CULLMAN, Ala. — For most people this time of year means college football, bonfires and all things fall but for Sutton Mill Farm in the Duck River Community, it means dove season is here and they couldn’t be happier. This year Bruce Shaw and Mia Dodson, owners of the Sutton Mill Dove Hunt have started opening season with their inaugural dove hunt, with an average turnout of 70 hunters coming from as far as Florida and Tennessee just to experience all that this 80-acre farm has to offer. With friends and family volunteering to help staff, cook and make everything go as smoothly and efficiently as possible even in rainy conditions, the opening of dove season seems to be a big success over at Sutton Mill.
Mia Dodson said that the idea for the dove hunt come from her partner Bruce Shaw, after a Thanksgiving get together with friends in 2021 on the Dodson Family Farm, where Sutton Mill resides. Bruce Shaw, a Holly Pond native who in 2006 was left wheelchair bound after a football injury, has always had a passion for hunting. Growing up around the sport, he was bound and determined that nothing would keep him from his passion, not even his injury. Bruce always found a way to continue to hunt. Keeping a positive attitude, his friends and family are extremely supportive, and wanted to help make his dreams become a reality. It is that same support that helped make their opening season at Sutton Mills become a success.
“Hunting is a big part of Bruce’s life,” Mia said. “He works on the farm every day making sure that all the work that needs to be done to get the fields ready is done properly and by the book to make sure the hunts will be successful.”
It was also Bruce’s experience as a kid, hunting with his dad, that inspired the upcoming youth hunt the weekend of September 17.
For Mia, being able to use her family farm and having a part in bringing Bruce’s dreams into a reality makes every challenge and learning curve worth it. Bruce and Mia hope to continue the seasonal dove hunt every year, with hopes of many other opportunities for events like fall festivals become a reality. What do the hunters think? They and their doggies seem to be loving Sutton Mills Dove Hunt and are looking forward to coming back in years to come and hope to get to know everyone by name.
If you’re interested in all that Sutton Mill Dove Hunt has to offer and want to book a hunt, you can visit their website suttonmillfarm.com, their Facebook page, or contact Bruce Shaw. Sutton Mill will be hosting dove hunts the next two weekends, with the youth hunt being the last hunt for the season.
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