Turns out a Dove shoot is actually about much more than just shooting doves on a nice late summer afternoon. I believe it’s a way for you to reconnect both with your friends and family and the land we all treasure so much.

What could be better than a delicious lunch followed by an afternoon with your son, or daughter, on their first outing like this? For me, the dove shoot represents a chance to introduce the next generation of Alabamians to hunting and the land, while shaping the way that next generation views responsible land ownership. I speak for our entire group here at BlackRidge when I say that a connection to the land has always equaled a connection to family. Land ownership is an avenue for getting back to a simpler time and life and a means to a more deeply cultivated appreciation for the South.

It’s just this sort of love of the land that inspired us as we formed BlackRidge Land Co., in 2012, with a goal not only to preserve Alabama’s beautiful, natural woodlands but by so doing, preserve that quiet contemplative experience that comes from being on the land, one with nature, and all the people whose boots have walked there before you. The best part is savoring this experience with your own children and knowing that because we are doing this now and preserving this opportunity for them, one day they will also be able to take the hand of a small child and share in the beauty of this land we proudly call home. Because of our stewardship it will still be there for them to enjoy and come to love as we do.

Wherever you may find yourself in these last days of summer, take the time to savor the land around you, it really is worth preserving. Here at BlackRidge Land Co., we are all about the future; and the past, because some things are worth saving and that is what we intend to do. It is a privilege to do so.

-Tom Jernigan, Jr.