Countdown to dove blasting

I can hardly contain my excitement. Less than 3 weeks til dove season starts. For the 1st time in mebbee 20 years I am NOT going to my regular hunting grounds. No birds and too hot the last several years. This year a change of scenery will bring me better luck opening day ( I hope). Then day 2,3 & 4 back to my regular haunts. Been hankerin' for this time for about 9 months now.

Who else lusts for this time of year? Smoke- we need some more windmill stories:D

even more so since i didn't get drawn for any big game this year. i will hunt dove, but i like hunting quail better, since i like eating quail better. the next few weekends will be spent busting clays in preparation.

shoot! ive been waiting sence last year for the day to come.

:( I'll miss the north & central zone opening weekend on Sept 1-3 due to a work thing...worst part is, I was involved in scheduling it:banghead: ! I was trying to remember the last time I did not fire a shot opening weekend, but my memory isn't that good. It has been at least 12 years.

I plan on making up for it on the Sept 14th - 18th with a vacation to Cordoba Argentina for a little dove hunting
http://www.jjcaceria.com.ar/ :neener:

I suppose we make more of a production of it than there needs to be. Took the day off work. 4am wake up, breakfast at the truckstop at 5, short drive to hunting field, first shot at 6:38am.

End of this month I'm riding up to Waco to hunt with a friend on his farm. He says the birds are THERE. :D

Opening day doves are are big deal here. Pig pickin' with all the sides first, shoot from noon, 12 bird limit. I'm ready;

Have about ten acres of this:

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d198/stillcrawfish/IMG_0033copy.jpg

and about the same of this http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d198/stillcrawfish/IMG_0053copy.jpg across the road. :D

Just got clearance from the boss, I mean, my wife, to head to Houston for opening day. 8000 acres to choose the right spot. I just hope the birds are there. I KNOW they ain't where I've been going the past decade. WOO HOO- get that reloader cranking!

The Mec 600jr has been putting in overtime the last 2 days. On my second bag of shot as we speak.

Bad thing is, our hunt is usually over in 30 minutes. We have a water hole out in the middle of the desert that attract the doves like flies on crap.

Last year the 6 of us had 60 birds on the ground in less than 20 minutes. Took us another 10 to pick up hulls and birds. :D

I'm headed up to Uvalde, Texas to dove hunt in a few weeks. I'm as excited as you are.

Doves mean the start of a new hunting season to me. Lots of tradition involved with our dove hunts. Got a waterhole and big shelterbelt where the birds come to water and roost, 30-40 min. before dark. Shooting is fast and furious. My dogs love to retrieve the birds (I know, "upland" dogs supposedly HATE retrieving dove), which is great as surrounding land is pasture-calf deep. Too easy to lose birds without the dogs. Yes, I love dove shooting.

Perhaps TxP&W needs to re-evaluate their dove seasons. It is supposed to coincide with migration, or so I thought. But it seems like for the last 5-6 years that the doves coming thru my property have been at their most numerous 2 weeks ahead of Sept 1:( By the time opening day rolls along, all MY doves have gone. Perhaps they need to look at their dates a little more closely. Has anyone else noticed this? I can walk out in my backyard and flush 30-40 whitewings right now.

Arizona actually has 2 dove seasons.

Early season is from Sept 1-15th until noon each day. Bag limit is 10

Late season is Nov 24th to Jan 07. This part of the season seems to be the best out here. Not only are the doves still around but the temps aren't high enough to sweat to death.

Cleaning/ polishing/ making ready, packing a bit. My wife thinks I'm crazy for a day trip. I guess she just does not understand the importance of the ritual.
T minus 4 days and counting:D :D

Your hunting buddy thinks you are crazy, too. All ya need is a gun, shells, and something to sit on. I have visions of your truck looking like a hunter's rummage sale...

Oh yeah - bring some dove with you.

Friday is the season opener. Yesterday I shot 50 rounds of clay birds using the Win AA #7.5 in my Browning BSS . I had the guys fire birds over the edge of the valley into space simulating the conditions I will be hunting in Carmel Valley:D

Boxes of AA. Jerky. Gatorade. Coupla decoys.

Friday is supposed to be off. Can't wait.

I actually won't be able to down any dove until the following week. Heading up to the high country (White Mountains) to do some camping. Taking the bow with me since archery deer season opens 1 Sept.

You fellas enjoy. Give us a good field report afterwards and I'll be sure to do the same.

Shotgun cleaned and ready...check

shells...check

bird vest and license...check

dove lease...check

cooler full of drinks...check

Yep...looks like I'm ready. Hope everyone has a great opening weekend! :D

Ladies and kids I assisted and worked with this summer, well for most the first time they have ever hunted.:)
Just a private spot, and just us few folks, with some close folks like grandparents,or parent.

I am not planning on taking a gun...unless someone needs to borrow mine, I am going to have a ball!

These folks Excited...dear me.

LLBean rubber soled and leather upper boots, natural neutral colored clothing and no camo, hats, skeeter dope, got ammo reloaded, gray shop clothes for distance markers and dove decoy duty, ....

Some smaller kids not able to shoot a shotgun by themselves,these still at BBGun and / or .22 rifle stage- but I assure you they will fell a dove...

Now the part about cinammon twists, and do-nuts holes got eyes bright and lips to smacking, peppermint for the dawgs, and plenty of beef jerky, you do remember the part where jerky in one's pocket make 'em a better shooter- right? ;)

BBQ of course, got that tradition included too...

Kid runs into the kitchen, one new LLBean boot on one foot the other foot , with only a sock, and hand flying "Mom this is going to so cool. You can fart, talk, belch, scratch your butt and everything while dove hunting!!"

"That is real nice honey..." :D

Did you know a mom can shoot that look a mom has around the corner of a kitchen wall? Yep, sure can. They also bust out laughing when the kid runs down the hall to tell the dawg about this too...

I'll be the bigger kid with a mustache passing forward.
;)

Doves.... hmmm... love blasting them. I like to eat quail more, but dove blasting is just a ritual. I have a new place this year and can't wait. Private land with only the owner hunting it. Suspense is killing me! Normal for Oklahoma, we should be getting a nasty cold front very soon and pushing them south.

C'mon, baby- make that cold front work for us Texans! Set to leave in about 24 hours!! Woo-Hoo

No need to worry about a cold front pushing them down here. They are as thick as flies now. :D

Don't forget your cameras... when we are in the happy hunting grounds, your kids can show the pictures to their grandchildren and have their memories refreshed of a better time .... they'll never forget those times... I sure didn't...

Last time I dove hunted was in 1968 while in the Army in El Paso. Lots of doves around here but no season in Michigan ------------ yet. :cuss: Anti-s are telling everyone to vote against dove hunting -- hunters will kill them all like the passenger pigeon, there is not enough meat on them to eat anyway, robins will be next, etc, etc. I just have to live vicariously through others description of the fun.
Even have to pay to hunt pheasant on a private preserve. After growing up in Iowa and able to walk to the edge of town and shoot a limit in 1 hour, it is the best I can do now.

Going to Brownwood, TX on an all paid catered deal to hunt dove for 2 days starting Tuesday. Should be a fun way to start the season off.
Then teal season;
Then alligator season;
Then deer bow season;
Then regular duck season; and finally
Deer gun season.
Oh yeah, second half of split season for ducks!

Yes!.....I do like this time of the year.

I was up in Frisco today hooking up the computer network for the new TXDoT office and I left about 4:30 which is bad as traffic on 121 is a nightmare, So I get over to Preston Rd. and there's this field on the SW corner that must have a had 1000 dove feeding in it. Big hawk flies over the field and a cloud of dove must have been 500 fill the air, another 150-200 sitting on the power lines. But can you hunt there like we used to be able to HELL NO!!.:cuss: Now it's in the middle of town. Everybody needs to stop building houses and leave some hunting land for us Texans. ONLY 12 MORE HOURS TO GO.:D :D :D

Lots of high fast crossers this morning. I was standing down by the barn with Sandy's 28 ga SXS.

We got about 21, between me, my son and my SIL. I shot about half, and I think the boys are mad at me for out-shooting their 12 gauges. :D

I won't give my percentages though. ;)

The BSS 12ga . with 7.5 Win AA worked pretty good! I limited with only a couple dropped shots and was back in camp drinking by 10am! We ate them bitter things for lunch! Sobered up by 3pm and drove the 2 hours + home
Next time I will use my Winchester 101 20 gauge with some Federal #8 Trap loads I have hanging around. If I do half way decent the last shoot will be with my Citori .410 Skeet gun, for fun!

Still haven't pulled a trigger on one yet this year:banghead:

Next week its on though! Taking a couple of new shooters out from work on Saturday. Should be a hoot!

I went out yesterday with two friends. We saw 9 doves, with only one being in range. 5 shells later it was down, the dog had to finish it off. Was a sad showing for our shooting skills. All the other birds were flying very high over our vantage point. We were inbetween two feed corn plots and our field of view was fairly short. We had maybe 2 seconds to see the bird before it was time to shoot.

Friday, I staked out a waterhole about a mile north of the border. I could see it from where I perched.

Steady flow of birds to the waterhole all morning. My shooting skills were such that I got three of them -- one straightaway, two right-to-left crossers. All the overheads and left-to-right crossers were quite safe. ;) Lots more empty hulls than three, but all of those three I hit with the first shot. It was hot, and there were so many gnats that my dog spent most of the time in the water. She had a rash when we got home.:rolleyes:

Back out this morning with a friend who hasn't hunted in years. It was windy, rained a bit, and cool. No bugs, at least. We sat on the water hole for quite a while, but only saw half a dozen birds, and they were all high and too far out. Drove across the canyon and went for a walk. Followed a bird that was staying just out of range for a while, and then finally flushed a pair up. I killed mine with one shot, my friend missed the first and connected on the second. Fun times.

Wow- what a weekend. Opening day we grilled dove, duck sausage and stuffed ourselves on tamales, beans, guacamole, chips and chocolate chip cookies. Then we headed out to the fields about 2:30. Let me tell you, there were times when my gun got so hot I could hardly hold it. AND IT WASN'T FROM SHOOTING!! The temp was hovering around the 3 digit mark, no wind, no clouds- it was a tad warm out there. Only shade to be had was later in the afternoon behind some round bales. Sweated my U-no-wat off. I did get a limit- and it was the 1st limit I have gotten on opening day in quite a long time. But I had to work for it. Good food, good friends, new friends, new experiences. First time I ever hunted around dogs. That was too cool. After hunting 2 more days in a different location I ended up with 3 limits in my freezer and a few more en brouchette in my tummy. Only downside was the arduous trek across I-10 Friday night. Anyone else pass thru Sealy heading west out of Houston about 9pm? What WAS the huge tractor/trailer that was limping off to the access road? It was enourmous and backed up traffic for miles:cuss:

Was rather pleasant in West (north of Waco) for opening weekend. I shot three limits in three days, great shootin'! I haven't had a good hunt like that in quite a while. I don't think the temps were over 90 or so, though, and for Sunday's shoot, it was overcast and windy, very nice! Actually, a little front or something moved in on us Friday. Wind was strong out of the north, might have just been the clouds. It was stirring up the dove, though, and they were following this dry creek down to where I was sitting.

I'm glad I went to an auto. I bought a Winchester M1400 nearly 20 years ago just for dove and such, used it once on ducks, but don't wanna ruin it out in the marsh. The salt marsh is tough on gun finishes. I have a camo Mossberg for that. But, that Mossy bangs me up shooting up 15 or 20 rounds, admittedly 3" steel. I must have fired up four or five boxes this weekend out of that Winchester and my shoulder ain't even sore. :D

I shot two doves yesterday afternoon. Does anyone else hunt them like regular upland game, flushing them? well i saw one land i snuck around a hill i could see their heads then they saw me and flushed i fired three times and dropped two of them.

We do that down here alot after they stop flying into the waterholes. Seems they like the mesquite trees down in the washes during the day.

During the late season we hunt both doves and quail at the same time since they seem to hang out in the same washes.

I'll miss the north & central zone opening weekend on Sept 1-3 due to a work thing...worst part is, I was involved in scheduling it ! I was trying to remember the last time I did not fire a shot opening weekend, but my memory isn't that good. It has been at least 12 years.

I plan on making up for it on the Sept 14th - 18th with a vacation to Cordoba Argentina for a little dove hunting

http://www.southamericawingshooting.com:D

OK boys- it's countdown time again. Got the new-to-me 1953 vintage Ithaca 37 to try this year. I hope I remember to pump the fool.

I read several threads before I realized how old it was:banghead:

We are getting ready. My 10 year old already has his vest loaded up with 20s.
I checked the mojo and reg deeks. All in great shape. May get another mojo. Gander has them for $39.99 right now.

Whats that I hear outside? Sounds like one of the thousands of resident Mourning Dove calling. Also have tons of Collared big boys around. No Whitewing this far north....yet. I hear they are moving this way more and more every year.

Season opens on a Saturday this year I believe. Thats always good. More people to keep the birds flying.:D

We've had plenty of rain this year so the resident birds are healthy and plentiful.

We are ready less a lot of clays between now and then.

What is is 40 ish days and a wake up?

Need advice for a new hunter. Buddy coming to hunt with me. He has hunted before- but owns no guns, nor hunts regularly. I need to provide him a weapon. His only desire is for a gun "that will kill birds this time" (the li'l sh**). So what would be the best choice for him? O/U, SxS, pump or auto?

Pump. 3 shots and its realativley safe compared to the others.

My Waco buddy called last night. We're getting ready to slay 'em the first of September. :D This year, I have a new side by side double in 20 gauge to break in. Hope I can hit something with it. I've only shot pattern boards so far.

Local cheap source for ammo is usually Academy. Anyone know when they are going to put their shotgun shells on sale? Need to start stocking up.

Yeah, we don't need no cold front, might push 'em OUT! First of the month my new 20 gauge side by side gets a workout, woohoo! I've been buying Winchester AA ammo box at a time through the spring months and have accumulated 10 boxes. That should be more than I'll use this season, but if not, I'll get more. The stuff patterns a LOT better than the cheap stuff in the 20 and I only have 7/8 ounce to toss at 'em. I shot Winchester superspeed cheap stuff, 1 1/8 ounce in 12 gauge last season and it works okay in that gun, but I just decided I'd best shoot the high priced stuff with those cute little sub-caliber shells. :D

Hope Houston dries out a little more before opening day.

How's your area looking now, MCGunner? 5 days and counting!!

I picked up an Ithaca M-37 (3" mag) at a pawn shop for $100 last year. Cleaned her up, put on a new finish and first time out hunting (after patterning of course) I took a nice jake Merriams turkey.

Nice little gun for sure!

I'm looking forward to the hunt this weekend as well. Have fun ya'all!

I too just purchased an Ithaca M-37. 1st hunt with it will be this weekend.

DAG NABBIT- Just checked the weather. Long range forecast calls for rain now thru Sunday. I hope they are wrong!!

One more day in the slave pits, then WAAA HOOOOOO!
(Anybody remember Wahoo McDaniel?)

Once again- we have 1 month to go. Opening day is a Monday this year. How is that going to affect your plans? Looks like we are not going to be as wet as it was last year.

Got a watering hole up on the flatlands that did real well last year, up at a walk-in area. Looks like someone planted some sunflowers too, so I'm getting excited!

This is the only season I really wish I had a shot-shell reloader on my reloading bench.

Well, just like in 2006 when this thread was created, I'll be in Waco come opening day of north zone. I'm a freeloading slacker now days, no regular job. I just hunt and fish and fix a lawnmower or 4 wheeler or something now and then for shot shell money. :D

I'll be buried quite deeply in an Organic Chemistry textbook when the season comes around this year.

Organic? Easy A. Go huntin'. :D


Easy for me to say, haven't taken it in 35 years. They've probably added 10 chapters by now. ROFL!

If only Organic was the only thing I was studying this semester...:(

Yeah, I'm glad I don't have to do it again. I took 17 to 21 hours a semester. I had to get out ASAP cause I was paying my own way. I had as many as 3 jobs at once during that time, too. One semester, the 21 hour one, I had 4 labs. :rolleyes: It was like I had no other life. I burned out by my senior year. But, it got me a job and made me a decent living. It's worth it even though it costs a hell of a lot more now than when I was up there. I don't think there's any way to work your way through now days, not for what it costs. I've got a friend with a son at A&M. Better him than me. I got the Texas Tomorrow Fund for my daughter, paid for, she's out and looking for a job. In a few years, you'll have a good income and a deer lease. :D

I lucked out with a very nice scholarship. I'm getting paid to go to school right now. My work is split between volunteering at an ER and studying to keep my grades up for med school. And once I'm an ER doc I will have enough money to buy a little piece of land my family's hunted on for thirty years.

Just have to keep looking forward.

Less then 30 days here in AZ. I've been marking my calender off until Sep. 1. I plan on doing small game mixed bag hunting with A 12 gauge in hand and a .22 on my belt. If I'm lucky some small game will be rattlers :evil:

Time to get out the clay birds and practice. I haven't shot my shotgun in at least since months!

Great goals Deer Hunter and good luck! Hope you have the time to hunt if you're an ER doc. LOL Your goals will take lots of dedication. Forget about the Chicken and north gate (inside info only for Aggies:D).

I don't think there's any way to work your way through now days, not for what it costs.

Agreed. I paid my way, and it's just not possible now.

And thnks ya'll, for reminding me I don't have a dove lease. Guess I'll have to start shaking down salesmen.

Anybody with central MS dove spots, please let me know. :)

All my dove spots are double top secret:neener::D:evil:

I envy you folks from "dove-rich" locales . . . I saw "The Dove" last week . . . it was in front of my house.

I WISH I had just one dove at my house. It is comical to watch 10 whitewings try to fit on my Droll Yankee (Bestdamn birdfeeder in the world, BTW). 3-4 on the bottom dish, 3 on the middle pegs, 2 on top of the squirrel cover and 2 more trying to play "KING OF THE BIRD FEEDER" with the other 8. They eat so many sunflower seeds that I have to fill it up a couple times a week.

I'm here in Georgia, and we get to go after them on Sept. 6th. I can't wait! Our family bird field hasn't had this many birds in it in several years! Good hunting!

Gray,

Sounds almost as much fun as watching turkeys trying to go to roost in a weak-limbed fir/pine tree . . . "and they all fall down" . . .

Just 6 more days. I'm preparing now.

Me too. Pulled out the shotguns today. Make sure everything is ready to go. I can't wait.

I took the day off, and have been waiting since last year. I have hunted dove for as long as I can remember. I started when I was little bird dogging for my dad and his buddies. I grew into hunting with them, I started my boys bird dogging for me and now they hunt with me and I look forward to starting their boys bird dogging for us. Dove hunting is my Dad, Grandpa and the rest of my family to me. Dad is gone but being on the end of a corn field with my sons takes me back to a better time.

I've eaten a couple of robins in my mis-spent youth. Maybe there should be a robin season, too? LOL!

Minnesota just got a dove season this year*, so this will be my first time going for dove. For any Minnesotans here, I'm planning on going to Carlos Avery to take advantage of their managed field and I'll probably check out Paul Hugo Farms WMA as well, as its only about a mile away. Anybody have any hints/tips for a first time dove hunter?

edit: make that, we just got a dove season in '04...misread the date on an article about it.

Looks like Gustav is going to let us have our fun this year. We should be in and out before we have to worry about atmospheric interference. Now if the dove just cooperate. They were there a couple of days ago, but who knows in 32 hours? (But who's counting?:D)

Just got back from the 400 acres that we dove hunt on, and they are flying evrywhere but in our fields. The field behind us always gets lots of pressure so that will help to drive them into us. 23hrs to go.

Brand new hunter, going out tomorrow for dove in Virginia. Single-shot shotgun + camo shorts + inexperience = Dove?

Sounds like fun Joe just take plenty of ammo, and chigger repellent!

Gun is oiled, will not get to go until the 6th. Dove are thick this year. Limits are 15 in our zone. How about everyone else?

I've used them the last two years. If I hadn't seen them work that well with my own eyes, I'd never have believed it.

The shotgun is oiled and ready. The AA sporting clays shells are in the bag, on the stool next to the door. The snacks are in the fridge. Time to sleep until my new hunting partner shows up. His first time, so we're going to a little pond I know we'll get plenty of birds flying in on.

The Brittany and I will go out later in the day, or Tuesday early, to walk the river and get her into a few.

Fall is here!

My 10 year old shot her first dove today. It was super cool. She has already called Grandpa and her uncle to brag. The old H&R .410 did its work today. I have a picture of her with her first bird I'll post later. We took the rest of the day off and are going back out this evening.

Hope everyone had a good day of hunting.
Things started off slow for me and dad today. The birds fed early, so they werent flying when shooting time started at noon. Just a couple every now and then. But around 4ish, things started to pick up. I know I had a great time, I love being able to shoot and not just sit there searching the skies like in the years past. My shooting definitely wasnt good today, but what do ya expect from not practicing? Shoot until the shells are gone, get some more and try again next time. LOL Both of us got our limit(15 each here also), so it was a good day. Last year I only bagged 2 birds, so this was a very good day.

Pretty decent day here. Just my son and I hunting most of the day, with THR members gyp_c2 and Goose 12 joining us later in the afternoon. We ended up with 33 doves. About half were Eurasian Collareds, which don't count towards your limit.

I started out the day shooting terrible. Seems like very year I have to re-learn that I can't shoot sustained lead. Once I re-trained myself on "bird, belly, beak, bang" I did all right.

My son Jimmy had a great day. His 870 was dropping them like it was a laser.

Had a good day on this end!

Woke up bright and early at 6:40 A. M. Grabbed my bag I packed last night, ate some pancakes I made the night before, and hopped on my bike.

Rode right up to the Chemistry building on campus for my 8 A.M. Organic Chemistry lab.

No dove, but I did have some Acetanilide that needed the melting point range identified.

Hunted at Cibola Sportsman's Club in AZ with the Corbett family, it was their 10th annual dove hunt and steak dinner the night before. About 60 shooters with many limits early. Lots of whitewings. I manned the camera until about 9am and then knocked a few down. The shooting was small groups that were fairly steady all morning. I saw one big flight of about 25 birds that our group knocked 2 out of. I saw 2 Euros at the cleaning station.

Didn't hear much shooting at all from the Cibola NWR nearby. In fact, the valley seemed kind of quiet compared to past years on the opener. I can say the weather and nice breeze was a change from the usual furnace like 115F that Cibola is famous for. It was 84F when we started shooting and with the cloud cover it was perfect shooting. When I left at noon it had just hit 100F. Lots of white 50 gallon barrels with "NO TRESPASSING" marking fields. ONe group said they scouted all day SUnday only to find 2 fields they could shoot.

I stopped by Yellow Mart in Blythe on the way home and most of the hunter there shot limits early that morning. One dad and son said they had 10 shooters in their group who all got limits. 2 older gentlemen said their long time favorite spot down near the river was a dud, they had one bird each they said. Lots of folks coming in there to check out the sales and pick up more shells and licenses for those just getting down to hunt. YellowMart has a big map of the area posted in their store that shows the good spots to hunt. They also had a Dove Hunter paper that had lots of good info in it. The big "Welcome Dove Hunters" banner hanging over the main drag was kewl to see.

Hit B&B Bait & Tackle in north Blythe and got the same reports, lots of limits locally. The big thunderstorm Sunday night we watched to the west of Cibola was west of Palo Verde they said, it looked like it was hammering Palo Verde to us. Warden was out about checking around Blythe but I never saw any wardens or trucks.

Traffic home on the I-10 was light, lookedl like mostly river rats. Saw a a few pickups with dog crates in the back.

Video of the opener

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uFeYZQonWg

Let's see- 40 days to go. Preliminary counts look promising in both central and east Texas. Hope the birds stay put. Those tropical waves may keep 'em from heading south if we're lucky.

Wow, I've killed a lot of doves since 2006. I'll be heading north to Waco again, though, for the north zone opener.

Still lookin for a spot in central MS. Offers? :)

How did y'all do? I can't go til Sat:(

This drought is going to affect the dove. All I see are whitewings right now.

Usually 1 or 2 September here in Oregon; quail and grouse on same day.

I havn'nt tapped into the dove flights that I grew up with in central Mexicalif.

Here, I drag-shoot on the elderberry bushes. Some guys in central Oregon have the flight patterns I've missed so much.

Hunting quail is the same as doves on the food sources.

Grouse are shootable here with rim-fire .22s. They just sit on the trails gawking at me so...onto the BBQ grill they go. :D

This drought is going to affect the dove.
You have ONE dove? :neener:

You have ONE dove?
Yeah, ol' Dan keeps coming to the feeder on my deck despite my cat's new found enjoyment at spending time outside the house. Heck, Dan is purt near big as the cat, what with all the prime seed I feed. It might be a pretty close battle were they ever to tangle- I'd pay to see that:evil:

I thought I saw a Eurasian collared dove yesterday. It was tan, had a black band near the neck, pink legs, between mourning and whitewing size.

Only 1 month left! I almost had to shoot a few the other day while trying out my new A400 at my fathers house, I was able to control myself though. The season here is year round now for Eurasian Collared Doves but I don't want to ruin September 1st. It has become like a holiday anymore with a dove BBQ at the end and everything.

The best part is this year will be my son's first time carrying a shotgun and not bird dogging for me, pending him passing his hunter safety course in a couple of weeks. I can't wait.

Until then we will bust many, many clays in anticipation.

As hot as it has been here lately I expect my birds to cook themselves on their way down tomorrow!!

If I shoot them high enough maybe they will land in Bastrop and really cook themselves. This heat and drought is really doing a number on our poor state.