Adventures of a Rookie Sportsperson: The Cizmic family goes dove hunting with Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Joey Livingston
Statewide Public Information Officer
303-345-4658 / [email protected]

Adventures of a Rookie Sportsperson

By CPW Public Information Officer Joey Livingston

Editor's note: 'Adventures of a Rookie Sportsperson' is a regular column from Colorado Parks and Wildlife designed to promote programs that help people engage with the outdoors through hunting, angling, camping, hiking and wildlife watching. 

First dove hunt connects Colorado family with nature and each other through CPW's Rookie Sportsperson Program

BURLINGTON, Colo. — The dove twisted and dipped through the air, its slender, pointed wings a blur against the eastern Colorado sky. Youth hunter Ella raised a shotgun, her small frame steady as the bird sped into range. Even as Ella’s parents shot at the bird and missed, she remained calm, still, eyes locked on her tiny target.

Everything she’d learned — the hours of classes, the afternoons spent shooting clay targets, the patience drilled into her by her instructors — had led to this moment. She tracked the bird’s flight, her shotgun bead moving steadily just ahead of its path, “leading the bird” with her shot as she had been taught.

She turned off the safety, gently placed her finger against the trigger and fired.

Questions swirled in my mind as I watched the scene unfold. Would all her practice and preparation pay off with her first dove, and would she be successful in providing food for her family? Or would this be just another learning opportunity, one of the many she had experienced over the past six months as a member of CPW's Rookie Sportsperson Program (RSP)?

Our adventure started the night before as the sun began its descent over the South Republican State Wildlife Area (SWA) on a beautiful Friday in September. Families were setting up campsites as the laughter of children mingled with the sounds of nature. As CPW’s 2024 class of RSP participants, the group was ready to embark on their first dove hunt, a journey promising excitement, learning, and a weekend of cherished family memories.

Among the 20 members of this year's class were the Cizmics — Adi, Amber, their 9-year-old daughter Ella, and 8-year-old son Blake — ready and prepared to begin a new adventure. 

Beginning in 2015, the RSP is more than just a hunting program; it's an immersive experience designed to introduce novices to the world of outdoor sportsmanship under the mentorship of seasoned wildlife officers and hunters. A novice hunter myself, I have the pleasure of taking part in, and highlighting the participants in this world-class hunter outreach program that makes me feel blessed to have been a CPW employee for the past eight years.

For the Cizmics, this program has been a gateway to fully embracing Colorado's rich hunting heritage, something they had been curious about but weren’t sure how to approach on their own.

As I entered the SWA for the weekend, the Cizmic family's commitment was immediately evident. They were there hours early to practice their shooting skills, determined to make the most of this opportunity. 

"We wanted to come prepared," Adi explained. "This isn't just about hunting; it's about respecting the process and putting in the effort to learn and take advantage of the opportunity that CPW is providing us."

Since the 2024 program began in March, each participant has taken part in multiple shooting-related classes, receiving thorough guidance on safe shooting techniques and practicing with trained instructors. The Cizmics had taken one of the most important lessons to heart: practice makes perfect. 

After sunset, participants gathered for a "Dove Hunting 101" class led by CPW Wildlife Officer Ben Meier. The session was engaging and informative, covering essential topics such as dove identification, hunting regulations and safety protocols. 

Ella stood out during the class, impressively answering questions and showcasing her keen interest. When Officer Meier asked about the daily bag limit for doves, Ella confidently responded: "Fifteen!" Her enthusiasm set a positive tone for the group, reflecting the family's eagerness to learn.

A few wildlife officers and I had harvested some doves earlier in the evening and donated them so the class could learn how to clean and prepare the birds to eat the following night. The culinary aspect of hunting, knowing how to responsibly harvest and utilize the game, is an integral part of the hunting experience.

Adults and kids alike were ecstatic to get their hands on some doves and learn how to process them. Blake was one of the most excited, saying this was his favorite part of the program so far. 

After washing up, the families headed to their campsites for the night, spending some time around the campfire socializing and sharing their experiences in the program before heading to bed, eager for the next day to begin.

As the sun rose the following morning, the air was filled with anticipation when we gathered at a nearby shooting range. Participants practiced shooting moving clay targets under the watchful guidance of experienced officers and instructors. Young Ella’s skills were quickly noticed — during the most difficult shooting round, she hit two out of two moving clay targets, an achievement that drew cheers and boosted everyone's morale. 

Ella's success was particularly impressive given she was shooting a .410 shotgun. Shotgun hunting instructors generally say not to waste your time hunting with a shotgun this size because it has a smaller pellet spread and requires greater precision and skill compared to the typical 12- or 20-gauge.

Ella was clearly one of the top target shooters that morning, and that included the adults. The instructors even encouraged her to pursue shooting sports, a popular Olympic competition, due to her natural skill. 

We broke for lunch that afternoon with plans for participants to meet with their wildlife officer mentors for an evening dove hunt. Seeing the Cizmic family’s preparation and Ella's impressive shooting skills, I decided to head out with them on their first ever dove hunt, along with Wildlife Officer Deme McDowell and CPW Hunt Mentor Marty Trujillo. 

In the early evening, we drove to a piece of private land generously opened to us by a local landowner. When we arrived at the location, doves were flying all around us in the distance but were too far off to make a shot. 

As we set up for the evening, Marty shared his wealth of knowledge, teaching Ella how to estimate distances using trees or bushes in your surroundings. He also reiterated the importance of leading your target — aiming where it will be when your shot arrives, not where it is — and following through with each shot to create a steady, constant motion and improve accuracy. 

From our class the night before, we knew the doves would need to go to the nearby watering hole to hydrate after a long day of foraging on the dry prairie. But to make them feel comfortable and safe enough to move in close enough to shoot, we needed to place some dove decoys in our shooting zones.

Eight-year-old Blake was not yet ready to handle a shotgun but was happy to embrace his role as our designated “Decoy and Retrieval Specialist,” a title Marty affectionately gave him the night before. Marty, being the experienced hunter ed teacher, advised Blake on why to place decoys in certain locations. Blake meticulously and thoughtfully placed the decoys, naming his most prized decoy "Bob."

Setting up in a straight line for safety, Marty, Ella, Blake and I took up the left, while Adi, Amber and Officer McDowell held down the right. The fun thing about dove hunting is you don’t need to be quiet, wear camo, or worry about them smelling you. So, we settled in and chatted with Marty, making sure Ella remembered how to use her shotgun safely. 

As we waited, a flock of doves swept into range from the right. Adi took aim and, with steady focus, harvested a dove on his first shot — a remarkable feat for a novice hunter. Amber quickly followed, successfully bringing down her first dove in two shots. 

Blake, taking his job seriously, dashed off to retrieve the downed birds. His involvement added joy to the experience, highlighting how hunting can be a family affair that includes people of all ages and abilities and doesn’t necessarily require you to handle a firearm or shoot an animal.

The dove activity slowed down but with two birds bagged and a few hours of hunting light left, we were optimistic more excitement was to come. I was casually hunting as well, but took a back seat to the family's experience and focused on getting Ella her first dove.

As we waited, Blake and I decided to walk into a wooded area nearby in an attempt to spook up some birds for the group. After walking no more than 50 yards, a single dove quickly flew in from the right, speeding low and heading straight for Bob, the decoy. 

Adi and Amber took several shots as the dove sped by, moving faster than most I had seen, but they both missed. This was it — the moment where this story began. Questions swirled through my mind as Ella’s opportunity quickly approached. 

Ella, embodying patience and concentration beyond her years, tracked the dove’s movements carefully. She raised her .410 shotgun, followed the bird's trajectory, and fired. 

Months of preparation came to fruition as the dove dropped through a cloud of feathers. Ella’s face lit up with sheer joy. "I got one!" she exclaimed, her voice ringing with pride. The group erupted in cheers, and Blake excitedly skipping off to fulfill his retrieval duties, equally thrilled by his sister's success. It was touching for me to see this family come together to share this special moment and I felt blessed to be a part of it. 

A few hours of heart-racing excitement ensued as the sun sank to the horizon. The last half hour is generally the best time for dove hunting, and that was very true for us. Doves were flying in front, above and behind us by the dozens. Ella turned to me at one point, a gigantic smile across her face and showed me her hands shaking in excitement saying, “I want to do this every day!” 

These fast-paced, high-energy moments are when the lessons from our instructors become crucial to ensuring everyone stays safe, shots are fired in the right direction, and targets are properly identified.

“I can see how easy it would be to shoot in an unsafe direction when hunting in a large group and having doves flying in so many directions,” Amber reflected. “Especially when some members are retrieving birds and others are still shooting.”

As the evening unfolded, Ella continued to demonstrate her skill, ultimately harvesting four doves. 

For a first-time hunter, this was an extraordinary accomplishment. The family's collective efforts resulted in a total of 12 doves for our group, a testament to their hard work and the effectiveness of the RSP's training.

Back at camp, the atmosphere was celebratory. The RSP participants gathered to share stories and laughter while eating dinner and waiting on a batch of dove poppers — dove breasts and cream cheese stuffed in jalapeños and wrapped in bacon – to finish on the grill. 

As the group shared their stories, it was clear that Blake's enthusiasm had only grown. While happy to be the Decoy and Retrieval Specialist for this hunt, he was ready to do some shooting after seeing the excitement and adrenaline rush a dove hunt can provide. 

Some participants would head home the following morning, but the Cizmics were itching to get out to hunt again, and Marty, Officer McDowell and I were more than happy to tag along. 

Little did we know the Cizmics were about to learn a lesson experienced hunters are keenly aware of: just because you have success once doesn’t mean you will have the same success in the future.

Conditions were less favorable the next morning as we ventured onto public State Trust Land before sunrise. We had learned that morning hunts for doves can be more difficult, with doves choosing food over water at that time of day before heading to roads to eat rocks and gravel to help them digest their breakfast. 

That was clear to us as the doves were scarce, and distinguishing them from similar birds like meadowlarks required keen observation. The night before we saw several other types of birds, but they were small and had erratic flight patterns, making the differences clear. To differentiate a dove from a meadowlark, we needed to wait for them to get close enough to look for the distinctive yellow breast of a meadowlark. 

Officer McDowell turned this into a learning moment for the family, questioning them on what they should do if they accidentally shot a bird that was not a dove. Ella knew exactly what to do: tell CPW right away. Officer McDowell said CPW officers understand that identifying a bird on the fly is difficult and accidents happen, but the longer you wait to report it, the more nefarious the behavior looks. 

The particular property we were hunting was under a grazing lease and as we waited for some doves to fly into range we had an unexpected visitor: a bull we affectionately named Chuck who decided to share our watering hole. We smartly gave our approximately 1,000-pound friend some space and tried not to anger him. Unfazed by our presence, Chuck lingered for a long time, effectively ending our hunt early. 

Despite the setbacks, spirits remained high. "Hunting teaches you about perseverance and adaptability," Adi remarked. "Not every outing will be successful, but there's always something to learn."

Back at camp, I sat down with the Cizmic family to reflect on their journey in the program. They spoke candidly about how the RSP had not only introduced them to hunting but also strengthened their family bonds.

"We've been talking about how this program has fast-tracked our learning," Amber said. "We feel years ahead of where we'd be if we tried to do this on our own."

Adi agreed, adding: "The knowledge and experience shared by the wildlife officers has been invaluable. It's not just about hunting; it's about respecting nature, understanding regulations and building a community."

They spoke about the connections they have made with other participants, forming friendships that would last beyond the program's duration.

"Hunting is as much about the relationships as it is about the harvest," Adi noted. "Sharing these experiences with others adds depth and meaning to them."

Amber reflected on the impact the program had on their children. "Watching Ella and Blake connect with nature and learn valuable life lessons is the most rewarding part. Hunting teaches patience, responsibility and an appreciation for the environment."

Officer McDowell shared her perspective on the program. "Our goal is to instill a lasting appreciation for wildlife and the outdoors. Seeing families like the Cizmics embrace this lifestyle makes all the effort worthwhile."

For the Cizmic family, this dove hunt was just the beginning of a lifelong journey enriched by the lessons and memories forged during their time in the Rookie Sportspersons Program. Empowered by their experience, they decided to stay longer and venture out on their own as a family to test their skills at some promising locations we spotted on our way back to camp. 

As I embarked on a long drive back to the Front Range, my eyes were instinctively drawn to a tiny dove, fiercely flapping its wings as it rose into the sky, a reminder of the challenges and rewards of the natural world — a world the Cizmics and others are now more closely engaged with thanks to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Check out some more pictures and a video from this RSP adventure.

Stay tuned for the next chapter of our “Adventures in the Rookie Sportsperson Program.”

Joey Livingston is a public information officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Joey has lived in Colorado for nine years and loves the outdoors. If you have a question, please email him at [email protected]

Visit the CPW Event Finder to discover opportunities to engage the sportsperson in you.

Siblings Ella and Blake Cizmic are all smiles after retrieving some doves. Photo courtesy of CPW. 

Nine-year-old Ella demonstrates a proper zone-of-fire, one of many things she has learned in the RSP. A zone-of-fire refers to the area in which a hunter can shoot safely. Photo courtesy of CPW.