.

“I had a marvelous time. But I’m going to feel even better when I get some ice on this shoulder,” he said with a smile.

At 4 p.m., the hunters loaded up and headed off to a second site on Jerry Newman’s farm. Newman hosted a pig pickin’ for the hunters.

The club also hosts deer and turkey hunts later in the year. It also has a group for women called Women in the Outdoors and a youth program called the Jakes division. For Thanksgiving, it purchase turkeys for local food pantries and at Christmas adopts two children from an Angel Tree at First Baptist Church in Mount Airy.

Vickie Bryant said the group members had a good time.

“They absolutely had a ball. They were so happy,” Bryant said.

Perry Bryant said it is important to him to be able to help the disabled.

“If you can touch one person’s life — the disabled feel like the world’s left them behind. We are not going to do it for them, but we will make it possible for them to do it for themselves. We help them out all we can. If you can touch one person’s life, then it’s all worthwhile,” he said.

Contact Mondee Tilley at mtilley@mtairynews.com or at 719-1930.